Latest Stories, Events, Activities, Camps & Recipes

Come to the Holiday Tree Lighting in Salem to kick off the holiday season!
Join Salem Main Streets and the City of Salem as we combine two of our most beloved annual traditions – Greet Santa at the Hawthorne Hotel and the lighting of Salem’s Holiday Tree – into one evening. Santa Claus will arrive at the top of the Hawthorne Hotel (18 Washington Square W) promptly at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 28, 2025, with assistance from the Salem Fire Department, of course. Bring the whole family out for carols, festivities, and fun!
Location: Lappin Park
The Danvers Tree Lighting is a time honored community tradition that kicks off the holidays in Danvers Massachusetts
A time honored tradition brought to you by Danvers FalconFest and the Town of Danvers.  Join us in downtown Danvers for festive music, caroling, tasty snacks, and fun children’s activities.
Location: Danvers Square
Enjoy the tradition of the Amesbury Massachusetts Holiday parade with your family!
Enjoy the tradition of the Amesbury Massachusetts Holiday parade with your family! Join the community to celebrate the beginning of the Holiday Season in the center of town!! 
Location: Downtown Amesbury
Beverly Massachusetts holiday tree lighting on the Common is a favorite community event!
Come to the Beverly Tree Lighting!  Gather with your neighbors and enjoy cocoa, cookies, music and Santa, as we light the town Holiday Tree!
Location: Downtown Beverly, Beverly Common
Salem Main Streets, SalemMainStreets.org, Visit Salem MA for the holidays
Join Salem Main Streets and the City of Salem as we celebrate two of our most beloved annual traditions – Santa’s Arrival and the lighting of Salem’s Holiday Tree – all in one evening. Santa Claus will arrive at the top of the Hawthorne Hotel (18 Washington Square W) promptly at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, with assistance from the Salem Fire Department, of course. Organizers recommend arriving to the Salem Common by 5:45 p.m. to catch the arrival. Bring the whole family out for brass carols with Coventry Brass, festivities, and fun!
Location: Hawthorne Hotel, Lappin Park
Run like a turkey through downtown Salem MA on Thanksgiving Day! Proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem.
Join the fun for the annual Wild Turkey 5 Mile Run in downtown Salem Massachusetts Thanksgiving morning and raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem! This is the largest race on the North Shore, now in its 22nd year, with 2,000 anticipated participants. The first 1600 entries will receive long sleeve shirts. We give out awards in 5-year age groups. The pre and post-race meeting place will be in the Peabody Essex Museum Atrium. The race benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem.
Location: Peabody Essex Museum
Come to Breakheart Reservation for a pre-Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in Saugus Massachusetts!
Breakheart Reservation invites you to a Thanksgiving run/walk! Join us for the annual Breakheart Turkey Trot, a fun-filled event for runners and walkers of all ages! Lace up your sneakers and get ready to hit the scenic trails of Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, Massachusetts. Whether you're a seasoned runner or just looking for a leisurely stroll, this event has something for everyone.
Location: Breakheart Reservation
Learn about infant and child cpr and choke saving skills at Beath Israel Lahey Health's Beverly Hospital in Massachusetts!
It is only a matter of a few short minutes before it is too late to save a life … learning what to do provides you precious minutes and gives someone a chance to survive.  The Family & Friends CPR Course teaches the lifesaving skills of child CPR with breaths, child AED use, infant CPR, and mild and severe airway block for children and infants. Skills are taught in a dynamic group environment using the AHA’s research-proven practice-while-watching technique, which provides students with the most hands-on CPR practice time possible.
Location: Beverly Hospital
BevRec and the Beverly Public Library are teaming up to offer Chess Nights in the Beverly Massachusetts Library.
You do not have access to view this node and BevRec are teaming up to offer Chess Nights in the Barnett Gallery in the main Library at 32 Essex St, Beverly. The first Monday of each month through December, come and play the world’s greatest game with your neighbors. This is not an instructional class, but rather a meet up for people who are looking to play.
Beverly Massachusetts Recreation Department hosts a holiday toy drive at Lynch Park!
The BevRec will be hosting a Holiday Toy Drive at Lynch Park to benefit the great work that Beverly Bootstraps does for our community. We’re collecting new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages to help make this season brighter for everyone in our community.
Location: Lynch Park

