Trustees of Reservations

Castle Hill Picnic Concert - Orville Giddings Band

Orville Giddings brings boogie blues music to Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in this Thursday evening concert. Photo ©David Stone

Looking for a fun family outing on the North Shore of Massachusetts? Don't miss the Thursday Night Picnic Concerts at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich! These concerts offer a perfect opportunity to enjoy quality time with your loved ones in a beautiful and exclusive setting on the North Shore. Pack a picnic dinner, bring your kids, and get ready to dance the night away under the stars on the Grand Allée. While you're there, explore the stunning landscaped grounds and have fun with the family-friendly "Eye Spy" game. It's an evening filled with music, laughter, and unforgettable memories for the whole family! Advance ticket reservations are recommended but not required.

When: 
Thursday, August 28, 2025 6:30-8:30pm

Garden Tours at Stevens Coolidge Estate

Come enjoy the fantastic flower display in the gardens at the Trustees of Reservations Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover!

Enter a world of early 20th-century country elegance and contemporary garden design all in bloom at Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens. These expansive manicured gardens boast both plentiful European-inspired flower beds as designed in the 1920s, as well as newly installed gardens featuring current-day trends and varieties. Discover the intricate 300-year-old history of this Trustees property through a guided tour with a knowledgeable Trustees guide.

When: 
Sundays, June 15 and July 27, 2025 at Noon

Father's Day Pizza & BBQ Bash at Appleton Farms

Fathers Day BBQ, Beer and Bluegrass at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts

Bring Dad to Appleton Farms on Father’s Day weekend for our own seasonal wood-fired pizza, local beer, local BBQ, and live music! We’ll have Notch Brewing on-site serving up some cold suds, and barbecue from Fat Belly Food Truck and Sweet Treats from the Down River Ice Cream.

When: 
Saturday, June 14, 2025 12-5pm
Location: 

Full Moon Hike at Ward Reservation

Join the Trustees on a journey up Holt Hill under the light of the full moon at Ward Reservation in Andover!

Join the Trustees for an evening journey up Holt Hill under the light of the full moon. Together, we will trek up the trail as night falls, and gather at the top beneath the moon & stars. Enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and unique tastes of evening in the magic of Ward Reservation. We will share stories and tales about the moon and its effect on people throughout time.

When: 
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 7:30-9:30pm
Location: 

Explore! North Shore – Trails Day Hike at Ravenswood

Giant boulders can be found all over Ravenswood Park. How'd they get there?

Join the Trustees to celebrate National Trails Day with a guided hike of Ravenswood Park in Gloucester. On this intermediate hike, you will enjoy a ~3 mile loop with moderate elevation gain, as you are guided up the rocky and narrow Ledge Trail up to a scenic overlook of the harbor and then descend via the broader and flatter Salem Road carriage path trail. You’ll pass through an old quarry, rocky trails lined with beech, pines, ferns, and rare wetland plants. This glacier-shaped landscape provides shelter for a variety of wildlife, look for scat, tracks and dens along the trail! Our naturalist guides will share the human and natural history of this property, including how the Trustees maintains the properties many trails for all to enjoy.

When: 
Saturday, June 7, 2025 10am-1pm
Location: 

CraneOutdoors: Kayak Historic Fox Creek

Kayak the twists and turns of Fox Creek in Ipswich with the Trustees of Reservations

The Great Marsh—the largest contiguous salt marsh in New England—is not only brimming with fascinating natural history, it is also home to a rich cultural history. Nowhere is this more evident than in the meandering waters of Fox Creek. Connecting the tidal estuaries of the Essex River basin and the Ipswich River, it contains the oldest saltwater canal in the United States and the remains of the historic Robinson’s Shipyard, where over 100 minesweepers used in WWII were once built.

