Holiday

North Shore Holiday Toy Drive

Senator Bruce Tarr & 104.9 FM encourage you to donate toys for kids in need!

With the need for toys at an all-time high for local children, Senator Bruce Tarr and 104.9 will once again broadcast live all day from nine locations on the North Shore to collect as many toys, gift cards, and monetary donations as possible to fulfill North Shore needs. The live broadcasts are open to the public and will feature local entertainment, schools choirs and bands, great food, and a visit with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus!

When: 
Thursday, December 14, 2017 6am-6:30pm

NCS Winter Concert - The Rose and the Night Star - Matinee

The Newburyport Choral Society Holiday Concert is a true mix of traditional and Spiritual music to get into the Holiday Spirit.

The NCS Winter Concert features the 140-voice chorus, professional soloists, orchestra, and the Greater Newburyport Children's Chorus, all performing classical, traditional and “sing-along” seasonal favorites!  The program will highlight Camille Saint-Saëns’ beautiful Christmas Oratorio, various musical settings of Lo How A Rose E’er Blooming, and an exciting multi-cultural piece from South Africa entitled, Hope for Resolution.

When: 
Saturday, December 9, 2017 8pm
Sunday, December 10, 2017 2:30pm

Kids Cookie Decorating Class at Marini Farm

Kids will learn how to decorate holidQay cookies at Marini Farm in Ipswich MA!

A class that will focus around decorating Holiday Cookies. Our little chefs will begin by decorating a holiday craft. They will then use their creative energy and icing to decorate their holiday cookies. Each chef will receive enough cookies to have a snack and take a few home.

  • Ages Pre - K and up reccommended (Only children participating need a ticket)
  • Event takes about an hour.
  • Parents are welcome to stay and help or walk around our christmas tree lot and holiday store.
When: 
Saturday, November 25, 2017 4-5pm
Sunday, November 26, 2017 4-5pm
Location: 

Battle of the High School & Middle School Bands

Winners of this battle of the bands will perform at Rockport New Years Eve!

Open to any middle school or high school band (two or more members) from anywhere on Cape Ann or beyond. No fee to enter. Deadline for registration is September 15. Five bands will be chosen to compete on Saturday, October 7th at the Congregational Church of Rockport. Top two winning bands play on Rockport New Year’s Eve!

When: 
Saturday, October 7, 2017 7-10pm

Green Friday: For the Love of Dogs!

Bring your dog to the Appleton Farms Grass rides for an after Thanksgiving Hike!

Join the Trustees at Appleton Farms Grass Rides on Green Friday to walk off that turkey with your best bud! Choose to get outside on Friday, November 25th and join us at the Grass Rides for a dog party. A special doggy quest through the Grass Rides will have treasure boxes with treats along the trails. Meet back up at the parking area for people and dog refreshments, free pup nail trimming, compliments of Paws With Inn, photo opportunities with Lauren Mac Petography, and more! First 50 dogs to complete the quest get a special gift!

When: 
Friday, November 25, 2016 10am-Noon
Location: 

Snow White: A Through the Looking Glass Panto!

Snow White heads to Wonderland in this original panto performed by Theater in the Open at Maudlsay State Park

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time one again for our Spring Pantomime! This time around we’ll be following the adventures of Snow White as she takes a peek at what happens through the looking glass…!!! Edward Speck and Josh Shack have planned yet another silly, surprising, playful Spring panto, free to all. Prepare for puns, princesses, passion and improbable plots with some of your favorite fairy tale and literary characters!

When: 
Saturdays & Sundays, June 3-25 & August 12, 2017 2pm

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at Northshore Mall

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at Northshore Mall, Peabody MA

Northshore Mall is in the spring spirit, celebrating the season with the Easter Bunny himself who is now at the mall and is gearing up for a very egg-citing event taking place. Breakfast with the Easter Bunny on Saturday, April 8, 2017, 9:00 – 10:30a.m.

Northshore Mall will host Breakfast with the Easter Bunny! Children can also participate in spring-themed craft-making activities. Guests will also receive special Easter gift.

When: 
Saturday, April 8, 2017, 9:00 – 10:30a.m.
Location: 

Bunny Bonanzoo at Stone Zoo

Things to do for families north of Boston

Easter fun is just a hop, skip and a jump away at Stone Zoo! Guests are invited to celebrate with a visit to the Zoo, where crafts, music, games and other fun surprises await. And of course, no Easter celebration would be complete without a visit from the Easter Bunny, who will be ready to meet-and-greet and pose for photographs.  

Guests may take photos with their own camera for a suggested donation of $5. All proceeds benefit Stone Zoo.

When: 
Saturday, April 15, 2017, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: 

Essex Holiday Farmers Market

Stock up for the Holidays at the Essex Farmers Market's Holiday Market!

