Arlington Community Education

Boston’s Chinatown is filled with so many little shops and restaurants—it’s easy to get lost amid its colorful window displays and enticing aromas. Join us on this culinary and cultural adventure led by an expert guide. Our journey begins in the heart of Chinatown, where we’ll learn about its history while stopping at a few shops and bakeries for samples. Next we’ll visit a Chinese herbal shop to examine traditional Chinese medicinal remedies before touring a Chinese market to explore exotic produce and other unique offerings. We'll also try dim sum from a traditional and popular restaurant, enjoying it either outdoors, picnic style, or to take home, depending on the weather. (Dim sum dishes often contain pork or shrimp, and they are not gluten free.) Tuition covers all restaurant fees and tips. Please note: Students will be asked to adhere to public health guidelines. Meeting location will be emailed one week prior to the tour. All walks meet rain or shine.

Let’s go back 163 years to visit this spectacular garden cemetery. We’ll use a popular guide book from 1858, A Handbook for Passengers Over the Cambridge Railroad, to inform the direction of our walk. Each participant will receive a handout with illustrations from this early pamphlet to refer back to as we explore what was recommended to sightseers back then, along with commentary about “everything worthy of observation” in this sacred landscape. As we stroll along Central Avenue and other paths, we will visit the most popular monuments of that period, such as the first life-sized bronze statue cast in America. We’ll discuss how very different the cemetery would have looked to these earlier visitors and yet how the same positive spirit and emphasis on eternity would have been the same. Join us for an appreciation of the “Nature, Art and Affection” that have always been a signature of Mount Auburn Cemetery. Please note: Wear comfortable clothing and appropriate footwear for walking. Meeting location and safety guidelines will be emailed as part of the Registration Confirmation email. All walks meet rain or shine.

“I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree.” The trees of New England are both beautiful and an essential part of our landscape. This course will introduce you to approximately a dozen common trees of New England, emphasizing tree identification as well as natural history. Join the walk on Sept, 18th at Arlington's Great Meadows or on Sept. 21 at Wright-Locke Farm. Please note: Meeting location and safety guidelines will be emailed as part of the Registration Confirmation email. All walks meet rain or shine. Children ages 10+ are welcome to register if accompanied by a registered adult.

Tasty wild plants grow abundantly in the area, many of which we walk right by without ever knowing they are there. Upgrade your knowledge of the wild greens readily available for foraging by joining a plant expert on a ramble through an urban wild. You’ll learn how to identify dozens of edible wild plants and how they can add significantly to your culinary and nutritional repertoire. We’ll also discuss cooking options, seasons of availability, and guidelines for safe and environmentally-responsible foraging. You’ll be amazed at the amount of greens, nuts, roots, and mushrooms that you can find now and over the next couple of months. Sampling in the field will be encouraged. For those interested in learning more about this subject, the guide’s book, Urban Foraging, will be available. Please note: Meeting location and safety guidelines will be emailed one week prior to class. All walks meet rain or shine.