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 15-24, 2023 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 cultural experiences of all kinds. Find what makes Essex County like nowhere else during Trails & Sails! It’s all FREE and it’s all located within the 34 cities and towns of Essex County.

Enjoy a variety of guided walks, sails, historical tours and other adventures for all ages, skill levels and interests, that will connect you to the spectacular places, history and heritage that define the Essex National Heritage Area—the 34 cities and towns of Boston’s legendary North Shore. It’s all free and it’s all located within the 34 cities and towns of Essex County including the communities of Beverly, Salem, Gloucester, Newburyport, Lawrence, Saugus and more.

Most events will accommodate between 12 and 50 participants on a first-come, first-served basis, with the exception of a few reservation-required events. Here is the lineup of all 2023 events

Watch our site for our favorite upcoming Trails & Sails 2023 events!

When: 
Daily, September 15-24, 2023
Prices: 
Free
Phone: 
978.740.0444
Sports Camps, Speciality Camps, Day Camps in Danvers MA

Sculpture at Maudslay | Fracture

Artists will install their sculptures at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport for public viewing!
Enjoy a self-guided walking tour of the 24th Annual Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay Exhibit September 10 through October 1 featuring 50 site specific sculptures by local artists addressing this year’s theme, ‘Fracture' within the magnificence of Maudslay State Park in Newburyport. Look for the large...
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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

Cambridge Science Festival 2023

The Cambridge Science Festival makes science accessible, interactive and fun in Cambridge Massachusetts
Cambridge Science Festival, the first of its kind in the United States, is a city-wide celebration showcasing the leading edge in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

The Flying Horse outdoor sculpture exhibit features works by José Criollo and many others at Pingree School in Hamilton Massachusetts
Pingree School hosts the 14th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, MA. Pingree will display more than 50 temporary works by artists from as nearby as Hamilton and as far away as the state of Washington, including 20 works that are now in the school’s...
8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Corn MAiZE and Haunted Attractions at Connors Farm - Danvers

Corn MAiZE, Maze and Haunted Attractions at Connors Farm - Danvers, Massachusetts
Come to Connors Farm to find your way through this year's maze and enjoy many family fun activities! After completing the maze, stay and have some fun around the farm. Children enjoy apple and pumpkin picking, hayrides, and most of all, visiting the barnyard animals.
9:00 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

Reading to a Therapy Dog at NTL

Kids can sign up to read to a therapy dog at the Newbury Town Library in Massachusetts
Children can register to come and read to a certified therapy dog. This program encourages reading confidence and is a fun way for kids to practice literacy. Sessions last for 15-minutes, and we ask that you please arrive for the time slot that you register for.
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

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
7:00 pm

Thursday, September 28

Cambridge Science Festival 2023

The Cambridge Science Festival makes science accessible, interactive and fun in Cambridge Massachusetts
Cambridge Science Festival, the first of its kind in the United States, is a city-wide celebration showcasing the leading edge in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Sculpture at Maudslay | Fracture

Artists will install their sculptures at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport for public viewing!
Enjoy a self-guided walking tour of the 24th Annual Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay Exhibit September 10 through October 1 featuring 50 site specific sculptures by local artists addressing this year’s theme, ‘Fracture' within the magnificence of Maudslay State Park in Newburyport. Look for the large...
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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

Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

The Flying Horse outdoor sculpture exhibit features works by José Criollo and many others at Pingree School in Hamilton Massachusetts
Pingree School hosts the 14th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, MA. Pingree will display more than 50 temporary works by artists from as nearby as Hamilton and as far away as the state of Washington, including 20 works that are now in the school’s...
8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Corn MAiZE and Haunted Attractions at Connors Farm - Danvers

Corn MAiZE, Maze and Haunted Attractions at Connors Farm - Danvers, Massachusetts
Come to Connors Farm to find your way through this year's maze and enjoy many family fun activities! After completing the maze, stay and have some fun around the farm. Children enjoy apple and pumpkin picking, hayrides, and most of all, visiting the barnyard animals.
9:00 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

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

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! Due to COVID-19, the market has needed to make some adjustments please read their new COVID-19 guidelines and...
3:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Salisbury Farmers' Market

Salisbury Farmers Market is a great source of local produce.
Shake your Farmer's hand, tap your feet to the music, taste our local market creations, and make old friends. At the market you can savor produce at the peak of freshness and meet the people who grow your food. Enjoy & support our local farmers market!
5:00 pm to 8:00 pm

CraneExplorer: Family Full Moon Hike in the Dunes

Walk through the Crane Wildlife Refuge in Ipswich Massachusetts with the Trustees under the full moon.
There is almost nothing more peaceful than a evening walk at the Crane Estate, and we would like to invite your family to join us for a unique hiking experience. With the full moon rising over the Atlantic, we’ll start with a sunset stroll along Crane Beach admiring this spectacle before heading...
5:45 pm to 7:45 pm