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Landmark Skills+ Summer Course at Landmark School in Beverly Massachusetts

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

Owl Prowl Hike at Appleton Farms

Learn all about owls at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts for kids older than 12
Join us for a very special evening hike to see the owls who might be out and about in the dark winter woods and fields of Appleton Farms. This hike will take place along the trails of Appleton, known to have multiple species of owls. Before our hike, you’ll learn about wintertime nocturnal animals...
4:15 pm to 5:45 pm

Saturday, February 7

NSNP Saturday Srolls at Choate Farm

Come to Choate Farm in Danvers Massachusetts to learn some basic Winter Survival Skills with your family!
Do you and your family have what it takes to survive out in the wilderness?
10:00 am to 11:30 am

CraneExplorer: Valentine's Coastal Craft

Make Valentines crafts from materials that we find along the shore at the Trustees of Reservations Crane Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts
The Trustees of Reservations invites ages 12 and up to a valentine craft making workshop! This Valentine’s Day, give a gift from the sea! From seaweed pressings to shell collages, beach treasures make beautiful greetings and keepsakes. Join this workshop to learn fun craft ideas and make marine art...
10:00 am to 12:30 pm

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts
Come explore the lesser-visited corners of Castle Hill and its surroundings with us this season. This hike is a CraneOutdoors guide favorite because it’s got a little bit of all the things that make the Crane Estate such a special place…
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Music and Movement at North Shore Children's Museum

North Shore, North Shore Childrens Museum in Peabody MA
Music and Movement with Marybeth Maes is an engaging music and movement class for young children at the North Shore Children's Museum. Marybeth brings her guitar and instruments for the children to use while they sing, dance, and play.
10:00 am to 11:00 am

Children's Maple in the Barnyard at Appleton Farms

Visit Appleton Farms' sugaring operation and learn about making maple sugar syrup!
Maple Season is here! This special program for ages 3-11 & their families will focus on the magic of maple from start to finish. We will discover this tradition by observing trees, tasting sap, learning the tools involved, and finally, tasting the sweet product. We will make sure to have time...
10:45 am to 3:00 pm

Bald Eagles in the Wild for Teens

Teens are invited to Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport Massachusetts to learn about eagles and their behaviors. Photo: Bill O'Connor
Head to the most popular spots to search for Bald Eagles. Learn how to spot an eagle in flight, observe their behaviors, and learn how to identify Bald Eagles at different stages of life. Use binoculars, field scopes, and bird guides. Stay active and warm with group challenges about wingspan and...
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Sunday, February 8

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

Salem's So Sweet Festival

Salem Massachusetts' retailers have some sweet surprises in store during the Salem's So Sweet Weekend Festival
Salem Main Streets and the Salem Chamber of Commerce invite you to come enjoy the annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival – a decadent tradition of delectable chocolate, sparkling ice sculptures, and Valentine’s Day shopping! Now in its 24th year, Salem’s So Sweet has become...
9:00 am to 10:00 pm

Watching the Coastal Edge at Halibut Point

Tour the WWII era observation tower at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport Massachusetts.
Meet at the Halibut Point State Park visitors center to learn about the role Halibut Point has played in America’s military history. One day after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, U.S.
11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Amesbury Winter Market

Amesbury Winter Market Daze at Barewolf Brewing January 11-February 8, 2026
Amesbury Market Daze is your friendly local community marketplace. We take pride in curating a marketplace that showcases local art and food from talented local artisans, chefs, farmers, creators and curators of surrounding Amesbury, Massachusetts. Join us throughout the year to curate and foster a...
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm