This year Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries turn 100! Join us on Saturday, April 9 - the 100th day of the year - for a special "100th Day Celebration." Visitors of all ages are welcome - free of charge - to explore our trails in celebration of 100 years of wildlife sanctuaries with Mass Audubon.
This hike explores the wild wonders of the Crane Estate! We’ll launch our long walk at the Cedar Point Trail and follow it to the Ipswich River, then meander along the beach and through seldom-traveled paths to the trailhead at the Crane Wildlife Refuge. We’ll wander the dunes to Essex Bay, then make our way along the backside of Crane Beach to reach the Essex River. A bag lunch will be delivered to us at the approximate halfway point, and will give us the sustenance we’ll need to finish the hike! Come prepared for a leisurely long-way-around walk of about 8 miles.
Join The Trustees of Reservations on a misty evening in early Spring, vernal pools are hopping! The swales we find tucked amongst the dunes are coming alive, host to a variety of creatures waking from a long winter’s nap and ready for action! We’ll hike out under cover of darkness to spy on – and listen to – this celebration of awakening. Bring a flashlight or headlamp, and wear boots! We’ll have nets and buckets for up-close observations, but our specimen collecting is strictly catch-and-release.
Family Pop-up Poetry. All ages will be inspired by Ravenswood Park! We'll have tools and tips to guide you to write your own poem which you may leave for others to enjoy or take home.
The Trustees of Reservations invite you to bring the whole family to Ravenswood Park for an introduction to Vernal Pools featuring live animals and a presentation by the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team. Meet salamanders and frogs that live on the North Shore and get a rare close-up view of these animals. Learn their natural history and behaviors then journey with a guide into the park for a night-time walk.
Have you ever wondered why we name full moons and how stars became constellations? Join us for fun nocturnal activities, storytelling in the backyard of Joppa Flats Education Center, and a starry walkabout to a nearby open field. We’ll start off indoors with pizza to fuel us up for a family-friendly walk under the Crow Moon!
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.
Come explore the woodlands, wetlands, and fields along the sanctuary trails. Learn how to identify tracks in the snow and use your detective skills to observe nibbled twigs and nuts, and scat. On our return, we will warm up with a delicious cup of hot chocolate!
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!
Have you seen the barred owls, foxes, or red squirrels of Ravenswood Park? Come to our new Cape Ann Center for Learning & Discovery when these live animals visit, and get a close-up view of these creatures to learn about their habits and behaviors. Tonight we'll discover nocturnal animals, such as bats and foxes, that sleep during the day and are active at night – then we'll take a guided hike in the park to see if we can spot a few in their natural habitat.
