Franklin Park, at 500-plus acres and part of the Emerald Necklace, is an underutilized resource – partly because it borders a sketchy neighborhood, and partly because it is so huge. Still, on weekend afternoons the park is full of families from the nearby neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain, Dorchester and Roxbury.

The Franklin Park Zoo is contained within the park. Take the orange line to Stony Brook, Green St or Forest Hills and head east until you reach the park’s western edge.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Franklin Park Zoo

0.51 MILES

Tucked into Franklin Park, the zoo features a half-dozen different habitats, as well as special exhibits devoted to birds and butterflies. The highlight…

2. Forest Hills Cemetery

0.99 MILES

Dating from 1848, Forest Hills is a gorgeous, green cemetery that is filled with art and whimsy. It is still an active burial ground, but it also plays…

3. Olmsted Park

1.36 MILES

Part of the Emerald Necklace, Olmsted Park features a paved path that hugs the banks of Leverett Pond and Ward's Pond in Jamaica Plain.

4. Arnold Arboretum

1.42 MILES

Under a public-private partnership with Harvard University, the 265-acre Arnold Arboretum is planted with over 15,000 exotic trees and flowering shrubs…

5. MassArt Bakalar & Paine Galleries

1.94 MILES

MassArt is the country’s first and only four-year independent public art college. There's always some thought-provoking or sense-stimulating exhibits to…

6. Larz Anderson Auto Museum & Park

1.98 MILES

Larz and Isabel Anderson, a high-society couple, bought their first automobile in 1899: a Winton Runabout. It was the first of 32 autos that they would…

8. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

2.08 MILES

Once home to Isabella Stewart Gardner, this splendid palazzo now houses her exquisite collection of art. The museum includes thousands of artistic objects…