DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum Review | A Beautiful Day

I’m not usually a museum or gardens type person, but this place is great. Between the cafe with food and beer / wine, outdoor spaces with beautiful gardens and trees, all the indoor and outdoor sculptures by local emerging artists and all the events that are put on here, I’m on board.

The DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is a great spot to work remote out in nature, because the whole park has free WIFI and there’s benches, tables and wide open green space. I wish I had somewhere like this near my home. It’s also a great spot for any art enthusiast visiting New England.

I headed here with my husband’s family and was very impressed, I had to spread the news! Decordova is a beautiful 30-acre sculpture park with lots of natural beauty & gardens, site-specific installations
and sculptures scattered throughout.

It’s also home to the Decordova contemporary art museum indoor galleries, a branch of a local cafe with food – Twisted Tree Cafe, coffee and beer + wine, a cute gift shop and big seasonal event schedule and year-round activities to try.

The whole vibe is very artsy bohemian and if I lived closer I would for sure spend more time here under the shade of the trees reading & hanging out. People who live in the town of Lincoln get free entry to the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.

I’m not 100% sure there’s free WiFi but at the very least, you could also work remote using your mobile hotspot under the shade of the park trees or cafe tables, making this a great little spot for digital nomads! Families and couples should consider bringing a picnic to munch on while looking at all the art and the beautiful gardens. 

For our visit we just took a look around the sculpture gardens as the museum was temporarily closed, and ate lunch at the Twisted Tree Café which is a locally owned cafe who just opened their second location at the park.

The chipotle chicken wrap was soooo good and fresh. It was also huge, definitely more like dinner portion. Along with the yummy food there are great drink options – it’s also a coffee shop and they sell wine, beer, mocktails and even some local sodas.

I chose the blackberry soda by United Sodas and it was delicious. Perfect because I’m in a bit of a blackberry phase right now.

There’s indoor and outdoor seating, and the outdoor patio would be a perfect place for relaxing with a glass of wine in hand. Especially because right behind it is a piece of art named “The Musical Fence” by Paul Matisse that doubles as an instrument that anyone can try. 

Now time for some art! We each grabbed a little map inside the gift shop and followed the Highlights route on there. By the way I know it’s not great for the environment but I LOVE a printed map. I love that it gets me off my phone and really helps ground me in the moment. 

The day we visited the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum we were warned there were three school field trips, and the place still felt empty and wide open. Makes sense, because this place is a really popular spot for events of all kinds including private events.

The art was beautiful – a few of my favorites were Watershed by Andy Goldsworthy and Rain Gates by Ron Rudnicki. The gardens, grounds and trees were also absolutely stunning and my favorite part. 

Keep in mind there are a lot of hills and walking around fully tired me out while 25 weeks pregnant. That being said, you can still enjoy the sculpture garden while just staying in one place.

Pick a spot to sit and enjoy – there are a bunch of benches along with what feels like endless open green space ready for you to sprawl out in with a blanket. 

It was also very hot when we visited on a relatively cool summer day, and my only suggestion would be for them to add a fountain of some sort. Bring a misting fan and you’ll be good to go, or visit during the spring or fall seasons which would be stunning. 

Overall the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is absolutely one of the best things to do in Lincoln MA and worth your visit. On the way out don’t miss the gift store in the main building for really unique and thoughtful gifts for all your loved ones!!

Also, make sure to watch out for special events that happen here including snowshoe tours, artist talks and artist conversations, nature tours, yoga in the park and much more.