Activities

Maritime Adventure Days

Maritime Adventure Free Days at Custom House Maritime Museum Newburyport Massachusetts

Maritime Adventure Free Days offers families and kids a unique opportunity to explore maritime history through interactive activities, guided tours, and hands-on workshops. A day of fun and discovery at the Custom House Maritime Museum for the family. These free Saturday events include experiencing a traditional Wampanoag dugout canoe being made by a team of craftsmen. Part of Trails & Sails

When:

Saturday, September 13, 2025 9am-1pm

Saturday, September 20, 2025 9am-1pm

Saturday, September 27, 2025 9am-1pm

Location:

Custom House Maritime Museum

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Whimsical Winter Open House at Magical Beginnings | Essex

Come to an open house at Magical Beginnings Learning Center in Essex Massachusetts

Come discover the magic and wonder of winter. Embrace the cold and join us (inside!) with your little ones. Featuring a special guest appearance with our Frozen Friend, Queen Elsa!

When:

Saturday, February 22, 2025 9am-Noon

Location:

Magical Beginnings Learning Centers | Essex

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Lynn Museum Fall Festival

Come to the Lynn Museum for a special family-friendly fall fundraiser to support the mission of the Lynn Museum & Arts Center! Get into the fall spirit with this outdoor event featuring free carnival-style games, facepainting, touch a truck, hands-on activities, youth-friendly museum tours, and raffle prizes for all ages. Food will be available for purchase, and there will be a beer garden for those 21+.

When:

Saturday, September 21, 2024 Noon-4pm

Location:

Lynn Museum and Historical Society

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All Family Field Trip | Early Spring in the Salt Marsh

Kids and families are invited to come explore the marsh habitat naturalists from the Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport.

Come explore what nature has in store at some of our most amazing wild places on the north shore. Our engaging and experienced staff will introduce families to local beaches, forests, and wetlands to make observations in nature, identify wildlife, and enjoy hands on science activities outdoors. Sign up for one, some, or all! For kids 4-11.

When:

Thursday, May 16, 2024 10am-Noon

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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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.

When:

Saturday, April 2, 2024, at 10am

Location:

North Shore Children's Museum

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The Good Witch of Salem’s Halloween Celebration for Families

The Good Witch of Salem hosts a Halloween Celebration on the Common in Salem Massachusetts.

Mark your calendars for a day of FREE Halloween family magic that you won’t want to miss on the Salem Common with the Good Witch of Salem! Activities will include:

When:

Saturday, October 22, 2022 4-6pm

Location:

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Family Fun Nights at SPL

Family night at the Salem Massachusetts Public Library - Dance, Karaoke, Trivia and More!

Thursday night is fun for the whole family! Join Salem Public Library for Family Dance Parties (July 13 & August 3), Trivia Nights (July 20 & August 10) and Karaoke Nights (July 27 & August 17)"

When:

Thursdays, July 13-August 17, 2023 6:30-7:30pm

Location:

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Earth Day with IRWA

Celebrate with art, conversation, and drop-in crafts for children and adults! This is the biggest holiday of the year for IRWA, and we’re ready to celebrate. Join us to decorate fish, make cardboard river-themed creature costumes (shad? herring? stickleback? turtles? which one is your favorite?), and more! We’re making costumes so that next week, on April 29th, we can parade down Main Street to the riverwalk in our creations. Ipswich’s own Monarch Gardener will be donating native seeds that pollinators love so you can help our local pollinators thrive!

When:

Saturday, April 22, 2023 10am-2pm

Location:

Ipswich River Watershed Association

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Summerquest Camp for kids aed 5-14 at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts

Today's Events
Upcoming Events

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

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

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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Thursday, April 30

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

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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Friday, May 1

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

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 →

Saturday, May 2

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

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 →

Teen Naturalist Club at IRWS: Spring/Summer Series

Explore a variety of local ecosystems such as a salt marsh, a freshwater river, or a tide pool on the beach. Take part in wildlife data collection in tide pools and vernal pools and engage in conservation projects such as a macroinvertebrate study or a horseshoe crab count in this exciting science...

Where: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

8:00 am to 5:00 pm

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Salamander Meander

Explore the sanctuary's vernal pools, ponds, and woodlands to search for amphibians active during this season. If we're fortunate, we might discover Wood Frog and Spotted Salamander eggs, and we may even catch a few adults to observe closely before releasing them.

Where: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

10:00 am to 2:30 pm

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CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike

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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Music and Movement at North Shore Children's Museum

Music and Movement with Marybeth Maes is an engaging music and movement class for young children at the North Shore Children's Museum. Marybeth brings her guitar and instruments for the children to use while they sing, dance, and play.

Where: North Shore Children's Museum

10:00 am to 11:00 am

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The Legacies of Long Hill: House & Garden Tour

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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