Join the The Trustees of Reservations or some family fun this April Vacation week! We’ve got activities all week long! On Friday we will close out the week of activities with a scavenger hunt challenge in the gardens. Work together with your child to follow clues through the gardens and discover hidden treasures among the plants.
Join The Trustees of Reservations, the Waldorf School at Moraine Farm, and Project Adventure, Inc for a fun day of activities for Trails & Sails! The festival offers tours, kid-friendly fun, farm animals, lectures, homemade goodies and storytelling activities sponsored by the six non-profit organizations that own and manage the 170-acre farm. Moraine Farm is permanently protected conservation land along the shores of Wenham Lake that includes meadows, woodlands and formal gardens as well as farmland. The landscape was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1880s and its woodlands are studded with mature rhododendron stands and azaleas.
Visit the Salisbury Point Railroad Historical Society for Trails & Sails! Salisbury Point Station was originally built by the Eastern Railroad in 1870 and has since been totally restored. Our Water Street "museum" houses artifacts and Railroad "Memorabilia" as well as a collection of historic photographs dating from the early 1800's to the late 1970's. We also maintain and run seven model railroad layouts, in a variety of gauges. Visitors are invited to drive some of the trains (especially Thomas)!
Join The Trustees of Reservations for a journey unlike any other in honor of Trails & Sails! Explore the bed of a salt marsh creek at low tide on this guided walk out of Castle Hill on the Crane Estate. One of the few sand-bottom creeks in Essex County, this broad and meandering waterway cuts a perfect footpath through the Great Marsh on its way to Ipswich Bay.
Join Essex County Greenbelt Association for a Trails & Sails experience at the Cox Reservation in Essex, Massachusetts. Join award-winning sculptor Dale Rogers on an exploration of FLIGHT, a large-scale sculpture exhibited on the breath-taking grounds that overlook the beautiful marshes of Essex! Enjoy the presentation, then stroll the grounds or pack a picnic and stay to enjoy the scenery!
Join Essex River Basin Adventures (ERBA) for a guided kayak paddle the Essex River Basin!Take a 2 hour guided kayaking tour and experiennce the tranquil waters of the basin's diverse habitats with miles of estuaries, inland islands, wildlife, beaches and dunes. Part of Trails & Sails.
Take a Trails & Sails tour of copper sculpture by the sea and meet the artist! Bart Stuyf is a sculptor whose studio is located in Gloucester overlooking the outer harbor and the Eastern Point Lighthouse. His studio will be open to visitors on the Trails & Sails weekends. As a former dancer and choreographer, Bart's whimsical creations reflect his eye for form and movement. His copper sculptures are placed around the property and there is a studio and showroom.
Bring the family to see this newly-restored Gloucester schooner, learn some maritime history and have some fun! The Schooner Adventure will be hosting an Open House with free admission at the Gloucester Marine Railways on Rocky Neck as part of the Trails & Sails! The open house includes:
Join the The Trustees of Reservations for a look at the recently restored perennial garden, diligently transformed by volunteers at Stevens Coolidge Place. Planted over 100 years ago, the perennial garden was first established in 1907 utilizing the plan of landscape designer, Louisa Bancroft Stevens. Learn how recent restoration work incorporated the use of historical documentation with thoughtful stewardship practices. The first floor of the house will be open at 10:30AM followed by a tour of the garden beginning at 11AM. This program is offered in conjunction with Essex County's Trails and Sails program.
Witness the rhythms and relics of New England's oldest working farm. Walk along bucolic meadows, planted fields, and see our grazing cattle before visiting the historic buildings. See the newly renovated, LEED certified, Old House Visitor Center and go behind the scenes in the dairy area, which is normally closed to the public.
