Grape Island

Who needs an island getaway vacation when the Boston Harbor’s Grape Island is a mere ferry ride away?

This 54-acre hidden gem in the outskirts of Boston's Hingham Bay is a wildlife haven and boasts edible berries and grapes as well as a landscape that almost doubles in size at low tide. The site also is a stellar overnight camp site chock full of picnic areas, wooded trails and stunning access to the water and nature.

Camp rangers, who set up shop on the island until early September when the island shuts down for the season, offer guided tours including a “wild edibles” trek and a kayak adventure.

Camping enthusiasts who want to commune with nature for a weekend “staycation” will admire the site’s array of vegetation. For the record, Grape Island was farmed and grazed for 300 years, up until the 1940s. It’s great place to share space with wildlife (from foxes to heron) and to see amazing views of the Blue Hills, Downtown Boston and Weymouth Neck. Enthusiasts can also gaze at the Harbor’s other islands including Bumpkin, Nut, Peddocks, Sheep, Slate and Worlds End.

Unlike the larger military fortification islands in the harbor like Georges, which is dominated by Fort Warren and Peddocks which is home to the remains of Fort Andrews, Grape Island isn’t haunted by the ghosts of the Boston Harbor’s past. Although, there was a battle of sorts involving hay called the “Grape Island Alarm” back in 1775.

On the southeastern side of the island, there's a stone-walled well near a stunning black willow tree. Lore suggests that there's a second well hidden somewhere in the central wet area of Grape Island, but it remains a mystery to the hundreds of campers and enthusiasts who make the trek to this nearby getaway.

Map of Grape Island

- by Sam Baltrusis, Boston Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Sam Baltrusis

Sam Baltrusis has worked for WHDH.com, Spike-TV, VH1, Independent News, Seventeen, Newsweek, and as a regional stringer for The New York Times. He's currently a full-time freelance editor and writer in Boston, where he's an instructor for Mediabistro.com and contributes to various regional publications including Boston Spirit Magazine. Sam also publishes a successful pop culture site, LoadedGunBoston.com, and was recently featured on WCVB-TV's "Chronicle" and Boston's NPR affiliate WBUR.