Massachusetts - Family Activities

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Crab Apple Whitewater
Route 2
Charlemont, MA  01339
Toll-Free: 800-553-7238

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Crab Apple Whitewater is New England’s largest rafting company, offering 5 rafting and inflatable kayaking trips on the Deerfield River in western Massachusetts as well as trips in Maine and Vermont. Trips are run daily April through October. Crab Apple offers fun, easy raft trips which are great for families with children as young as 6 or advanced trips for those seeking thrilling Class IV whitewater. Trips are fully outfitted, guided and include lunch. Half-day inflatable kayak and float trips are also available. Crab Apple has been family owned and operated since 1983 and is proud to offer the finest service in the whitewater industry with a personal touch. Call 1-800-553-7238 (8am-10pm) for a Catalog of River Trips or visit our website at www.crabappleinc.com for more information and internet specials.

Historic Deerfield
88 Old Main Street
Deerfield, MA  01342
Phone: 413-775-7214

Open: Daily, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; call for seasonal changes.

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At Historic Deerfield children and their families can enjoy a trip through time at the Wells-Thorne house, a visit to the one-room schoolhouse, or using the looms at Hall Tavern. A special activity pack is also available to enhance the outdoor experience of the Blake Meadow Walk. Starting May 10, each weekend from noon to 4:00 pm families can visit the History Workshop where they will enjoy dressing up like an 18th century family, participating in games, using reproduction artifacts, and making a project to take home. Check our program calendar for other opportunities including open hearth cooking demonstrations, performances, and our monthly Hands-on History events.

Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort
37 Corey Road
Route 43
Hancock, MA  01237
Phone: 413-738-5500
Toll-Free: 800-882-8859
Fax: 413-738-5729

Your family belongs here

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Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort offers lodging accommodations perfect for any family Berkshire getaway. Choose from our Country Inn Suites, two or three bedroom mountainside Vacation Homes, or Town Homes. We offer a host of amenities to make you feel at home, including shopping and dining in the Village Center and Country Inn, outdoor heated swimming pool, the In-Touch Day Spa, fitness room, game room and more. During your stay enjoy some outdoor summer fun at our Mountain Adventure Park featuring a roller-coaster, kids’ super slide, a giant swing, a six-passenger scenic chairlift, a rock-climbing wall, rope adventures, and more. Enjoy the convenience of our New England Country Inn, a beautiful, spacious all-suite hotel located at the base of Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort.

Look Memorial Park
300 North Main Street
Florence, MA  01062
Phone: 413-584-5457

Come out and Play!

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Open Saturdays and Sundays starting in April and Seven Days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Look Memorial Park is full of family fun. Our full schedule events includes everything from Breakfast with the Easter Bunny followed by the Northampton Recreation Department Easter Egg Hunt to Breakfast with Santa Claus and Santa’s Workshop. We have events year round that take place in the Park or at the Garden House. Check out the “Special Events” page of our website for a full list of event information. Don’t forget to put the Franklin King III Children’s Entertainment Series in your calendars. Every Wednesday in July at 10AM, we hold children’s performances from Ed Popielarczyk’s Magical Moments to the UNH Little Red Wagon Troup. After the performance, HALF PRICE WEDNESDAY. All attractions are half price each and every Wednesday throughout the summer!

Springfield Museums
21 Edwards Street
Springfield, MA  01103
Phone: 413-263-6800

Art, history, science, and a Dr. Suess sculpture museum!

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A welcoming committee of Dr. Seuss characters greets you at New England’s own “mini Smithsonian” – four outstanding museums filled with art, science and history, plus the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden. Kids will especially love the Springfield Science Museum where they’ll encounter a life-size Tyrannosaurus rex, a volcano they can crawl through, live animals, and hands-on exhibits and activities. Then they can visit the Hasbro Games Art Discovery Center at the museum next door and try on costumes and make art projects. Young children will also enjoy SeussScape, a small playroom outfitted with Dr. Seuss books and toys. Four museums. One admission fee. Free parking. Endless fun.

The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center
Sumner Avenue (Route 83)
Springfield, MA  01138
Phone: 413-733-2251

Celebrating Nature's Diversity

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The Forest Park Zoo, located in Forest Park, a 735 acre woodland park in Springfield, features exotic and indigenous animals representing a large variety of species found throughout the world and in North America. Experience the world of exotic animals and local wildlife as never before. Take a train trip around the park, explore freshwater pond life, learn about endangered animals and captive breeding programs. Get to know the creatures that frequent your backyard, and visit a Heritage Breeds Barn. Shop in our unique gift shop for unusual, educational, or whimsical gift items. Enjoy the gardens, seasonal exhibits, programs, and events.

