Franklin Park
Discover. Play. History.
Treasures abound throughout Olmsted’s “country park.” At 527 acres, Franklin Park is the largest green space in the Emerald Necklace and the City of Boston.
Named for Benjamin Franklin, this intentionally natural and immersive park brings together rural scenery, spectacular rock outcroppings, a woodland preserve, expansive pastoral vistas, winding paths, and areas for active recreation and sports.
Olmsted's Plan for Franklin Park, 1885
Credits:
Courtesy of Digital Commonwealth
Franklin Park is a longtime gathering spot for games, barbecues, and other get-togethers
Credits:
Will Serber
Visitors observe the Franklin Park Bear Cages, 1914
Credits:
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Flying kites near the Shattuck Picnic Grove
Credits:
Will Serber
Scarboro Pond in autumn
Credits:
Evan Bradley
Olmsted's Plan for Franklin Park, 1885
Credits:
Courtesy of Digital Commonwealth
Franklin Park is a longtime gathering spot for games, barbecues, and other get-togethers
Credits:
Will Serber
Visitors observe the Franklin Park Bear Cages, 1914
Credits:
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Flying kites near the Shattuck Picnic Grove
Credits:
Will Serber
Scarboro Pond in autumn
Credits:
Evan Bradley
History
Franklin Park officially opened in 1885 and became the crown jewel of the Emerald Necklace. Its centerpieces, the Wilderness and Scarboro Pond, were designed to feel almost untouched—an antidote to industrial urban life. Over time, Franklin Park has become a hub for recreation and culture, adding features like a golf course, athletic fields, and the Franklin Park Zoo. While parts of Olmsted’s original vision were altered through the 20th century, today's restorations are focused on reclaiming the park’s ecological health and historic landscape character.
Olmsted's Plan for Franklin Park, 1885
Credits:
Courtesy of Digital Commonwealth
Franklin Park is a longtime gathering spot for games, barbecues, and other get-togethers
Credits:
Will Serber
Visitors observe the Franklin Park Bear Cages, 1914
Credits:
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Flying kites near the Shattuck Picnic Grove
Credits:
Will Serber
History
Franklin Park officially opened in 1885 and became the crown jewel of the Emerald Necklace. Its centerpieces, the Wilderness and Scarboro Pond, were designed to feel almost untouched—an antidote to industrial urban life. Over time, Franklin Park has become a hub for recreation and culture, adding features like a golf course, athletic fields, and the Franklin Park Zoo. While parts of Olmsted’s original vision were altered through the 20th century, today's restorations are focused on reclaiming the park’s ecological health and historic landscape character.
Things to do
With six miles of roads and fifteen miles of pedestrian and bridle paths, Franklin Park is the place to discover! Step into historic ruins, spot a Great Horned Owl, bike after school, or perfect your golf swing.
Our Favorite Spots
Did you know?
Unlike the rest of the Emerald Necklace parks, Franklin Park was purposefully designed to have almost no water features. Designer Frederick Law Olmsted wanted a pure, heavy "depth of wood" to swallow visitors up and completely block out the sight and sound of the surrounding city. Even today, the park remains a true oasis.
Free events happening soon
At
Franklin Park
Franklin Park
park partners
Our community of partners are out to build a greener, more verdant Franklin Park. Like a thriving forest, we grow stronger together.
Land & water
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The world didn't start with Olmsted. For millennia before and in the centuries since Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Emerald Necklace park system for a rapidly industrializing city and metropolitan area, the lands and waters of and around Greater Boston have served as a site of exchange among communities including the Massachusett, Pawtucket, Wampanoag and Nipmuc peoples. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy acknowledges the Greater Boston region as their unceded ancestral territories. This acknowledgement is a starting point toward right relations with Indigenous neighbors and their understandings of land stewardship.
Shattuck Visitor Center
Year-Round
Mon-Fri 9:30am – 5pm
May-October
Sat-Sun 10am – 4pm
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 04-3414988.
Land & water
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The world didn't start with Olmsted. For millennia before and in the centuries since Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Emerald Necklace park system for a rapidly industrializing city and metropolitan area, the lands and waters of and around Greater Boston have served as a site of exchange among communities including the Massachusett, Pawtucket, Wampanoag and Nipmuc peoples. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy acknowledges the Greater Boston region as their unceded ancestral territories. This acknowledgement is a starting point toward right relations with Indigenous neighbors and their understandings of land stewardship.
Shattuck Visitor Center
Year-Round
Mon-Fri 9:30am – 5pm
May-October
Sat-Sun 10am – 4pm
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 04-3414988.
Land & water
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The world didn't start with Olmsted. For millennia before and in the centuries since Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Emerald Necklace park system for a rapidly industrializing city and metropolitan area, the lands and waters of and around Greater Boston have served as a site of exchange among communities including the Massachusett, Pawtucket, Wampanoag and Nipmuc peoples. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy acknowledges the Greater Boston region as their unceded ancestral territories. This acknowledgement is a starting point toward right relations with Indigenous neighbors and their understandings of land stewardship.
Shattuck Visitor Center
Year-Round
Mon-Fri 9:30am – 5pm
May-October
Sat-Sun 10am – 4pm
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 04-3414988.