September 26

Amesbury Oktoberfest runs from 9/18 – 10/3 featuring fun events, delicious food, and top-notch beer. Enjoy a 21+ beer garden, local food, and community fun. Explore downtown Amesbury’s shops and restaurants while celebrating with live music, thanks to our sponsor Munters Corporation! The festivities will kick off with a live oompah band in the Upper…

The Fay’s Estate (original spelling) area of Lynn, also known as Lynnmere, was the site of the Lynn Mineral Springs Hotel from 1803 until it was torn down in 1916. It was, as has been quoted in Lynn History books, “a mecca for Bacchus and Venus.” It was a playground for the wealthy of that…

Hike the Freeman Memorial Trail at the Whittier Birthplace. This approximately half mile hike starts at the stonewall by Whittier Road, loops around the museum, up into the woods, across the fields, down to the apple trees, and ends across the street at the Welcome Center. Please come dressed to walk over grass, tree roots,…

Explore Danvers through art in this ‘go at your own pace’ self-guided tour. Learn about our historical events and important figures in murals scattered around Danvers that were produced as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). These murals, one’s recent restoration funded by Danvers Rotary Club, tell some of the stories that make up…

Learn how one New England village built close to 4,000 wooden vessels; find a 1797 Paul Revere bell; discover the birthplace of the fried clam; learn about the grave robberies of 1818 as you step back in time to 16 historic sites on the Historic Essex Walking Tour! This self-guided tour has an online brochure…

The events of the Civil War and the abolitionist movement in the 1860’s brought tremendous transformations to the US. Lynn was home to many Union soldiers & abolitionists. This self-guided tour passes many sites tied to these histories of Lynn. Over 150 years later, some of these places resemble how they appeared in the 19th…

Enjoy a self-guided walking tour of 50 site specific outdoor sculptures at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport Sept. 20th – Oct. 16th (opening reception Sept. 27th @ 2pm). Trail head signs will provide catalogs with photos, sculpture locations, artist bios, and statements about each work. Celebrating its 26th year, Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay is the…

Discover the natural beauty of the South Peabody Trail, a scenic network connecting nearly 300 acres of protected open space. Wander through peaceful woodlands and wetlands while spotting native plants, wildlife, and migratory birds that rely on this habitat throughout the seasons. Spring and Sydney’s Ponds provide a tranquil backdrop and an important refuge for…

This event has been rescheduled for November 14th.  Come see a beautiful 55 acre rural cemetery and accredited arboretum in North Salem. This beautiful, historic cemetery, Greenlawn Cemetery and the accredited F. Carroll Sargent Arboretum have so much history, nature and beauty to share. We will have tree lovers and those that know Greenlawn well…

Truly magical farm fairy day that blends adventure with fantasy, fun, and education geared towards our younger generation. Experience our farm yard with animals you can see, smell, and touch; working tractors for picture-taking; a playground; and free rides on our cow train. For an additional charge, you’re also invited to go apple picking, pick…

Explore the general history of the hill from Nathan Dane to the development of a residential neighborhood in the 1900s, discussing various characters and buildings in-between. This tour will focus on the Nichols Field area of the hill (encompassing Pickett, McKinley, Columbus, Harrison, and Pierce) as well as Prospect Street. 1/2 mile After the tour…

* Reservations Required

Join the Ipswich River Watershed Association for BioBlitz: Participatory Science at Hood Pond, a fun, family-friendly community science event where people of all ages work together to identify plants and animals, collect environmental data, and explore the incredible biodiversity of the Ipswich River watershed. This hands-on outdoor adventure is a chance to get outside, connect…

* Reservations Required

Visit Valley View Farm to learn about Essex County’s largest and oldest farmstead goat cheese maker. See a Nubian goat herd, learn about cheesemaking, see the cheese cave, and sample cheeses. Cheese and farm products available to purchase.

Travel through time with the Jeremiah Lee Mansion! Meghan Boehmer, a historical interpreter from the Boston Tea Party Museum, will portray Sarah Griste Mugford, the wife of Revolutionary naval hero James Mugford. Boehmer will illustrate the role of women during the Revolution. Visitors will discover how Sarah took charge of her life as a young…

Learn about Beverly’s role in early US military history, particularly in terms of the events leading up to and during the War of 1812. Rare opportunity to see powder house interior and unique architecture. Built in 1808, this National Register listed building is the only extant octagonal-sided powder house found in New England, and one…

Granite Quarrying History Walking Tour at Babson Farm Quarry, Halibut Point State Park. Guided walk on our wide, gravel trails one mile around the quarry. Stops at significant sites. Learn how they moved large, heavy granite stones, used hand-tools to split granite stones, and how they “paved” dirt streets in our new Nation’s growing cities–and…

The Plum Island Museum of Lost Toys & Curiosities is a living installation fed by the incoming tide. Legos, Happy Meal Toys, plastic soldiers, fishing lures, and Matchbox cars serve as a reminder that all the plastic we consume still exists somewhere. This ever-changing time capsule of objects found by one person on a single…

Gloucester is known as an endless source of fish tales, but it is also home to a vast literary landscape. T.S. Eliot, often regarded as the most important poet writing in English in the 20th century, summered in Gloucester throughout his childhood. He bought a composition notebook at Proctor Brothers downtown, in which he wrote…

Step into Newburyport’s maritime past during Trails & Sails at the Custom House Maritime Museum! Families can enjoy free admission, hands-on STEM exhibits, scavenger hunts, explore a lighthouse, and a kid-sized Custom House. Kids ages 7+ can join guided craft hours (12:00-1:30 pm) on Sept. 19 to create nautical flag banners and Sept. 26 to…

* Reservations Required

Be inspired as members of the North Andover African American History committee share stories of three little known African American leaders from the Andovers: Revolutionary War hero Salem Poor, formerly enslaved church and community leader Cato Freeman and Ice Cream Entrepreneurs the Hinton Family. Drop in from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm to learn about…

Enjoy a picnic lunch overlooking the Merrimack River, then wander through the Hand Tub House and the Toll House Museum at your own pace while enjoying works of art by local artists. Try to imagine what life was like here two hundred years ago. The Hand Tub House has been a central figure of the…