Vote For 2012 Needham Patch Readers' Choice

Now through Aug. 17, vote for the best places in town in our Readers' Choice polls.

It’s time to vote! The new and improved Patch Readers’ Choice contest is back and ready for readers to cast their votes for the best places in town. After soliciting your nominations for best salon, bakery, jewelry store and other categories, we’ve compiled them all into polls. Now it’s time for you to cast your vote—one per poll—to help pick the winners. To do so, click on the category links below. Once on the category page, check the box next to your pick for that category. Comments are encouraged—tell us why you love a certain place, or tell us about your favorite thing to do or buy there. Vote for them all right now or check back and vote on different categories as you see fit—but be sure to cast your ballots by midnight on Aug. 17. …

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Readers' Choice 2012 Nominations Due Today

Support your local businesses with a nod for the best of Needham!

Today, July 9, is the final day to submit nominations for the 2012 Needham Patch Readers' Choice Awards, and we need your help. While readers have offered quite a few suggestions for some categories, there are still some topics that need your input. Help support your local businesses by nominating them as the best in Needham. Here are the categories most in need of nominations—be sure to add your nomination to the comments section at the bottom of each article by 5 p.m. today. No nominations (as of 9 a.m.) Two or fewer nominations Others (add your pick!) After the nomination round, we'll compile the lists of nominations from the site, as well as e-mail and Facebook, into polls and ask you to cast a final vote for your top pick in each …

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Nominate Needham's Best for Patch Readers' Choice 2012

Click on each of the 25 categories listed below to nominate the best local businesses and places in Needham. Your picks will be voted on later this summer to decide the best of the best in town.

When we ended our spring run of Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice contests a few weeks ago, we had intended to take a summer break. But we're back already, with a new slew of Readers' Choice contests that are all happening now. At the same time. Starting today. We want to know who/what/where you think is the best in Needham. Help Patch determine the top places in Needham by entering your nominations in each one of the categories below. (Click on the category and then place your nomination in the comments stream at the bottom of the article.) We will accept nominations until July 9. Then, on July 23, come back to vote on which nominee is the best. Whoever gets the most votes will be named the 2012 Readers' Choice winner in that category. …

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Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice

You Voted: Best Ice Cream Shop Is ...

Find out who won this week's Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice poll.

With a warm, sunny weekend in the forecast, now is a great time to think about ice cream, and according to the most recent Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice poll results, Needhamites have a couple of great options here in town. Forty-two people cast their votes in the poll, which asked who makes the best ice cream in Needham. The winner by a slim margin was Needham Junction Ice Cream at 40 Junction St., with 43 percent of the votes. Coming in a close second was Abbott's Frozen Custard, with 38 percent. And Lizzy's Homemade Ice Cream came in third with a respectable 19 percent. Needham Junction Ice Cream doesn't yet have any reviews or ratings in the Needham Patch Directory or on yelp.com; however, a review by Amy S. on insiderpages.com …

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Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice

You Pick: Best Ice Cream in Needham

Vote for the best ice cream shop in or near Needham, now through Friday at 9 a.m.

It's been an interesting spring, weather-wise, with alternating weeks of summer-like warmth and sun followed by wintry chill followed by rain, rain and more rain. But one thing is certain: Whatever spring brings, summer will eventually follow. With those lazy days of summer in mind, this week's Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice poll looks at the best place in town to buy ice cream—whether by cone, by cup, soaked in chocolate or of a healthier variety. Where do you go for that taste of summer? Friendly's may have closed last fall, but there are still a few options in and near Needham to choose from, including a soon-to-open new frozen yogurt shop, Swizzles. We've rounded up a few choices below. Vote for your favorite and tell us why you …

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Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice

You Voted: Best Staycation Spot

Find out who won this week's Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice poll.