Cape Cod National Seashore
Salt Pond Visitor Center at Nauset Road and Route 6
Eastham, MA  02642
Phone: 508-255-3421

Open: Daily, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (longer during the summer)

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Forty miles of pristine sandy beach, marshes, ponds, and uplands support diverse species. Lighthouses, cultural landscapes, and wild cranberry bogs offer a glimpse of Cape Cod’s ways of life. Swimming beaches and walking and biking trails beckon visitors. The park's six oceanside swimming beaches have life guards from late June through August. Eleven self-guided nature trails are open year-round. Parking lots are open year-round, daily, 6 a.m. to midnight.
Salt Pond Visitor Center is Cape Cod National Seashore's main visitor facility, with orientation movies, a bookstore, a museum, and restrooms. The Visitor Center is also convenient to the popular 1.5-mile Nauset Marsh Trail and the Buttonbush Trail, a quarter-mile trail that features a guide rope and text panels in Braille, and the Nauset Bicycle Trail.
The Province Lands Visitor Center is located on Race Point Road, off Route 6, at the northern end of Cape Cod National Seashore, approximately one mile from Provincetown. It is open May 1 through October 31, daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone number is 508-487-1256. The observation deck at this Visitor Center provides a 360-degree view of the Province Lands dunes, the Outer Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Exhibits about local plants and animals and the Pilgrim's landing in Provincetown are featured.
Other highlights of the National Seashore are the Fort Hill Area off Route 6(Eastham); the Coast Guard and Nauset Light beaches, Nauset and Three Sisters Lighthouses off Route 6 (Eastham); the Marconi Station Site(Wellfleet); the Highland Lighthouse (Cape Cod Light) and Highland House (Truro); and the Old Harbor Life-Saving Station (Provincetown).

Heritage Museums & Gardens
67 Grove Street
Sandwich, MA  02563
Phone: 508-888-3300

Celebrating 40 Years of Educational Family Fun

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The Heritage Museum & Gardens is a great place for families to spend a day. We’re famous for our beautifully landscaped grounds, providing a naturalized woodland park on the edge of upper Shawme Pond. A Shaker round barn houses our J. K. Lilly III Antique Automobile Collection with its stunning display of antique automobiles. The American History Museum will be opening this summer with several New Exhibits. An operating hand-carved carousel and many of America's most distinguished artists' works are on exhibit in the Art Museum. We offer loads of special and educational children’s activities in a setting parents can enjoy too.

EcoTarium, A Museum of Science and Nature
222 Harrington Way
Worcester, MA  01604
Phone: 508-929-2700
Fax: 508-929-2701

Insiring a Passion for Science and Nature

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Children of all ages love exploring the EcoTarium, a unique indoor-outdoor museum of science and nature. Set in an urban oasis, the EcoTarium offers a chance to walk through the treetops and journey through the galaxy at a digital planetarium. You’ll meet wildlife like turtles, owls, eagles, an otter and a fox – even a polar bear! Plus, stroll nature trails, ride a narrow-gauge railroad, and get hands-on with family-friendly exhibits. The EcoTarium is always changing with special events, exhibits, digital planetarium shows and programming for families year round. For a special offer, visit www.ecotarium.org/coupon.

Old Sturbridge Village
1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Off Rte 20
Sturbridge, MA  01566
Phone: 508-347-3362
Toll-Free: 800-SEE-1830

Old Sturbridge Village: The Story of a New Nation

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Open year-round: daily 9:30am to 5pm, May-late October; call for seasonal hours.
Admission, good for two visits within 10 days: $20 adults, $18 seniors (65 and up).
New low youth rate: $5 (ages 3-17). Children under 3 free.

Come play in the past with us! Our new Kidstory early learning gallery invites children to use their imaginations and thinking skills as they do chores in the farmhouse, barnyard, and country store -- all dressed in 1830s frocks and vests (bring your camera!). Out in the museum Village, play 1830s games, work a water pump, milk Holly the (life-size, resin-cast) Holstein, build a stone wall or quarter-scale snake-rail fence with lightweight materials, and visit “A Child’s Life,” our new hands-on exhibit in the Fitch House. Enjoy an overnight getaway with a family package from our Lodges, dine at one of our taverns, and shop for treasures to take home at the Museum Gift Shop and New England Bookstore.

Southwick’s Zoo
2 Southwick Street
Mendon, MA  01756
Toll-Free: 800-258-9182
Fax: 508-883-0242

New Skyfari Sky Ride - Explore the Zoo from New Heights

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Southwick’s Zoo is situated within the historic Blackstone Valley. Surrounded by 300 shady acres and home to hundreds of animals representing many species, Southwick's is more than a zoo, it's an adventure for all ages! As well as an impressive display of animals, Southwick's also offers educational programs, live animal presentations, a petting zoo, deer forest, elephant rides, and children’s play park. There are also picnic grounds, kiddie rides, food venues, and free parking. Visit our new and extensive gift shop, the Purple Peacock. Operating hours for Southwick's Zoo are 10:00am to 5:00pm from April through October 18th... 7 days a week including holidays. Check out our non-profit Earth Eco-Education Center.

The Last Green Valley
111 Main Street
Danielson, CT  06239
Phone: 860-774-3300
Toll-Free: 866-363-7226

Enjoy a Variety of Activites in Southern New England's Outdoor Jewel

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The Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley or northeastern Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts has been called "The Last Green Valley" in the sprawling metropolitan Boston-New York-Washington corridor. At night, the region appears distinctively dark amid the urban and suburban glow when viewed from satellites or aircraft; In the daytime, the green fields and forests confirm the surprisingly rural character of this area, and the rugged hills that surround them.
This relatively undeveloped rural "island" in the midst of the most urbanized region in the nation makes it a resource of local, regional, and national importance. It is our mission to preserve the significant natural and cultural resources of the region while encouraging compatible economic development. And we invite you and your family to explore all we have to offer.

Boston Common Frog Pond Skating Rink
Boston Common
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-635-2120

Open November 19, 2009 through March 17, 2010

Capture the scent of wood smoke in the air. Hear the sound of metal blades skimming over smooth ice. Close your eyes and your senses return you to 1634, as you skate on the Frog Pond in America's oldest public park.

Here at the coolest gathering place in Boston you can join local residents and visitors alike as they glide over the carefully manicured, refrigerated surface. In 1997, people were able to skate on this type of surface for the first time in Downtown Boston. The Frog Pond Skating Rink is now open from November to mid-March with at least 100 days of seasonal skating. Whether you're practicing for a 9.9 at the Winter Olympics or simply trying to stand on two feet, the ice at the Frog Pond will always be accommodating.

Concord Museum
Cambridge Turnpike at Lexington Road
Concord, MA  01742
Phone: 978-369-9763
Fax: 978-369-9660

Family-friendly history

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Exploring historic Concord? Begin at the Concord Museum! An inspiring collection of American treasures includes the 1775 “one, if by land, two, if by sea” Revere lantern and Thoreau’s Walden desk. Enjoy engaging, self-touring history galleries that present intriguing ideas relevant to today – concepts of liberty, self-reliance, independent thinking and the preservation of the environment. Family favorites include the engaging “Why Concord?” history galleries, Exploring Concord film, and child-friendly treasure hunts. A year round calendar of programs for adults and children includes story hours, nature explorations, crafts, and a holiday celebration of children’s literature. Open daily year round.

Franklin Park Zoo
One Franklin Park Road
Boston, MA  02121
Phone: 617-541-LION (5466)
Fax: 617-989-2025

Get Close.

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Opened in 1912, this 72-acre site nestled in Boston’s historic Franklin Park features an array of wildlife from all over the world. Come face-to-face with an African lion in the Kalahari Kingdom, visit Masai giraffe and Grevy’s zebra of the Giraffe Savannah and discover the Tropical Forest, home to western lowland gorillas, lemurs, mandrills and much more! Be sure not to miss the Tiger Tales exhibit or Butterfly Landing, open seasonally from mid-June through mid-September. Franklin Park Zoo has many activities for children including education classes, Zoo Camp and Snorin’ Roarin’ sleepovers. The zoo is available for rentals and offers unique indoor and outdoor facilities and catering services to turn your child’s birthday party or your next meeting or event into an adventure! Open year round - except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Harvard Museum of Natural History
26 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA  02138
Phone: 617-495-3045
Fax: 617-496-8782

Bring the Family

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Explore 12,000 specimens at the Harvard Museum of Natural History -- dinosaurs, meteorites, gemstones, and hundreds of animals from around the globe. Get close to the world’s only mounted Kronosaurus, a 42 ft-long marine reptile; one of the first Triceratops ever discovered; a 1,642 lb. amethyst geode; whale skeletons. Don’t miss the world famous exhibit of 3,000 ‘Glass Flowers’, amazingly realistic models of plants, fruits and flowers created by father-son glass artists Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka from 1886-1936. You won’t believe they’re not real! The museum is on the University campus, just a 7-10 minute walk through historic Harvard Yard from the Harvard Square Red Line ‘T’ station. Check out lectures, films, classes & changing exhibitions.