Visit the Essex Holiday Farmers Market for a great variety of locally grown produce and other foods produced locally and stock up for the holidays! Also at this market you will find Artisan Ice Cream, freshly baked pies and pastries, local pature-raised meats and cheeses, holiday wreaths and greeens, all natural skin care products, honey, prepared foods, handcrafted jewelry and othe great gift ideas!

When: 
Saturday, December 10, 2016 2015 12-4pm

Beverly Holiday Farmers' Market

The Beverly Holiday Farmers Market is held indoors at the Cove Community Center

Join Beverly Farmers' Market for a special holiday market! Celebrate winter with special farm fresh food, locally made gifts, and great community. This is the last market of 2016! You can expect to find winter squashes, root veggies, apples, cider, garlic, cabbage, cauliflower, eggs, cheese, beef products, maple syrup, and honey and bee products from our farmers. There will also be locally made specialty foods like artisan bread, pickles, handmade chocolates, almond butter, herbal teas, and hot soups. This market will also feature art like handmade ceramics and centerpieces.

When: 
Monday, December 19, 2016 3-7 PM

Pages

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

Teen Naturalist Club at IRWS: Spring/Summer Series

Join Mass Audubon for their Teen Naturalist Club at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield Massachusetts!
Explore a variety of local ecosystems, learn more about a wide range of natural history topics, and do real wildlife data collection and conservation projects in this exciting club for teens!
8:00 am to 8:00 pm

Annual Plant Sale at NTL

Newbury Town Library's annual fundraiser palnt sale in Newbury Massachusetts
The Friends Annual Plant Sale is coming. Save the date so you can spring into gardening with perennials, annuals, fabulous raffle prizes, and more!  The Friends will gladly accept divided plants from your garden if you would like to donate. Just send them an email at: friendsofnewburytownlibrary@...
8:30 am to 1:00 pm

Annual Plant Sale | Generous Gardeners

Generous Gardeners is having a plant sale just in time for the growing season in Gloucester Massachusetts!
Generous Gardeners is having a plant sale to just in time for the growing season in Gloucester Massachusetts! Join us for a Plant Sale on Stacy Boulevard on Saturday, May 18, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The event will be held rain or shine. Locally grown plants plus dahlia tubers will be...
9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Motif #1 Day

Sidewalk Chalk art at Motif #1 Day in Rockport Massachusetts - a day of family fun!
The Motif No.1 Day Festival celebrates Rockport across the arts! The Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce is excited to bring back Motif No. 1 Day, a beloved event celebrating the long history of artists featuring Motif No.1 in their works. The event will be held on Saturday, May 18 (rain date...
9:00 am to 4:59 pm

Beverly Warrior Weekend

Warrior Weekend at Beverly Massachusetts HighSchool
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!
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Motif #1 Day 5k & Fun Run

The Motif #1 5k run takes place on Motif #1 Day in Rockport, Massachusetts
This 5k Road Race and Kid's Fun Run is a great way to kick off Motif #1 Day! The 5k road race and 1 mile fun run that starts and ends at T Wharf in beautiful downtown Rockport. Run the race and then spend the day with your family enjoying the fun, food and entertainment of the day-log festival.
9:00 am to 10:30 am

Music Together - Saturday

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45 minutes...
9:15 am to 11:15 am

Salamander Meander

What kind of Salamanders will we find at Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary? Photo: Mass Audubon
April is the month when frogs, toads, and salamanders return to wetlands and lay their eggs. We'll search the sanctuary's vernal pools, ponds, and woodlands for a variety of amphibians that are the on the move. If we're lucky, we might see Wood Frog and Spotted Salamander eggs and catch a few...
10:00 am to 11:30 am

Birds, Bees & Butterflies - Family Nature Series Cox Reservation

Essex County Greenbelt Association hosts an Exploration Workshop for families at Cox Reservation in Essex Massachusetts!
Essex County Greenbelt Association invites families to Cox Reservation for a fun session that's all about bees! This show and tell event introduces children of all ages to the importance of bees and other pollinators. Fun and educational activities scattered around the property.
10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Sing & Dance with the Music Man

Sing & Dance with the Music Man Brian Doser in Hamilton visit Massachusetts
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,...
10:00 am to 10:45 am

Home & Food Truck Show | Topsfield

Home and Food Truck show at the Topfield Fairground in Massachusetts
April 20th & 21st. FREE admission and FREE parking. All INDOORS & Enjoy the Food Trucks outside. Speak to leading home industry professionals to plan your spring home projects.
10:00 am to 6:59 pm

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.
10:00 am to 3:59 pm

CraneExplorer: Animals in the Estuary

Families are invited to join us for an exploration of the Castle Hill grounds in Ipswich Massachusetts
Take in beautiful views of the Crane Wildlife Refuge while learning about estuary flora and fauna and environmental conditions at the Crane Boat Dock. Families will conduct measurements of water quality and weather, census native vs. Non-native crabs, collect and observe plankton using field...
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Long Hill Garden Tours

Tour the Gardens at the Trustees of Reservations Long Hill Gardens in Beverly, Massachusetts!
The Trustees of Reservations invite you to join our expert guides for a tour around Long Hill’s stunning Sedgwick Gardens and learn more about the special plants it’s most known for. In addition to learning about what plants are in bloom as well as the rare and unique species in our collection, you...
11:00 am to 12:00 pm

Befriend the Barnyard

Befriend the Barnyard is a hands-on barnyard experience at the Trustees of Reservations' Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts
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...
11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Guided Tour | When Granite Was King!