The votes are in, and it looks like Needham readers' favorite staycation spot is The Massachusetts Horticultural Society's Gardens at Elm Bank in nearby Wellesley. Fifty percent of voters in this week's Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice poll picked the gardens as their top place to relax, have some fun and enjoy time off without spending much on gasoline or travel. Coming in second was Needham's own Ridge Hill Reservation, with 25 percent of the votes, followed by Patriot Place in Foxborough and the Blue Hills Trailside Museum in Milton, both with 12 percent. Located on the Wellesley/Dover line, the Gardens at Elm Bank features 36 acres of grasses, plants and other natural lands, beautiful historic buildings and the kind of peace and quiet…

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Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice

You Pick: Best Staycation Spot

Vote for the best place in or near Needham to spend time off, now through Friday at 9 a.m.

We all know gas isn't cheap these days, and that fact may be forcing some families in Needham to choose closer options when it comes to spending long weekends, days off or even summer vacation. For this week's Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice poll, we want to know your favorite place in Needham or nearby to spend some free time. Got a favorite hiking or picnicking spot? A shopping plaza where you can always uncover a few treasures? A great location to hear music, see shows or engage in other fun activities? Vote for your favorite "staycation" spot below or add it in the comments. You can also send nominations in an e-mail to becca.manning@patch.com. If your favorite "staycation" spot is included in Patch's Directory, be sure to add your …

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Becca Manning

12:34 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012

From Wolfgang via e-mail: "Broadmoor Sanctuary [...] is so close but rather unfamiliar to people in Needham. It's a great place to get away from the hectic and noise. The Audubon people are really helpful in explaining nature and birds to the kids etc. Next would be Drumlin Farm to see animals but that's a bit further in Lincoln and a lot more crowded."   more ›

Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice

You Voted: Best Mother's Day Brunch Spot

Find out who won this week's Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice poll.

The votes are in, and Blue on Highland has won its third Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice award. (The restaurant previously won for Best Sandwich and Best French Fries.) This week, Blue took the top votes in our callout for the best place to take Mom for Mother's Day brunch. Blue on Highland, located at 882 Highland Ave., collected 74 percent of the votes in this week's poll, easily winning the title over other local contenders. Also earning nods in the poll were Petit Robert Bistro, with 14 percent of the votes, and Fresco, with 11 percent. Blue on Highland is open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with special jazz brunches offered most Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Coming up on Mother's Day—Sunday, May 13—the restaurant is …

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Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice

You Pick: Best Mother's Day Brunch Spot

Vote for the best place in Needham to celebrate Mom, now through Friday at 9 a.m.

We love our moms, and Mother's Day gives us an opportunity every year to show her just how much we care—whether it's with a handmade card, a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a delicious meal or a simple "thank you." There are lots of great ways to celebrate Mom and tell her how much you love her. This week, for Best Of Needham - Reader's Choice, Needham Patch is highlighting just one of those ways—taking Mom out for a little Mother's Day brunch. We want to know where you'll be taking your mom, grandmother, wife, girlfriend, daughter, sister or other mother in your life to celebrate all she does. Got a table already reserved? A tradition you'll be repeating? Just have a favorite Needham restaurant you think would be a great place to celebrate…

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Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice

You Voted: Needham's Favorite Florist Is...

Find out who won this week's Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice poll.

Hillcrest Gardens is where Needham residents turn for the best floral arrangements, according to this week's Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice poll. The business, located at 888 Great Plain Ave., received the most votes—59 percent—in our weekly contest. Coming in second was Needham Florist with 22 percent, followed by Perennial Designs with 13 percent of the votes. Though not yet rated in the Needham Patch Directory, Hillcrest Gardens received 4 1/2 stars on Yelp.com. Framingham resident R.B. writes on Yelp: Family-owned, very knowledgeable and nice. No 'superior gardener' attitude at all, and happy to give advice. Good selection for a small place and very reasonable prices. Nice quality stock much cheaper than say, Weston Nurseries (which…

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