Things To Do
Joesephs Two Restaurant
Scott's first apartment after college was on Bacon St, just up the road from Josephs Two. Their hardy New England Breakfasts are large, so make sure you're hungry before you go! Scott loves the Berkshire Breakfast, Kate loves the Cape Codder. Parking is very tight, though. We've often parked at Hannafords Supermarket, made sure to buy something so we're paying customers and won't get towed, and then walked over to Josephs Two.
In A Pickle Restaurant
This is a cute breakfast place, but for years we had trouble finding a time to go when they're open. We finally got the chance to go in 2023, when Waltham was still blocking off that section of Moody Street during the summers for pedestrian use and restaurants got to set up outdoor tables in the street. Waltham is going to keep Moody St open to traffic for the 2024 summer season, but they're going to block off parking spaces for restaurants to set up additional outdoor seating. In A Pickle was good about bussing outdoor tables, and the breakfast food was great!
Leo's Place Diner
Leo's Place is another hidden gem of a breakfast place with great food. They're also very, very kind - Kate once had an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction while going by and had to duck inside. They led her right to the employee bathroom, no questions asked, and made sure she had what she needed to get patched back up well enough. There's no dedicated parking for Leo's, but it's a short walk from the Central Square Parking Deck on Lexington St.
Tresca's Eating Place
If you're willing to drive a little further away, Tresca's is a cute breakfast diner with good food in Watertown (we went here a couple of times when we first moved in together and lived in Watertown). There's ample parking, though it's metered between 8 AM and 8 PM on Mondays-Saturdays (parking is free on Sundays and Holidays). The meters take quarters or credit cards or parking can be paid on the Passport mobile app. Fair warning, though - Tresca's only takes cash, no credit cards. There's an Eastern Bank ATM in the same parking lot if you need it.
Lizzy's Homemade Ice Cream
While this isn't a breakfast place, we HAVE to recommend visiting Lizzy's. It's one of our favorite ice cream parlors and is a required stop whenever Scott's family comes to visit. Their Waltham location is just down Moody Street from the museum and, while Scott was living in Waltham, we walked there a LOT. They have a back room with plenty of indoor seating, and their chocolate cookie dough ice cream (cookie dough but in chocolate ice cream; don't worry, they also have the vanilla version) is a huge hit with Scott. The closest parking lot is the Crescent Street municipal lot (parking is metered from 8 AM to 6 PM Monday-Saturday, free on Sundays; Pay at pay stations with coins, bills, or cards, or via the Pay By Phone app). From there, you can take Spruce Street back to Moody Street and Lizzy's is about one block south. You'll likely see the line out the door long before you get there!
Game Underground
We'd be remiss to not recommend visiting Game Underground, also just down Moody Street from the museum (you'll pass it on the way to Lizzy's). We first visited Game Underground for a Pokemon VGC tournament when they were located in Framingham in late 2014, then again to shop when they moved to the Natick Mall. We were ecstatic when they moved to Waltham in 2018! They sell used video games, have a decent collection of pinball and arcade machines, have consoles and screens setup for hourly rental to play video games, and host cardgame and video game tournaments.
Embassy Theater Waltham
This small independent movie theater is along Moody Street and is the reason why the municipal lot on Cooper St is called "The Embassy Lot". You'll see the back of this building when parking or getting on/off the hotel shuttle for our reception. The theater closed in 2022 but reopened in 2023 as Embassy Performing Arts. Tickets are only sold online for now, and the weekend of our wedding they'll be showing "Run Lola Run" for the movie's 25th anniversary.
Waltham Common
The common is a beautiful greenspace in the center of Waltham. The address here is technically the address for Waltham City Hall, though there's another municipal lot behind the building with entrances on Main St and Elm St. There's also parking at the Commuter Rail stop, immediately south of the common (though there's a gentle slope back up to the rest of the park). There are walking paths, areas of open lawn and shaded benches, a bandstand, and the Veteran's Memorial circle. Many festivals and events, including the Watch City Steampunk Festival, take place on the common. Sadly there won't be any festivals occurring the weekend of our wedding, though that means there won't be too many crowds and traffic will be lighter. If you're looking for someplace for low-intensity walking with easily accessible parking and close proximity to shops and amenities, this is a great place to go!
