Most of my friends are in Westford and Groton, so I haven’t really explored the Carlisle area. I packed up the kiddos in the morning to go explore a new area! A ten minute drive down Route 225 to Carlisle and we arrived at the rotary in the town’s center. All within walking distance of each other are Ferns Country Store, the Gleason Public Library, and a fun playground near the school.
We started at the Carlisle School playground which the kids really enjoyed. You can park on School Street or in the school parking lot accessed off Church Street (a one way street). It is a large wooden play area similar to how Castle in the Trees in Littleton used to be. In the morning, the playground is shaded by many trees, which is a plus! The playground is intended for 8-12 year olds, but my three and six year olds had no trouble and really enjoyed themselves. There’s also a smaller, non-wooden playground in the same complex with some interesting climbing structures and monkey bars. The kids also enjoyed the hopscotch on the pavement. There’s a large paved lot with basketball courts and some of the other children at the playground brought their scooters, balance bikes, and bikes. I think we’ll do that next time. It’s a nice open space for them to ride. [Publisher's note: During the school year, the school playground is not open during school hours, weekdays 8 AM-3:30 PM.]
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At snack time, we crossed the street at the crosswalk, walked through a tree-lined path and ended up in the Gleason Public Library parking lot. Another quick walk across the street and we were at Ferns Country Store. Ferns has a nice selection of snacks, waters, juices, and smoothies, and the sandwich menu looked amazing. Next time I might plan the playdate around lunch! The kids got granola bars. I couldn’t resist the almond croissant and an iced latte. The cinnamon rolls also looked delicious. There was coloring for the kids and nice seating areas inside and out. We opted to be inside to get a break from the summer heat. The staff were really friendly.
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After we recharged, it was off to the library! The children’s area was nice and we were the only ones there. I picked up a calendar of events for their summer reading program and story times. The kids enjoyed pointing out story book characters painted on the wall. My 6 year old loved using the computers to play a music matching game and to listen to audiobooks. My 3 year old loved the train table. The library is part of the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium which means that if your home town library is also a member and you have a library card, then you can check out books and return your books to your hometown library. You can also request books from any other library in the corsortium.
This was a great way to spend the morning because it was almost like three playdates in one. When the kids were done with one activity, it was on to the next! I also love driving on Route 225 to get there. It’s such a beautiful road. A bonus is that the Carlisle location of Kimball Farm is a quick drive further down Rt. 225. [Publisher's Note: There are sidewalks heading down Lowell Street towards Kimball Farm but they don't go the whole way. It's a beautiful walk though; the sidewalks wind through the trees along the side of the road. The Clark Farm farm stand is along the way, with organic produce grown right on the farm, coffee and gourmet items.]
Leslie Howard is a stay at home mom of three (ages 6, 3, and 5 months) and owner of Kissacook Hill Crafts. In her “free” time she likes to dance, craft, sew, read, write, and explore. She lives in Westford.
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