Find out the story behind the history of granite quarrying at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport!
Halibut Point State Park is also a granite quarry with a history that goes back billions of years! Over one hundred years ago, the Rockport Granite Company quarried granite stone here.
11:00 am to 12:00 pm

Bluey's Big Play

Boch Center Wang Theatre
When Dad feels like a little bit of Sunday afternoon time out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans! Join them as they pull out all of the games and cleverness at their disposal to get Dad off that bean bag. BLUEY'S BIG PLAY is a brand-new theatrical adaptation of the Emmy® award-winning children’s...
11:00 am to 6:00 pm

Gloucester Public School Arts Festival

Gloucester Student Arts Festival showcases multiple forms of art created by the students of Gloucester Massachusetts
The Gloucester Education Foundation and Gloucester Public Schools are thrilled to host the Gloucester Student Arts Festival, a day-long celebration of the arts in the Gloucester Public Schools!
11:00 am to 4:00 pm

CraneOutdoors: Castle Neck Hike in the Dunes

Hiking the Dunes at the Crane Wildlife refuge with the Trustees of Reservations.
While just about everybody on the North Shore has probably been to Crane Beach, the dunes of Castle Neck are a much less explored world unto themselves. Offering one of the most accessible dune ecosystems north of Cape Cod, Castle Neck has over six miles of trails, traversing the dunes, maritime...
1:00 pm to 3:30 pm

TitO presents Petrushka's Puppet Theater

Theater in the Open presents Petrushka's Puppet Theater at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport Massachusetts
Come one! Come all! Join us in Maudslay State Park for Petrushka and the Catapillar! 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...
2:00 pm to 4:30 pm

Cow Connection at Appleton Farms

Join The Trustees of Reservations at Appleton Farms for Cow Connection in Ipswich Massachusetts
Come and meet, cuddle, brush, scratch, talk, and sit with our hand-raised cows at Appleton Farms! The mild heart rate and warm body temperature of the cows induces a slowing of our own heart rate, as well as the release of Oxytocin, our social bonding hormone. Visit our scenic and historic dairy...
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Thursday, May 30

All Family Field Trip: Spring in the Tide Pools

Explore the tide pools of Sandy Point Reservation with Joppa Flats Educators
Come explore what nature has in store at some of our most amazing wild places on the north shore. Our engaging and experienced staff will introduce families to local beaches, forests, and wetlands to make observations in nature, identify wildlife, and enjoy hands on science activities outdoors....
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Ipswich Homegrown Market

Ipswich Homegrown Market on the Middle Green in Ipswich Massachusetts.
Every Thursday through the Summer, you will find fresh local produce and other foods from local vendors at the Middle Green in Ipswich Massachusetts! Come enjoy this weekly community event featuring local growers, makers, artists, and dreamers.
3:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Evening Stroll at Maudslay

Enjoy and evening stroll with the park interpreter at Maudlsay State Park in Newburyport
Join the park interpreter for a moderately paced walk to view different areas of the park and experience the seasonal changes at Maudslay. 
5:00 pm to 6:00 pm

STOMP at Lynn Auditorium

Come to the Lynn Auditorium in Massachusetts to see STOMP - a live experience of dance and percussion!
After 29 years and 11,475 performances, STOMP closed in New York City on January 8, 2023, and went on tour. STOMP - a live experience of dance, rhythm and percussion is coming to Lynn Massachusetts!
8:00 pm

Friday, May 31

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

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.
10:00 am to 3:59 pm

Home & Food Truck Show | Topsfield

Home and Food Truck show at the Topfield Fairground in Massachusetts
April 20th & 21st. FREE admission and FREE parking. All INDOORS & Enjoy the Food Trucks outside. Speak to leading home industry professionals to plan your spring home projects.
10:00 am to 6:59 pm

Music Together - Friday

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45 minutes...
10:30 am to 11:15 am

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! For the young set that loves nature, the park interpreter will lead a three-part preschool aged program that includes a story, craft & walk that involves outdoor exploration. A different nature topic each week so come every...
11:00 am

Friday Family Farm Chores at Appleton Farms

Join The Trustees of Reservations at Appleton Farms for our special, hands-on Family Farm Chores program held on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
Every day has a full list of barnyard chores we need to accomplish to make sure our farmyard friends are happy and healthy. Let’s get to work! Join us for our special, hands-on Family Farm Chores program held on Fridays and Saturdays! Get on your muck boots – your whole family will get to be...
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
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