Westfield, MA Outdoor Activities

Having set up camp at The Mount Brace Outdoor Club and Flight Park, Let’s Go Paragliding sends its students skyward under the guidance of owner Benoit Bruneau. A certified instructor, Benoit was named the 2010 paragliding instructor of the year by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. At his facility, Benoit oversees introductory paragliding lessons, and for more advanced students, tandem flights, personal training, and training programs. Let’s Go Paragliding also stocks high-quality paragliding equipment and gear.

Meandering along the quiet waters 150 miles north of New York City, Hudson Cruises' captains navigate the picturesque artery of the northern Hudson River Valley, offering views of the rolling Catskills and, occasionally, the belly buttons of soaring bald eagles. Both private and public tours—including chartered dinner cruises, Hudson-Athens lighthouse tours, sunset tours, and Latin Dance Party cruises—traverse the waterway, with accommodations for up to 150 passengers on the New Orleans–style paddleboat. Tours take place May–October, seven days a week.

In Boylston, 132 acres rest untouched by modern society, where warm breezes send flower petals dancing and sidewalks give way to winding trails. Tower Hill Botanic Garden envelops visitors in fields of green grass, tall trees, and colorful flowers across both outdoor areas and indoor garden spaces. Staff members educate guests on the gardens’ various flora and fauna in classes and programs calibrated for students of every age. Special events, such as the African Violet Show, shine the spotlight on even more species of flowers, much like the wildflower-identification portion of standard driving tests.

In 1903, Orrin E. Smith sculpted a nine-hole course at Windsor Lake called North Adams Gentleman's Club, challenging golfers to take on its rolling terrain and bask in the peaceful effect of its verdant expanse. Though the name of the course has changed, the Berkshire Hills terrain remains a picturesque setting for players of all skill levels to enjoy golf as a relaxing pastime. A large lake forms the centerpiece of the course, forcing players to evade its watery reaches on holes four, seven, and nine, or risk donating their balls to the course historian holding court in his underwater lair.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par 36 course
• Total length of 2,899 yards from back tees
• Course rating of 67 from the back tees
• Course slope of 119 from the back tees
• Two sets of tees per hole
• Designed by Orrin E. Smith

Sneaking up the ridge, the players prepare to storm the multilevel Castle Anthrax, a wooden fortress where defenders lurk in its 20,000-square-foot interior and ready their counterattack. The castle is one of seven outdoor playing fields at AG Paintball, which has been featured on WMUR's "New Hampshire Chronicle." Amid forest terrain, participants duck into huts, snipe opponents from behind paint-splattered barrels, and trick the guard sphinxes into unveiling one of the multiple entrances to the Octagon. Updated annually with new fields, the facility hosts both novice and experienced players and matches those of equal experience and skill for games in varying styles of play. After their bouts, guests can restock supplies in the pro shop, commission repairs from the onsite gunsmith, or grill some burgers in the covered patio area, where those 21 and older can also enjoy BYOB privileges once all gear is returned.