All Ages

Historic Ice House Tours - Fridays

Tour Cape Pond Ice and chill wioth the coolest guys in town!

Chill with the coolest guys in town! 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. Tours highlight 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 our historic icehouse on Gloucester's working waterfront.

When:

Fridays, September 15 & 22, 2017 2-3pm

Saturdays, September 16 & 23, 2017 11am-Noon or 1-2pm

Sundays, September 17 & 24, 2017 11am-Noon

Location:

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Public Ice Skate at Pingree

Pingree School’s ice rink will be open to the public on December 19, 21, 27, and 28 from 1:30 - 3:30 pm. These dates will be open for recreational family skates with no pucks or hockey sticks allowed.

Free. The school is located at 537 Highland Street, South Hamilton, MA.

When:

Monday, December 19, 2011 1:30 - 3:30 pm.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 1:30 - 3:30 pm.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 1:30 - 3:30 pm.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011 1:30 - 3:30 pm.

Location:

Johnson Rink at Pingree School

Hamilton

Skating

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Mayor's Cup Schooner Race

The Mayor's Cup Race at the Gloucester Schooner Festival is just part of the fun

Note: Due to the weather, these events have been postponed to Labor Day Monday. The Mayor's Race is a major part of the Gloucester Schooner Festival 2024, where participating schooners in the weekend activities compete for for the Esperanto Cup, Ned Cameron Trophy and Betty Ramsey Trophy off Eastern Point and East Gloucester.

When:

Rain Date: Monday September 4, 2017 1pm

Location:

Gloucester Schooner Festival

Schooner

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Movies on the Common: Sound of Music

Come to Salem Common to watch the Classic 'Sound of Music' under the stars!

Grab a blanket and the kids and head over to Salem Common at dusk for an outdoor showing of some favorite family-friendly movies under the Stars! Come to Salem Common to watch the Disney Classic Mary Poppins under the stars!

When:

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 7:45pm

Location:

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Cruising the Essex River

Take a guided tour of the Essex Marshes with Essex River Cruises for Trails & Sails

Essex River Cruises hosts a narrated sightseeing tour that winds down the beautiful Essex River aboard Essex River Queen, a pontoon boat. Explore the marshes and discover a habitat brimming with abundant wildlife and the changing landscape that supports it. Bring along your binoculars, cameras and sketchbooks! You're bound to be inspired!

When:

Saturday, September 17, 2017 8:30-10 am

Location:

Essex River Cruises & Charters

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Kayak Tour at Parker River NWR

Paddle the waters of the Parker River Wildlife Refuge on this ranger guided tour.

Join park staff from the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge to see and experience the refuge’s salt marsh than from the cockpit of your own kayak! Join a couple of refuge rangers for a 2.5 hour meander through the marsh and learn about some of its fascinating natural and cultural history.

When:

Saturday, September 23, 2017 1-3:30pm

Location:

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

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Waterfront Summer Cinema: Jaws

Come watch a FREE showing of Jaws on the waterfront in Gloucester MA

Come enjoy a movie projected on a giant screen on the waterfront, under the stars in downtown Gloucester Massachusetts! Bring a lawn chair, blanket and your family for a night of Hollywood blockbuster fun! Food and refreshments will be available starting at 6pm, and movies will begin at dark!

When:

Wednesday, August 23, 2017 7-10pm

Location:

Gloucester Harbor Walk

Gloucester

Film

Outdoor Activity

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Waterfront Movie: Beauty and the Beast

Join the fun at Waterfront Park in Newburyport as you watch Disney's live action remake of Beauty and the Beast

What could be better than a free movie viewed outside at Waterfront Park on a warm summer night? Singing with the Oompa Loompas of the classic 'Willy Wonka an the Choclate Factory' satrring Gene Wilder! Based on Roal Dahls book, join the adventures of the golden ticket winners to see who ends up with the greatest prize of all!

When:

Wednesday, August 23, 2017 ~8pm (Dusk)

Location:

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Beach Plum Jam Workshop at Appleton Farms

Learn about Beach Plums and making jam at this 'Appleton Cooks' Session in Ipswich MA!

