Outdoor Activity

REI: Introduction to Snowshoeing

REI is offeirng a Snow Shoeing Basics course at Appleton Farms in Ipswich!

Discover the joy of winter and the freedom of snowshoeing! On this field outing, you'll learn snowshoeing techniques, ascending and descending hills, snow hazard awareness, and winter preparedness. Don't have snowshoes? We provide snowshoes, snowshoe poles and professional instruction on proper use of equipment, to make every trip a success.

When: 
Saturday, March 2, 2013 9am - 3pm
Location: 

Afterschool at Joppa: Artic Animal Awareness

Our afternoon starts off with self-guided activities, challenges, or puzzles that lead us to our topic for the day. As a group, we'll observe, investigate, and compare wildlife, their adaptations, and the changes that they undergo in autumn. Participants may play the role of entomologist, ornithologist, astronomer, or even glaciologist throughout this series. Each experience will leave your young naturalist eager for the next session. And we always end with a tasty, thematic treat that the participants make!  This week we'll learn about the wonders of the Arctic.

When: 
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 3:30 - 5pm

New England Sled Dog Races - CANCELED

The N.E. Dog Sled Races are a great way for the family to get outside in January

THE 2013 SLED DOG RACES ARE CANCELED DUE TO LACK OF SNOW!

Join the New England Sled Dog Club for their 2013 Dog Sled Races at Appleton Farms!  This outdoor event will be host to many dog sled teams that will race from Appleton Farms south into Hamilton and back.  This is a great outdoor activity for the family to enjoy some fresh air as they witness a unique sport in a wonderful natural setting. There are many areas for spectating and these races so come early and to find the perfect spot for watching!

When: 
Saturday, February 2, 2013 9am - 3pm
February 2-3, 2013 9am - 3pm
Location: 

Afterschool at Joppa: Getting Ready for Winter!

Learn about animal tactics for Winter Survival at Joppa Flats.

What do you like to do in the fall? What do you think animals are doing? Before winter, most animals are very busy getting ready for winter. What are they doing? How does your heart rate compare to a woodchucks? Why can’t people hibernate? In this class we are going to learn how creatures develop survival strategies, play a migration game, avoid predators chipmunk style, and test our skills at camouflage, hibernation and keeping warm!

When: 
Wednesday, January 23, 2012 3:30 - 5pm

Afterschool at Joppa: Super Birds!

Learn about winter birds and their migrations.

Saturday Jan 26 is the Super Bowl of Birding at Joppa Flats – a birding competition to find the most birds on Plum Island in 24 hours! Which birds had the most frequent flyer miles? Which birds were the most elusive? How did THAT bird end up on the East Coast? All the answers will be revealed and we’ll also play games, practice with scopes and binoculars and make some take home bird treats!

When: 
Wednesday, January 30, 2012 3:30 - 5pm

Afterschool at Joppa: Visit to the Twilight Zone

Kids will learn about the ocean's twighlight zone after school at Joppa Flats

This week's program will be about the ocean's twilight zone! Known as the mesopelagic layer in the ocean, the twilight zone starts around 660 feet, where sunlight is very faint and continues to get progressively darker and colder to a depth of 3300 feet. There are many creatures that use this zone as their habitat, many that are bio luminescen, have large eyes for seeing weel in darkness or have form factors that seem outright alien! Come learn about this strange part of the sea and the creatures that live there.

When: 
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 3:30 - 5pm

NYS Movie Night - Madagascar 3

Drop of your kids (grades 1-5) for a movie and Fun with NYS!

Newburyport Youth Services will be offering a movie that coincides with the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Invitation Nights.  This week's movie is Madagascar 3 - Europe's Most Wanted. Snacks and drinks will be available.  Drop of your kids and relax knowing that your kids are having as much fun as you are! Open to grades 1-5

When: 
Friday, December 7, 2012 6:30-8:30pm

Afterschool at Joppa: Come to the Coral Reef

Kids will learn about coral reefs after school at Joppa Flats Education Center

This week kids will learn about the coral reef habitat. Our afternoon starts off with self-guided activities, challenges, or puzzles that lead us to our topic for the day. As a group, we'll observe, investigate, and compare wildlife, their adaptations, and the changes that they undergo in autumn. Participants may play the role of entomologist, ornithologist, astronomer, or even glaciologist throughout this series. Each experience will leave your young naturalist eager for the next session. 

When: 
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 3:30 - 5pm

Afterschool at Joppa: Let's Save the Sea Turtles!

Kids will learn about Sea Turtle after school at Joppa Flat Education Center

This week's program will be about sea turtles! Our afternoon starts off with self-guided activities, challenges, or puzzles that lead us to our topic for the day. As a group, we'll observe, investigate, and compare wildlife, their adaptations, and the changes that they undergo in autumn. Participants may play the role of entomologist, ornithologist, astronomer, or even glaciologist throughout this series. Each experience will leave your young naturalist eager for the next session. 

