All Ages

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 other farm animals, as well as the interesting variety of guinea pigs and rabbits.

When:

Friday, October 3, 2025 4-10pm

Daily, September 4-October 13, 2025 10am-10pm

Location:

Topsfield Fairgrounds

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Spring Bloom Fest at the Stevens-Coolidge Estate

Spring Bloom Fest at the Trustees Stevens Coolidge Estate in North Andover!

Join The Trustees of Reservations for the start of Spring at Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens with a celebration of bulbs at our Spring BloomFest weekend! Stroll through our beautiful gardens with budding tulips, daffodils, and other spring bulbs while enjoying the crisp spring air and soundscape serenades. During this festival style event, visitors will have access to the gardens and the opportunity to participate in our daily activities included as part of your admission. This includes:

When:

Daily May 1 - 4, 2025

Location:

Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens

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Live Animal Presentation at Halibut Point

Come to Halibut Point State Park for a live animal presentation featuring turtles, frogs and salamanders.

Come to a Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team presentation at Halibut Point State Park to get an up-close view and learn all about vernal pond creatures you may find in your own backyard. Live vernal pond animals will visit Halibut Point with educator Rick Roth of the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team.

When:

Saturday, April 26, 2025 11-12:30pm

Location:

Halibut Point State Park

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Home & Food Truck Show | Topsfield

Home and Food Truck show at the Topfield Fairground in Massachusetts

The annual Topsfield Home & Food Truck Show is ALL INDOORS with FREE admission and FREE parking. Come speak to leading home industry professionals about your spring home projects. Don't Forget to Enjoy the Food Trucks!

When:

The Weekend of April 26-27, 2025 10am-6pm

Location:

Topsfield Fairgrounds

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Barnyard Story Hour at Appleton Farms

Kids can meet the barnyard animals and hear a story at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts.

Barnyard stories really come alive when you get to see the main characters in real life! Bring the kids down to Appleton Farms for our farm-fresh version of story time. Explore the farmstead, visit our learning garden, see our cows and rabbits, and find a spot to play under a shady tree in our stone paddock. Gather around for a farm story with one of our farmers!

When:

Tuesdays through June 24, 2025 10:30-11:30am

Location:

Appleton Farms

Ipswich

Farm

Trustees of Reservations

Story Hour

Live Animals

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Befriend the Barnyard

Discover our special barnyard animals! Our Angora rabbits Violet, Mabel, Oiver and Charles; Nubian goats Maeve, Morgana, and Mordred; dairy cows Gray, Jasmine, their calves Gigi and Joanie and our friendly flock of heritage chickens will take center stage as we learn about what makes them so unique.

When:

Saturdays through March 29, 2025 11am-1pm | Multiple Sessions

Location:

Appleton Farms

Ipswich

Farm

Trustees of Reservations

Live Animals

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2025 Salem Living Green Expo

Salem Living Green Expo at Derby Square in Salem Massachusetts

The Salem Chamber of Commerce and City of Salem Department of Sustainability and Resiliency are collaborating to co-host a Living Green Expo downtown! Come explore the Living Green Expo at Old Town Hall on Sat, May 10th (10AM - 1PM)!! Lots of great North Shore businesses and community organizations sharing their expertise, products, initiatives, and services that improve Salem, the North Shore and ultimately the whole planet.

When:

Saturday, May 10, 2025 10am-1pm

Location:

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Intro to Vernal Ponds

The Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team teach about Vernal Ponds at the Rockport Public Library in Massachusetts

Come to Toad Hall Bookstore to learn all about the habitat of vernal ponds. This program includes the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team's DVD "Vernal Ponds" which includes the definition of a vernal pool and lots of footage of Cape Ann wildlife. We focus on the importance of these pools and how to protect them. This is followed by up close viewing of some of our favorite vernal pool creatures. Children under 9 must be accompanied by a caregiver.

When:

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 2-3:15pm

Location:

Rockport Public Library

Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team

Vernal Pond

Vernal Pool

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Swan Boat Rides in Boston Public Garden

Swan Boat Boston North Shore Parent, North Shore Parents Summer Activities Guide

The Public Garden may be one of the most ideal picnicking locations in Boston. Well-groomed and overflowing with tulips, cherry-trees, with willows cascading over the duck pond, the Boston Public Garden is a great place to relax during Boston's most beautiful season.