Join us to gather these sweet and tart beach plums at Crane Beach. We’ll then head up to the Great House kitchen to make beach plum jam. All materials will be provided and participants are welcome to take their hard work home! Adults only. Pre-registration required.

When:

Tuesday, September 5, 2017 5-9PM

Location:

Trustees of Reservations

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Solar Eclipse Celebration

Photo: NASA image of moon’s shadow over the South Pacific

Come be a part of the “Great American Eclipse.” A partial solar eclipse will be visible in Massachusetts on August 21, and we’ll celebrate by building solar-eclipse viewers to safely watch the event. We’ll also learn a little about astronomy and discover why eclipses happen. Our next solar eclipse won’t be visible until 2024, so don’t miss this chance!

When:

Monday, August 21, 2017 1-3pm

Location:

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

Topsfield

Astronomy

Celebration

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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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Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.

Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

7:00 am to 7:00 pm

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Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

Pingree School hosts the 15th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, MA. Pingree . The exhibit will open in early September with more than 50 temporary works on display in addition to the 20 pieces in the permanent collection of Pingree School. The exhibit ...

Where: Pingree School

8:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Sing & Dance with the Music Man

Come join the fun at Community House Of Hamilton & Wenham Monday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at 10am for 30 - 45 minutes of great music with Brian Doser! Sing and dance with the Music Man during a family concert, featuring familiar and original tunes, performed by local dad and musician,...

Where: Community House Of Hamilton & Wenham

10:00 am to 10:45 am

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Shore Country Day School Open House

At Shore Country Day School, joyful learning is the foundation for children’s intellectual and personal transformation. We empower young people to take charge of their own education, and we nurture their commitment to equity and social justice in the world around them. Exceptionally well prepared...

Where: Shore Country Day School

6:30 pm

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Sunday, December 1

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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Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

Where: Pingree School

8:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Tree Jubilee at Marini Farm

Come to Marini Farm for the Tree Jubilee fundraiser to benefit The Ipswich Humane Group. Tour the gallery of beautifully decorated trees and wreaths donated by local organizations, families, and businesses then choose the ones you want a chance to win! More than 50 spectacularly decorated trees...

Where: Marini Farm

10:00 am

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Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

Come to Hammond Castle for the 6th annual Deck The Halls holiday celebration. Hammond Castle Museum will be dressed for the holidays inside and out. Delight in the enchanting ambiance of Christmas and White Birch trees, meticulously arranged garlands, festive wreaths, and the warm embrace of...

Where: Hammond Castle Museum

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

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Amesbury Market Daze

Welcome to Amesbury Market Daze at BareWolf Brewing, a vendor market where local surrounding Amesbury talent and community spirit converge.

Where: Barewolf Brewing

12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

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CraneOutdoors: Sunday Family Snowy Owl Prowl

Wide-open coastal sites are the location of choice for wintering Snowy Owls; common perches are dunes and salt hay staddles. In winters past, these owls have been frequent visitors to the Crane Wildlife Refuge.

Where: Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

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Cape Ann Symphony Holiday Pops

Celebrate the Holidays on Thanksgiving weekend with the Cape Ann Symphony conducted by Yoichi Udagawa. The annual Holiday Pops is a musical celebration of the season.

Where: Ipswich High School, Where: Manchester Essex Regional High School

2:00 pm

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Newburyport Santa Parade & Tree Lighting

A Newburyport tradition! As the holiday season approaches, Santa & Mrs. Claus arrive in the most fitting way for this seaport town... by US Coast Guard boat! Welcome Santa on the Sunday after Thanksgiving as he and Mrs.

Where: Downtown Newburyport

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

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Gloucester's Santa Parade & Tree Lighting

Gloucester's Holiday Parade is a great tradition to kick off the holidays! Come enjoy the parade, Santa, and the tree lighting at Kent Circle! Volunteers will line up parade participants at the State Fish Pier on Parker Street at 2:00 PM and will guide them through downtown Gloucester and on to...

Where: Downtown Gloucester

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

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