All Ages

Hospital Point Lighthouse Open House

Take a tour of this historic Beverly landmark thats usually closed to the public as part of Trials and Sails!

One of Beverly's most familiar landmarks, this lighthouse commands a spectacular view of Salem Sound, and 3 other lighthouses. An enduring monument to Beverly's nautical heritage, it is one of 5 Massachusetts lighthouses that still retains its original Fresnel lens.

When: 
Sunday, September 14, 2025 10AM-4PM
Saturday, September 27, 2025 10AM-4PM

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. Since much of Salem has changed drastically since 1692, very little remains with direct ties to these historical events. However, this tour will use the Heritage Trail as a guide and will point out original locations, help debunk persistent legends, and reveal the true history that has been obscured over the centuries. 

When: 
Daily, 9-5
Location: 

Salisbury Days: Touch a Truck

Kids (and adults) can get up close and personal with all kinds of trucks in Salisbury Massachusetts
Salisbury Days are hosting a Touch-A-Truck event! Get up close and personal with all the trucks/unique vehicles you see on the road. Meet the people who drive them and learn about what they do! If you have a truck or any unique vehicle you would like to showcase in our event, feel free to message us to get on the participant list!
When: 
Sunday, September 21, 2025 Noon-4pm

Ride the Rail Trail to New Hampshire

Bike the Rail Trail from the Merrimack river in Salisbury Massachusetts to the New Hampshire border.

Join us on a scenic bike ride starting at the Graf Rink lot on Low St. in Newburyport. We’ll go along the Clipper City Trail and it’s impressive trail art. We will then go over the Merrimac River to Salisbury, past salt marshes as we make our way to the NH border. Along the way, David Read will share how it fits into the greater Border to Boston Trail and the East Coast Greenway! We will meet next to the trail at the Graf Rink parking area on Low St. in Newburyport. The round trip is 10 miles on an all-paved surface.

When: 
Sunday, September 28, 2025 10am - Noon

Newburyport's Fall Festival

The Newburyport Fall Festival is a tradition filled with family fun on the waterfront in Massachusetts

Come to downtown Newburyport's Annual Fall Festival hosted by the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce! Enjoy great food, live music, and family fun while celebrating autumn's arrival on the waterfront in downtown Newburyport Massachusetts. Explore downtown shops as well as craft vendor booths from artisans all over New England!

When: 
Saturday & Sunday, October 11 & 12, 2025 10am-4pm

Salisbury Days Car Show

Come to Salisbury Beach Massachusetts for a classic car show that lasts all weekend!

Calling all fancy cars, motorcycles, and those that love them! Salisbury Days is hosting a classic car & motorcycle show at Salisbury Beach, along and around the Broadway Loop. Hope to see you there! No registration required. FREE for spectators and Exhibitors. Trophies for Peoples Choice & Best in Show. ALL music - Live streamed from @Tayles & Co Radio / Cool 94.1. Show to run in conjunction with other Salisbury Days events and Trails & Sails

When: 
Saturday, September 20, 2025 10am-2pm

GNOCA 5K Run/Walk

GNOCA's 5K Run/Walk in Honor of Jackie Poor & Paula Holm is a 5k Run or Family Friendly Stroll through Scenic Newburyport starting & ending at Michael's Harborside. Tee Shirts will be given to the First 100 Registrants. All participating runners will be assigned numbers and timed. Great Prizes for Age Category Winners!

When: 
Sunday, September 28, 2025 8AM-1PM

Farm Days Festival

Farm Days is a family event held at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts

Join us for our Annual Fall Celebration at Appleton – Farm Days! Spend the afternoon exploring the farm, listening to music, enjoying great food & beer, hiking our trails, entertaining the kids and more. Please Note: Tickets are per vehicle, not per person, and include access to the farm and all of the events and activities listed below. Food, drink, and hayrides are purchased separately.

When: 
Saturday, September 13, 2025 12-5PM
Sunday, September 14, 2025 12-5PM
Location: 

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

Maudslay in Bloom Self-Guided Walk

 Maudslay in Bloom self guided walk at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport Massachusetts.
Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, Massachusetts, offers a delightful self-guided walk that is perfect for families with children. The park's 480-acre expanse, once the Moseley Estate, is rich with historical charm and natural beauty. Families can embark on a self-guided tour through lush...
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

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

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

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

Gloucester Gratis Days at Hammond Castle

Bring your kids to the Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts during April Vacation
In keeping with John Hays Hammond, Jr's original vision for his seaside castle-home to serve as a museum offering the Gloucester community access to ancient works of architectural art, Hammond Castle Museum will offer Gloucester residents free, self-guided tours each Tuesday throughout the regular...
10:00 am to 4:00 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

Thursday, September 18

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

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

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

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

Lowell's Boat Shop: Boatbuilding in the New Nation

Learn about Lowell's Boat Shop in Amesbury Massachusetts on this guided Trails and Sails Tour
Step back in time with a visit to Lowell’s Boat Shop  in Amesbury Massachusetts during Trails & Sails! Established in 1793, Lowell’s was one of The New Nation’s many boat shops, and is the oldest continuously operating boat shop in the country. Simeon Lowell founded his own business after...
11:00 am to 2:00 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

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
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