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Columbia Point
Boston, MA  02125
Phone: 617-514-1600
Toll-Free: 866-JFK-1960
Fax: 617-436-3395

The life, leadership, and legacy of President Kennedy

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Situated on a 10-acre park overlooking Boston Harbor, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the nation's official memorial to John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States. The museum at the Kennedy Library enables visitors to step back into the recreated world of the early 1960s and experience first-hand the life and legacy of John F. Kennedy. In 25 dramatic exhibits, including three theaters and 20 video presentations, visitors are inspired by the stirring eloquence of John F. Kennedy and by the grace of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Open daily, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; closed New Year’s, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Mary Baker Eddy Library™
200 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA  02115
Toll-Free: 888-222-3711

Home of the world-famous Mapparium®

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The Mary Baker Eddy Library features some of the most thought-provoking and fun exhibits in the city, exploring the life and achievements of Mary Baker Eddy. She was a controversial New England woman who defied conventional 19th-century thinking to become an influential religious leader, author, teacher, and founder of the Christian Science Monitor at age 87. The museum also houses the world-famous Mapparium®, an achievement in art and architecture from 1935 giving visitors a unique look at how ideas have the power to change the world. The Lending & Reference Services and Research Room provide access to further subject reading, books, archival documents, photographs, and artifacts of the Mary Baker Eddy Library Collections.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA  02115
Phone: 617-267-9300

Fine Art and Family Fun at the MFA

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Bring the whole family to the MFA to see masterpieces from around the world and across the ages. At every turn, you’ll find breathtaking works of art, from masters of American painting to the icons of Impressionism, from exquisite Asian scrolls to ancient Egyptian mummies.
The MFA offers hands-on activities designed for children ages four and up at the Family Art Cart. Uncover ancient Egyptian mysteries, read stories from Southeast Asia, or travel through the Museum with a set of Art Cards, looking at animals, treasures, and children in art. (May-Jun, Sat and Sun, 11 am-4 pm; Jul-Aug, Tue and Thu noon-4pm, Wed noon-8 pm)
Pick up a guide with tips for parents and a variety of gallery games and ideas that can be used throughout the Museum. Or explore the galleries with the help of one of our Art Connections activity sheets, each focused on a specific theme. And don’t miss school vacation weeks with lively performances and art-making activities throughout the galleries.

Concord Museum
Cambridge Turnpike at Lexington Road
Concord, MA  01742
Phone: 978-369-9763
Fax: 978-369-9660

Family-friendly history

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Exploring historic Concord? Begin at the Concord Museum! An inspiring collection of American treasures includes the 1775 “one, if by land, two, if by sea” Revere lantern and Thoreau’s Walden desk. Enjoy engaging, self-touring history galleries that present intriguing ideas relevant to today – concepts of liberty, self-reliance, independent thinking and the preservation of the environment. Family favorites include the engaging “Why Concord?” history galleries, Exploring Concord film, and child-friendly treasure hunts. A year round calendar of programs for adults and children includes story hours, nature explorations, crafts, and a holiday celebration of children’s literature. Open daily year round.

Stone Zoo
149 Pond Street
Stoneham, MA  02180
Phone: 781-438-5100

Jaguar cub now on exhibit!

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Stone Zoo features a wildly popular black bear exhibit and, opening in June 2009, greater Boston’s only gibbon exhibit. The Zoo is also home to colobus monkeys, Canadian lynx, a snow leopard, Mexican gray wolves, river otters, spider monkeys, capybara and many other interesting and fascinating animals from around the world. The Treasures of the Sierra Madre exhibit features, jaguars, cougars, coyote, and Gila monsters.” At Windows to the Wild, view hyacinth macaws, flamingos, emperor tamarins, silvery-cheeked hornbills, Inca terns and Geoffroy’s tamarins. Open year round - except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Stone Zoo is located off Exit 34 on 93 North and Exit 35 off 93 South.

The House of the Seven Gables
115 Derby Street
Salem, MA  01970
Phone: 978-744-0991
Fax: 978-741-4350

Visit Kids Cove

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Climb up the Secret Staircase at The House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts! This seaside historic site features Turner-Ingersoll Mansion (1668), forever immortalized as “The House of the Seven Gables” by author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Visit Kid’s Cove at the Gables for a glimpse of what life was like aboard the Turner’s ships in this interactive learning space featuring hands-on family activities. Admission also includes a visit to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Birthplace to learn more about how the author’s life in Salem influenced his work. Stroll through three-season gardens and a unique museum store. Open mid-January through December, 10:00am-5:00pm.

