Exploration

Creature of the Week at Maritime Gloucester

Come to Maritime Gloucester for a Creature of the Week Session on Cape Ann Massachusetts! Photo ©Bill O'Connor

Every week, we will highlight a different ocean animal that lives in our aquarium and can be found in and around Gloucester. Learn some interesting fun facts about the creature as you get up and close and personal through a meet and greet and a take-home craft. For kids aged 4-8.

When: 
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays 10:30-11:30am or 2-3pm

Visit the Saugus Iron Works Museum

Visit the Saugus Iron Works Museum and learn about the history of iron making in Massachusetts

Learn about the history of iron making at the Saugus Iron Works Museum. Exhibits include artifacts excavated during the archaeological dig performed on-site in the 1940s-1950s. See the original 17th century blast furnace waterwheel, an anvil base and hammer head from the original forge, and other tools and items from the 1600s. The museum also includes Native American artifacts that predate European settlement by thousands of years. This is a Trails & Sails event.

When: 
Wednesday-Sunday, September 14-29, 2024 9am-4pm

Explore the Pond at Bradley Palmer

Join the park interpreter exploringt he ponds of Bradley Palmer State Park in Massachusetts!

What kinds of fascinating creatures live in or visit the ponds? Come and explore with the Park Interpreter to see if any creatures are stirring, and if any plants are flowering. For all ages. This is a great family activity! Meet at the ponds next to the Main Parking Lot, 40 Asbury Street, Topsfield. 

When: 
Fridays, June 21-August 30, 2024 10:30am-Noon

Friendship of Salem Open-Ship Hours

Experience 400 Years of Maritime History aboard the Tall Ship Friendship at Derby Wharf in Salem Massachusetts!

Presented by the Salem Maritime National Historic Site,explore the FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM, a replica tall ship based on a 1796 Salem vessel. Learn about the voyages of the original FRIENDSHIP and the lives of the crewmembers onboard. The two-decked, three-masted, square-rigged, 342-ton vessel represents New England’s influential role in the development of global and domestic maritime trade.

When: 
Saturdays & Sundays thru August 2, 2024 1-4pm

Friday Family Farm Chores at Appleton Farms

Join The Trustees of Reservations at Appleton Farms for our special, hands-on Family Farm Chores program held on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays

Every day has a full list of barnyard chores we need to accomplish to make sure our farmyard friends are happy and healthy. Let’s get to work! Join us for our special, hands-on Family Farm Chores program held on Fridays and Saturdays! Get on your muck boots – your whole family will get to be farmers together. Help feed the rabbits, Violet and Vanilla, the goats, Morgana, Maeve, Merlin, and Mordred, and the dairy cows, Gray and Jasmine. Collect eggs from our flock of chickens, muck and bed the stalls, scrub buckets, fill hay managers, and more.

When: 
Fridays, July 12 & 19, 2024 3:30-4:30pm
Fridays, August 2, 16, 23 & 30, 2024 3:30-4:30pm
Location: 

Tide Pool Exploration at Halibut Point

The tide pools at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport Massachusetts are some of the best in New England!

Halibut Point State Park invites families to join them on a tide pool adventure! See a great diversity of life at the rocky shore. Discover and identify different tide level zones and the unique creatures that cat these habitats their home. Learn about how salinity and exposure facilitate different creatures to live in these zones. Heavy rain cancels.

When: 
Saturday, June 29, 2024 11am-Noon
Saturday, July 13, 2024 10-11am

All Family Field Trip: Birds on the River

Come see the different birds that live on the shore at Joppa Flat Education Center in Newburyport Massachusetts

Come explore what nature has in store at some of our most amazing wild places on the north shore. Our engaging and experienced staff will introduce families to local beaches, forests, and wetlands to make observations in nature, identify wildlife, and enjoy hands on science activities outdoors. Sign up for one, some, or all!

When: 
Thursday, July 11, 2024 10am-Noon

Pages

Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts offers farm-based Summer Programs for kids ages 5-15

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Take a hike along the Saugus River Estuary ande explore the Saugus Iron Works Park grounds in Massachusetts
Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

Learn about the true reality of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials Salem Massachusetts on a self guided walking tour with Essex Heritage
This self-guided walking tour is designed to help explain the true history behind the Salem Witch Trials. After more than three centuries of storytelling through countless books, movies, and television shows, the line between historical fact and dramatic fiction has become increasingly blurred....
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Marblehead Christmas Walk

The Marblehead Christmas Walk is several days of local Holiday events in Marblehead Massachusetts
The Marblehead Chamber of Commerce invites you to Marblehead to enjoy several days of holiday festivities, family events and activities!  Come for one or all days with highlights that include Santa's arrival by lobster boat,Festive shopping, Tree Lightings, a holiday parade, Artisan Markets,...
9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Christmas at Castle Hill | A Nod to Nature

Christmas at Castle Hill | A Nod to Nature is a weekend of festivities hosted by the Trustees of Reservations at Castle Hill in Ipswich Massachusetts
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.
10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Tree Jubilee at Marini Farm

The Tree Jubilee hosted by Marini Farm in Ipswich Massachusetts is a fun and unique charity event!
Come to Marini Farm for the Tree Jubilee fundraiser to benefit The Ipswich Humane Group.  Tour the gallery of uniquely decorated trees and wreaths donated by local organizations, families, and businesses then choose the ones you want a chance to win! OVER 100 spectacularly decorated trees and...
10:00 am

Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

A holiday themed tour of Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts
Travel back in time to a castle filled with lush, opulent textures inspired by the great medieval and Renaissance castles of Europe. Wander through rooms adorned with White Birch and Christmas trees, sparkling fairy lights, hydrangea-lace garlands, and elegant bows, each space transformed with its...
10:00 am to 8:00 pm

SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury | Saturdays

Browse our maze of festively decorated trees and enjoy a little holiday sparkleat the SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury Massachusetts
The Seacoast’s most magical holiday tradition is back! The 13th Annual SeaFestival of Trees opens Saturday, November 22 at the Blue Ocean Event Center in Salisbury, transforming the oceanfront venue into a sparkling winter wonderland of more than 145 themed trees, a giant sand sculpture, Santa’s...
11:00 am to 8:00 pm

SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury

Browse our maze of festively decorated trees and enjoy a little holiday sparkleat the SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury Massachusetts
The Seacoast’s most magical holiday tradition is back! The 13th Annual SeaFestival of Trees opens Saturday, November 22 at the Blue Ocean Event Center in Salisbury, transforming the oceanfront venue into a sparkling winter wonderland of more than 145 themed trees, a giant sand sculpture, Santa’s...
11:00 am to 8:00 pm

Take a Trolley Ride with Scrooge!

Salem Trolley Christmas Carol, Fun Holiday Events north of Boston, Trolley Ride with Scrooge
Join Scrooge on the Salem Trolley as you ride through Salem Massachusetts in this rolling production performed by the Griffen Theater . Now entering into it's 39th Season, this humorous & whimsical interactive performance reanimates Dickens’ timeless seasonal holiday classic. Experience...
2:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Tree Lighting in Marblehead

Marblehead's tree lighting is always a festive occasion to kick off the holidays
The Tree Lighting will take place at the new National Grand Bank Parking Lot on Pleasant Street in Downtown Marblehead this year!  Enjoy the festive atmosphere and live music as the town lights the yearly Christmas tree! Festivities begin at 5:30pm with the tree lighting at 7pm.
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

SeaFestival of Trees | Blades Night

Celebrate with holiday with the Bruins Mascot at the SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury Massachusetts
Come tho the SeaFestival of Tree for a special Bruins themed night! Wear your Bruins apparel, meet the Bruins mascot and skate on the Seaaside Ice indoor rink! Enjoy a scavenger hunt through a maze of sparkling trees, visit Santa, and enjoy the candy cane forest. Skate rentals available. 
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Hamilton-Wenham Carol Sing & Tree Lighting

Hamilton-Wenham Community hosts a community carol sing and tree lighting in Massachusetts
The Community House Of Hamilton & Wenham invites children to join us for a jolly evening of carol singing and holiday cheer, led by Kimberly Robertson, Music Director for Stage 284! Santa will be arriving in style at about 7:15pm. Free to attend!
6:30 pm

Monday, December 8

Take a Trolley Ride with Scrooge!

Salem Trolley Christmas Carol, Fun Holiday Events north of Boston, Trolley Ride with Scrooge
Join Scrooge on the Salem Trolley as you ride through Salem Massachusetts in this rolling production performed by the Griffen Theater . Now entering into it's 39th Season, this humorous & whimsical interactive performance reanimates Dickens’ timeless seasonal holiday classic. Experience...
2:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Tuesday, December 9

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Take a hike along the Saugus River Estuary ande explore the Saugus Iron Works Park grounds in Massachusetts
Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

Learn about the true reality of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials Salem Massachusetts on a self guided walking tour with Essex Heritage
This self-guided walking tour is designed to help explain the true history behind the Salem Witch Trials. After more than three centuries of storytelling through countless books, movies, and television shows, the line between historical fact and dramatic fiction has become increasingly blurred....
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

A holiday themed tour of Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts
Travel back in time to a castle filled with lush, opulent textures inspired by the great medieval and Renaissance castles of Europe. Wander through rooms adorned with White Birch and Christmas trees, sparkling fairy lights, hydrangea-lace garlands, and elegant bows, each space transformed with its...
10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Take a Trolley Ride with Scrooge!

Salem Trolley Christmas Carol, Fun Holiday Events north of Boston, Trolley Ride with Scrooge
Join Scrooge on the Salem Trolley as you ride through Salem Massachusetts in this rolling production performed by the Griffen Theater . Now entering into it's 39th Season, this humorous & whimsical interactive performance reanimates Dickens’ timeless seasonal holiday classic. Experience...
2:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Wednesday, December 10

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Take a hike along the Saugus River Estuary ande explore the Saugus Iron Works Park grounds in Massachusetts
Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

Learn about the true reality of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials Salem Massachusetts on a self guided walking tour with Essex Heritage
This self-guided walking tour is designed to help explain the true history behind the Salem Witch Trials. After more than three centuries of storytelling through countless books, movies, and television shows, the line between historical fact and dramatic fiction has become increasingly blurred....
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Sing & Dance with the Music Man

Sing & Dance with the Music Man Brian Doser in Hamilton visit Massachusetts
Come join the fun at Community House Of Hamilton & Wenham Monday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at 10am for 30 - 45 minutes of great music with Brian Doser! Sing and dance with the Music Man during a family concert, featuring familiar and original tunes, performed by local dad and musician,...
10:00 am to 10:45 am
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