Bolton is a small rural town at the heart of Massachusetts apple country, about 35 miles west of Boston. With a population of around 5,000 and no real downtown to speak of, it is the kind of place you visit for a specific reason -- and that reason is usually apples. Bolton has some of the best apple orchards in the state, and in September and October the town fills up with families coming out from the city for pick-your-own apples, cider donuts, and hayrides.
Nashoba Valley Winery, set on a hillside orchard, produces fruit wines and has a pleasant outdoor area for tastings. The surrounding landscape is classic central Massachusetts -- rolling hills, stone walls, and forests that are spectacular during fall foliage season. Bolton also sits near the Nashoba Valley Ski Area, which offers modest downhill skiing in winter and a tubing park that is popular with families.
If you are driving through the area, Bolton makes a good stop for an afternoon of orchard-hopping and a bag of fresh-picked apples. It is not a destination for an extended stay, but as a taste of rural New England within easy reach of Boston, it does the job well.