Curious about kayaking, but not sure where to start? Want to spot some interesting wildlife, but don’t consider yourself an outdoorsy person? Join the Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) and Mass Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary for a birding excursion on the river!
Start the summer right by hitting the trail in the dunes and taking in the beautiful scenery of Castle Neck. We’ll take a brisk stroll through some of the unique environments of the dune system and if we’re lucky we’ll spot some seasonal wildlife including Piping Plovers!
Join this indoor workshop followed by dune hike to learn tracking basics and identification skills allowing you to experience the outdoors in a new way. Enjoy an indoor presentation on tracking at the Casino at Castle Hill, then reconvene at Crane Beach for a guided dune walk, investigating the trail for footprints, scat, burrows, and other signs left behind by dune dwellers. Via our observations, we will collect clues as to what animals are using this habitat. Bring your sharp senses and observation skills for this learning adventure.
This program has been canceled! Join this interactive program to make music in the peaceful pine grove, learn about the sounds of nature, and about how music has filled the air at The Crane Estate throughout the years. Enjoy a creative lesson and then create your own music using provided instruments, your own brought from home, or your own homemade instrument made from natural objects using the provided materials.
Join The Trustees of Reservations for a sunset paddle in Essex Bay! On this outing into the heart of the Crane Wildlife Refuge, we will be paddling in the protected waters of one of the most scenic sections of the Great Marsh—the largest contiguous salt marsh in New England. We’ll either paddle around Choate Island with a landing on Long Island, or down the Castle Neck River, landing on Castle Neck (varies based on wind/tide conditions on the day of the event). Along the way, we’ll observe the wide variety of wildlife found in the marsh, including egrets, herons, and other shore birds. You can count on making an amazing connection with nature and creating enduring memories as we paddle home into the setting sun.
Calling all superheroes! We're back LIVE, IN PERSON at True North Brewery, where this event started in 2019!!! Join us this October 2nd in your favorite superhero costume as we raise funds to advance CMV Legislation in MA through research, advocacy, education, and lobbying.
Join Trustees staff from Appleton Farms and the Ipswich River Watershed Association for a fun and adventurous hike and paddle excursion. We’ll meet at the farm and hike over to the headquarters of IRWA, right on the Ipswich River. IRWA staff will help us get into canoes and kayaks then lead a trip down the river, into downtown Ipswich and back. This unique experience will be a wonderful way to explore the natural surroundings of Ipswich, over both land and water.
Did you know that in 2021 the Ipswich River was named one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® ? Learn about the work we do to get our river off of that list and paddle to downtown Ipswich and back. Through restoration projects like dam removal and invasive species management, to advocacy work around water conservation – we have the solutions to ensure a bright future for our river. Join us on this paddle to witness this precious resource first-hand and learn more about what it takes to get our river off the endangered list. A full schedule of Ipswich River Watershed Association events is available at ipswichriver.org/calendar. Part of Trails & Sails
Join us the last Sunday of each month this pizza season for live music at Appleton Farms. Local musicians will play from 2-4:30pm during our wood-fired pizza picnic events. Bring your blanket, your appetite and your dancing shoes to this Sunday concert series. The summer goes by so fast, what better way to recognize the close of each month than by spending time with family & friends listening to great music at Appleton Farms!
Bradley Palmer was an avid equestrian. He laid out bridal paths and a four-mile steeplechase race course on his estate. Come see photographs and maps of these historic activities. Drop-in program; come anytime. Best for ages 8 years & up.
