The Legacies of Long Hill: House & Garden Tour
Step inside the beauty and layered history of Long Hill with a guided tour of its breathtaking gardens and historic house. Once the summer home of the Sedgwick family, Long Hill offers a glimpse into the refined lifestyle of Boston’s North Shore elite while also highlighting the many hands that… Read More
Passport to the Past: Stevens-Coolidge Guided House Tour
Discover the stories behind the walls of one of North Andover’s historic gems. Join us for a guided tour of Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, a Colonial Revival treasure that reflects early 20th-century elegance and global influence. Once the summer home of Helen Stevens Coolidge and John Gardner Coolidge—a diplomat and… Read More
Castle Hill Tour: Highlights on the Hill
Join us for a leisurely tour of the Castle Hill grounds from our comfy tour cart. You will hear the rich history of the estate while enjoying the breathtaking views of the gardens, marsh, and water. This is the perfect way to get a comprehensive overview of the Crane Estate,… Read More
Castle Hill Tour: Behind the Scenes in the Great House
Do you love checking out basements, kitchens, and other out of the way rooms? Our behind-the-scenes tour takes you past the beautiful facade and explores how the house ran when the Cranes were in residence. You’ll learn how a plumbing magnate incorporated the latest technology of the era into his… Read More
Castle Hill Tour: The Cat's Meow
Our children’s tour, The Cat’s Meow, is designed for children age 3-8. Imagine living in 1929 and visiting the Crane family at their summer home in Ipswich. The house is so big and Mrs. Crane’s kitty, Ptolemy, has gone missing just before the party! Can you help a family… Read More
CraneOutdoors: Kayak Adventure on the Castle Neck River
One of the best ways to enjoy the natural beauty of the Massachusetts North Shore is kayaking the placid waters of the Great Marsh—the largest continuous stretch of salt marsh in New England, extending from Cape Ann to New Hampshire. The Castle Neck peninsula on the Crane Estate is a… Read More
CraneOutdoors: Sunset Kayak in the Crane Wildlife Refuge
There are few places on the North Shore that more reliably enjoy spectacular sunsets than the back side of Crane Beach, overlooking Essex Bay. On this outing into the… Read More
Behind the Scenes: A New England Servant Life Guided Tour
Step beyond the formal rooms and into the working heart of the home for a guided house tour focused on servant life at Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens. Once transformed from a simple farmhouse into a gentleman’s estate of the Country Place Era in the 1910s-1930s, Ashdale Farm relied… Read More
Castle Hill Tour: Hollywood on the Hill
This guided tour highlights the many star-studded movies that have been filmed at Castle Hill over the past 40 years, such as The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), The Equalizer (2014), and Little Women (2019). Hear behind-the-scenes stories about Timothée Chalamet, Matthew McConaughey, Jack Nicholson,… Read More
CraneOutdoors: Juneteenth Choate Island Kayak and Hike
The land that is now the Crane Estate has been shaped by many stories, some that are well known, and some that have yet to be shared. One important story that has been obscured is the story of enslaved people on Choate Island, including Jane and Violet, two enslaved girls… Read More
Father's Day Pizza & BBQ Bash at Appleton Farms
Bring Dad to Appleton Farms on the Saturday of Father’s Day weekend for our own seasonal wood-fired pizza, local beer, wine and cider, local BBQ, and live music! Appleton will be slinging their famous pies which are not to be missed! We’ll have Notch Brewing on-site serving up some beer,… Read More
Castle Hill Tour: Cupola with a View
This is our most Instagram-able tour experience and a particular treat for those interested in the architecture of the Great House and its surrounding property. You’ll gain insight into the architectural choices made by David Adler as he designed and built the Great House, the second home the Cranes built… Read More