Walk

CoastalExplorer: Shoreline & Shipwreck Scholars

Families learn about shipwrecks at Castle Hill and Crane Beach in Ipswich Massachusetts

Coastal exploration with a side of shipwreck! Participants will be guided on a Castle Hill hike to Steep Hill Beach, where we will explore the beach and discover treasures washed up by the waves. Piece together clues to learn what is living under the sand and below the water line. We will use field guides to identify shells, egg cases, seaweed and more to tell the story of what creatures inhabit the beach. We will also share the fascinating tale of the schooner Ada K Damon, wrecked on Steep Hill Beach in 1909. Participants will have the chance to search for remnants of the shipwreck and make observations and measurements of what they find.

When: 
Sunday, June 1, 2025 10am-Noon
Location: 
Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate
Ipswich
Trustees of Reservations
Science
Beach
Hike
Walk

Guided Tour | When Granite Was King!

Find out the story behind the history of granite quarrying at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, Massachusetts!

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. Learn about the buildings, bridges, and breakwaters built to last. Touch tools of the trade. Find out how they moved these large, heavy stone pieces and how they “paved” dirt streets in our new Nation’s growing cities—and around the world! For all ages.

When: 
Saturdays, May 24 & 31, 2025 11am-12:30pm
Saturdays in June, 2025 10-11am
Location: 
Halibut Point State Park
Rockport
Exploration
Discovery
Geology
History
Walk
Hike
Tour

Bluefin Blowout Family 5k to Benefit Alzheimer's Association

The Bluefin Blowout Family Fun Run in Gloucester Massachusetts raises funds to combat the diseases of Alzheimer's and all other dementias

On Sunday, May 18th, 2025, come to Stage Fort Park, Gloucester for the Bluefin Blowout Family Fun Run 5K, Presented by the Lyon-Waugh Auto Group - Benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association. Run, walk, or stroll from Stage Fort Park to Hammond Castle and back to Stage Fort Park for a 5K loop. Enjoy the beautiful Cape Ann waterfront and fresh ocean air while raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association.

When: 
Sunday, May 18, 2025 7am
(race starts at 8:30)
Location: 
Stage Fort Park
Gloucester
Charity
Fundraiser
Walk
Run
5k
Race

Lungstrong 5k & 1.5 Mile Walk

Join the Lungstrong 5k in Beverly Massachusetts

Support the fight against lung cancer and join us for our 10th annual LUNGSTRONG LIVE & VIRTUAL 5K Run & 1.5mi Walk! This family-friendly event gives 100% of race proceeds and donations to Mass General Cancer Center for Thoracic Cancer Research under the direction of Dr. Justin Gainor. MGH is deeply committed to rapidly bringing advances to their patients and is making remarkable progress in identifying genetic mutations and developing targeted therapies for lung cancer. Your participation will help make a difference in the lives of patients today and it is with much optimism that one day lung cancer will be a treatable disease and no longer fatal.

When: 
Sunday, May 18, 2025 10am-1pm
Beverly
Danvers
Race
Fundraiser
5k
Walk
Run
Charity
Health

Spring Bloom Fest at the Stevens-Coolidge Estate

Spring Bloom Fest at the Trustees Stevens Coolidge Estate in North Andover!

Join The Trustees of Reservations  for the start of Spring at Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens with a celebration of bulbs at our Spring BloomFest weekend! Stroll through our beautiful gardens with budding tulips, daffodils, and other spring bulbs while enjoying the crisp spring air and soundscape serenades. During this festival style event, visitors will have access to the gardens and the opportunity to participate in our daily activities included as part of your admission. This includes:

When: 
Daily May 1 - 4, 2025
Location: 
Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens
North Andover
Walk
Hike
Outdoor Activity
Gardening
Tour

Beverly YMCA Rhino Run 10k

North Shore Beverly YMCA 'Rhino Run' 10k Beverly Massachusetts.

