Located on Cape Ann, a bit more than an hour northeast of Boston, Halibut Point is a quiet place for a weekend nature walk with the kids. With 12 acres, the place is not huge but the 2.5 miles of trails, combined with the rocky shore itself, can make for a good afternoon outside. In fall and winter, the place is mostly deserted and offers a great spectacle in poor weather (bring a water-resistant jacket, as wind and sometimes rain can be fierce here); in summer, Halibut Point is a great place for a picnic before or after a swim in the ocean. You can stop at nearby Rockport for a hot chocolate or an ice-cream, depending on the season.

Above the reservation is the former Babson Farm Quarry, now filled by natural underground springs. Granite quarried here at the turn of the 20th century paved thousands of city streets and built bridges, tunnels, monuments, warehouses, and buildings, such as Boston's Custom House Tower.

The place is wells-sized for families: too small for children to get lost but large enough for them to run around freely, and for parents to have a good walk with the younger ones. There is no need for detailed walking directions here: from the parking lot, you can take the main trail towards the small visitor center and then branch out on the many trails on both sides of the quarry pond. As usual, it is still a good idea to download the trail map before your visit to hit the trail easily once you are here.

Halibut Point is cooperatively managed by The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management (DEM). DEM operates the small visitor center and museum dedicated to telling the story of Cape Ann's historic granite industry. The reservation is a link in Rockport's Atlantic Path.