Join us to gather these sweet and tart beach plums at Crane Beach. We’ll then head up to the Great House kitchen to make beach plum jam. All materials will be provided and participants are welcome to take their hard work home! Adults only. Pre-registration required.
Tour Appleton Farms in a new way: on skis! Learn about the history of Appleton Farms and the Appleton Family while enjoying a true New England winter wonderland. Warm-up in our visitor center with a hot drink and a tour of the house.
The Grand Allée, or Mall, was designed by landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff and completed in 1914-15. Inspired by the Cypress Allee at Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy, the design was truly a grand undertaking, involving significant regrading and heavy planting to transform farm fields into this magnificent forced vista.
Join the Trustees at Appleton Farms Grass Rides on Green Friday to walk off that turkey with your best bud! Choose to get outside on Friday, November 25th and join us at the Grass Rides for a dog party. A special doggy quest through the Grass Rides will have treasure boxes with treats along the trails. Meet back up at the parking area for people and dog refreshments, free pup nail trimming, compliments of Paws With Inn, photo opportunities with Lauren Mac Petography, and more! First 50 dogs to complete the quest get a special gift!
An evening adventure for the whole family! Join us for a hike down the Cedar Point trail to the Pine Grove. We’ll look for the flash of fireflies in the fields that stretch to the marsh, along the fringes of the woods that line the trail to the Pine Grove, and in the dark of the Pine Grove itself. Did you know that different species of fireflies have different flash patterns? We’ll try to differentiate between our bioluminescent buddies and count how many different species of fireflies live around the Crane Estate.
The Trustees of Reservations invites families to an edible adventure for the whole family! Ipswich has long been renowned for it’s delicious soft-shell clams. Join us as we wander into Fox Creek to find out firsthand where our food comes from! We’ll dig for a variety of clams – and maybe find some vegetables to go with them – and then hike to the Pine Grove to cook and eat what we’ve gathered. You may want to bring a bag supper to supplement our harvest – clamming is harder than it looks!
Part of the Thursday Night Picnic Concerts at Castle Hill at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, this is a great way to get together and have fun with the whole family in an exclusive setting. You can pack a picnic dinner, bring the kids, and get ready to dance the night away under the stars on the Grand Allée. Explore the landscaped grounds and the family "Eye Spy."
Join The Trustees of Reservations for a paddle and a hike – what better way to spend a summer morning? Paddle across Essex Bay from the Trustees of Reservations boat dock to Choate Island. We’ll beach our boats for a tour of the island, stopping in at the Proctor Barn, the White Cottage and the Choate House, then continuing to the highest point on the island where Cornelius and Miné Crane are buried. After the hike, we’ll kayak around the island to get the views from the water (tides permitting).
Join The Trustees of Reservations as we kayak the winding waters that meander through the marsh between the Ipswich River and Essex Bay. We’ll start our adventure at Steep Hill Beach, then paddle into the Ipswich River to Fox Creek, traveling through the oldest man-made tidewater canal in the United States! As we wend our way through the marsh, we’ll be on the lookout for herons, egrets, and other shore birds -- with luck we’ll spot an osprey hunting for its supper! A picnic lunch will be waiting for us when we return. We’ll supply the kayaks and lifejackets; please call to learn more.
Join us this Mother’s Day for an adventure with the classic characters from Beatrix Potter! Bring the whole family to enjoy a morning with the mischievous Peter Rabbit and his friends!
Attendees will explore the farm and meet some of the classic characters such as; Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Johnny Town Mouse, Tom Kitten and more! Visit Mr. McGregor’s garden, Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s kitchen, Jemima Puddle Duck’s nest and Hunca Munca’s doll house. After your adventure, join us in the Carriage Barn for light refreshments and meet our farm animals in the barnyard. Kids will also make a beautiful potted lettuce garden inspired by Peter Rabbit as a gift for mom!
