Last updated: 10/10/23

Franklin Park

Welcome to Boston’s largest open space and crowning jewel of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace.

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Frederick Law Olmsted designed Franklin Park in the 1890s. It is located in the geographical center of the City, connecting the neighborhoods of:

Roxbury
Dorchester
Jamaica Plain
Mattapan, and
Roslindale.

With its acres of woods and scenic views, Franklin Park has long been considered Boston’s “country park.”

The 485-acre park remains Boston’s largest open space. It is loved by residents and visitors for its miles of trails, playing fields, historical features and so much more. Some of the park’s most notable attractions include the historic Bear Cages, Scarboro Pond, the William Devine Golf Course, a renowned cross-country running course, the Franklin Park Zoo, White Stadium, the Elma Lewis Playstead and multiple playgrounds.

Franklin Park Action Plan

Did you know that Franklin Park is currently undergoing a Master Planning process? With the sale of Winthrop Square Garage, Mayor Walsh has committed $28 million to revitalize Franklin Park, including $5 million earmarked to create a maintenance endowment.

In preparation for this investment, we've launched a master planning process for Franklin Park. We're seeking community feedback as we begin our work!

View the Action Plan Site

Our efforts are in collaboration with a cross-functional team led by landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand. We are looking to study the parks:

current strengths
areas for improvement
landscape health
relationship to adjacent communities, and
most frequent uses.

We're planning to hold a community engagement process and extensive community conversation. We hope to create a master plan that will lead to a more accessible and sustainable future for Franklin Park. Our goal is to have ideas laid out within the master plan that will help to inform future projects and programming within the park.

Franklin Park Master Plan Video

Credit: Parks and Recreation