Ipswich

Christmas at Castle Hill | A Nod to Nature

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.

When:

Fridays, December 5-26, 2025 2024 4-8pm

Saturdays through December 6-27, 2025 10am-4pm

Sundays, December 7-28, 2025 10am-4pm

Location:

Castle Hill on the Crane Estate

Trustees of Reservations

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Marini Farm Corn Maze

Come to Marini Farm for a fun journey through our corn maze! The Maze Park, corn maze, farm stand, bakery and other attractions provide a great destination for kids birthday parties, school trips, corporate team building, scout outings, and family activities. Marini Farm is located in beautiful Ipswich, Massachusetts - a pleasant drive from Boston.

When:

Weekends, September 6-October 26, 2025 Times Vary

Fridays in October, 2025 4-10pm

Columbus Day, October 10, 2025 10am-6pm

Location:

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Trick or Treating Hayrides at Marini Farm

Trick or Treating by hayride at Marini Farm in Ipswich Massachusetts is Safe and Fun!

Come to Marini Farm for our most popular event of the year. Take a Hayride around our 7 acre corn maze. Your hayride driver will make some special stops along the way. Favorite costumed characters await the wagon to hand out Tricks and Treats. Hayrides run continuously from 10am to 4pm. Riders are welcome to wear costumes. Also includes admission to the Maze Park/Corn Maze area.

When:

Saturday, October 18, 2025 10am-4pm

Sunday, October 19, 2025 10am-4pm

Location:

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CraneOutdoors: Castle Neck Hike in the Dunes

Hiking the Dunes at the Crane Wildlife refuge with the Trustees of Reservations.

While just about everybody on the North Shore has probably been to Crane Beach, the dunes of Castle Neck are a much less explored world unto themselves. Offering one of the most accessible dune ecosystems north of Cape Cod, Castle Neck has over six miles of trails, traversing the dunes, maritime scrub forest, and beautiful beaches on both the Ipswich Bay and Essex/Castle Neck River estuary sides of the peninsula. These trails take you through Pitch Pine forests, up huge dunes offering stunning views of Choate Island, and by the varied landscapes of Castle Neck, including naturally occurring cranberry bogs.

When:

Sundays thru November 30,2025 1-3:30pm

Location:

Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate

Trustees of Reservations

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Ocean View Half Marathon & 5k

The Ocean View 5k & Half Marathon Ipswich Massachusetts

Run 5K and Half Marathon - or both races Back-to-Back! Come enjoy beautiful ocean views as you run along the scenic coastline of Great Neck! On the course you'll race past some of the oldest and most historical homes (pre-revolution) in the entire country. You'll also enjoy some breathtaking ocean views in this charming coastal community!

When:

Sunday, November 1, 2025 8:30am

9:25am 5k Race Start | 9am Half Marathon Start

Location:

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Harvest Market at Appleton Farms

Harvest Farmer's Market at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts. Fresh Local Fall Harvest Produce and other foods

Join us in a celebration of the Harvest season at our annual Harvest Market! Our Harvest Market features a bounty of Appleton’s organic produce accompanied by other local edibles & gifts from area artisans, crafters, and producers of fine foods. The Appleton culinary team will also have sweet & savory treats available for purchase to keep you fueled while you shop!

When:

Saturday, November 1, 2025 12-4pm

Location:

Appleton Farms

Ipswich

Trustees of Reservations

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Ipswich Illumination

Come to Ipswich Massachusetts as points along the Ipswich River are illuminated!

The Town of Ipswich, Massachusetts, proudly presents 2025 Ipswich Illumination. This year we are celebrating harvest, hearth, & home, and our maritime history, heritage & culture.

When:

Friday, October 17, 2025 5:30-9:30pm

Saturday, October 18, 2025 11am-9:30pm

Sunday, October 19, 2025 2-5pm

Saturdays, November 1, 2025 2:30am-9pm

Sunday, November 2, 2025 9-10:15am

Location:

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Farmers Markets on the North Shore

The North Shore of Massachusetts, renowned for its fertile soil, is home to farms that produce an abundance of fresh, delicious foods. These can be purchased directly from the farms or at the local farmer's markets, where the experience is more than just shopping—it's about community. On a sunny Saturday morning, families can explore these vibrant markets, filled with colorful produce, homemade jams, fresh bread, and artisanal crafts.

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Choate Island Day

Spend a day with the Trustees of Reservations in celebration of Choate Island – the crown jewel of the Crane Wildlife Refuge. Here deer and foxes roam through fields that once housed herds of sheep, and osprey fly over breathtaking views of Essex Bay. The island was first home to indigenous farmers and fishers, then to generations of the Choate family, and was later a retreat for Cornelius and Miné Crane, who loved the place so much they decided to be buried at the summit.

When:

Saturday, September 27, 2025 10AM-3PM

Last Admission at 1pm

Location:

Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate

Trustees of Reservations

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Farm-Forest-Ice Cream Hike

Join this Trails and Sails Hike through the woods in Ipswich for an ice cream treat! A Sails & Trails event.

A group hike from Marini Farm through the forest to White Farms for an optional ice cream. Don’t miss this great opportunity to explore the farm, forest, and nature of Ipswich. The group will meet on Linebrook Road in Ipswich. Bike entrance to Willowdale State Forest just west of Marini Farm. Look for the Event sign. Bring water, sunscreen, bug spray and good hiking shoes. this is a Trails & Sails Event.

When:

Saturday, September 13, 2025 11am-2:15pm

Location:

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Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.

Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

7:00 am to 7:00 pm

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Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

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....

Where: Downtown Salem

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

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Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

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...

Where: Hammond Castle Museum

10:00 am to 8:00 pm

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Take a 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...

Where: Salem Trolley

2:00 pm to 9:30 pm

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Thursday, December 11

Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

Where: Hammond Castle Museum

10:00 am to 8:00 pm

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Take a Trolley Ride with Scrooge!

Where: Salem Trolley

2:00 pm to 9:30 pm

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Friday, December 12

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.

Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

7:00 am to 7:00 pm

♦ Read More →

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

♦ Read More →

Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

Where: Downtown Salem

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

♦ Read More →

Christmas at Castle Hill | A Nod to Nature

Where: Castle Hill on the Crane Estate

10:00 am to 8:00 pm

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Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

Where: Hammond Castle Museum

10:00 am to 8:00 pm

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Take a Trolley Ride with Scrooge!

Where: Salem Trolley

2:00 pm to 9:30 pm

♦ Read More →

The Nutcracker Panto

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...

Where: Firehouse Center for the Arts

7:00 pm

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