Shop for the perfect handmade gifts in a seaside Christmas village! Join us for a town-wide festival and holiday market, with maker-themed events in the shops, festive food, holiday music and attractions—even horse drawn carriage rides! Plan your visit today!
A Town-wide Festival!
Join the Rockport PTO for their annual holiday fair featuring unique crafters and artists, gingerbread house kits, surprise jars for the kids, children's games, baked goods, kid's crafts, pictures with Santa and an amazing raffle!
Ipswich River's weekly homeschool classes promote an active engagement with nature through inquiry-based, hands-on environmental education. Join us as we explore the many different habitats provided by our nearly 2,000-acre sanctuary, and lay the foundation for a lifelong connection with nature. This season, we will focus on the survival skills that all animals (including humans) need to survive the harsh New England winter.
Preschoolers and young kids will explore the wonders of winter in the "enchanted woods" of Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in this four-session series. We'll begin in the Nature Center with story, poetry, and imagination. Next, we'll bundle up for a winter walk to awaken our sense of wonder to the silence, scents, and scenery of the sleeping winter woods. Along the way, discover how the trees, plants, birds, beavers, squirrels, chipmunks, and other wildlife spend the winter. We'll look for animal stories in the snow (tracking) and much more. After our walks, we'll create artwork that reflects the wonders of winter that we discovered, while listening to winter nature songs. These keepsakes will bring home winter's secrets and beauty as we await the signs of spring.
Maritime Gloucester kicks off Shark Week with a great experiential learning craft that's as fun as it is educational! Visitors of all ages are invited to participate in the Shark Week Chalkquarium! Drop by for this free event to draw a "Great White Chalk" and other life-sized sharks and rays on the pavement around Maritime Gloucester! All of our regularly-scheduled drop-in programs will also be shark-themed until August 10.
See the Museum through the eyes of a child with this animated family tour of paintings, sculpture and maritime objects. Learn to think and see like an artist, a fisherman or quarry worker. Created for children ages 3–12 with their caregivers. This 30-minute tour ends in the Activity Center for art projects and play. Free for CAM members or with Museum admission. Space is limited, registration required.
Kids are invited to decorate their own broom with pendants, charms, plants, ribbons & more. Our 20" kids' brooms are assembled by The Witchery and ready for your little ones to customize! Broom decorating is a hands-on, friendly activity in a relaxed setting. Kids will browse our tables to select their items and then customize your broom. Parents may need to assist with tying and fastening, etc. Appropriate for ages 3-10. Activity will be outdoors whenever possible. Kits to go also available.
Writing an excellent college application essay doesn’t have to hurt. If you start early and give yourself time to think and plan, it can actually be an interesting writing experience. Expressing yourself clearly is not a matter of magic or luck. It’s just about allowing yourself a little guidance and inspiration, and the time to do it right.
These tours are free and open to the public, registration is recommended. Every last Saturday, enjoy a family friendly tour of the Museum’s collection. Each month visitors will explore a small selection of artworks and objects through interactive storytelling and engagement.
Discover one of Gloucester's most vital ecosystems - the salt marsh. Learn about all of the wildlife that depend on it for survival, and investigate its importance for coastal communities. Get up close with some salt marsh flora and fauna, and play a game to learn more about what it take. For kids ages 6-10.
