Often spelled as “Foxboro”, this town in Norfolk County is perhaps best known as the home of the New England Patriots.
The NFL team, which enjoyed a period of amazing success in the 2000s and 2010s, first moved to Foxborough in 1971.
Their current home, the Gillette Stadium was completed in 2002, and is part of a large mixed-use development, attracting visitors beyond the football season for its entertainment and dining.
The old center of Foxborough is a picturesque little common, bordered by historic buildings and still a place for people to assemble at annual events, concerts and a summer farmers’ market.
1. Gillette Stadium
Source: Joseph Sohm / shutterstockIn 2002, near the start of Bill Belichick’s extraordinary dynasty, the New England Patriots moved out of the inadequate Foxboro Stadium and into their current 65,878-seat home, shared with the New England Revolution (MLS).
Over two decades later, when we wrote this article Gillette Stadium was going through a $225 million round of renovations , with improvements including the largest video board of its kind in the country, and a 218-foot tower with panoramic views of the stadium and eastern Massachusetts.
If you want to watch the team in action, you can get hold of individual game tickets via Ticketmaster.
The stadium is part of an expansive complex, featuring the Patriots of Hall of Fame and the Patriot Place mixed-use development.
2. The Patriots Hall of Fame
Source: Yingna Cai / shutterstockAt any time of year, a great reason to come to the Gillette Stadium is for this high-tech interactive museum highlighting the big moments and people in the glittering history of the New England Patriots.
Hands-on exhibits help you relive pivotal moments like the comeback in the Super Bowl LI victory, and the winning interception by Malcolm Butler’s at Super Bowl XLIX.
The museum is loaded with memorabilia for the likes of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and mastermind Bill Belichick.
And of course, you’ll get to marvel at the championship rings, and the haul of six Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophies in that astonishing spell between 2001 to 2018.
3. Patriot Place
Source: littlenySTOCK / shutterstockStarting in 2007, a sprawling mixed-use development has cropped up on the west side of Gillette Stadium.
Owned by the Kraft Group, Patriot Place has a handful of stores, a four-star hotel, a concert hall, a Showcase Cinema de Lux, a comedy club, and a ton of restaurants, bars and cafes.
When we went to press there were branches of Five Guys, Red Robin, Dunkin’ and Olive Garden, as well as a variety of one-off spots for tacos, Japanese, New England seafood, Italian, co*cktails, craft beer, artisan coffee, and more.
In all, Patriot Place covers 1.3 million square feet, and on the south side has power center-style stores like Bass Pro Shops, Trader Joe’s and Bed Bath & Beyond.
4. Foxborough Common
Source: John Phelan / Wikimedia | CC BY 3.0At a rotary where a number of roads converge, the green in Foxborough’s center goes back at least 300 years.
Like many town commons in New England, Foxborough Common is fringed by historic architecture, like the Bethany Congregational Church (1854), Memorial Hall (1868) and the Greek Revival Foxborough Universalist Church (1843). To go with this history, the common is a dynamic part of community life.
There are constant shows at the Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center, and summer brings a season of free outdoor concerts to the bandstand on Thursday evenings, preceded by the Foxboro Farmers’ Market on the Common in the afternoon.
On top of all that, the Foxboro Jaycees also organize spring and fall craft and vendor fairs on the common.
5. Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center
Source: Matusciac Alexandru / shutterstockOne of the elegant buildings fronting Foxborough Common is the old Orpheum Theatre. This was built to show silent movies in 1926, and would continue to be a destination for moviegoers for more than 60 years.
The Orpheum closed in 1989, but within five years had reopened as a professional stage for performing arts.
The Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center got its current name in 2018 in tribute to a beloved local citizen who served the community for decades through the arts. Check the schedule for upcoming concerts, musicals, live comedy, movie screenings, and much more.
6. F. Gilbert Hills State Forest
Source: NewtonCourt / Wikimedia | CC BY-SA 4.0Much of western Foxborough is occupied by this state forest, with more than 1,000 acres of pine and oak woods.
The F. Gilbert Hills State Forest crosses the line with Wrentham and is also contiguous with conservation lands on both sides. This all adds up to more than 20 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and cross-country skiing.
One long-distance path running through the forest is the Warner Trail, 30 miles long from Diamond Hill, RI, to Sharon.
For those on two wheels, the Foxborough section features some of the best mountain biking terrain in eastern Massachusetts, with a swirling labyrinth of trails, and glacial drumlins causing fun elevation changes.
7. Neponset Reservoir
Source: Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection / Flickr | CC BYLess than a mile north of Foxborough Common is a large body of water, impounded in the mid-19th century to power mills on the Neponset River.
That industrial purpose eventually gave way to recreation, and today you can discover the western shore at the Lane Homestead Conservation Area.
The Story Book Trail here guides you through tranquil pine forest to the shoreline, while the wheelchair-accessible All Person’s Trail takes you to a deck next to Crack Rock Pond where you might spot otters, orioles, kingfishers, great blue herons and other wildlife in summer.
