Tour

Kayak Fox Creek with Picnic

Kayak the twists and turns of Fox Creek in Ipswich with the Trustees of Reservations

Join The Trustees of Reservations as we kayak the winding waters that meander through the marsh between the Ipswich River and Essex Bay. We’ll start our adventure at Steep Hill Beach, then paddle into the Ipswich River to Fox Creek, traveling through the oldest man-made tidewater canal in the United States! As we wend our way through the marsh, we’ll be on the lookout for herons, egrets, and other shore birds -- with luck we’ll spot an osprey hunting for its supper! A picnic lunch will be waiting for us when we return. We’ll supply the kayaks and lifejackets; please call to learn more.

When: 
Sunday, June 11, 2017 11am-2pm

Snowman Building Contest on the Grand Allée

Come join the fun and make snow people at the Trustees of Reservations' Crane Estate in Ipswich Masaachusetts

Looking for an outdoor activity to enjoy during school vacation? Come build snow people with the Trustees! What better place to form gigantic snowballs than the rolling hills at the Crane Estate? We’ll have a contest to determine the best winter characters – which snowman is the most traditional?  The most creative? The one that best represents Ipswich history? The one that best represents the Crane family? At the end of the day we’ll enjoy some hot chocolate to warm up.

When: 
Friday, February 24, 2017 1-3PM

Tracks & Telltales for Kids

Kid will look for tracks and other signs of animals at the Trustees of Reservations' Crane Estate in Ipswich Masaachusetts

Join the Trustees as they hike from the Barn to the Pine Grove, looking for tracks and telltales left behind by the creatures who roam the property surrounding the Crane Estate. Using our skills of observation, we’ll find footprints and feeding sites, homes and hiding places. We’ll warm up after our trek with hot chocolate in the Pine Grove.

When: 
Tuesday, February 21, 2017 1-3PM

Strings in the Parlor

Celebrate hearth and home on a candlelit tour of this colonial salt water farm in Ipswich Massachusetts

Step back in time and be inspired by the nightscape at a 17th century saltwater farm. Stroll through the house, lit by candlelight, and imagine life in colonial days. This Open House is offered in conjunction with Ipswich is First...Period, a community celebration of 17th century architecture, and an homage to hearth, home and the celebration of Thanksgiving. A quartet will fill the halls with period music.

When: 
Friday, November 18, 2016 5:30-7pm
Location: 

Favorite Things, Hidden Treasures at Cogswell's Grant

Tour Cogswell's Grant Coastal Farm in Essex Massachusetts and see soem of the antique treasures located there!

This Historic New England walking tour explores Cogswell's Grant as a working farm since 1636 to present. Join us for an in-depth tour highlighting the favorite objects of American folk art collectors Bertram and Nina Fletcher Little, including objects hidden in the cupboards, cabinets, and drawers of Cogswell's Grant.

When: 
Monday, October 10, 2016 1-3pm

Trail Blazing Trek

Join Mass Audubon naturalists on a hike some of the less travelled trails at IRWS.

Ipswich River Sanctuary invites you to come explore! Looking to get off the beaten path and take "the one less traveled?" Haven't yet hiked alll 12 miles of our sanctuary's interconnected trails? Have a yearning to explore places like Hassocky Meadow or White Pine Loop? Come with us as we trek some of the sanctuary's less frequented trails to discover new sights and sounds in these spectacular habitats.

When: 
Saturday, October 1, 2016 1:30 pm - 3pm

Twelfth Annual Fairy House Tour

The Friends of the South End Portsmouth Fairy House Tour--the world's largest fairy house tour

The Friends of the South End Portsmouth Fairy House Tour--the world's largest fairy house tour--takes place each fall in the historic South End Neighborhood of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built by creative professionals, community members, and students, these works of imagination and creativity more than 150 fairy houses will be on display on the grounds of Strawbery Banke, the Governor John Langdon House, and in Prescott Park.

When: 
Saturday, September 24, 2016, 11am-3pm
Sunday, September 25, 2016, 11am-3pm

Harvest Fest at Green Meadows Farm

Come celebrate the Harvest at Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton!

You do not have access to view this node celebrates the harvest season with their FREE annual Harvest Fest! Enjoy live music by Dixie Cookbooks, arts and crafts for kids, farm fresh food (for purchase), an obstacle course, lawn games, face painting, and wagon rides. The walking paths are open for you to walk about the property and enjoy the fields and animals.

When: 
Saturday, September 24, 2016 11am-3pm

Historic Ice House Tours with SFL

Tour Cape Pond Ice and chill with the coolest guys in town! Gloucester Massachusetts and Sawyer Free Library

Chill with the coolest guys in town in the heat of Summer! Enjoy a cool visit to Cape Pond Ice Company, icing Gloucester's fleet since 1848. We were featured in Sebastian Junger's account of The Perfect Storm. This tour highlights the history of the ice industry, with vintage film of natural ice harvests. See first hand 300-pound block ice being made (up to 350 tons per day), fishing vessels taking on ice and ice sculptures being carved in the historic icehouse on Gloucester's working waterfront. Wear warm clothing and shoes!  Signup with the library! 

When: 
Tuesday, July 26, 2016 2-3pm
Location: 

Butter in the Barnyard

Butter in the Barnyard is for families and children 2-7 to meet our dairy herd at Appleton Farms.

Everyone loves rich and creamy butter, but have you ever discovered where butter begins?  Join us for a guided stroll around the farm learning all about our dairy, explore the milking parlor, enjoy a calf close encounter and end with butter making in the Carriage Barn. Recommended for ages 2-7.  Pre-registration is required as we can not accommodate a large group with drop-ins for this program. Registration is by the family- if you have 6 or more in your family, please register 2 families as we want to have enough butter ingredients for all. This program meets in our Carriage Barn. Parking is available at the Visitor Center. 

