15 Best Things to Do in Dudley (MA)

Sitting about 30 minutes south of Worcester, Dudley is a quiet town on the boundary with Connecticut.

In the early 19th century this place was at the epicenter of the American Industrial Revolution as a hub for textile manufacturing.

It’s fascinating to think that the textile industry was present in Dudley until the 21st century, and there’s a striking mill complex from the mid-19th century now preserved as a National Historic District.

Dudley is a small town of fewer than 12,000 people, but comprises a big chunk of Central Massachusetts.

A lot of this land, from granite-topped hills to wetlands full of birdlife, is protected by the local conservation trust, giving you endless options for walks and nature study.

1. Black Tavern

On Dudley Town Common, Dudley’s main site of historical interest is a Federal-style tavern, built at the turn of the 19th century.

At that time, the Black Tavern was a stop, about halfway along the stagecoach route between Boston and Hartford, CT.

Five bays wide, this 2 ½-story building belonged to the same family for almost the entirety of its existence, which has ensured an amazing state of preservation.

This has all been safeguarded by the Black Tavern Historical Society, which was deeded the building in 1980.

Check the society’s website for opening times and upcoming programs, diving into a wide array of history-themed topics. In October there’s also an annual juried craft fair in the tavern, on the grounds and out on the common.

2. Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary

Laced with ponds, woods and wetlands, the northern parts of Dudley can feel very remote. This scenery can be enjoyed at sanctuaries and conservation properties like Mass Audubon’s Pierpont Meadow.

These 211 are former farmland, once entirely cleared for agriculture, although you would hardly know it today. The biggest reminder of the old days are the venerable stone walls edging the meadows and hiding in pine groves.

The meadows are magical late on summer days when the fireflies are out, and at this time you may see beavers going about their work at the little pond along Marsh Road.

3. Quinebaug River Valley Rail Trail

The Southbridge spur of the Providence and Worcester Railroad was laid down through Dudley in the 1850s, creating a passenger link with Boston until 1921, and with freight services continuing until the 1990s.

Since the mid-00s, there has been a long-term plan to turn the spur into an 11-mile multi-use rail trail running through Southbridge, Dudley and Webster.

When we compiled this list there were two completed sections, the longest running for 4.1 miles in Dudley and Southbridge. Starting near the MA/CT line, the trail has a lovely route, through the wooded river valley, to the edge downtown Soutbridge by Route 131.

4. Tufts Branch Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

West of the Nichols College campus, this town-owned conservation area is on the Tufts Branch and was acquired by Dudley in 2008 to protect it from development.

Along two miles of trails you can discover more than 80 acres of woods, wetlands, meadows, all along the picturesque banks of the Tufts Branch.

There are boardwalk sections over damper ground, and at the main trailhead you can check out a kiosk with maps and Dudley Conservation Land Trust brochures. A lovely time to be here is in spring when the sanctuary’s apple trees are in bloom.

5. Dudley Public Library (Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Library)

In 2010 the town’s public library moved into a new sustainably designed building on the site of the former town hall at 40 Schofield Ave.

Dudley Public Library has a long history, having been founded in 1896 and relocated in 1901 to One Village Street, where it stayed for more than a century.

The current building was the product of more than a decade of planning, cooperation and fundraising, and is understandably a source of great pride for the community.

This is a stellar local resource, with services, collections and programs for all ages and interests.

There are well-designed rooms for kids and teenagers to play, read and study, and big cozy chairs where you can lose all track of time with a book. The library also has periodic art exhibits in the Fels Community Room.

6. Walnut Lane Farm

Now into its fourth and fifth generations, the Koebke family has worked this 230-acre livestock farm in Dudley since 1910.

Walnut Lane Farm has a booth at several farmers’ markets in the area, but you can also go straight to the source where there’s a farm store.

The specialty here is grass-fed beef, raised on a 100% grass diet and sold by the cut. You can also find milk-fed veal, pasture-raised pork, pasture-raised chickens, raw milk bottled fresh every day, locally made pantry goods, and goat milk soap.

7. Stevens Linen Works Historic District

This sizable mill complex in Dudley dates back to before the Civil War, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

At 8-10 Mill St, the Stevens Linen Works produced linen and flax fabric from the mid-19th century onwards.

The first mill was erected on this site in 1812, and the surviving (third) main building was built from granite in the early 1860s.

At that time, it was expected that linen would overtake cotton as the United States’ fabric of choice, but then cotton production rebounded post-war.

Although the linen industry faded, the Stevens Mill had the longest lifespan of any linen mill in the country, and continued to operate until as recently as 2003.

