How do you like to spend your summer vacation? On this interactive tour for younger visitors and their families, join a member of the Crane’s household staff to explore what made this a relaxing summer home. Peak into some of their private rooms and discover the family cat’s favorite hiding places!
Come to Spencer Peirce Little Farm for a program for homeschool families. Whether attending the morning or afternoon session, families are invited to have lunch at the property. Students become archaeologists as they excavate a mock pit with actual tools of the trade and process (put together) reproduction artifacts in a field lab. Inside the museum, they explore building archaeology via trap doors. They analyze objects to learn about daily life at the farm over the last three hundred years.
Looking for something fun to do with the kids during school vacation? Join The Trustees of Reservations at the Hamlin Reservation on a treasure hunt and hike. Kids will search for natural treasure (and some man-made as well!) as they walk through the gently rolling fields of this former farmland, then over a dike path that leads to a loop trail around Eagle Island in the marshes of Ipswich. Bring your sharpest skills of observation and a bag to collect your treasures!
Come to Spencer Peirce Little Farm for a mid-winter open house and bonfire to celebrate the official purchase of the town of Newbury on January 13, 1701. As part of this community-wide event, tour the Spencer-Pierce-Little House, enjoy hot cider and donuts for sale in the visitor center, and then walk to the nearby town-sponsored bonfire fueled by Christmas trees in the growing fields of Tendercrop Farm!
Kick off your holiday season with The Trustees of Reservations! Tour the Great House at the Crane Estate beautifully decorated for Christmas. Get into the holiday spirit with Christmas at Castle Hill. We're celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas with room decorations inspired by the classic song. Enjoy live music and dance, children's activities, a Twelve Days of Christmas treasure hunt, and self-guided tours. Complementary warm cookies and mulled cider included.
It's nice to have GPS, but do you know how to read a map or use a compass? What happens if you're out on the trail and your GPS malfunctions or the batteries die? Are you instantly lost? Bring your compass (or use one of ours) and learn to find north, orient yourself, count paces, and use the map and compass to find your way. After some basics, we'll hit the trails and use the new skills learned to search for some hidden natural treasures. No experience necessary. This program is a good introduction to orienteering for the whole family.
You're invited to celebrate the magic of the holidays as the Great House on Castle Hill is festively decorated by area florists and designers for the 'Greening of the Great House'. The Greening of the Great House is a weekend-long event where families will enjoy live music, a dance performance, a children's Eye Spy, refreshments, and more throughout the weekend.
Nature's riches abound during this festive time of year. Sample delicious homemade treats made with local beach plums and cranberries. Inhale the aroma of white pine tea or a bayberry candle. Boldly bite into a seaweed salad or nibble on some pickleweed.
Get into the Halloween spirit! Examine live creepy crawlies, enjoy (semi) spooky attractions, and take home creative crafts. For ages 7 and up, explore a “crime scene” and perform a series of forensic investigations (e.g., soil sample comparisons, water sampling, chromatography, pH tests, and track identification) to solve the mystery and pinpoint the culprit. For ages 2 to 6, there will be stories and songs, silly and festive crafts, and a kooky treasure hunt. Family presentations will be offered at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Fly in on your broom for an hour or stay all day for some fun pre-Halloween family time!
Breakheart Reservation invites you to an afternoon of family fun that celebrates the arrival of Fall! The fun and games include a free pumpkin for every child, scarecrow making, children's crafts, cider press, native wildlife, balloon art, face painting, Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment, Saugus River Watershed Council, and much more! Co-sponsored by the Friends of Breakheart Reservation.
