Photo: Beaver Brook Reservation’s spray pool.

By Shodai Inose, Belmont Citizens Forum

Vacations are fun and relaxing, but can also be harsh on your wallet and the environment. A perfect way to stay environment- and budget- friendly is by having a Staycation! 

A Staycation is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a vacation in your hometown. Come with us to explore what Belmont has to offer for fun. We at the Belmont Citizens Forum have created a Staycation Passport with categories to check off, as well as a suggested schedule to follow. Try to discover as many new activities as possible, mixing and matching to accommodate your interests and your schedule. 

These are only suggestions: feel free to enjoy and suggest other activities Belmont has to offer! Thank you to those who already suggested ideas; we tried our best to incorporate as many as we could. 

Please also join us on Aug. 13 from noon-3 p.m. for the Belmont Staycation Picnic at the Wellington Station. You bring your blankets and picnic baskets and we’ll bring the popsicles in a historic Underwood family ice chest! We’ll also bring frisbees, a croquet set from the Belmont Woman’s Club, and other games and activities. Groundwork Yoga+Wellness will also be there to teach a free yoga lesson for kids at 1:00. Be sure to stop by!

The Staycation Challenges: 

We will have several August challenges with prizes, so you will definitely want to participate:

• Our first challenge will be the Belmont Staycation Selfie challenge. Take a selfie at any of the locations we have listed on this article and post it on the Belmont Citizens Forum facebook page to get entered into our raffle!
• Our second challenge will be the Belmont Staycation Passport challenge. Pick up your physical passport at the Belmont Public Library and other locations around town, email us at belmontstaycation@gmail.com to request one, or check our website for an online version. To get entered into our second raffle, fill out what you do in each category and send it to:

Belmont Citizens Forum

P.O. Box 609

Belmont, MA 02478

Want an extra entry into our raffle? Take the Belmont Staycation survey by Sunday, Aug. 7 to help us understand more about how residents plan their vacations — we’re hoping to do this again based on what we learn in 2016!  

Finally, go ahead and Like the Staycation on the Belmont Citizens Forum Facebook page!

A Suggested 7-day Staycation in Belmont: 

Notes: See bottom of the article for a calendar view; a tree symbol (?) denotes an environmentally friendly activity. 

Monday:

Groundwork Yoga + Wellness: If you have been stressed during the summer, this may be the place for you! Groundwork Yoga offers yoga classes for people of all ages, so you can go alone or bring your family. As quoted directly from their website, “[o]ur studio is warm, not hot.  Classes are heated to 70-75 degrees.” This studio is perfect for anyone who wants to be environmentally-conscious while working out in the neighborhood. 

• Location: 402 Trapelo Road Belmont, MA 02478  
• Prices (more options available):
  • Adult Drop-In: $17
  • Child Drop-In: $12
• Types of Classes:
  • Standard Yoga
  • Family Class (2 kids free per adult) 
• Phone Number: 617-866-9332
• Website: http://www.groundworkwellness.com/ 

?Beaver Brook Reservation:  It’s a state park with a bike path, fishing opportunities, sprinklers, fields, and woodlands. Did you know that Beaver Brook is also home to a waterfall? This will be a great place to take your family. There is also a sprinkler park if your kids need to cool down after a hot summer day.

• Location: Mill St, Belmont, MA 02478

Studio Cinema: Want a relaxing day? The Studio Cinema may be perfect for you to lie back and enjoy some time in a cool theater. The theater will be showing Finding Dory and The Secret Life of Pets this summer, so make sure to take your kids to these family-friendly films! From August 1-11, the cinema will be showing Jason Bourne with Matt Damon. They will also be showing Florence Foster Jenkins with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant later in August. One Belmont resident explained it as having “air conditioning, movies, REAL butter on popcorn… pretty perfect on a hot night.”

• Location: 376 Trapelo Road, Belmont, MA 02478
• Ticket Prices:
  • Adult: $11.00
  • Child: $9.50
  • Senior: $9.50 
• Times: 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30
• Phone Number: 617-484-1706
• Buy tickets here.

Il Casale (Italian Cuisine): Don’t want to clean the dishes? Try some Italian food at Il Casale on your Staycation to get a taste of Europe! 

• Location: 50 Leonard Street, Belmont, MA 02478

Come back to this site for the rest of the week for more Staycation events.