Prospect Park — Attraction in Shrewsbury

A hidden gem that can't live up to it's full potential. A nice woodsy walk with a couple of trails to walk through the woods or, if desired, you can stay on the paved road. There's very limited space for parking right outside the gate which can sometimes make it difficult to maneuver a bigger vehicle to exit. Once into the area where the former gardens and reflecting pool are located, you can't help but notice the graffiti painted Pagoda and the total disregard for property that some people think is 'sport'. There is a large amount of destruction with some of the columns appearing to have been kicked until the columns tumbled over. It goes without saying that there are a lot of broken bottles, beer cans, and trash lying about. As my husband and I walked around this area, there were numerous spring bulb plants such as crocuses, daffodils, and hyacinths poking their heads out amongst the over growth. All I wanted at that moment was a rake to clean up and neaten what I could only imagine would be a colorful show of spring if only it had someone to look after and maintain it properly. Shortly after, we also came across a community service project (children's herb garden) that was performed in 2008 as indicated by a small plaque. Again, the area quite a bit over grown and neglected although the spring flowers were attempting to make their appearance at the edge of the border. In my mind I can only imagine what Prospect Park might have looked like back in it's day, and in my heart I can only imagine what it could look like if only there were endless funds to help clean up, maintain, and support it's proper upkeep. Being from Shrewsbury, I could envision this park being an alternate to Dean Park; for anyone that has ventured to Westfield, it could be comparable to Stanley Park if money were no issue! We enjoyed our walk, quiet and peaceful, but...

Prospect Park is a nice place to take a walk from spring thru fall. There's a pergola near the top of the park not far from the water towers that's nice to see. Over past couple of years the area there has been cleaned up considerably. While most people probably like the cleanup job, for me it was a disaster for lots of the native plants including every Milkweed plant the grewi there were removed and replaced. The result was there was a drastic reduction in the number of butterflies that lived in the more natural habit that was disturbed or totally destroyed by the cleanup. Monarch butterflies used to frequent the hilltop and the pergola area but I have not seen any since the changes.

I encourage those taking care of Prospect Park to plant more of the native plants and wildflowers and refrain from trying to make it so tidy and make it more natural so that the birds, butterflies and other wildlife can...

Beautiful old formal garden ruins. There's still hyacinth, daffodils, phlox and more that pop flowers out off and on throughout the season. Mostly just old walls remain with a heavily graffitied pergola at one end. Nice trails, both paved and dirt track. Woods are speckled with beautiful giant old specimen trees and seemingly random beds of daylillies, vinca, yucca, and other naturalized ground covers left over from the old estate. Few dog poos to dodge, though it appears to be a favorite of neighborhood dog owners. Parking is a bit limited, but there's rarely many people here most times. There's no picnic tables or playground equipment, but it's a wonderful little spot for a quiet stroll without...