🏞️ 10 of the Best Local Parks

If you’ve driven past Billings Field lately, you’ve noticed the construction fencing has been up for a while now, though you can finally see some green showing! The city broke ground back in June 2025, and the plan is a total glow-up for our corner of the city: a new stairway and accessible ramp off Bellevue Street, wider walking paths, a splash pad, upgraded basketball and pickleball courts, better athletic fields, and a new outdoor hockey rink. The latest word from the city is a November 2026 completion, with the field fully reopening in spring 2027.

Long process? Yes. Worth the wait? Also, yes.

In the meantime, we’re lucky. Our corner of the city and the communities surrounding it are full of parks that are carrying us through summer, keeping us cool, keeping the kids busy, and giving us plenty of reasons to get outside.

Here are our top ten local parks, all within about five miles of 02132.

1. Billings Field (LaGrange St, West Roxbury) — West Roxbury’s beloved centerpiece and the one to watch. Under construction now, reopening in phases through spring 2027 with a new splash pad, hockey rink, upgraded courts, and better fields. We can’t wait for its reveal!
2. Hynes Playground (502 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury) — This one already had its moment with a major renovation not too long ago, and it shows. The splash pad runs Memorial Day through Labor Day, dawn to dusk, and between the baseball fields, basketball courts, and walking loop there’s something for every age. Lots of dog walkers end up here as well, though it’s not an official dog park.
3. Millennium Park (Gardner St, West Roxbury) — If you want space to spread out, this is it. 100 acres along the Charles River, six miles of paths, a canoe launch, and enough sports fields and picnic spots that you could go every week and still find a new corner.
4. Brook Farm Historic Site (Baker St, West Roxbury) — A quieter one, and a bit of local history to boot. This 145-acre site was once a Transcendentalist commune in the 1840s. Now it’s mostly walking trails and open fields, right next door to Millennium Park.
5. Stony Brook Reservation (West Roxbury and Hyde Park) — 475 acres of woods, ten to twelve miles of hiking and biking trails, and Turtle Pond if you want to try your luck fishing. There’s also an ice rink and a pool in the southern section for when the trails aren’t the plan.
6. Adams Park (Cummins Hwy & Washington St, Roslindale) — Small, fenced in, and right in the middle of Roslindale Village. Great playground, a Saturday farmers market in season, and it’s an easy stop if you’re already grabbing coffee nearby.
7. Fallon Field (South St, Roslindale) — Home to what might be the biggest slide in Boston, reached by climbing a rope pyramid. There’s also a splash pad, a group swing, and a small sledding hill for winter. Kids love this one.
8. Skyline Park (Newton St, Brookline) — Just over the line from Chestnut Hill. Sits up on a hill with nice views, a turf field, a playground, and trails that connect to Lost Pond Sanctuary. A good pick when you want a change of scenery.
9. Larz Anderson Park (Newton St, Brookline) — A bit further down Newton Street from Skyline Park, and one of our favorites for a reason. 64 acres, a gazebo, picnic tables, an auto museum if you’re feeling curious, sledding in winter, and an outdoor rink.
10. Soule Playground (652 Hammond St, Chestnut Hill) — A bit of a hidden gem. Smaller and less crowded than some of the others on this list, with a splash pad, a soccer field, and an off-street lot, handicap parking included.

Between what’s already here and what’s coming with Billings Field, this corner of Boston keeps giving families more reasons to stay put. Did we miss your favorite? Drop it in the comments, we’re always looking for a new spot to check out.

And if all this list does is make you want a house a little closer to your favorite park, well, we happen to know a few people who can help with that.