Outdoor Activity

Fee-Free Day: Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Parker River

Fee-Free Day: Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Parker River NWR in Newburyport Massachusetts

In recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, all national wildlife refuges and other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands that normally charge an entrance fee offer free admission January 15, 2024. The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport Massachusetts is participtating, so come to the refuge and apend some time outside!

When: 
Monday, January 15, 2024 7am–7pm

Owl Prowl at Appleton Farms

Learn all about owls at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts

Join Appleton Farms Educators for a special family focused evening with the owls. This interactive program will meet in the barn and kick off with an owl pellet dissection. After we discover what owls eat for dinner, we will head outside in search of Great-Horned, Eastern Screech, Barred, and Northern Saw-Whet Owls. After the walk, we will warm up with hot cocoa and read the story “Owl Moon” by Jane Yolen.

When: 
Saturday, January 13, 2024 4-6PM
Location: 

Ipswich Evergreen

Celebrate the onset of Winter with Ipswich Massachusetts' community-centered events!

Ipswich Evergreen is a Holiday festival and civic celebration at the  Ipswich Visitor Center , and Ipswich's Old South Meetinghouse Green. Ipswich has great cause for merriment and jubilation! With the new year in sight, let us gather as a community to reflect on what makes living in Ipswich the year round most wonderful with a make and take wreath session. Celebrate the solstice, make and take an evergreen wreath, and join the community celebration!

When: 
Saturday, December 16, 2023 1-3pm

Preschool Winter Solstice Lantern Walk

Come celebrate the Winter solstice at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary with a night time walk using lanterns!

Celebrate the shortest day of the year and welcome the lengthening days ahead with a candlelit evening walk on the trails of the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. Sanctuary naturalists will share solstice stories and folklore outdoors by bonfire then, with candles in hand, we'll light up the night with a stroll through the forest and perhaps catch sights or sounds of animals active during the winter season.

When: 
Saturday, January 13, 2023 4:30-6pm

A Winter Solstice Celebration at Harold Parker

Come celebrate the longest night - Winter Solstice - at Harold Parker State Forest

Come celebrate the longest night and shortest day of the year at Harold Parker State Forest! What causes the winter solstice, and what does it mean for us? Come to Harold Parker State Forest and discover this most important day of the year to ancient peoples and also to ourselves. Join us for a cup of hot chocolate! We will celebrate the solstice at sunset at exactly 4:14 pm and usher out the shortest day of the year. Dress warmly and wear hiking footwear, bring water with you. We will be taking a short hike prior to the solstice sunset ritual.  

When: 
Thursday, December 21, 2023 3-5pm

CraneOutdoors: Winter Solstice Hike in the Dunes

Hiking the Dunes at the Crane Wildlife Refuge with the Trustees of Reservations.

Join us for a beautiful dune hike to celebrate the solstice! Winter at the Crane Estate has much to offer, and 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 scrub forest, and beautiful beaches on both the Ipswich Bay and Essex/Castle Neck River estuary sides of the peninsula. These trails take you through Pitch Pine forests, up huge dunes offering stunning views of Choate Island, and by the varied landscapes of Castle Neck, including naturally occurring cranberry bogs.

When: 
Thursday, December 21, 2023 2-4pm

CraneOutdoors: Winter Solstice Hike in the Dunes

Hiking the Dunes at the Crane Wildlife Refuge with the Trustees of Reservations.

Join us for a beautiful dune hike to celebrate the solstice! Winter at the Crane Estate has much to offer, and 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 scrub forest, and beautiful beaches on both the Ipswich Bay and Essex/Castle Neck River estuary sides of the peninsula. These trails take you through Pitch Pine forests, up huge dunes offering stunning views of Choate Island, and by the varied landscapes of Castle Neck, including naturally occurring cranberry bogs.

When: 
Thursday, December 21, 2023 2-4pm

Holidays on the Hill

The Trustees host a celebration of Winter and the Holiday Season 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 the Holidays! The first three weekends of December, join us for our annual Holidays on the Hill event! This festive celebration with music and cheer is sure to get the whole family in the holiday spirit.

When: 
Weekends, December 2-17, 2023 11am-3pm

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Annual ECTA Equine Expo & Tack Sale

Essex County Trail Association is hosting the annual Equine EXPO at Topsfield Fairgrounds
Essex County Trail Association is hosting the 29th annual Equine Expo & Tack Sale to be held on Saturday, April 20, 2024 from 9-3 in the Arena Building at the Topsfield Fairgrounds on Route 1, Topsfield, MA.  Individuals, groups & businesses make up our booths offering new and used items...
9:00 am to 3:00 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

Early Spring Birds at IRWS

Come learn what birds are returning to the North Shore at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary! Image: Mass Audubon
Come learn what birds are returning after spending the winter months in the warm south. Equipped with binoculars, let's see how many different colors, sizes and sounds of birds we can find. We'll observe nests and attempt to build one of our own!
10:00 am to 11:30 am