Noted for its fine Italianate towers, the complex is in exceptional condition, with outbuildings erected in the 1910s and 1920s.

8. Dudley Hill Golf Club

The pioneering golf architect Devereux Emmet (1861-1934) designed this 9-hole course in Dudley’s rolling countryside.

An interesting detail about Emmet is that he was such a talented amateur golfer that in 1916 the United States Golf Association introduced a rule that barred architects from competing in tournaments.

Dudley Hill Golf Club opened in 1926 and is praised for its reasonable green fees, with 18 holes ranging from $53 on weekdays to $60 on weekends when we wrote this article.

The level of maintenance is also top-notch, with tee boxes, greens and fairways all usually in excellent shape throughout the season.

The big challenge comes from the rough, which is tall and can be very unforgiving, so precision is essential here.

9. Webster Memorial Beach

Awaiting you next door in Webster is the best public freshwater beach for miles. This is on the confusingly named Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, which was given that novelty title in the early 1920s.

Patrolled by several lifeguards in the summer season, Webster Memorial Beach is a crescent of sand at the base of a little peninsula poking into the lake.

You can lounge on the sand, take a dip in the clear waters, and take a look around the park, with its cool woodlands and beautiful waterfront views.

10. Samuel Slater Experience

You’ll learn more about Dudley’s 19th-century story by visiting this new, experiential museum a few minutes away in Webster.

The Samuel Slater Experience tells you all about the English-born manufacturing pioneer, Samuel Slater (1768-1835). He was responsible for appropriating British textile manufacturing technology to spark the American Industrial Revolution at the turn of the 19th century.

The museum has a series of multisensory rooms, where you’ll get to know things like the mechanisms at work in a textile mill, the lifestyle of a mill worker, and what it was like to cross the Atlantic in the 18th century.

The museum also documents other periods in the Webster area’s past, like Prohibition, downtown life in the 1910s, trolleys, newspapers and the dawn of cinema.

11. Ardlock Acres

In Dudley you’re never far from a place where you can spend an hour or two in nature on a trail. A less frequented spot, right on the MA/CT border is Ardlock Acres, comprising more than 90 acres donated to the town in 1991.

The trail at this conservation area leads you out into lush deciduous woods on the shore of two ponds that are drained by the same brook.

The loop is just under two miles long, and includes a beautiful parcel of marshland next to the water. In terms of wildlife, you may see great blue herons, cormorants, belted kingfishers and a wide assortment of amphibians.

12. Hiland Park/Slater Woods

One of the Dudley Conservation Land Trust’s more recent acquisitions is a pair of adjacent wooded areas adding up to more than 140 acres.

The main trail here takes you through a rugged landscape over hills and past a bog, under a canopy of pine, sassafras, maple, chestnut and oak.

In higher parts of the sanctuary you’ll be met by impressive rock outcroppings, while the little hollows along the way are carpeted with ferns.

The destination on this out-and-back trail is the glorious Peter Pond, abounding with fish, amphibians, reptiles and birdlife. You’ll need to allow about three hours for the round trip.

13. Shepherd Hill Festival of Crafts

A big annual event in Dudley goes down at Shepherd Hill Regional High School on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. On two floors you’ll find more than 200 high-quality craft vendors from around New England.

For a taste of what’s in store, you’ve got handmade holiday gifts, home decorations, fashion accessories, art, garden ornaments, jewelry, candles, small pieces of furniture, artisanal cosmetics, ceramics, glassware, pet treats, and tons more.

There’s a variety of prepared food every year, along with performances by members of the high school’s music programs.

14. The Dudley Grange Annual Strawberry Festival

The Dudley Grange is a non-profit fraternal organization founded in the town as long ago as 1888.

The grange raises funds with annual events, like an apple festival in fall, and this strawberry heralding the arrival of summer every June.

Located on the lawn at 139 Center Road, this event has been a fixture on the calendar for more than 60 years now.

On the agenda are live music, craft vendors, tons of activities for children, and the grange’s ever-popular strawberry shortcake, made with the freshest strawberries. The festival kicks off at 4 pm and goes “until the berries are gone.”

15. Indian Ranch

People have flocked to the shores of Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in search of entertainment for the best part of 150 years.

Since the 1940s the lake has been a prime live music destination, thanks to Indian Ranch on the east side.

This place made its name as a Country venue, hosting the likes of Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson and Charlie Daniels.

A few more recent performers include “Weird Al” Yankovic, The Outlaws, The Mavericks, Ziggy Marley, Ann Wilson and Three Dog Night.

There’s a restaurant and campground at the site, as well as the Indian Princess, a genuine paddlewheel riverboat, setting off on cruises all summer long.