When: 
Sunday, June 8, 2025 9am
Saturday, June 14, 2025 1pm
Saturday, June 28, 2025 1pm

CoastalExplorer: Shoreline & Shipwreck Scholars

Families learn about shipwrecks at Castle Hill and Crane Beach in Ipswich Massachusetts

Coastal exploration with a side of shipwreck! Participants will be guided on a Castle Hill hike to Steep Hill Beach, where we will explore the beach and discover treasures washed up by the waves. Piece together clues to learn what is living under the sand and below the water line. We will use field guides to identify shells, egg cases, seaweed and more to tell the story of what creatures inhabit the beach. We will also share the fascinating tale of the schooner Ada K Damon, wrecked on Steep Hill Beach in 1909. Participants will have the chance to search for remnants of the shipwreck and make observations and measurements of what they find.

When: 
Sunday, June 1, 2025 10am-Noon

CraneExplorer: Mother's Day Coastal Crafts

Make a Mother's Day gift from nature the Trustees of Reservations Castle Hill in Ipswich Massachusetts!

This Mother’s day, give a gift from the sea! From seaweed pressings to shell collages, beach treasures make beautiful greetings and keepsakes. Join this workshop to make a gift for Mom, OR bring Mom along for a fun coastal art-making outing! This program will start with a beach walk to collect coastal treasures, and then we will head inside for crafting. Materials and inspiration provided.

When: 
Saturday, May 10, 2025 10am-12:30pm

CoastalExplorer: Sand Dune Safari

Come hike the dunes of Crane Beach at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts

The sand dunes at Crane Beach are like a desert. Water is hard to come by; the sand is hot and the dunes are always moving & shifting with the strong ocean winds. Despite these stressors, a variety of life thrives here. Come explore the dunes of Crane Beach, and learn how animals and plants survive in this unforgiving habitat. Learn the basics of animal tracking, see sand up-close, and learn how it’s formed, and discover different adaptations that allow plants, animals, and even fungi to survive the stress of the dunes.

When: 
Sunday, April 6, 2025 10am-Noon

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Brookwood School Summer Program for kids Pre-K through 9 in Manchester Massachusetts

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

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

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

Saturday, December 20

CraneExplorer: Coastal Holiday Crafts

Make holiday gifts with beach treasures from the Crane Wildlife Refuge in Ipswich Massachusetts
This holiday season, give a gift from the sea! Beach treasures make beautiful holiday ornaments, jewelry, and keepsakes. Join this workshop to take a beach walk to collect coastal treasures and then make some coastal crafts with our educators. Bring your own shells and beach treasures and we will...
10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Santa's Workshop

Santa's Workshop in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Visit Newburyport MA during the holidays
Newburyport is a favorite local town to shop - especially during the holidays. Bring the family to Newburyport to visit Santa in his traditional workshop, share your wish list, and snap a photo with Mr. Claus!
11:00 am to 2:00 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

Low-Sensory Play at North Shore Children's Museum

Low-Sensory Play at NorthShore Children's Museum in Peabody Massachusetts
Join us for a low-sensory play session. For some children, visiting places like NSCM can be over-stimulating. This special play session will have reduced noise, crowds, and stimulation. While medical diagnosis is not required, we encourage that these limited tickets be used for families with a...
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

The Nutcracker Panto - Matinee

Come enjoy a Nutcracker Panto performed by Theater in the Open at the Firehouse Center for the Arts!
The tree is lit up and the stockings are hung and Clara’s Christmas is perfect…except for her Uncle Drosselmeyer sitting up on that clock and the sudden rat infestation…sounds like panto time!Edward Speck and Joshua Shack return to direct another cracking holiday panto, this time seizing on...
3:00 pm

The Nutcracker Panto

Come enjoy a Nutcracker Panto performed by Theater in the Open at the Firehouse Center for the Arts!
Theater in the Open is happy to be back at the Firehouse for our production of A Nutcracker Panto, written by Edward F. Speck and adapted from the classic holiday ballet. Presented in the traditional British panto style, this holiday send-up is a family friendly romp through Clara’s adventure with...
7:00 pm

Sunday, December 21

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

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
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