To access the water, there’s a boat ramp at 61 Edwards Rd and a car top boat launch on a little tract of conservation land at Kersey Point (70 Neponset Heights Avenue).
8. Showcase Cinema de Lux Patriot Place
Source: Yingna Cai / shutterstockA movie destination for miles around, the Showcase Cinema de Lux at Patriot Place was one of the first of its kind when it opened in the late 2000s.
As a more upscale version of a Showcase theater, Cinema de Lux Patriot Place offers Lux Level in-theater dining, with reserved seating and in-seat ordering.
This 14-screen multiplex also includes the full-service Studio 3 restaurant, serving contemporary American fare, including gourmet angus beef burgers and a range of fancy signature co*cktails.
9. Memorial Hall
Source: Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) / Wikimedia | Public domainOn the south side of the common, surrounded by headstones, is a Gothic Revival building constructed as a Grand Army of the Republic hall in 1868.
Crowned by a statue of a Union Army soldier, Memorial Hall was built in tribute to all those whose lives were affected by the Civil War, and the chosen location was the old burying ground.
Inside is a plaque honoring Foxborough residents who died in the war, below a stained glass window depicting Liberty.
The hall served as the town library for several decades, and now houses historical exhibits, opening to the public on Wednesday afternoons at the time of writing.
10. The Nature Trail and Cranberry Bog
Source: Heidi Besen / shutterstockSomething that may catch you off guard at Patriot Place is a trail on the south side, leading you over and around the last active cranberry bog in Foxborough.
The Ocean Spray cranberry bog here covers seven acres and was planted in 1929. Suddenly you’ll leave the modern complex behind and find yourself in a rural idyll, typical of southeastern Massachusetts.
This wetland site is walled by stands of hemlock, red maple, white pine and swamp white oak, and there are interpretive signs around the site explaining cranberry production and the history of the bog.
Growing season is a long one, lasting from April to November, and a great time to come is in fall when the bog is bright red.
11. Foxborough Grange Hall
Source: John Phelan / Wikimedia | CC BY 3.0A little way along Bird Street (11-15) from the common and you’ll arrive at a distinctive building, raised in 1897 as a meeting place for the fraternal organization, The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry in the United States.
Three stories tall, Grange Hall is an interesting reminder of Foxborough’s agricultural past, but is also significant for its wood-frame construction and hipped roof.
The organization met here for more than 30 years, and during this time there was an auditorium on the second floor. Since that time the building has been put to many different uses, and even hosted school classes for a time.
12. Muse Paintbar
Source: Yingna Cai / shutterstockSomething else to keep on your radar at Patriot Place is this spot that combines a bar with hands-on painting experiences.
Part of an ever-growing regional chain, Muse Paintbar has a loaded schedule of classes and paint & sip sessions, led by friendly instructors who can help you develop your artistic skills in a relaxed environment.
There’s an enormous choice of experiences to pick from, whether you want to paint in the style of a master like Van Gogh, or produce a jaunty festive scene at Christmas.
There’s a menu of wine and beer to smooth the creative process, as well as a choice of small plates for accompaniment.
13. XtremeCraze Foxborough
Source: Iakov Filimonov / shutterstockAbout a mile south of Foxborough Common, the Foxborough Plaza shopping center features a branch of this indoor inflatable park chain.
XtremeCraze is similar to an indoor trampoline park, except here every surface is inflatable and soft, which means extra peace of mind for parents who can play side-by-side with their kids.
The park has multiple zones and attractions, including tower slides, a big free-fall jump, climbing walls and balance mushrooms.
This location also has a laser tag arena, using sophisticated technology allowing for a choice of game formats, like hide-and-seek and capture the flag. On top of that you’ve got the Game Zone, an arcade with old-school redemption machines like skeeball.
14. Booth Recreational Complex
Source: Ellie.tuang / shutterstockFoxborough’s main park for active recreation is within walking distance of the common, along South St.
Parents will be pleased with the playground at the Booth Recreational Complex, which was completely revamped in 2019, in a project part-funded by Robert Kraft’s Partners in Patriotism Fund.
This all-abilities facility has soft rubber paving, accessible tire swings, and a variety of whimsical climbing equipment. Home to Foxborough’s rec office, the wider complex offers multi-purpose fields, baseball fields, softball fields and tennis courts.
15. Foxborough Country Club
Source: photoinnovation / shutterstockEstablished in 1955, Foxborough Country Club is semi-private, with public play slots available Tuesday through Thursday, as well on Fridays before May 1.
If you’re in the area on these days, you could spend a rewarding few hours playing this Geoffrey Cornish-designed parkland golf course.
Measuring 6,850 yards from the tips, this track is on 200 acres of mature woods. Long and true drives will put you in a good position, but your approach play will need to be fine tuned to deal with the elevation changes and the subtle idiosyncrasies of the greens.
