Fiskdale is a Sturbridge village reimagining the rural roots on which the town was founded in 1738. The area is home to Old Sturbridge Village, a 200-acre living history museum depicting life in New England from the late 1700s through the 1830s. “There’s certainly a tourism aspect here because of Old Sturbridge, but not to an annoying extent. The museum isn’t really near houses,” says Jim Lovett, a Realtor with Century 21, who has sold homes in the area for over 40 years. Hotels, vintage stores and cozy pubs reside in renovated 19th-century factories and Colonial Revival storefronts along Main Street. Residents can swim at the 400-acre East Brimfield Lake and hike through graphite mines in the Leadmine Wildlife Management Area. The Massachusetts Turnpike is immediately east, leading to Worcester and Boston.
New Traditional homes abound in Fiskdale
“Most houses in Fiskdale were built in the 1990s or within the last 10 years. They’re some of the newest properties in town,” says Moira McGrath, a Realtor with Keller Williams, who has sold several homes in the area. North of Main Street, four-bedroom New Traditional homes with classical architecture line cul-de-sacs. Dense pine-hardwood forests shade winding driveways leading to Colonial Revivals or the occasional midcentury Cape Cod on lots as large as 3 acres in the southernmost region. Buying here typically costs between $500,000 and $700,000, a range higher than a Sturbridge home’s average $450,000 selling price.
This beautiful bi-level is one of the home types in Fiskdale.
Beautiful homes on well-cared-for streets make up much of the Fiskdale community.
Colonial Revivals and modest two-story homes are often found in Fiskdale.
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Explore the colonial era at Old Sturbridge Village
Gravel walking paths wind through real colonial-era schoolhouses, working cattle farms and sawmills at Old Sturbridge Village, which has been here since 1946. Actors dressed in petticoats and breeches teach visitors how to churn butter and craft furniture by hand. “Everyone in town, and probably most people in the Worcester area, have been to Old Sturbridge,” says McGrath. The Christmas by Candlelight celebration commences in December, offering fireside baking demonstrations, carols from the 1800s and horse-drawn carriage rides.
Canoe across East Brimfield Lake and hike amid lead mines on the Tantiusques Loop
East Brimfield Lake stretches across Fiskdale’s western region, providing year-round recreation. Anglers carve holes in the frozen water to catch northern pike during the winter, while golden-hue hardwood trees make fall a popular time to hike the surrounding mile-long trail passing over the dam. Throughout the summer, powerboats launch from the numerous concrete ramps and lifeguards patrol sandy Streeter Beach. Canoers start paddling 6 miles away in Lake Slog before ending the Quinebaug River Water Trail here. To the east, Cedar Pond also has public swimming, fishing and boating options. The 9-hole Hemlock Ridge Golf Course on Holland Road offers players a bluegrass fairway dotted with mature elm trees.
“Hiking, biking and cross-country skiing; you have to love all of that stuff to live in Sturbridge. It’s a part of daily life,” says Lovett. Now a mile-long gravel hiking path, the Stafford Turnpike at Heins Conservation Land is a former 19th-century toll road for stagecoaches traveling to Hartford. Blue herons soar over the Tantiusques Loop, a rocky 1-mile route cutting between Native American graphite mines in the over 600-acre Leadmine Wildlife Management Area. Other nature trails here ascend the 950-foot-tall Leadmine Mountain, and wooden bridge options cross over Leadmine Pond and its accompanying brooks.
Nothing better than a day on the lake when its this gorgeous out.
The local lakes in Fiskdale are great for trout fishing.
Tantiusques is a 57-acre open space reservation and historic site.
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Tantasqua Regional School District and a charter option
Children here can attend Burgess Elementary School and then continue to Tantasqua Regional Junior High School, both of which have A-minus grades from Niche. Lastly, students may go to A-graded Tantasqua Regional High School, where they can learn about hospitality and management by working at the school cafeteria, Cornerstone Café. Located in Old Sturbridge Village, Old Sturbridge Academy is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade students.
Tantasqua Regional Jr High School were we are educating the leaders of tomorrow.
Tantasqua Regional High School where we educate your whole child for future success.
Burgess Elementary School more than just a school to this community.
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A Main Street with historic flare
Main Street has numerous restaurants and retailers, like Micknuck’s Fresh Marketplace, a locally owned grocery store. Around 150 booths fill The Sturbridge Flea Market, located in a former three-level grist mill from the 1800s. From the same era, The Duck is an upscale eatery in a renovated barn, now serving 16 beers on tap at the sunken bar and seafood dishes in the main dining room. Bluegrass music and local artist gallery nights are regular events at Rapscallion Pub, a brewery with rotating food trucks in the parking lot during the weekend. Every Sunday from June through October, the grassy Town Common hosts the Sturbridge Farmers Market, where locals can pick up goods like goat milk soap, whole tuna, and homemade hot sauce. Big-box shopping options like Walmart Supercenter and Marshalls are 3 miles east in The Center at Hobbs Brook.
There are many sweet treats to go along with your coffee at Sturbridge Coffee House.
Enjoy prime-cut steaks, seafood specials, delicious cheeseburgers, or local brews at The Duck.
Residents of Fiskdale enjoy a warm drink at Sturbridge Coffee House.
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Fiskdale offers a quick commute to Worcester, Boston and Hartford
Residential streets in Fiskdale don’t have sidewalks, and the nearest Worcester Regional Transit Authority bus stops are 5 miles away in Southbridge, also home to Harrington Hospital. Interstate 90 is immediately north, making Worcester about 20 miles east and Boston 60 miles in the same direction. A 40-mile drive south on Interstate 84 leads to Hartford.
Written By
Meghan Baker
Photography Contributed By
Deawell Adair
Video By
GL Moses
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Sabrina Kelsey,
an experienced agent in this area.
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