Topsfield Fair
207 Boston Street, Route 1
Topsfield, MA  01983
Phone: 978-887-5000
Fax: 978-887-3016

America’s Oldest Fair!
October 1 - October 11, 2010

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The 191st annual Topsfield Fair will run from Friday, October 1, 2010 through Columbus Day, October 11, 2010. The country's oldest continuously operating county fair features family entertainment, agricultural exhibits including the New England Giant Pumpkin weigh-off on opening day, a premier fall flower show, poultry, fruit and vegetables, rabbits, 4-H, a draft horse show, horse and oxen pulling, pigs, goats, sheep, llamas and alpacas, the Essex County Farm Yard, a Farm/Fair Museum, Home Arts, art show and much, much more including the Fiesta Shows Midway.

Yankee Fleet Whale Watch & Deep Sea Fishing
121 East Main Street
Gloucester Harbor, MA  01930
Phone: 978-283-0313
Toll-Free: 800-942-5464
Fax: 978-283-6089

You Are Guaranteed to See Whales

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Yankee whale watch excursions travel to the world-renowned whale feeding areas known as Stellwagen Bank and Jeffrey's Ledge. Our whale watching captains communicate about current whale sightings with our early morning Deep Sea Fishing captains who have already been out for hours. This allows us to bring you directly to the whales' location. This up-to-date communication coupled with the speed of our vessels means our whale watching passengers spend more time enjoying the whales. We know where the whales are before other captains are even out of bed! -- a unique Yankee Whale Watching advantage.

Art Complex Museum at Duxbury
189 Alden Street
Duxbury, MA  02331
Phone: 781-934-6634

A place for viewing and learning about art in an intimate and comfortable setting

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The Art Complex Museum at Duxbury is situated on over 13 acres of woodland and open fields. It was founded as a center for regional arts and to host the impressive collection of the Carl A. Weyerhaeuser family. The museum is well known for its permanent collections of Shaker furniture, American paintings, which include some fine representations of each of the developmental stages of American landscape painting, Asian art and a print collection that spans from Europe and Asia to the United States. There is also a library of over 6,000 volumes which support the museum’s collections. Other offerings of the Art Complex include educational programs, special exhibits and Sunday afternoon concerts. Open: Wednesday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Admission is Free.

Destination Plymouth
Plymouth, MA
Toll-Free: 800-USA-1620

History is just the beginning!

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Bring the whole family to Plymouth, MA for some unforgettable fun! Adults and children alike will be able to enjoy their visit to Plymouth with a wide variety of activities on land or on the water. The Atlantic Ocean itself is a playground, and trips such as whale watches, lobster excursions and pirate adventures have proven popular with visitors both young and not quite as young. Our beaches and parks offer families a place to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. Edaville USA is open year-round and features a restored narrow gauge train ride through acres of cranberry bogs, and Plimoth Plantation provides a living history museum depicting life in Plymouth in 1627. Please call 1.800.USA.1620, or visit our website to learn more about these activities and others to prepare for your trip to Plymouth.

Plimoth Plantation
137 Warren Avenue
Plymouth, MA  02360
Phone: 508-746-1622

Living History on Land and At Sea

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Visitors to Plimoth Plantation’s main campus are welcomed to the museum in the comfortable, spacious and modern Henry Hornblower Visitor’s Center where they can prepare for the quintessential, bi-cultural 17th Century experience. Start surrounded by soft furs, flickering firelight, and artfully woven bulrush mats, learning about traditional Wampanoag family life as well as the arrival of the English from an Indigenous point of view. Then find yourself immersed in the year 1627, just seven years after the voyage of the Mayflower. In the village you will be surrounded by the modest timber-framed houses, fragrant raised-bed gardens, well-tended livestock and fascinating townspeople of Plymouth Colony, the first permanent English settlement in New England.

Now come aboard and learn about the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower, the perils of maritime travel, and the tools of 17th-century navigation.

Working Waterfront Festival
Fishermans Wharf, 133 William Street
New Bedford, MA
Phone: 508-993-8894

September 25 - 26, 2010

Celebrate and learn about the commercial fishing industry at the annual Working Waterfront Festival. Enjoy tours of the harbor and fishing boats, demonstrations of fishing skills, music, storytelling, and platters of fresh, local seafood available for purchase. Time: Saturday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost: free. Information: 508-993-8894 or visit www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.