Mrs. Crane’s cat has gone missing and there’s a party tonight! Only you can help the household staff find the cat AND get ready for the party at the same time! This interactive tour program takes families through the house looking for where the cat might be hiding, while also learning about the house and family. Recommended for children ages 4-8.
Come to Spencer Peirce Little Farm for a mid-winter open house and bonfire to celebrate the official purchase of the town of Newbury on January 13, 1701. As part of this community-wide event, tour the Spencer-Pierce-Little House, enjoy hot cider and donuts for sale in the visitor center, and then walk to the nearby town-sponsored bonfire fueled by Christmas trees in the growing fields of Tendercrop Farm!
It's nice to have GPS, but do you know how to read a map or use a compass? What happens if you're out on the trail and your GPS malfunctions or the batteries die? Are you instantly lost? Join Mass Audubon for a guided map-and-compass treasure hunt around the sanctuary. Bring your own compass or use one of ours and learn how to find north, orient yourself, count paces, and use the map and compass to find your way. After some basics, we'll hit the trails and use the new skills learned to search for some hidden natural treasures. No experience necessary. This program is a good introduction to orienteering for the whole family.
Breakheart Reservation invites you to an afternoon of family fun that celebrates the arrival of Fall! Breakheart Reservation's annual festival! Join DCR and the Friends of Breakheart for pumpkin decorating, big trucks, the DCR mounted unit and fire patrol, stuff-your-own-scarecrow, take-home crafts, and more! FREE! All are welcome. Co-sponsored by the Friends of Breakheart Reservation.
The Trustees and New England Sculptors Association are partnering to present a 6-month outdoor sculpture exhibition at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate located at 290 Argilla Road in Ipswich. The “Spirit of Place" exhibition includes 32 pieces created by New England's finest sculptors and placed in gardens, along woodland paths and alongside historic landscape features. This curated show opens May 18 and closes on November 11, 2019.
Mrs. Crane’s cat has gone missing and there’s a party tonight! Only you can help the household staff find the cat AND get ready for the party at the same time! This interactive tour program takes families through the house looking for where the cat might be hiding, while also learning about the house and family. Recommended for children ages 4-8. Unlike our in-season Cat's Meow tour, it is recommended that you pre-register for our vacation week dates.
Visiting Castle Hill at Christmas is a time-honored tradition for many New England families. Don't miss this year's spectacular "Christmas by the Sea". Each room in our 1920s mansion is festively decorated by florists, designers, garden clubs, or volunteers. You'll find live music and dance, fresh baked cookies and cider, a treasure hunt, family activities, and a visit with Santa.
It's time for backyard birds to head south for the winter. Joppa Flats Education Center want to give them a proper send-off with a fun, free family event that features bird banding demonstrations, interactive games about bird migration, and lots of table-top science including bird-call recall, bird identification, shorebird feeding challenges, and a mystery bird nest challenge!
Nature's riches abound during this festive time of year. Sample delicious homemade treats made with local beach plums and cranberries. Inhale the aroma of white pine tea or a bayberry candle. Boldly bite into a seaweed salad or nibble on some pickleweed.
Come to Spencer Peirce Little Farm for a program for homeschool families. Whether attending the morning or afternoon session, families are invited to have lunch at the property. Students become archaeologists as they excavate a mock pit with actual tools of the trade and process (put together) reproduction artifacts in a field lab. Inside the museum, they explore building archaeology via trap doors. They analyze objects to learn about daily life at the farm over the last three hundred years.