When:

Saturday, April 19, 2025 to Sunday, September 1, 2025

Spring (April to June 20) 10 am to 4 pm

Summer (June 21 to Labor Day) 10 am to 5 pm

The Swan Boats are open every day, weather permitting. We cannot operate in rain, high winds or extreme heat.

Location:

Boston Common and Boston Public Garden

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Family Program: Creature Sculptures at CAM

Family Program: Creature Sculptures at Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts

Inspired by the exhibition on view, Portrait of a Sculptor: Walker Hancock & Michael Lafferty. Create your own animal or fantastic creature with air-dry clay, inspired by the artist Katharine Lane Weems. Recommended ages 3 and up. Adult supervision required. Free and open to the public. Vehicle reservation recommended to ensure parking.

When:

Saturday, March 29, 2025 10am-Noon

Location:

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Maudslay in Bloom Self-Guided Walk

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...

Where: Maudslay State Park

7:00 am to 7:00 pm

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Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Beverly Library Spring Book Sale

Our annual Friends' Spring Book Sale takes place daily at the main library from Saturday, Saturday May 10 through May 17. The sale will be open daily during regular library hours: Mon.-Thurs., 9AM-9PM; Fri.

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

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Gloucester Gratis Days at Hammond Castle

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...

Where: Hammond Castle Museum

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

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Music Together - Tuesday in Marblehead

Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® of Salem classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45...

Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead

10:00 am to 10:45 am

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Swan Boat Rides in Boston Public Garden

Where: Boston Common and Boston Public Garden

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

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Barnyard Story Hour at Appleton Farms

Where: Appleton Farms

10:30 am to 11:30 am

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Reading to a Therapy Dog at NTL

Children can register to come and read to a certified therapy dog. This program encourages reading confidence and is a fun way for kids to practice literacy. Sessions last for 15-minutes, and we ask that you please arrive for the time slot that you register for.

Where: Newbury Town Library

3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

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Sunday, May 18

Hill to Harbor 10k Road Race

Join North Shore YMCA and the Lynch van Otterloo YMCA for the 2025 Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA Hills to Harbor 10K Road Race on May 18th! Traverse the hills and shoreline of Marblehead and finish the 'Hill to Harbor 10K at the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA!

Where: Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA

9:00 am

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Beverly Warrior Weekend

Warrior Weekend is a two day event that pays tribute to veterans through demonstrations and other events for the community. There will be all kinds of military hardware on site including tanks!

Where: Beverly High School

9:00 am to 4:00 pm

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Swan Boat Rides in Boston Public Garden

Where: Boston Common and Boston Public Garden

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

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Touch a Truck Beverly

The annual Touch-a-Truck Event is a unique, interactive, one-day event held in Beverly Massachusetts during National Public Works Week.

Where: Beverly High School

10:00 am to 1:00 pm

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Lungstrong 5k & 1.5 Mile Walk

Support the fight against lung cancer and join us for our 10th annual LUNGSTRONG LIVE & VIRTUAL 5K Run & 1.5mi Walk! This family-friendly event gives 100% of race proceeds and donations to Mass General Cancer Center for Thoracic Cancer Research under the direction of Dr. Justin Gainor. MGH...

10:00 am to 1:00 pm

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TitO presents Petrushka & the Caterpillar

What happens when your favorite stories need a new ending? Everyone's favorite clown upends iconic fables and fairytales in our signature storytelling style – with tons of imagination, humor, and heart. Join Petrushka and the gang as they retell old stories for our times!

Where: Maudslay State Park

2:00 pm to 4:30 pm

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NMYO Spring Concert

The Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras presents their Afternoon of Spring Concerts on Sunday, May 18, 2025 at the Dolan Performing Arts Center, 130 High Street, in Ipswich, MA. There will be two performances; a concert at 2pm and a second concert at 4pm. The concerts are free to the general...

Where: Dolan Performing Arts Center

2:00 pm

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Boston String Academy at Shalin Liu

Enjoy an inspirational performance from the talented youth musicians from the Boston String Academy. Serving 130 students each year in the Greater Boston community, the BSA was cofounded in 2012 by violinists Mariesther and Marielisa Alvarez, twin sisters who learned music in Venezuela’s storied...

Where: Shalin Liu Performance Center

3:00 pm

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