Latest Stories, Events, Activities, Camps & Recipes

Families can celebrate the Lunar New Year at Peabody Essex Museum in Salem Massachusetts!
Join PEM as they celebrate the Lunar New Year | The Year of the Snake!  Come welcome the Year of the Snake with a vibrant festival heralding new beginnings and the coming of spring! Enjoy a scavenger hunt, art making and guided tours of Yin Yu Tang.  Lunar New Year is celebrated in many Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. While some traditions are shared across countries, others are unique to one region, community or national cultural identity. Our programming this year focuses on Chinese cultural traditions.
Location: PEM
Eat ice cream for breakfast at Cherry Farm in Danvers Massachusetts to raise funds for a local charity!
It’s the most WONDERFUL day of the year! It’s Ice Cream for Breakfast Day! Celebrate our 'Sweet 16' in person at Cherry Farm Creamery on Saturday, February 1st. We will open early that day at 8am. As usual, Ice Cream for Breakfast Day will offer a few different menu items. We will be offering our delicious special "breakfast" flavors, Waffle & Donut Sundaes, & Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches (all items are limited and offered while supplies last), and our everyday menu items. Let's celebrate and eat ice cream for breakfast together!
Location: Cherry Farm Creamery
Winterfest is a 5 day family celebration in the heart of downtown Amesbury Massachusetts!
For Five Days in February, Amesbury's beautiful and historic Downtown, Market Square and Upper Millyard will be the center of a winter celebration! Enjoy crafting, cocoa, kid's cookie decorating, a winter obstacle course, a Valentine Makers Market, a dance party, live music, a winter market and a hike to Po Hill to celebrate Winter! Don't let the colder weather keep you cooped up inside, join us for some winter fun for everyone!
Location: Downtown Amesbury
Enjoy family friendly winter fun at Veasey Memorial Park in Groveland Massachusetts
The Friends of Veasey Memorial Park host their annual winter festival! Our good friends from Georgetown's Goats-to-Go will be sharing presentations about goats, sheep, and llama. Learn about their life on the farm, what makes these animals so awesome, why Goats-to-Go raise them, and what they do each year at Veasey.
Location: Veasey Park
Come explore the dunes on Castle Neck and Crane Beach in Ipswich Massachusetts to learn about winter wildlife.
A CraneOutdoors Family Winter Wildlife Walk will take you on a stroll through the Crane Beach dunes while learning about the plants and animals that call this special place home. You may be familiar with Crane Beach, but have you ever visited the dune trails? The dunes of Castle Neck are a much less explored world unto themselves. They offer one of the most accessible dune landscapes in New England and trails that provide a firsthand look into the delicate and ever-changing dune habitat. This includes numerous lookouts offering stunning views of Choate Island and the varied ecosystems of Castle Neck, including Pitch Pine forests and naturally occurring cranberry bogs.
Location: Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate
Sugaring Off tours are a fun and tasty way to learn about maple sugaring at IRWS
Experience the age-old tradition of maple sugaring at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary! The warm days of late winter awaken the flow of sap in the maples resulting in sweet-smelling, billowing clouds of steam rising from the sugarhouse. On a naturalist-guided walk, learn how to identify a sugar maple, observe tapping and sap collection methods, watch the sap being boiled down in the sugarhouse, and get a sweet taste of the final product. 
Location: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Sign up for one or all days of February Vacation Activities at IRWS in Topsfield
Winter is an exciting time for outdoor discovery. We have put together four sessions of hands-on, awesome, age-appropriate activities and games to explore the natural world in winter. Sharpen your observation skills as we locate and learn about winter animals and tap a sugar maple tree to make syrup. Sign up for the entire 4-day session, Tuesday-Friday from 8:30am-3:00pm. Separated into three age groups: ages 5-6, ages 7-8, and ages 9-12.
Location: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Kids will learn about eagles, their migrations and varied habitat at Joppa Flats. Image ©David Morris
During Eagle Festival Week, join North Shore Field Teachers at a popular viewing area to spot Bald Eagles along the Merrimack River and learn about behaviors such as soaring, fishing, and showing courtship displays. Using sound effects, props, and group role play, you'll stay active and warm outdoors as you and your family learn together. Three date and time choices!
Location: Joppa Flats Education Center
Make Valentines crafts from materials that we find along the shore at the Trustees of Reservations Crane Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts
The Trustees of Reservations invites ages 12 and up to a valentine craft making workshop! This Valentine’s Day, give a gift from the sea! From seaweed pressings to shell collages, beach treasures make beautiful greetings and keepsakes. Join this workshop to learn fun craft ideas and make marine art with our coastal educators. This program will start with a beach walk to collect coastal treasures, and then we will head inside for crafting. Materials and inspiration provided.
Location: Castle Hill on the Crane Estate
Visit Appleton Farms' sugaring operation and learn about making maple sugar syrup!
Maple Season is here! This special program for ages 3-11 & their families will focus on the magic of maple from start to finish. We will discover this tradition by observing trees, tasting sap, learning the tools involved, and finally, tasting the sweet product. We will make sure to have time to visit our barnyard animals!
Location: Appleton Farms