Charles Riverwalk and Charles River Bike Path
The Charles River Bike Path/the Riverwalk is a trail that crisscrosses the Charles River, running all the way from Prospect St in Waltham to the Museum of Science in Boston. While this address (McKenna Playground) is advertised as a good parking location in Waltham, there are many locations to jump on and off. In fact, after you cross the bridge from the Embassy Lot to Landry Park, the walk to our reception venue is part of the Riverwalk! This path is how we first found the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation. Most of the path is paved, though it’ll transition to dirt for a few sections in Watertown if you decide to go east. If you go west, there’s a very distinct end point at the former Watch City Watch Co factory buildings. We're already asking you to walk 200 ft of the Riverwalk, but we’d still recommend this path if you're looking for a fairly easy walking trail that goes as little as 500 ft or as far as 23 miles.
Prospect Hill Park
If you're looking for a little more activity than a park or flat trail, Prospect Hill Park has easy hiking trails and scenic lookouts. There's free parking and paved vehicle access roads if you want to drive up to the lookout points. (One branch of the drive goes right between two of Waltham's municipal drinking water storage tanks; It's okay, you're supposed to drive through there.) This park is very close to the hotel. However, if you decide to walk from the hotel, please keep in mind that Totten Pond Rd and the surrounding streets have very heavy traffic (we'd recommend sticking to Winter St but still being careful). There are also sections of Totten Pond Rd without sidewalks, including the 300 ft between the crosswalk at the end of Winter St and the start of Prospect Hill Park. Please be careful!!
Beaver Brook Reservation
Beaver Brook Reservation is a state park that spans Waltham, Lexington, and Belmont (where we currently live!). This address is the parking lot for the South parking area and the southernmost part of the reservation, which has easy walking paths. When Scott walks or bikes to work, he cuts through this park to get from Waverley Square to the office park on Waverley Oaks Rd. There are always a lot people walking their dogs in the park, so it's a great place for dog-lovers to take a stroll. There's also a Tree Walk that spans both the north and south sections. The North parking area is located at 66 Mill St, Belmont, MA 02478. There are additional parking areas along Mill St in Belmont for the Rock Meadow Conservation area and Lone Tree Hill. The northwest section of the reservation has the Beaver Brook North Reservation Loop, which is an easy 1.8 mile hiking and mountain biking trail.
Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.
This brewery and taproom is located in the same office park as Scott's office. While neither of us are big beer drinkers, folks from Scott's company will frequently go here for celebrations, goodbye parties, or just general get togethers. They brew their beer on-site, and you can try many of their beers in their taproom! You can also visit their coffee bar, which is open daily from 7 AM to 4 PM. Please note that their food menu is limited (mainly appetizers on their taproom food menu, though their coffee bar menu offers some baked goods from local bakeries). Mighty Squirrel also schedules food trucks to come to the office park each day of the week. Here's the trucks that will be at Waverley Oaks the weekend of our wedding: Friday 6/7: Tandoor & Curry on Wheels (11:30 AM - 9:30 PM) Saturday 6/8: Cousin's Maine Lobster (12 PM - 9 PM), Taqueria Mariana (12 PM - 5 PM), Kith & Kin (3 PM - 9 PM) Sunday 6/9: Melt Grilled Cheese (1 PM - 8:30 PM), Taqueria Mariana (1 PM - 9 PM)
Lyman Estate Greenhouses
If you're interested in a greenhouse tour, the Lyman Estate Greenhouses are open for the public and accept donations in lieu of an entrance fee (unlike the Lyman Estate Mansions). They're open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 AM to 4 PM. Their website says they're among the oldest surviving greenhouses in the US, and Kate was as intrigued by the old irrigation piping as she was by the plants the last time she was there! The entrance is located right at the traffic circle intersection between Lyman St and Beaver St. Parking is along the dirt side road (traffic is one way!) that then connects back to Beaver St or next to the greenhouse when you go further in along the access drive.