Earth Day Volunteer Clean Up at Appleton Farms

Kids and familiers are encourage to volunteer on Earth Day at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts!!
Join the Trustees on Saturday April 20th to celebrate Earth Day on the farm! Neighbors, families, and community members will work together to clean up the farm, complete barnyard projects, restore the chicken enclosure, clean up trails, split and stack wood, assist with property enhancements, and...
10:00 am to 1:00 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

Aleppo Shriners Circus

Aleppo Shriners Circus in Wilmington Massachusetts is a great time for the whole family!
Fun for the whole family! Let us help you make memories this April Vacation with a show they won't forget!The all-new Aleppo Shriners Circus thrills during April school vacation week. Enjoy elephant rides, clown photos, and all sorts of exciting acts - right up close.
10:00 am to 10:00 pm

Earth Day Program with IRWA at NSCM

Celebrate Earth Day with the Ipswich River Watershed Association
Celebrate with art, conversation, and water! This is the biggest holiday of the year for IRWA, and we’re ready to celebrate.
10:00 am to 11:00 am

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

Family LEGO Fun

Families are invited to come build using LEGOs at the Danvers MA Public Library
Come to the Danvers Library for a LEGO Family Build. We’ll provide the LEGOs; you provide the family and the building ideas. Ages 4 and up -- join us for inter-generational LEGO building! 
10:00 am to 12:00 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

The Wetu and the White-Ellery House

Visit the Native American WETU at White Ellery House in Gloucester Massachusetts
Visit the Cape Ann Museum (CAM) Green, the Museum’s second campus off Grant Circle and Route 128, for a tour of the historic White Ellery House (1710) and the indigenous wetu. These two structures provide an important opportunity to explore the early colonization of Gloucester and the impact on the...
10:30 am to 1:00 pm

Dads & Donuts Storytime at NTL

Dads & Donuts Storytime at Newbury Town Library in Massachusetts
Come to our Dads and Donuts monthly event to get quality bonding time with your child, listen to some stories, and eat donuts! You don't have to be a dad to come- all family members are welcome.
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Monserrat Renaissance Fair & Market

Monserrat College of Art hosts a Renaissance Fair and Market on Beverly Common in Massachusetts
Have you heard of Montserrat College of Art’s Renaissance Fair and Art Market ? This event is completely student ran and we hope you are able to come. We encourage you to dress up in your best Renaissance attire.
11:00 am to 6:00 pm

Salisbury Beach Carousel - Saturday Hours

Carousel at Salisbury Beach MA. Parties, Family Reunions, Weddings, Showers, Birthday Parties
Salisbury Beach Carousel Hours: Friday: 4 pm to 8 pm Saturday: 12 pm to 8 pm Sunday: 12 pm to 6 pm Hours of operation are to change.
12:00 pm to 8:00 pm

North Shore Nature Fair & Wicked Kidz Fun Race at Glen Urquhart School

oin us on Earth Day at GUS for hands-on activities & nature-based projects in Beverly Farms Massachusetts
Celebrate Earth Week at GUS with a variety of hands-on activities and nature-based projects led by GUS educators and partners from across the North Shore. This is a free, family-friendly event, open to the public.
1:00 pm to 3:00 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, April 25

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

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

Silly Stories with Susie Magoozy at North Shore Children's Museum

NorthShore Children's Museum hosts Suzie Magoozy telling stories in Peabody Massachusetts!
Are you looking for excitement? Enthusiasm? Wild rants of singing and dancing?? Or maybe you just like furry puppets! As a former children's librarian, Susie Lord has performed thousands of story times for children and adults.
10:00 am to 11:00 am

Silly Stories with Susie Magoozy at North Shore Children's Museum

NorthShore Children's Museum hosts Suzie Magoozy telling stories in Peabody Massachusetts!
Are you looking for excitement? Enthusiasm? Wild rants of singing and dancing?? Or maybe you just like furry puppets! As a former children's librarian, Susie Lord has performed thousands of story times for children and adults.
10:00 am to 11:00 am

Read to a Dog at APL

Kids are invited to read to a dog at Amesbury Massachusetts Public Library. Image generated with AI.
The Amesbury Public Library invites kids to come read to a dog at the Library! Gus, a mixed lab and certified reading partner dog, would love to hear you read aloud!
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

LEGO Club at Danvers Library

LEGO club at Danvers Library Massachusetts
Peabody Institute Library - Danvers invites kids to an afternoon of building and fun! Activities will include free build, themes and instructional design. All structures will remain on display in the Children’s Room till the following weeks's session
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Pokemon Club at Newbury Library

Pokemon Club Newbury Town Public Library in Massachusetts.
Newbury Town Library invites kids of all ages for some Pokemon fun!  Grab your trading cards and come join us for Pokemon Club! Recommended for ages 7+.
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Friday, April 26

Lil Kickers Soccer at North Shore Children's Museum

 Danvers Indoor Sports host a Lil Kickers soccer program for little ones at North Shore Children's Museum
Coach Lex from Danvers Indoor Sports Clinic will engage budding soccer players for a fun morning of active learning through sports! Warm up, run, and work on skill drills during our 9-12 play session.
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
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