Each year during Earth Week, DCR invites volunteers to Massachusetts state parks to take part in stewardship activities to prepare for the busy spring and summer recreation season. Celebrate by being part of Park Serve on April 23! Use the links below to find a Park Serve Day near you!
Rolling grasslands, grazing livestock, agricultural fields, stone walls, and historic farm buildings are part of this 1,000-acre pastoral landscape – a rare glimpse into New England’s agricultural past. A gift of Colonel Francis R. Appleton, Jr., and his wife Joan, Appleton Farms is one of the oldest continuously operating farms in the country, established and maintained by nine generations of the Appleton family.
Visit our Sugar Shack at Appleton Farms for a presentation on maple sugaring. Learn about how maple trees are tapped and how sap is collected and turned into maple syrup. This presentation is free for all and runs from 12:00 – 4:00 on Saturdays and Sundays during maple season.
Glen Urquhart School opens doors for future GUS families to explore. Their 23-acre campus is centered around an accessible child-scaled village, right-sized to allow students to explore and learn from their surroundings.
There's a lot going during the Harvest Festival on Middle Street in Gloucester! Come to the Middle Street Harvest Festival for live music, museum tours, the Thanksgiving Cape Ann Farmers Market, a craft fair and chowder luncheon, story time and crafts for the kids, tours of the Gloucester Fire Station and more! A benefit concert will take place to raise funds for the Grace Center at Trinity Congregational Church of Gloucester. The Middle Street Harvest Festival is sponsored by Bank Gloucester and other local businesses.
Cape Ann residents of all ages are invited to join Museum Educator Kendall Reynolds for a self portrait workshop. Sit down at a family style table in the Museum’s auditorium with members of the Cape Ann community to draw a portrait of yourself in oil pastel. This portrait workshop is part of a community-wide public art project to be unveiled at the June 2020 opening of the Museum’s expanded campus. Hope to see you there!
Learn about the history of the Barlet Mall, including information on Victorian era landscape architect Charles Eliot, the significance of the George Washington statue, the oldest functioning courthouse in the nation, how rope was made at the Mall, and a World War I memorial to a native son. Newburyport Preservation Trust, Historic New England, the Old Museum of Newbury, and others will be on hand to share their knowledge.
We will meet at the Great Woods parking lot entrance to Lynn Woods and hike a loop trail around watershed land on the north side of Walden Pond. Hike is about 3.5 miles and should take about 2 hours. Dogs (on leash) and Children welcome. Please be able to keep up a 2 mph pace (usually not a problem for children). This is a moderate difficulty hike with some steep sections. Rain date Saturday 10/30 at the same time and place.
Join us on Saturdays this summer for live music from local bands during our Farmhouse Wood-Fired at Appleton Farms. Grab a pizza and beer and a spot on the lawn while enjoying the music and the perfect pizza picnic on the farm. On days with special events, such as our Farmers Markets, Local Beer Tasting and Octoberfest weekend, we will have two bands on Saturdays, 12-2 and 3-5.
As part of Trails & Sails, visit the Newburyport Powder House, built 1822, as it opens as a historic park and learning center. The open house will feature a militia demonstration by the Acton Minutemen and guided tours of this unique historic landmark critical to our defense. Special Instructions: Slight incline and walk to site. No toilet facilities are available on site. We will give Powder House tours before and after the militia demonstrations
