Outdoor Activity

Eco Games Free-for-All: Sustaining the Sea

Is your Tuna farmed or wild and what's the difference? Find out at Joppa Flats!

We know how important it is to be "green," but how do we apply that to the way we live on the New England coast? Come to Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats for a full day of activities all about ocean creatures like whales, sea turtles and fish! We’ll learn about ocean sustainability and seashore conservation with fun, informative games like mini sporting events, quiz competitions, model building, and art projects for all ages!

When: 
Sunday, March 20, 2016 10am - 3pm

Winter Games at Maudslay

Kids will explore Maudslay State Park with Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport!

Let the games begin! Beat the winter blahs with a high-energy scavenger hunt for footprints, nests, and burrows. Winter shelter building, animal tracking races, and adaptation demonstrations are part of the line-up for this active and educational romp through the park. We’ll cap it off with cookies and cocoa to celebrate our time together outdoors.. Meet at Maudslay State Park, Newburyport . $5 parking fee. Hosted by Joppa Flats Education Center. Please dress for the weather. 

When: 
Sunday, February 21, 2016 1:30-4 pm

Expedition! Vacation Week (ages 7-12)

This February Vacation week come join us for a week full of winter woodland family fun at Ravenswood Park and the Cape Ann Discovery Center.

This February Vacation week come join us for a week full of winter woodland family fun at Ravenswood Park and the Cape Ann Discovery Center. Activities are designed to encourage exploration, stimulate the imagination, and kick start creativity. With a new theme each day, you can register your child (accompanied by his or her favorite adult) per day or join us for the full week at a discounted rate!

When: 
Monday, February 15 - Friday, February 19, 2016 10AM-Noon
Location: 

Igloo Building Contest on the Grand Allee

Join the fun and build an igloo on the Crane Estate's Grande Allee during February Vacation!

Looking for an outdoor activity during school vacation? Come build snow forts with us! We'll have a contest to determine the best winter architects - which igloo is the most structurally sound? The most creative? The one that best represents Ipswich history? The one that best fits the Crane Estate landscape? At the end of the day we'll enjoy some hot chocolate to warm ourselves. Please note: Children must be accompanied by an adult. Dress for the weather to maximize comfort and minimize misery! Water is always good to have along.

When: 
Friday, February 19, 2016 1-3pm

Learn to Snowshoe

Learn  Snow Shoeing Basics at The Trustees of Reservations' Appleton Farms in Ipswich!

Discover the joy of winter and the freedom of snowshoeing! On this field outing, you'll learn snowshoeing techniques, ascending and descending hills, snow hazard awareness, and winter preparedness. Don't have snowshoes? We provide snowshoes, snowshoe poles and professional instruction on proper use of equipment, to make every trip a success.

When: 
Sunday, February 7, 2016 9am-Noon
Location: 

Pre Game Walk at Coolidge Stevens Estate

Take a pre game walk at the Coolidge Estate in North Andover

Join the The Trustees of Reservations for a walk at the Coolidge Estate! Super Bowl Sunday, pack your boots, snowshoes, hats, and gloves as we make the 2.5 mile round trip journey along the Stevens to Stevens Trail. Meet in the Stevens-Coolidge Place parking lot on Chestnut Street.

When: 
Saturday, Febraury 7, 2016 9am-Noon

Polar Explorers After-school Club (ages 7-12)

Polar Esxplorers Club is for kids ages 7-12 at Ravenswood Park in Gloucester Massachusetts!

Join the Polar Explorers Club (after-school adventures for kids ages 7-12) for hardy adventurers ready to explore in the coldest weather. We'll learn how to read a compass and build a shelter, track animals and end our day around the wood stove hearing tales of high adventure. Dress for the outdoors!

When: 
Thursday, January 14, 2016 3-5pm
Thursday, January 28, 2016 3-5pm
Thursday, February 11, 2016 3-5pm
Location: 

New Years Labyrinth: A Winter Walk

Start the New Year with a mindful labyrinth experience in Ipswich Massachusetts

Celebrate the New Year with a Walk in the Winter Labyrinth on New Years Day, 2016 at Strawberry Hill, 56 Jeffrey's Neck Road, on Smith Island, along the Eagle Hill River.  At its most basic the labyrinth is a metaphor for life's journey. The labyrinth is not a maze. There are no tricks to it and no dead ends. It has a single circuitous path that winds its way into the center. The person walking it uses the same path to return from the center and the entrance then becomes the exit. The path is in full view, which allows a person to be quiet and focus internally.

When: 
Friday, January 1, 2016 3-4:20pm
Location: 

Vacation Week Family Fun Days: Predator Party

Find out where coyotes get food and how they keep warm through the winter.

Predators such as the eastern coyote can't go to the market for groceries, so how do they get their food? We'll spend some time indoors learning about the different predators in Massachusetts, including how they hunt and how they stay warm to survive the cold winter months. Then we'll take a walk to look for fishers, river otters, foxes, hawks, and owls. Tracks, chews, scat, pellets, and bones will show us where predators have partied.

When: 
Saturday, January 2, 2016 1-2:30pm

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

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

Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

Pingree School in Hmailton Massachusetts hosts their annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture exhibit each Fall. Sculpture: Phoenix by Robin Tost.
Pingree School hosts the 16th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, Massachusetts .
8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Marblehead Farmers' Market

Find fresh local produce and other foods at the Marblehead Farmer's Market!
The Marblehead Farmer's Market boasts 15+ local farms, and booths with an educational spin nutrition, vendors and farms selling homemade prepared goods and craft vendors that are switched up in a rotation basis week to week. Additionally there are entertainers and exhibits by environmentally...
9:00 am to 12:00 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

Waldorf Enchanted Fair - Moraine Farm

Enchanted Fair at Waldorf School at Moraine Farm. Beverly MA
The school campus will be transformed into the magical Enchanted Fair! Come join us for family-friendly games, crafts, music, fireside stories, food, and shopping. All activities, crafts, and food will be purchased using tickets. Pre-order your fair tickets today! Tickets will also be available for...
10:00 am to 4:00 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

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

Saturday, November 29

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

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

Bevrec Toy Drive

Beverly Massachusetts Recreation Department hosts a holiday toy drive at Lynch Park!
The BevRec will be hosting a Holiday Toy Drive at Lynch Park to benefit the great work that Beverly Bootstraps does for our community. We’re collecting new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages to help make this season brighter for everyone in our community.
Where: Lynch Park
10:00 am to 1:00 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

SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury | Saturdays

Experience the joy and excitement of Salisbury’s most popular holiday tradition with glittering trees, indoor ice skating, Santa visits and more,
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

Cape Ann Symphony Holiday Pops

Cape Ann Symphony Holiday Pops Concert in Ipswich and Manchester Massachsusetts
Celebrate the Holidays on Thanksgiving weekend with the Cape Ann Symphony conducted by Yoichi Udagawa. The annual Holiday Pops is a musical celebration of the season.
2:00 pm

Sunday, November 30

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

Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

Pingree School in Hmailton Massachusetts hosts their annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture exhibit each Fall. Sculpture: Phoenix by Robin Tost.
Pingree School hosts the 16th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, Massachusetts .
8:00 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
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