Join North Shore YMCA and the Beverly YMCA host the 'Rhino Run 10k'. North Shore YMCA reinvests millions of dollars each year through financial assistance and scholarships to ensure thousands of families and individuals in the 25 communities we serve have access to programming, services and the resources they need. By participating, you’re not just running a race—you’re supporting the Y’s mission to strengthen our community. Your involvement helps ensure that programs like swim safety, childcare, and youth development remain accessible to everyone who needs them. Your commitment to this event helps support the Greater Beverly YMCA. We can’t wait to see you at the starting line.

When: 
Sunday, April 27, 2025 9am
Location: 
Lynch Park
Beverly
Race
Fundraiser
Walk
Run
10k
YMCA

CoastalExplorer: Sand Dune Safari

Come hike the dunes of Crane Beach at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts

The sand dunes at Crane Beach are like a desert. Water is hard to come by; the sand is hot and the dunes are always moving & shifting with the strong ocean winds. Despite these stressors, a variety of life thrives here. Come explore the dunes of Crane Beach, and learn how animals and plants survive in this unforgiving habitat. Learn the basics of animal tracking, see sand up-close, and learn how it’s formed, and discover different adaptations that allow plants, animals, and even fungi to survive the stress of the dunes.

When: 
Sunday, April 6, 2025 10am-Noon
Location: 
Castle Hill on the Crane Estate
Ipswich
Trustees of Reservations
Beach
Hike
Walk

Pages

Appleton Farms offers great farm-based Vacation Week Programs for kids ages 5-11

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!
Where: Halibut Point State Park
7:00 am to 6:00 pm
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Stargazing at Mendel Observatory
Mendel Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night
The Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night (weather permitting) starting at dusk or 7:30 pm, whichever is later.  When special astronomical events of interest occur (total lunar eclipses, etc.) the Obs
Where: Mendel Observatory at Merrimack College
7:00 pm
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Saturday, May 23

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!
Where: Halibut Point State Park
7:00 am to 6:00 pm
♦ Read More →

Family Day at the Bird Banding Station
Kids will learn about local and migrating birds at Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport Massachusetts
There's nothing like a visit to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for wonderful family nature experiences, and seeing the bird banding station in operation is at the top of the list. See Mass Audubon scientists evaluate, examine, and release migrating songbirds while you learn about migration...
Where: Joppa Flats Education Center
9:00 am to 11:30 am
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Turtle Time at IRWS
Kids and families will explore IRWS wetland in search of painted and snapping turtles.
Explore our wetlands in search of these fascinating reptiles. Walk about a half mile to visit areas where turtles like to nest and bask in the sun, look at and touch real turtle shells, and, with a little luck, get an up-close look at a painted turtle. Conclude with a trip to the Rockery to see if...
Where: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
10:00 am to 2:30 pm
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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…
Where: Castle Hill on the Crane Estate
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
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4th Saturday at Lynn Museum
Lynn Museum in Massachusetts offers free admission on the second Saturday of each month.
Come to the Lynn Museum and Historical Society for FREE family fun. Join us on the second and fourth Saturday of each month for FREE admission to the Museum from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.! You can view our latest exhibitions, purchase Lynn-themed goods in our shop, check out books in our free library, and...
Where: Lynn Museum and Historical Society
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
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The Legacies of Long Hill: House & Garden Tour
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. Step inside the beauty and layered history of Long Hill with a guided tour of its breathtaking gardens and historic house. Once the...
Where: Long Hill and Sedgwick Gardens
10:30 am to 12:00 pm
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Family Dusk Paddles

Join us as we look for elusive river mammals at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. Photo: American Beaver ©Scott Santino
Have you ever seen a muskrat swimming or a beaver slapping its tail in alarm? We'll look for these elusive mammals while canoeing along the Ipswich River at dusk. Discover some of the clues—such as chewed trees, lodges, or burrows on the riverbank--that they leave behind as we paddle.
Where: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
5:30 pm to 8:30 pm
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