Arlington has Seven 'Great' Places in Massachusetts

The Great Places in Massachusetts Commission recently released its list of 1,000 sites to see around Massachusetts, and seven are in Arlington.

Among Arlington's treasures: the Cyrus Dallin Art Museum, the Mystic Lakes, Robbins Farm Park, the Robbins Library, Spy Pond and the statue of Sam Wilson in Arlington Center.

In addition, the Minuteman Bikeway is on the list and, though it counted as belonging to Bedford, it runs through Arlington.

The initiative was approved by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2009. It is part of an initiative to entice tourists to travel off the beaten path and look at some of the lesser known historical sites in the state.

For months, a commission gathered by the initiative took suggestions from the public in compiling this list.

For the next seven weeks, each spot in Arlington will be highlighted with a short video.

This week is The Minuteman Bikeway. 

The 10-mile Minuteman Bikeway starts at Alewife station in Cambridge and extends to Bedford, running through Lexington and Arlington on the way.

The Minuteman Bikeway is also known as "America's Revolutionary Rail-Trail," was once the site of railroad tracks. Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad was built in 1846 along the current path. Passenger service stopped in 1977, though freight continued through 1981.

In 1991, the path was officially preserved by "railbanking," a federal law that turns rails into trails, while also keeping the option of going back to railroad someday feasible. It was the country's 500th rail trail from the program.