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Brookwood School Summer Program for kids Pre-K through 9 in Manchester Massachusetts

Kidleidoscope at Breakheart Reservation

Kidleidoscope is a program designed for preschoolers at Bradley Palmer State Park
Come join our park interpreter for a story time and nature walk! Complete a small craft and explore the woods! Walks are gently paced and approximately 1 mile, though not accessible for strollers. Appropriate for families with children 3-5 years old. Meet at the Visitor Center.
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Music Together - Friday

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45 minutes...
10:30 am to 11:15 am

Drop-In Family LEGO at HWPL

Wednesdays are LEGO Build Days at the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library
Put your imagination and building skills to the test at this self-directed drop-in program. All ages are welcome with a caregiver.
3:15 pm to 4:15 pm

Intro to Sourdough Bread Workshop at Appleton Farms

Learn the ins and outs of sourdough bread at Appleton Farms in in Ipswich Massachusetts!
In this workshop, participants will learn to make bakery-quality bread with local flour in their home oven. Culinary Program Manager Jess Porter will demonstrate mixing, folding, shaping, proofing, scoring, and baking Appleton’s flagship Farmstead Sourdough. We will discuss sourdough starter...
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Thursday, January 23

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

Friday, January 24

Music Together - Friday

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45 minutes...
10:30 am to 11:15 am

Kidleidoscope at Breakheart Reservation

Kidleidoscope is a program designed for preschoolers at Bradley Palmer State Park
Come join our park interpreter for a story time and nature walk! Complete a small craft and explore the woods! Walks are gently paced and approximately 1 mile, though not accessible for strollers. Appropriate for families with children 3-5 years old. Meet at the Visitor Center.
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Animal Adventures Series: Inside & Out

Come learn about your favorite animals and their habitats at the Joppa Flats Center in Newburyport Massachusetts! Photo: Kathy Crane, NOAA Arctic Research Program
Joppa Flats Education Center invites families for family fun about your favorite animals with hands-on science, songs, a take-home craft and outdoor time, weather permitting. This is a three-week series for young "naturalists" and their adventure-loving adult to learn about animals together. Please...
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Drop-In Family LEGO at HWPL

Wednesdays are LEGO Build Days at the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library
Put your imagination and building skills to the test at this self-directed drop-in program. All ages are welcome with a caregiver.
3:15 pm to 4:15 pm

Saturday, January 25

Superbowl of Birding 2025

The Superbowl of Birding 2025 is a unique competition conducted in Rockingham County, NH, and Essex County, Massachusetts
The Superbowl of Birding 2025 is a unique competition conducted in Rockingham County, NH, and Essex County, MA. During a 12-hour period, teams of birders of all ages and abilities seek out the greatest number of avian species and amass the most points based on the rarity of the birds recorded....
5:00 am to 5:00 pm

Music Together - Saturday

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45 minutes...
9:15 am to 11:15 am

Gloucester's So Salty 2024

Celebrate Gloucester Massachusetts recognizably salty character with local cultural institutions in the heart of downtown.
Celebrate the fish city’s recognizably salty character with local cultural institutions and businesses during the 4th Annual Gloucester’s So Salty festival on January 25 and 26, 2025 from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm! Over 1,800 people came out last year to share their salty pride while enjoying free ice...
10:00 am to 5:00 pm

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.
11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Befriend the Barnyard

Befriend the Barnyard is a hands-on barnyard experience at the Trustees of Reservations' Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts
Discover our special barnyard animals! Our Angora rabbits Violet, Mabel, Oiver and Charles; Nubian goats Maeve, Morgana, and Mordred; dairy cows Gray, Jasmine, their calves Gigi and Joanie and our friendly flock of heritage chickens will take center stage as we learn about what makes them so unique...
11:00 am to 1:00 pm