Columbian Square, Weymouth

Kemia Oliveiro fills the buffet at Lil Brazil. Photo by Lisa Bul

If you like history and have some time, the shops, food and sites in South Weymouth’s Columbian Square can make for a nice afternoon. Parking is tight, but there’s regular turnover in the angle spaces in front of businesses.

Cost: $4.99 for a bowl of chowder
Time: 45 minutes

CHECK IT OUT
Columbian Square is a place where you can spend time shopping or freshening up. In addition to flower, jewelry and gift shops, it has beauty salons, a day spa and a yoga studio. If you’ve got two hours to spare, catch a movie at The Cameo Theatre, an old-fashioned movie house that shows big and small recent releases.

WALK AROUND

Photo by Lisa Bul

Columbian Square is an old village center with character, and there’s no better way to enjoy it than by walking the sidewalks. Be careful, though. Traffic is notoriously unwieldy at the intersection of Columbian, Union and Pleasant streets.

Ageu Rafael Pinto displays special barbecued meat at Lil Brazil. Photo by Lisa Bul

The stately Fogg Opera House and Fogg Library were built by the civic-minded Fogg family in the late 1880s and maintain their authentic appearances. Old South Union Church dates back to the 1720s and towers beautifully over the square.

The businesses in Columbian Square are some of the oldest in town. They include Olden’s Pharmacy and Al’s Barber Shop, which has been in business for five decades.

QUICK BITES
There is plenty to eat here, from the traditional to the exotic.

You’ll always run into a regular at Bob’s Breakfast and Lunch, and the Union Chowder House has all you want if you’re looking for clam, seafood, corn or fish chowder. Lil Brazil offers skewered Brazilian barbecue meats, and Aroma Bakery, owned by Albanian immigrants, offers freshly baked pastries and just about anything else your sweet tooth desires. Nearby South Shore Hospital has an open-to-the-public cafeteria that is actually patronized by non-employees.