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What is Johnny's Territory?

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Our Visitor Center
Route 2 Westbound
Lancaster, MA
Between Exits 35-34
(978) 534-2302

Be sure to visit our Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center when you’re in our neck of the woods. Located on Route 2 West in Lancaster, Mass., between exits 35 and 34, it’s chock-full of helpful brochures and locally made crafts, books, jams and jellies, giftware and souvenirs of all kinds. Our trained staff and volunteers will enjoy welcoming you to the Center, and providing you with customized travel advice and “insider information." We are open 7 days a week, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Winter Sports are Here!

Johnny Appleseed Country offers a plethora of winter sports including downhill skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, winter hikes, sledding and ice skating.

Wachusett Mountain is now open for skiing and snowboarding 7 days a week. Wachusett is the highest mountain in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River at 2,006 feet with a 1,000 vertical drop including 22 trails on 110 acres of skiable terrain.

Fruitland's Museum Winterfest Weekends take place every weekend in January and February. Grounds are available for sledding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Check out www.fruitlands.org for more information.

Templeton, MA is celebrating its 250th anniversary January 21-22 with a host of winter events. See our calendar for more details.

We have several winter hikes available as well. See our calendar for more details.

Barrett Park in Leominster is offering outdoor ice skating. Indoor ice skating is also available at the Wallace Civic Center in Fitchburg. Public skating is available on Sundays from 2.30-4 pm and Monday-Friday from 1.30-2.50 pm. Call 978.665.4936 for more details.

Cross country skiing and snowshoeing is available at Wachusett Meadow (part of Mass Audubon). Snowshoes are available to rent. Call 978.464.2712 for more information. Cross country skiing and showshoeing are also available at Barrett Park and Prospect Park in Leominster. Call 978.534.7529 for more information. Cross country skiing is also available at Northfield Mountain Recreation Center. Or stay at the Maguire House in Ashburnham (site of the picture above). Tubing is also an option at Benjamin Hill in Shirley.

Ice Thickness (inches)	Permissible Load (clear, blue, lake ice)
2" or less	STAY OFF!
4"	Ice fishing or other activities on foot
5"	Snowmobile or ATV
8" - 12"	Car or small pickup truck
12" - 15"	Medium truck

And please remember to be safe on the ice. There are no guarantees -- always consider ice potentially dangerous. Assess ice safety by using an ice chisel to chop a hole in the ice to determine its thickness and condition. Make sure you continue to do this as you go further out on to the ice, because the thickness of the ice will not be uniform all over the pond or lake. Be aware that ice tends to be thinner on lakes and ponds where there are spring holes, inlets or outlets. Don't venture on to ice bound rivers or streams as the currents make ice thickness unpredictable. For more information, please visit mass.gov.

See our Seasonal Excursions page for all winter sports offered in our area.

We are looking for your photos of Johnny Country!

We need great shots of our area related to county life. Events such as fairs, farms and other outdoor activities are perfect! If it's a hidden gem in north central mass, take a picture for us! Let's show all of Massachusetts that people have seasonal fun in our backyard!

Your image could be the cover of an upcoming Johnny Appleseed Guide! There will be a prizes for the best photos submitted. Email photos to burnette@massweb.org.