Essex National Heritage Area hosts its 22nd Annual Trails & Sails September 15 – 24, 2023. This series encourages participating organizations to host free events that showcase the beauty of the outdoors and the breadth of history across Essex County, Massachusetts. Learn more about Trails & Sails on their website.
Each year, Trails & Sails features special event themes that offer unique insights into the character of Essex County and provide new lenses to appreciate its resources. In 2023, fantastic events can be found under these categories:
• Celebrating Hispanic Heritage & Culture
• Looking to the Future
• Preserving Coastal Resources
• Sharing Untold Stories
Essex Heritage rallies our community around saving the unique character of Essex County: the thousands of historic, cultural, and natural places that make Essex County like nowhere else.
We’re proud to support Essex Heritage as a member of the Creative Collective. Here are a few of our selected events and workshop/ tour offerings for Trails & Sails in each city. Be sure to check whether registration is required for certain events!
AMESBURY
Amesbury Automobile Landscape Walking Tour
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: The Industrial History Center of Amesbury Carriage Museum
Star Party at Battis Farm
Friday, September 22, 2023
Host : North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club
ANDOVER
Gallery Tour of Sea Change
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Host: Addison Gallery of American Art
Andover Day
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: The Town of Andover and the Andover Chamber of Commerce
BEVERLY
Fish Flake Hill Walking Tour
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Historic Beverly
BOXFORD
Boxford Apple Festival
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Boxford Historical Society
Historical Hike with BTA/BOLT
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: BTA/BOLT, Inc. and Boxford’s Recreation Committee & Boxford Historic Document Center
DANVERS
V is the Valley: A Concert-Conversation
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Host: Danvers Historical Society
Danvers Dynamic Dames
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Danvers Historical Society
ESSEX
Historic Essex Walking Tour
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Town of Essex
Fall Festival and Apple Armada
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: The Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum
GEORGETOWN
Touring the Brocklebank Nelson Beecher House and Grounds
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Georgetown Historical Society
GLOUCESTER
The Wetu and the White-Ellery House
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Cape Ann Museum
History Lives Here: The Freemans of West Gloucester
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Wellspring House
GROVELAND
Fairy House Festival
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Veasey Park
HAMILTON
Asbury Grove History Tour
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Asbury Grove Historical Society
Guided Tour of the Patton Homestead
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: Friends of the Patton Homestead in collaboration with the Town of Hamilton and the Wenham Museum
HAVERHILL
Freeman Memorial Trail
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Whittier Birthplace
Bella Building Tour
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Local Historian Thomas Spitalere
IPSWICH
The Port of Ipswich: A Historical Walking Tour
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Host: Ipswich Museum
Board Game Extravaganza
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Ipswich Public Library
LAWRENCE
Twilight Tour of Bellevue Cemetery
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Lawrence Civil War Memorial Guard
Blacksmithing Saturday at the Essex Company Forge
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: Lawrence History Center
LYNN
Hispanic Excellence Exhibit – Opening Reception / Exhibición de Excelencia Hispana – Recepción de Apertura
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Galleries at Lynn Arts
Bootmaking Demonstration with Sarah Guerin
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Host: Lynn Museum
MANCHESTER
A woman holding up a painting of a fish.
Fish Printing at the Manchester Museum
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: Manchester Museum
MARBLEHEAD
Trailblazing Women in the American Revolution
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: Marblehead Museum
Abbot Hall Scavenger Hunt
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: Marblehead Historical Commission
MIDDLETON
A sign next to a tree in a wooded area.
Explore the King Pine Trail
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Middleton Stream Team
Urban Walk of Historic Landmarks in Middleton
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Host: Friends of the Flint Public Library and Middleton Historical Society
NAHANT
It’s All About the Arts
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Host: Nahant Historical Society
Guided Literary Walking Tour of Nahant
Friday, September 22, 2023
Host: Nahant Historical Society
NEWBURY
Baseball’s Early Development and Essex County’s 1860’s Base Ball Boom
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Host: Essex Base Ball Organization, Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, MA
What Happens When Beaver Ponds Pop Up?
Friday, September 22, 2023
Host: Plum Island Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Project
NEWBURYPORT
Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay 2023
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay, Maudslay State Park, Massachusetts Cultural Council
Black Newburyporters: 1700s to 1900s
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Ghlee E. Woodworth
NORTH ANDOVER
A yellow house with a sign in front of it.
Tour the Parson Barnard House and First Burial Ground
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: North Andover Historical Society
Art and Music 75th Anniversary Festival
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Host: Rolling Ridge Retreat and Conference Center
PEABODY
Explore Peabody
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Peabody Institute Library, Peabody
The Women of the Felton Houses
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Host: Peabody Historical Society and Museum
ROCKPORT
“Pub” Sing
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Rockport Music
When Granite Was King! Babson Farm Quarrying History Tour
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: Halibut Point State Park
ROWLEY
A Salt Marsh Superpower
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Host: Plum Island Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Project
Phillips Library (Peabody Essex Museum) Open House: Recent Acquisitions
Friday, September 22, 2023
Host: Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum
SALEM
Dominican Faceless Dolls Exhibit
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Salem Maritime National Historic Site and North Shore CDC
Party on the Patio: Conversations with the Punto Urban Art Museum
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Host: North Shore Community Development Coalition
SALISBURY
Open House at Salisbury Historical Society
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Salisbury Historical Society
Salisbury Days
Friday, September 22, 2023
Host: Town of Salisbury
SAUGUS
Saugus Iron Works – Iron House Tour
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
Nature Along the Saugus River
Friday, September 15, 2023
Host: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
SWAMPSCOTT
Swampscott Fishing and Boating, Past and Present
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Host: Swampscott Historical Commission
Learn How to Start a Cooperative Garden and Vegetable Print Making
Friday, September 22, 2023
Host: Seaside Cooperative Garden of Swampscott
TOPSFIELD
Farmstead Cheese Tour
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Host: Valley View Farm
From Country Estate to State Park: Bradley Palmer’s Gift
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Host: Bradley Palmer State Park, Department of Conservation and Recreation