When: 
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 3:30 - 5pm

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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!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Trails & Sails

Explore the North Shore with over 150 Free Events in Essex National Heritage Area's Trails & Sails celebration in Massachusetts.
Essex National Heritage Area sites will offer over 150 free family fun events from September 14-29, 2024 for the annual celebration of TRAILS & SAILS. Discover special places in your backyard and be guided through unique landscapes on land and sea, explore historic properties, and take in...
7:00 am to 10:00 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

Maudslay in Bloom Self-Guided Walk

 Maudslay in Bloom self guided walk at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport Massachusetts.
Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, Massachusetts, offers a delightful self-guided walk that is perfect for families with children. The park's 480-acre expanse, once the Moseley Estate, is rich with historical charm and natural beauty. Families can embark on a self-guided tour through lush...
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

Step Inside the Historic Custom House

Take in the views of this prominent building where Nathaniel Hawthorne once worked and the U.S. Custom Service operated. This Custom House was built in 1819 and housed offices for the officers of the U.S. Customs Service, as well as an attached warehouse, the Public Stores, used for the storage of...
9:30 am to 4:30 pm

Touch Tank Time

You can look at and touch the creatures in Joppa Flats Educations Center touch tank in Newburyport, Massachusetts
Spend some quality time at our touch tank where you can see and hold hermit crabs, moon snails, sea urchins and more!
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Lowell's Boat Shop: Boatbuilding in the New Nation

Learn about Lowell's Boat Shop in Amesbury Massachusetts on this guided Trails and Sails Tour
Step back in time with a visit to Lowell’s Boat Shop  in Amesbury Massachusetts during Trails & Sails! Established in 1793, Lowell’s was one of The New Nation’s many boat shops, and is the oldest continuously operating boat shop in the country. Simeon Lowell founded his own business after...
11:00 am to 2:00 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

Step Aboard the Friendship of Salem

Permission to come aboard the Friendship of Salem is granted at Derby Wharf in Salem Massachusetts!
Explore the FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM, a replica tall ship based on a 1796 Salem vessel at Salem Maritime National Historic Site.
1:30 pm to 4:30 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

“The Ghosts We Work With” Exhibit Opening and Ghost Story Open Mic

An evening of local ghost stories in Historic Salem Massachusetts. “The Ghosts We Work With: Preservation in the Historic Witch City”
Join Salem Maritime National Historical Park at the Salem Armory Regional Visitor Center for an evening of local ghost stories to celebrate the opening of our newest exhibit, “The Ghosts We Work With: Preservation in the Historic Witch City”.  The new photography exhibit is a celebration of the...
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

A Spiritual Quest Weekend at Hilldale Cemetery

Hilldale Cemetary in Haverhill Massachusetts is one of the North Shore's most active paranormal spots!
Do you believe in Ghosts? If you do then join the Essex County Ghost Project and Witches Wonder fort a spooktacular evening of haunts and fun . The gates open at 6:30 pm and hunt starts at 7pm . We are exploring one of New England’s most Haunted historical sites . There have been reports of full...
7:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Star Party with the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club

Join the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club in a free star party at Battis Farm as part of Trails and Sails!
Come see the night skies through one of our volunteer’s telescopes! In addition to the moon (9/14 only) and Saturn we’ll be showing off an assortment of binary and multi-star systems (imagine having 4 suns in your sky!), nebula, clusters, and galaxies, some of which are millions of light years away...
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Paddle Around Historic Rockport Harbor

Paddle around Rockport Massachusetts Harbor for FREE as part of Trails and Sails
Come join North Shore Adventures and Outdoor Center for some fun on the water! No experience necessary. Depart from our private beach in one of our safe, stable kayaks or paddle boards and paddle around the historic Rockport Harbor for 30 mins. See lobster boats, Motif #1, the Rockport Break water...
10:30 pm

Thursday, September 25

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

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

Step Inside the Historic Custom House

Take in the views of this prominent building where Nathaniel Hawthorne once worked and the U.S. Custom Service operated. This Custom House was built in 1819 and housed offices for the officers of the U.S. Customs Service, as well as an attached warehouse, the Public Stores, used for the storage of...
9:30 am to 4:30 pm

Kidleidoscope

Kidleidoscope at Maudslay State Park is a chance for preschoolers to explore the park, enjoy a story and make a craft!
Maudslay State Park has created this program for their youngest crowd! The park interpreter will lead a weekly nature themed preschool aged program that involves a story time and outdoor exploration of Maudslay trails and gardens! 
10:00 am to 11:00 am

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

Step Aboard the Friendship of Salem

Permission to come aboard the Friendship of Salem is granted at Derby Wharf in Salem Massachusetts!
Explore the FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM, a replica tall ship based on a 1796 Salem vessel at Salem Maritime National Historic Site.
1:30 pm to 4:30 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

Salem Farmers' Market

The Salem Farmer's Market bring the goodness of local farm to downtown Salem!
The Salem Farmers' Market brings fresh local produce and other foods from North Shore farms and other local resources to downtown Salem every Thursday at  Bentley Academy Charter School!
3:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Paddle Around Historic Rockport Harbor

Paddle around Rockport Massachusetts Harbor for FREE as part of Trails and Sails
Come join North Shore Adventures and Outdoor Center for some fun on the water! No experience necessary. Depart from our private beach in one of our safe, stable kayaks or paddle boards and paddle around the historic Rockport Harbor for 30 mins. See lobster boats, Motif #1, the Rockport Break water...
10:30 pm

Friday, September 26

Trails & Sails

Explore the North Shore with over 150 Free Events in Essex National Heritage Area's Trails & Sails celebration in Massachusetts.
Essex National Heritage Area sites will offer over 150 free family fun events from September 14-29, 2024 for the annual celebration of TRAILS & SAILS. Discover special places in your backyard and be guided through unique landscapes on land and sea, explore historic properties, and take in...
7:00 am to 10:00 pm
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