Press Releases

History, Outdoor Activities and Family Fun Highlight Labor Day Weekend at The Trustees

August 28, 2023

History, the outdoors, and family fun are all on tap over Labor Day weekend at The Trustees of Reservations sites across Massachusetts. Enjoy the last days of summer with kayaking, touring historic homes and gardens, birdwatching, outdoor yoga, touring a sculpture park, hiking to waterfalls, or hanging out at the farms.

Labor Day Weekend at The Trustees includes these family-friendly activities:

  • Sabores de Nuestra Cultura: Family Festival at Piers Park in East Boston – This free family festival offers food, culture and family fun all in one spot with a stunning view of the Boston skyline. Enjoy treats, games, creative crafts, and free sailing through the Piers Park Sailing Center. The event runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2
  • Weir River Farm in Hingham offers family-friendly activities on Saturday, Sept. 2, such as helping with the morning chores and hanging out with barnyard animals. Guests can also take a walk through the woodland trails and check out the farm store.
  • Fruitlands Museum Fairy Forest in Harvard – On Saturday, Sept. 2, and Monday, Sept. 2, families can visit the Fairy Forest and build their own fairy and gnome houses. Special digital DIY Fruitlands Fairy Forest Activity Kits are available upon registration for the event. Fruitlands Museum is featuring many more tours and activities through the weekend, as well.
  • Tully Lake Campground in Royalston will have outdoor adventures for families to enjoy including a Sunset Family Owl Prowl on Saturday, Sept. 2, and a Kids Fishing Clinic on Tully Lake Saturday, Sept. 2, and a guided hike to Doanes Falls on Sunday, Sept. 3.
  • Appleton Farms in Hamilton and Ipswich offers hayrides and family farm chores opportunities throughout the weekend. Top off the fun with a Farmhouse Wood-Fired Pizza and a visit to the farm store.

Other activities ranging from tours of historic homes, yoga and paddling adventures are also taking place over the holiday weekend. They include:

  • deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln will feature a guided tour of the sculpture park on Saturday, Sept. 2, and two yoga sessions on Monday, Sept. 4, including one for families.
  • Long Hill in Beverly will have yoga in the garden and a garden tour on Saturday, Sept. 2. Its monthly Community Day is Monday, Sept. 4, with complimentary admission (a reserved free ticket is still recommended). Visitors can tour the gardens, historic home, and hike the woodland trails.
  • The Old Manse in Concord offers a variety of tours regarding its history throughout the weekend.
  • Mission House Guided Tour in Stockbridge – Offered at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., this tour takes visitors back to the colonial era when Stockbridge began as a mission to convert the local Mohican community.
  • Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich has plenty of activities all weekend including a variety of tours of the historic home and grounds.
  • If being on the water is more to your liking, Crane Beach on the Crane Estate has several outdoor opportunities, including kayaking at sunset, a paddle out to and hike around Choate Island, and a kayaking adventure on Castle Neck River.
  • Birdwatching is on tap, too, in western Massachusetts with a guided bird hike at Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield on Saturday, Sept. 2, and on Sunday, Sept. 3, at Bear Swamp in Ashfield.

Many more activities over Labor Day Weekend are taking place at The Trustees sites around Massachusetts. For more information, go to https://thetrustees.org/events/.