Forest Park
Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts, is one of the largest urban, municipal parks in the United States, covering 735 acres (297 ha) of land overlooking the Connecticut River. Worth the trip, Springfield Armory is 2.4 mi off. The months with the kindest weather are May, June, August, September and October, at 63–83°F.
A garden inside Springfield
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 17°. When to go ↓
You can stay in Springfield
Forest Park is inside Springfield, which has 14 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from Boston
Boston is about 82 miles east (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Aug, Sep and Oct
May, June, August, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 63–83°. When to go ↓
An airport 11 miles away
Bradley (BDL) has airline service, about 11 miles from Forest Park.
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures and Wikipedia.
Month by month
Below are typical highs and lows near Forest Park.
Forest Park
Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts, is one of the largest urban, municipal parks in the United States, covering 735 acres (297 ha) of land overlooking the Connecticut River. Forest Park features a zoo, aquatic gardens, and outdoor amphitheater, in addition to design elements like winding wooded trails, and surprising, expansive views. The site of America's first public, municipal swimming pool, currently, during the holiday months Forest Park hosts a popular high-tech lighting display, known as Bright Nights. Contrary to popular belief, the park was not designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, although it was designed by his firm.
- Type
- Garden
- Area
- 736 acres
- Wikipedia readers
- 2.9K a year
Where to base yourself for Forest Park
Nearest for a night are Springfield (14) and West Springfield Town (23).
- 1Springfield Armory
- 2Six Flags New England
- 3PeoplesBank Arena
- 4Quabbin Reservoir
- 5MassMutual Center
- 6Pratt & Whitney Stadium
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Forest Park | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | in town | — | 14 13 hotels · 1 inn or B&B | 154,702 | $245K | D |
| West Springfield Town | 5 mi northwest | 10 min | 23 17 hotels · 4 motels · 2 inns & B&Bs | 28,829 | $322K | D |
| Chicopee | 7 mi north | 10 min | 9 4 hotels · 3 motels · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 campground | 55,310 | $275K | C− |
| Windsor Locks | 11 mi southwest | 15 min | 13 11 hotels · 2 motels | 12,617 | $259K | B |
| Holyoke | 10 mi north | 15 min | 9 9 hotels | 38,023 | $274K | D− |
| Enfield | 6 mi south | 10 min | 4 3 hotels · 1 motel | 41,142 | $253K | C+ |
| Ludlow | 10 mi northeast | 15 min | 5 3 hotels · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 campground | 21,279 | $335K | B+ |
| Manchester | 21 mi south | 30 min | 21 14 hotels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 3 campgrounds | 59,773 | $247K | C+ |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
More to see nearby
Places worth adding lie within 68 miles.
12 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
Big draw37 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
23 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
Big draw67 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
322 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
424 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
52 mi Stadium & arenaMassMutual Center
622 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney StadiumPhoto credits
Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · MassMutual Center: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
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Visiting Forest Park: the answers
Is Forest Park in Springfield?
Yes. It’s inside Springfield, MA.
When is the best time to visit Forest Park?
May, June, August, September and October, with highs of 63–83°.
How far is Forest Park from Boston and Brookhaven?
About 82 miles east of Boston and about 86 miles south of Brookhaven, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Forest Park?
Bradley (BDL), about 11 miles away.
Where should I stay near Forest Park?
West Springfield Town (5 mi, 23 places to stay), Springfield (in town, 14 places to stay) and Chicopee (7 mi, 9 places to stay).
Word from Springfield
Start the conversation in Springfield’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.