When: 
Saturdays, July 9 & 23, 2016 10:30-11:30am
Saturdays, August 6 & 20, 2016 10:30-11:30am
Location: 

Pages

Appleton Farms offers great farm-based Vacation Week Programs for kids ages 5-11

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

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

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

Crescent Farm Corn Maze

Crescent Farm corn maze in Haverhill Massachusetts
Imagine the biggest puzzle you’ve ever seen. Now imagine a day in the sunshine with your friends or family. Now add an adventure that takes teamwork and memory skills. All these things and more can be found at Crescent Farms Corn Maze. Crescent Farm Corn Maze trails cut into 9 acres of corn. Inside...
9:00 am to 9:00 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

Step Inside the Historic Custom House

Take in the views of this prominent building where Nathaniel Hawthorne once worked and the U.S. Custom Service operated. This Custom House was built in 1819 and housed offices for the officers of the U.S. Customs Service, as well as an attached warehouse, the Public Stores, used for the storage of...
9:30 am to 4:30 pm

Kidleidoscope

Kidleidoscope at Maudslay State Park is a chance for preschoolers to explore the park, enjoy a story and make a craft!
Maudslay State Park has created this program for their youngest crowd! The park interpreter will lead a weekly nature themed preschool aged program that involves a story time and outdoor exploration of Maudslay trails and gardens! 
10:00 am to 11:00 am

Saugus Iron Works House Tours

Free Ranger guided tours of the Saugus Iron Works House in Massachusetts
Join National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a 30-minute tour of The Iron Works House.
11:00 am

Step Aboard the Friendship of Salem

Permission to come aboard the Friendship of Salem is granted at Derby Wharf in Salem Massachusetts!
Explore the FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM, a replica tall ship based on a 1796 Salem vessel at Salem Maritime National Historic Site.
1:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Saugus Iron Works Tours

Free Ranger guided tours at Saugus Iron Works Colonial Industrial Site in Massachusetts
Join the National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a tour of the colonial industrial site. On select days, you may be able to stick around and witness pop-up molten iron pour, blacksmithing, waterwheel demonstrations, and take part in hands-on river stewardship activities.
2:00 pm

Salem Farmers' Market

The Salem Farmer's Market bring the goodness of local farm to downtown Salem!
The Salem Farmers' Market brings fresh local produce and other foods from North Shore farms and other local resources to downtown Salem every Thursday at  Bentley Academy Charter School!
3:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Paddle Around Historic Rockport Harbor

Paddle around Rockport Massachusetts Harbor for FREE as part of Trails and Sails
Come join North Shore Adventures and Outdoor Center for some fun on the water! No experience necessary. Depart from our private beach in one of our safe, stable kayaks or paddle boards and paddle around the historic Rockport Harbor for 30 mins. See lobster boats, Motif #1, the Rockport Break water...
10:30 pm

Trails & Sails

Explore the North Shore with over 150 Free Events in Essex National Heritage Area's Trails & Sails celebration in Massachusetts.
Essex National Heritage Area sites will offer over 150 free family fun events from September 14-29, 2024 for the annual celebration of TRAILS & SAILS. Discover special places in your backyard and be guided through unique landscapes on land and sea, explore historic properties, and take in...
7:00 am to 10:00 pm

Friday, October 3

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

Crescent Farm Corn Maze

Crescent Farm corn maze in Haverhill Massachusetts
Imagine the biggest puzzle you’ve ever seen. Now imagine a day in the sunshine with your friends or family. Now add an adventure that takes teamwork and memory skills. All these things and more can be found at Crescent Farms Corn Maze. Crescent Farm Corn Maze trails cut into 9 acres of corn. Inside...
9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Saugus Iron Works House Tours

Free Ranger guided tours of the Saugus Iron Works House in Massachusetts
Join National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a 30-minute tour of The Iron Works House.
11:00 am

Saugus Iron Works Tours

Free Ranger guided tours at Saugus Iron Works Colonial Industrial Site in Massachusetts
Join the National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a tour of the colonial industrial site. On select days, you may be able to stick around and witness pop-up molten iron pour, blacksmithing, waterwheel demonstrations, and take part in hands-on river stewardship activities.
2:00 pm

Topsfield Fair - Opening Day

Topsfield Fair opens the gates at 1pm Friday! Topsfield Fair is one of the longe
The Topsfield Fair is a perennial favorite for us.  We're not the biggest fans of the midway, although it is always worth a walkthrough and a ride or two.  We love fruits and vegetables, and are always on the lookout for the winning 'biggest pumpkin'.  Another favorite is checking out the pigs and...
4:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Saturday, October 4

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

The Lady of Salem: Maritime Art

Learn about the history of Salem Massachusetts through this unique public art installation self-guided tour!
Discover Salem’s Golden Age of Sail as you uncover clues! Celebrate America’s Maritime History! The Ladies of Salem will have you looking up at whimsical and beautifully designed figureheads gracing lampposts downtown. “What is a figurehead ?” you may ask? It’s a large carved wooden decorative...
8:00 am to 10:00 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

Witch City 5k

Witch City 5k - a YMCA 5k costume run in downtown Salem Massachusetts!
Run through the haunted streets of Salem with ghouls, ghosts and goblins in this community favorite 5K event that takes place during the most fun time in Salem...October’s Haunted Happenings!
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Subscribe to Tour