Happy #WorcesterWednesday everyone!!! How crazy is it that it has been one whole year of #WorcesterWednesdays (minus my brief hiatus)??? This has been one of my proudest projects to date and I hope you’ve all enjoyed learning a little bit more about my hometown.
This month we are talking about holiday/winter activities in Worcester. Growing up, I always went to the tree lighting at Kelley Square because my class was always asked to make ornaments for it. But, this year, Mark and I decided to head to Worcester’s Festival of Lights downtown for the first time.
It was a blast! The entire Common was lit up, the giant tree was decorated (though we got out of work too late to make the actual tree lighting), there was a heated beer tent, and so much more! To make it even more magical, we had just had our first snow storm of the year so everything was covered.
While there isn’t a festival and beer tent every weekend, the Common is still a great place for family fun (or a sweet date night).
There is a huge ice rink that supposedly is bigger than the rink at Rockefeller Center. It costs $5 for adults to skate, plus an additional $5 if you need to rent skates. Honestly…I would have expected subpar quality ice, but the city does a great job at maintaining it!
Skating not your thing? That’s okay! Take a walk through the winter wonderland that is the Worcester Common. All the trees are lit up and it seeing the city sparkling at night is truly magical.
After you have gotten your fix of skating and admiring the lights you’ll probably be pretty hungry (or in need of a beverage). Downtown Worcester has been going through a renaissance much like the Canal District has so there are plenty of options for you! Some of my favorites include:
- Worcester Beer Garden (which currently has heated igloos set up on their patio!)
- Revolution Pie + Pint (delicious pizza and an extensive beer list)
- 110 Grille
- Fuel America (which also made my list of 6 best coffee shops in Worcester)
Or, if you’re up for a slightly longer walk (all of 10 minutes), you can head to one of these other amazing places:
- Mezcal Cantina (best margaritas EVER!)
- Deadhorse Hill
- Armsby Abbey (which I believe was Worcester’s first farm to table restaurant)
Looking for something a little more upscale and indoors? The Hanover Theater always puts on an incredible production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This year they are also doing a production of The Hip Hop Nutcracker. You can see the full list of their upcoming shows here.
So what is to come for #WorcesterWednesday in 2020? Unfortunately I think this will be the end of regular monthly blog posts, but that doesn’t mean it is going away completely! There will still be a regular monthly #WorcesterWednesday post on Instagram, and I will also be doing ad hoc blog posts as new and exciting things come up in Worcester. If you’d like to follow along on Instagram, you can do that here. Lots of exciting things are coming up in 2020 for Vagarious Wanderer! Stay tuned for a post a January 1 to give you a sneak peak!
Want to read more about Worcester? Check out my other #WorcesterWednesday posts below!
January 2019: Worcester, MA: Why It Should Be Added To Your Bucket List
February 2019: Worcester Art Museum
March 2019: Redemption Rock Brewing Company
July 2019: 6 Best Coffee Shops in Worcester
August 2019: The Best Diners in Worcester
September 2019: The Five Breweries in Worcester
October 2019: Worcester Hauntings
November 2019: Holiday Shopping in Worcester, MA