A serene, free, beautifully landscaped escape — rolling hills of labeled trees, a lilac collection that draws crowds each May, and blazing fall color, all far from the tourist core. The catch: it's out in Jamaica Plain, it's a place to walk rather than 'see,' and outside peak bloom or foliage it's a lovely-but-quiet green that won't wow first-time visitors.
A free public park and Harvard research institution spanning 281 acres in Jamaica Plain and Roslindale, designed with Frederick Law Olmsted as a link in the Emerald Necklace. · en.wikipedia.org
Its lilac collection holds 407 plants across 173 taxa, celebrated each year on 'Lilac Sunday' the second Sunday in May. · arboretum.harvard.edu