Squantum Point Park, Quincy

A pedestrian takes in the view of the Boston skyline and Quincy Bay from the Squantum Point Park pier. Photo by Gary Higgins

WALK AROUND

The park is a stone’s throw from Marina Bay, with its restaurants and boardwalk, just off Victory Road in Quincy. The 50-acre state park was originally used as a naval airfield. It also was once the home of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., which built destroyers for the Navy. When the state developed the site as a waterfront park, both its bird habitat and the traces of its aviation history were maintained. There is plenty of parking: about 1,000 spaces.

CHECK IT OUT

Corita Kent, an anti-war nun, painted color swashes on original LNG tank in 1971, and the design was replicated on the new tank about 20 years later. Photo by Gary Higgins

See the rainbow-decorated gas tank across the water? Corita Kent, an anti-war nun who used art as a means of protest, painted the 150-foot color swashes in 1971, after she left her Catholic order and position as head of the art department at Immaculate Heart College and moved to Boston. Because of her anti-war activities, many saw the likeness of Ho Chi Minh in the blue stripe. Look closer - see the nose? When the original tank was demolished in 1992, Keyspan repainted the design on the new tank, which is now owned by National Grid.

QUICK BITES

There are restaurants along the boardwalk, but most are for sit-down dining, which would take away from your time in the park. Better to bring a brown-bag lunch or stop at one of the sandwich shops on your way along Hancock Street. Our pick? Panera Bread, for its choices of sandwiches, coffee drinks and sweet treats.

RELAX

Sit down, take it in. Walk around the park and stroll the nearby boardwalk at Marina Bay. Just remember to bundle up - it always colder on the water, thanks to the wind.

Looking for some quiet in your day? At Squantum Point Park, which is open all year from dawn to dusk, visitors can see the Boston skyline across the harbor and dozens of species of wild birds. It’s a perfect place for a picnic or just to stretch your legs.

Cost: $11.94 for a sandwich, coffee and water

Time: 60 minutes