College Tour

A smart escape hidden on a suburban campus

brisk walk around a quiet, woodsy pond is a relaxing ways to spend an afternoon. And there’s one you never knew about that’s right around the corner. Lake Waban is hidden in the middle of the close-in western suburbs, on the Wellesley College campus. Hike the well-worn paths around the pond, take in the fresh air and calming atmosphere, and watch the women train for intramural crew. And after you walk up an appetite, stop by one of the nearby campus dining halls (you don’t have to be a student) for a cheap, all-you-can eat meal deal. Jacobson

Shhhh! The closest: Bates and Stone Davis

Shhh who knew

Hidden in the woods along Lake Waban are several columns salvaged from the enormous College Hall, which housed all the school's original classrooms, offices, and residences until it burned down on March 17, 1914, in a fire apparently started in an electric-powered incubator in a zoology laboratory.