What is it like to live in Sturbridge?
Mention Sturbridge and most New Englanders recall watching costumed settlers churning butter on a school field trip to Old Sturbridge Village.
Mention Sturbridge and most New Englanders recall watching costumed settlers churning butter on a school field trip to Old Sturbridge Village. Like that living museum of an 1830s settlement, “Sturbridge has a small, New England-town feel,’’ said Lynne Girouard, town recreation coordinator and founder of the Sturbridge Walking Club.
OK, there are no horse-drawn sleighs or blacksmithing shops on Main Street, but neighbors do gather at the Town Common, across from the centuries-old Publick House Inn, for live concerts in the summer, the Harvest Festival in the fall, and ice skating in the winter.
Girouard cites the town’s quality schools, generous outdoor spaces, and central location at the intersection of the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 84 as other advantages. Beyond the town center, however, “It’s not a very easily walkable community,’’ Girouard lamented. Main Street shares a commercial stretch of Route 20.
So where does Girouard’s walking club actually walk? The surrounding neighborhoods and a large network of trails that weaves through conservation land.
Debra Knight, who grew up in Sturbridge and has worked at Old Sturbridge Village for almost 30 years, said the scenic views around the museum are her favorite thing about the town. “The fall foliage, the snow-covered grounds — it’s gorgeous,’’ said Knight (in photo at left). “And to have it in the middle of a town that has lots of traffic, street lights, and construction, is wonderful!’’
Knight remembers taking school field trips to Old Sturbridge Village just like the rest of us. But she notes that town residents get a special perk: free daytime admission to the museum.
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