All Ages

Join Salem Sound Coastwatch (SSCW) aboard the Finback, owned and operated by Mahi Cruises & Charters to explore Salem Sound. Did you ever wonder what lives on the ocean bottom in our coastal area? Come check it out with an underwater camera and a Remote Operated Vehicle that you build yourself with SSCW as your guide. Participants must be comfortable on the water for almost 2 hours. Open to all ages.

Come tour the Cat Cove Marine Laboratory as part of Trails & Sails! The Cat Cove Marine Laboratory is operated by Salem State University to promote the sustainable use of aquatic resources on the North Shore and elsewhere. Massachusetts’ North Shore is historically, culturally and economically linked with the ocean. More recently, the ecological importance of coastal waters has been recognized. Salem State University and its Cat Cove Marine Laboratory acknowledge the traditional, biological and social importance of our coastal waters. Methods to preserve, manage and utilize this treasured resource are developed and disseminated at the Laboratory. Participants in Trails & Sails will tour the Laboratory, learn about its relevance and gain insight into how some of their tax dollars are being spent. The visit is interactive, be prepared to feed fish, shellfish and to handle creepy crawlers!

Always wanted to know how to read the night sky? Come Star Gazing with the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club to enjoy outdoor night sky observation. See open clusters, planetary nebulae, and galaxies millions of light years away. Telescopes provided on site.

See live raptors up close. In this much-anticipated program, Bethani Garland, a wildlife biologist and rehabilitator from On the Wing, will present audiences with five different raptors (birds of prey). You will observe the birds and learn their different calls, the best locations to sight hawks, falcons, and owls, and understand how different body shapes affect how raptors hunt their prey in the air.