Where in Weston can you spend a November evening inside an 18th-century tavern? For now, it is not the Josiah Smith Tavern on the Town Green. That building has stood at 358 Boston Post Road since 1757 and served as a tavern for 80 years. It still has no restaurant. A mile or so west, the Golden Ball Tavern Museum at 662 Boston Post Road has events on its calendar from now into the second week of December.
The town owns one of these buildings and has spent more than a decade trying to fill it. The other is run by a museum and the volunteers around it. This season, Weston's evening life near the center comes from places like the second one.
A Restaurant the Town Has Been Trying to Place Since 2012
The Josiah Smith Tavern project goes back further than most people remember. The Weston Observer laid out the timeline in its Oct. 23 report. An exterior rehabilitation began in 2009. A restaurant was first proposed in 2012. The Select Board chose the Friends of the Josiah Smith Tavern to manage the project in 2016, and restaurateur Brian Piccini's bid was accepted in 2023. His restaurant, The Woods, received its liquor license in March 2024. The original lease called for rent to begin a year after that.
The project is now stuck on the final agreements. The Observer reported that the Select Board sent an Oct. 8 letter saying the Friends and Piccini were in breach of the master lease, because the restaurant was not open and no rent was being paid. The board set Oct. 15 as the deadline to sign new terms. Those terms included a $1 million escrow fund to be created within 30 days of signing. The Friends did not sign. In the same report, the Friends and Piccini said they had no objection to funding the escrow. Their concern was being asked to fund it before a new lease is signed, along with how construction spending would be verified. The board said its aim was to protect the town's asset by making sure the money for the project is in place.
The Friends of the Josiah Smith Tavern set out their side in an Oct. 17 update. They say BUWest, Piccini's company, has finished its construction documents, chosen a contractor and secured approvals from Historic New England and several town boards. In their account, the company is ready to apply for a building permit. In September, an opening target of March 2027 had been reported. The October dispute came after that target was announced, and as of the Observer's Oct. 23 report, the lease terms were still unresolved.
Even so, both sides were still talking. In that report, the Weston Observer quoted Piccini:
"I can appreciate everybody's attention to detail. I see the town trying to protect their historic asset, which I respect."
So for this November and December, the Town Green's best-known building stays quiet in the evenings.
Down the Road, the Golden Ball Has Booked Its Fall
The Golden Ball Tavern Museum has planned its season around the subject the Josiah Smith Tavern can't offer yet, which is what a tavern actually served. On Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m., foodways historian Stacy Booth presents "An Ordinary Bill of Fare: A Look at New England Colonial Foodways Through a Tavern Meal." The talk is free and sponsored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Space is limited, and you have to register in advance.
The rest of the Golden Ball's events page runs into December:
- Sunday, Nov. 8, 1 to 3 p.m. The last Second Sunday Open House of the year. It is free and family friendly.
- Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Museum tours that can be booked ahead. They cover 200 years of the Jones family, the "Weston Tea Party," and the visits of General Gage's spies and Paul Revere's men.
- The week of Dec. 5 to 12. Trimming the Tavern, with this year's theme "A Winter's Tale." Each room is decorated to interpret a different holiday book or story. The event page lists Dec. 5 as the start and the summary page lists Dec. 6, so confirm with the museum before you go.
- Tuesday, Dec. 8, 6 to 8 p.m. Twilight at the Tavern, a candlelight evening. Tickets went on sale Nov. 1.
Look at who does the work behind these events. The Country Garden Club of Weston leads Trimming the Tavern, and the museum says it has worked with the club on its holiday open house for almost 60 years. Decorating the rooms alongside them are the Weston Garden Club, the Weston Garden Club Evening Group, the Weston Public Library, Land's Sake Farm, the Weston Council on Aging and the Weston Art and Innovation Center. The museum says last year's version, themed to the nation's 250th anniversary, drew more than 500 guests.
The Library Adds a Grand Piano to the Same Sunday
One of those decorating groups is also hosting its own big night. The Friends of the Weston Public Library open their 2026–27 Sunday Soundscapes series on Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. Prize-winning pianist Anthony Ratinov will introduce the library's new Estonia grand piano and preview his upcoming Carnegie Hall recital. Admission is free, with suggested donations of $20 for adults and $10 for students. The library's event page recommends reserving because seating is limited.
The concert starts an hour after the Golden Ball's open house ends, so both fit into one afternoon. The open house runs 1 to 3 p.m. at 662 Boston Post Road, and the concert begins at 4 at the library, 87 School Street.
The Friends of the Library are also running the Book and Bake Sale on Nov. 12 to 14. Thursday evening is for members only, Friday is open to the public, and Saturday is books only. The Friday public sale runs 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Golden Ball talk on colonial tavern food starts at 6 p.m. that same evening.
Dinner Near the Center, While the Tavern Waits
Without The Woods, the evening's food has to come from businesses already open near the center. Dumpling Daughter at 37 Center Street offers dine-in and takeout, Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. On a Friday night after the Golden Ball talk, that leaves time for dinner before it closes. For earlier in the day, Heirloom serves coffee, tea, breakfast, sandwiches, bowls and pastries, with online ordering. Weston Provisions makes breakfast sandwiches to order and sells hot and cold subs and pastries, with takeout, delivery and catering.
The outdoor groups are part of the same pattern. The Weston Forest & Trail Association's 2026–27 guided walk schedule includes a Dec. 6 walk through the Sears Land and the Melone Homestead, starting from the Town Green. The walk starts from the Green, a short walk from the Josiah Smith Tavern, and Trimming the Tavern runs that week. At Land's Sake Farm, which decorates a Golden Ball room, Eden Leonard joined as executive director in September. The Weston Observer reported that keeping the farm an accessible community gathering place is part of her focus.
The Season, Day by Day
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 8, 1–3 p.m. | Final Second Sunday Open House, free | Golden Ball Tavern Museum, 662 Boston Post Road |
| Sun., Nov. 8, 4 p.m. | Anthony Ratinov debuts the Estonia grand piano, reservations recommended | Weston Public Library, 87 School Street |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Library closed | Weston Public Library |
| Thu.–Sat., Nov. 12–14 | Friends Book and Bake Sale, members-only Thursday | Weston Public Library |
| Fri., Nov. 13, 6 p.m. | "An Ordinary Bill of Fare" with Stacy Booth, free, preregistration required | Golden Ball Tavern Museum |
| Week of Dec. 5–12 | Trimming the Tavern, "A Winter's Tale" | Golden Ball Tavern Museum |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | WFTA walk, Sears Land and Melone Homestead | Departs from the Town Green |
| Tue., Dec. 8, 6–8 p.m. | Twilight at the Tavern, ticketed | Golden Ball Tavern Museum |
The Josiah Smith Tavern's next step depends on whether the Select Board, the Friends and BUWest reach a signed agreement. Until they do, the dates above at the Golden Ball and the library fill Weston's November and early December.
At The Bauman Group, we watch projects like the Josiah Smith Tavern closely because what happens on the Town Green shapes how Weston feels to the people who live here. If you'd like to talk about how changes in the town center could figure into your own plans, we're glad to start with a conversation, and a free home valuation whenever you want one.
