Celebrate International Dark Sky Week, April 13-20, and join us for a star party with the North Shore Astronomy Club on Tuesday, April 14 (back-up weather date, April 16). Club members will bring telescopes and their expertise to help us explore and view the dark sky from the Crane Beach parking lot. Bring your binoculars, scopes, starfinding apps, and curiosity.
You may be familiar with Crane Beach, but have you ever visited the dune trails? The dunes of Castle Neck are a much less explored world unto themselves. They offer one of the most accessible dune landscapes in New England and trails that provide a firsthand look into the delicate and ever-changing dune habitat. This includes numerous lookouts offering stunning views of Choate Island and the varied ecosystems of Castle Neck, including Pitch Pine forests and naturally occurring cranberry bogs.
There's nothing like a visit to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for wonderful family nature experiences, and seeing the bird banding station in operation is at the top of the list. See Mass Audubon scientists evaluate, examine, and release migrating songbirds while you learn about migration and habitat use.
Greenbelt and North Shore Nature Programs team up for this event for all ages!Join expert naturalists to learn all about vernal pools and the creatures that live there!
Warm up this season with a hands-on Farmhouse Chicken Pot Pie Culinary Workshop at Appleton Farms, where you’ll craft a comforting classic using locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients. .
Bring your Swifties to Fearless | The Taylor Swift Experience in Salisbury for Fearless | The Taylor Swift Experience—a high-energy, family-friendly tribute that celebrates the music so many kids (and adults) love.
A CraneOutdoors Family Winter Wildlife Walk will take you on a stroll through the Crane Beach dunes while learning about the plants and animals that call this special place home. You may be familiar with Crane Beach, but have you ever visited the dune trails? The dunes of Castle Neck are a much less explored world unto themselves. They offer one of the most accessible dune landscapes in New England and trails that provide a firsthand look into the delicate and ever-changing dune habitat. This includes numerous lookouts offering stunning views of Choate Island and the varied ecosystems of Castle Neck, including Pitch Pine forests and naturally occurring cranberry bogs.
Visit the historic maple stand and sugar shack at Appleton Farms and learn all about maple sugaring, its history at the farm and in New England, and how you can try your hand at it at home!
Combining music, literature and poety, this concert is sure to please everyone. Moods of the Sea captures the stylistic choices of these works, with undercurrents and rippling chords. An superb program that hints at motifs from folk traditions that expand to create full movements of beautiful sounds. You won't want to miss this one!
Visiting Castle Hill at Christmas is a time-honored tradition. Don’t miss this year’s event celebrating the beauty of the natural world. You’ll see birds, flowers, snowflakes, and more as you view 18 spaces decorated for the holidays. Go at your own pace and learn from interpreters stationed in rooms.
Enjoy freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate, try the Crane holiday eye spy, and shop in the Castle Hill Gift Shop during your visit.
