Live Animals

Drop in Station | Explore the Pond at Bradley Palmer

Here is your chance to go inside the Willowdale Mansion (willowdaleestate.com) for a unique guided tour. Now an event and wedding venue, this over 100 years-old Arts and Crafts style home has been beautifully restored. The second floor is not accessible. Best for ages 8 years & up.

What kinds of fascinating creatures live in or visit the ponds? Come and visit with the Park Interpreter to see if any creatures are stirring, and if any plants are flowering. Best for ages pre-K and up. This is a great family activity. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

When: 
Fridays through October 6, 2023 9-11am

All Family Field Trips: Study Between the Tides

Explore the tide pools of Sandy Point Reservation with Joppa Flats Educators in Ipswich Massachusetts

Come explore what nature has in store at some of our most amazing wild places on the North Shore. Joppa Flats' 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. Sign up for one, some, or all!

When: 
Friday, October 6, 2023 10am - 12pm

Drop in Station | The Equestrians at Bradley Palmer

Learn about Bradley Palmers avid interest in equestrian sports at Bradley Palmer State Park in Hamilton Massachusetts

Bradley Palmer was an avid equestrian. He laid out bridal paths and a four-mile steeplechase race course on his estate. Come see photographs and maps of these historic activities. Drop-in program; come anytime. Best for ages 8 years & up.

When: 
Mondays June -July 2023 1-2:30pm

Summertime Birding for Families

Kids will learn more about our local birds and how to identify them at Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport Massachusetts

Want to learn more about our local birds and how to identify them? Joppa Flats education interns will take you on an easy walk and introduce you to a variety of birds, from egrets and herons in the salt marsh, to ducks and shorebirds along the river, to songbirds and hummingbirds at our feeders. We'll provide binoculars and field guides along with tips on how to use them. Get started on the hottest new hobby around - birding!

When: 
Thursdays, June 22-August 17, 2023 8:30-10am

Family Open House: Butterflies & Bugs

Joppa Flats will have Free indoor and outdoor activities for kids and families!

Joppa Flats Education Center invites families to drop in to meet live caterpillars, moths, and butterflies! Learn how to attract birds and other wildlife to your own yard and safely identify insects. Enjoy a Backyard Bug Hunt with our naturalists, join in a Monarch Migration Relay Race, and take home a fun craft or two.

When: 
Saturday, July 22, 2023 10am - 3pm

Family Nature Series - Pond Habitat

Families will learn about the pond habitat with ECGA at Bailey Reservation!

Get to know the residents of a beaver pond! From tiny insects, to the beavers themselves, we'll use all our senses to look for signs of life! Join Greenbelt and Northshore Nature Programs to learn all about a pond habitat! Who lives there? What do they eat? How do they get around? We'll use our senses to find some answers to those questions and more!  Meets at Bailey Reservation in Haverhill.

When: 
Saturday, August 5, 2023 3-4:30pm

Rainforest Reptiles with Sawyer Free Library

Kids will enjoy alive animal demonstration by Rainforest Reptiles hosted by the Sawyer Free Library in Gloucester Massachusetts

Summer is here! Join  the library as we kick off summer reading with an educational and exciting show! Rainforest Reptiles: Conservation through Education!  Enjoy this fun and informative presentation by a herpetologist and visit with  bugs, frogs, snakes, lizards, a tortoise, and the American alligator. This event is hosted by Sawyer Free Library and will be held at Captain Lester S. Wass American Legion Post 3, (8 Washington Street.)

When: 
Friday, July 7, 2023 10:30am

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Brookwood School Summer Program for kids Pre-K through 9 in Manchester 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

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

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

Sunday, October 26

Haunted Happenings Marketplace

The Haunted Happenings Marketplace runs Thursdays-Sundays during October in Salem Massachusetts
The Haunted Happenings Merchant Marketplace is coming this October! Get ready for a one-of-a-kind shopping extravaganza throughout Historic (and some say haunted) Downtown Salem!
10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Kids Fun Fest on Salem Common

Salem Common Neighborhood Association invites families to the Common for an afternoon of fun for the whole family!
A tradition on Salem Common, the Fun Fest has lots of great family activities for kids of all ages, including slides, rides, games, and fun! There's nothing like October in Salem and the Salem Common Neighborhood Association is thrilled to host two weekends of our annual Kids Fun Fest on the Comm
10:00 am to 5:00 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

Georgia Made This: Scavenger Coin Hunt

Georgia Wrenn was born and is being raised in the Witch City of Salem, Massachusetts, where Halloween is celebrated 365 days a year.
Georgia's seventh annual Salem Gold Coin Hunt returns this October, courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum! Each Saturday and Sunday throughout October, Georgia will release special clues at 12 noon through her Instagram page and the PEM's Instagram story. Those clues will help coin hunters narrow...
12:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Fall Foliage Cider & Donut Cruises

Take a guided tour of the Essex Massachusetts Marshes with Essex River Cruises this Autumn
Essex River Cruises hosts a narrated sightseeing tour that winds down the beautiful Essex River aboard Essex River Queen, a pontoon boat.
1:00 pm to 3:00 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

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

Sunday STEAM Club at North Shore Children's Museum

Visit Peabody MA, NorthShore, North Shore Children's Museum
Join in on Sundays at 2:30 for STEAM Club for ages 5-11. Each week participants will explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math with our NSCM staff! Every STEAM club session will see your kids participating in hands-on activities while exploring a new topic. Space is limited, please...
2:30 pm to 4:00 pm

Halloween on the Hill

The Trustees host a celebration of Autumn and Halloween at Long Hill Sedgewick Gardens in Beverly Massachusetts
The Trustees of Reservations invite you to tour the gardens at Long Hill Gardens in Beverly, Massachusetts to celebrate Autumn and Halloween! Long Hill is excited to bring back our annual Halloween on the Hill event! Come explore our beautiful property as we transform the Long Hill gardens into a...
5:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Monday, October 27

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
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