North of Boston

Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe presents One Act Wonders
2025-12-27 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-12-26 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-12-25 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-12-24 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-12-23 19:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Gloucester Stage, 267 East Main St., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe presents “One-Act Wonders”, a program of four modern one-act plays exploring boundaries, loyalties, and the absurdities of life. The program will run for four performances only, at Gloucester Stage Theater, April 17th (7:30pm) 18th (7:30pm), and 19th (3pm + 7:30pm). Tickets are $28.

Abracadabra — It’s Magic Fred!
2025-12-27 14:00 - 14:45, 2025-12-27 10:00 - 10:45 | Wenham Museum, 132 Main St., Route 1A, Wenham, MA, 01984, United States
🎩✨ Abracadabra — It’s Magic Fred! ✨🎩
Get ready to laugh, gasp, and shout “How did he do that?!” as Magic Fred brings his hilarious, high-energy magic show to Wenham Museum! With music, puppets, and plenty of silly surprises, this one-of-a-kind show will have kids and grown-ups smiling from ear to ear.
Recommended for ages 6 and up, the show is 45 minutes of nonstop fun!
📅 Saturday, December 27 10AM & 2PM
🎟️ Preregistration required
Register for the 10 AM show here >>
2025 Pricing:
$12 Member Child/Adult/Senior
$14 Nonmember Child/Adult/Senior
Free: Children Under 2 years of age
Please note: museum admission is required and is not included with event tickets.

Maple Strolls at Appleton Farms
2025-12-27 11:00 - 14:30 | Appleton Farms, 219 County Road, Ipswich, MA, 01938, United States
Sessions start at: 11, 12:15 & 1:30 Trustees Members $12/Nonmembers $20
Visit the historic maple stand and sugar shack at Appleton Farms and learn all about maple sugaring, its history at the farm and in New England, and how you can try your hand at it at home!
Experience a leisurely stroll along our country farm roads and past several historic landscapes to our Appleton maple grove. You’ll learn some of the history of maple sugaring as well as the science behind what makes maple sap run in our trees. The stroll concludes with a visit to our sugar shack where you will see firsthand how we turn the collected sap into our delicious Appleton maple syrup!
Be sure to wear weather appropriate clothing and boots or shoes that are appropriate for hiking in potentially wet and muddy spots or over uneven hilly terrain. All Maple Strolls are weather permitting and will last approximately 1 hour, walking much of that time. We welcome all ages; however, information is geared towards those 10 and up. Have smaller kids? Check out our family geared maple programming, Maple in the Barnyard!
Space is limited for this event and pre-registration is strongly recommended.
We will have a food station open selling maple baked goods, snacks and treats from 12-3pm by the sugar shack. Make sure to stop by! No pizza service will be available. The Farm Store is open 10am-4pm where you can buy our very own syrup. Make sure to stop by!

Children's Maple in the Barnyard at Appleton Farms, Ipswich, MA
2025-12-27 10:45 - 15:00 | Appleton Farms, 219 County Road, Ipswich, MA, 01938, United States
Sessions @ 10:45-11:30; 12-12:45; 1-1:45; 2:15-3:00
Trustees Member Adult: $9; Trustees Member Child: $9;
Nonmember Adult: $15; Nonmember Child: $15;
Children under 2 are free
Maple Season is here! This special program for ages 3-11 & their families will focus on the magic of maple from start to finish. We will discover this tradition by observing trees, tasting sap, learning the tools involved, and finally, tasting the sweet product. We will make sure to have time to visit our barnyard animals!
This program is for families and will last approximately 45 minutes. Please dress for the weather as the program is held outdoors. Children over 12 may be better suited for our Adult Maple Strolls as the information at Maple in the Barnyard is geared towards a younger audience, however, all are welcome.
Looking for a more adult tour? Sign up for our Adult Maple Stroll instead!
Space is limited for this event and pre-registration is strongly recommended.
We will have a food station open selling maple baked goods, snacks and treats from 11:30-3pm by the sugar shack. The Farm Store is open 10am-4pm where you can buy our very own syrup. Make sure to stop by!

Mistletoe Madness
2025-12-27 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-26 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-25 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-24 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-23 10:00 - 17:00 | Downtown Rockport, 15 Dock Square, Rockport, 01966, United States
Mistletoe Madness is back for a second season! This year, all shoppers participating in Mistletoe Madness will be entered into one Grand Prize Drawing. From December 6 through December 31, 2025, shop at participating Rockport retailers, restaurants, theatres, and recreation spots for your chance to win big in our New Year’s Eve drawing for hundreds of dollars worth of local gift certificates.

Sawyer Free Library Launches Monthly Artist Program with Volume One Exhibition
2025-12-27 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-26 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-25 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-24 10:00 - 17:00 | MA

Hammers on Stone: The Granite Industry on Cape Ann
2025-12-27 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-26 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-25 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-24 10:00 - 17:00 | Cape Ann Museum Green, 13 Poplar Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
For over a century, the granite industry played a vital role in Cape Ann’s economy, providing work for men from across New England and around the world, generating profits for those fortunate enough to share in ownership of the region’s many quarries, and contributing to the unique and authentic sense of place that characterizes Cape Ann today. On a broader scale, the industry contributed significantly to building and transportation projects across our nation during a sustained period of growth and expansion.
Drawing on the Cape Ann Museum’s extensive holdings of objects and archival materials related to the industry, most of which were gifted to the Cape Ann Museum by historian Barbara Erkkila (1918-2013), Hammers on Stone will explore the history of the granite trade and its impact on the community. The exhibition will examine methods of harvesting, cutting, and finishing stone, as well as how granite was transported from quarry to wharf and further afield. The exhibit will also explore the lives of those involved in quarrying and consider how the industry helped shape Cape Ann’s artistic landscape, inspiring generations of artists to the present day.
Image: Samuel Lewis Pullman (1900-1961), Quarryman Joe Boston, 1930, oil on canvas. Collection of the Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, MA. Gift of Abner and Miriam (Pullman) Diamond, 1994. (1994.036.001).

Deck the Halls at Hammond Castle Museum
2025-12-27 09:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-26 09:00 - 15:30 | Hammond Castle Museum, 80 Hesperus Avenue, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join us for the 2025 Holiday Season as we proudly present our 7th annual “Deck The Halls” holiday celebration!
Travel back in time to a castle filled with lush, opulent textures inspired by the great medieval and Renaissance castles of Europe. Wander through rooms adorned with White Birch and Christmas trees, sparkling fairy lights, hydrangea-lace garlands, and elegant bows, each space transformed with its own unique holiday theme. From nature’s bounty of fruits and greenery to the warm glow of candlelight, every detail creates a true feast for the senses. Along the way, you will encounter a royal guard of nutcrackers standing watch over a gingerbread house replica of the castle. Keep an eye out for playful elves and gnomes who are up to mischief—great fun for little ones! This year, the celebration will also shine with the glow of two menorahs on display, honoring the traditions of Hanukkah within the Museum’s holiday splendor.
For the first time, we are pleased to feature design elements created in partnership with Elaine Quinn Interiors, a boutique residential interior design firm based in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, bringing fresh inspiration and artistry to this year’s holiday presentation.
In addition to the holiday installation, guests will also have the opportunity to experience the Hammond in Italy temporary exhibition, which highlights John Hays Hammond Jr.’s time abroad and the profound influence Italian art and architecture had on his vision for the castle.
For an even more enchanting experience, join us for Deck the Halls by Candlelight on Thursday evenings throughout December. These extended-hour tours invite guests to explore the Museum after dark, when the holiday décor glows with flickering candlelight and twinkling lights, creating a truly magical atmosphere.
Guests should plan for approximately 60 minutes in total to take in the full holiday grandeur.

The Yo-Yo Guy
2025-12-26 14:00 - 14:45, 2025-12-26 10:00 - 10:45 | Wenham Museum, 132 Main St., Route 1A, Wenham, MA, 01984, United States
Get Ready for Yo-Yo Fun!
Join us for an unforgettable performance by John Higby — the Yo-Yo Guy!
With lightning-fast tricks, laugh-out-loud comedy, and jaw-dropping stunts, John brings his award-winning yo-yo show to Wenham Museum! He’s performed around the world, holds four Guinness World Records, and even walks on a giant yo-yo!
This high-energy, interactive show features 45-minutes of yo-yos, unicycles, and plenty of surprises — perfect for kids and families.
Learn more about the Yo-Yo Guy at www.yoyoshow.com and get ready to cheer, laugh, and be amazed!
📅 Friday, December 26 at 10AM & 2PM
🎟️ Preregistration required.
Register for the 10 AM show here >>
2025 Pricing:
$12 Member Child/Adult/Senior
$14 Nonmember Child/Adult/Senior
Free Children Under 2 years of age
Please note: museum admission is required and is not included with event tickets.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Williams
2025-12-25 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-12-24 19:30 - 21:30 | Gloucester Stage Company, East Main Street 267, Gloucester, M, 01930, United States
Through Tom’s cinematic eyes, his family’s life isn’t the dream he imagined. In a rundown St. Louis apartment the matriarch, Amanda Wingfield, is desperately clinging to a past of parties and endless callers. Her adult children, Tom and Laura, become victims of her delusions as she pushes for Tom to provide for the struggling family and Laura to find a husband. The two seek solace in ways of escaping their mother and their own misery until a visit from a gentleman caller presents the possibility of new opportunities.
Renowned playwright Tennessee Williams opens the 2025 Season with this classic drama, directed by Doug Lockwood. Running from June 5 to 28, all performances are at Gloucester Stage’s Theater 267 East Main Street, Gloucester. Showtimes are Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm, and matinees Saturdays & Sunday at 3:00pm.

The American Revolution: A story of the War in 28 Paintings
2025-12-25 12:00 - 20:00 | Cabot House, 117 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA, 01915, United States
1776 was more than a turning point; it marked the birth of a new world order. A bold line was drawn as ordinary people made extraordinary decisions, declaring independence from the most powerful empire on earth. Driven by youthful fire, they believed in the promise of liberty more than they feared the cost of pursuing it.
Historic Beverly proudly presents The American Revolution: A story of the War in 28 Paintings, a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of artworks commissioned to illustrate Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Sr.’s landmark book.
These paintings are featured in Ken Burns’ upcoming documentary The American Revolution. The exhibit will be on display at the Cabot House from September 6, 2025 to July 4, 2026. Tickets are free and open to the public

Christmas by the Sea
2025-12-25 11:30 - 18:30 | Beauport Hotel Gloucester, 55 Commercial Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Celebrate Christmas by the Sea at 1606 Restaurant & Oyster Bar. On December 25th, reservations are available from 11:30AM – 6:30PM, offering a joyful coastal dining experience crafted to make your holiday memorable.
Enjoy À La Carte Christmas Specials thoughtfully curated with seasonal starters, such as Mushroom Bisque with truffle and chive crème fraîche. Entrées include a Queen Cut Prime Rib served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a winter vegetable medley. For a sweet finish, savor our Peppermint Cheesecake. All dishes are prepared with the signature flavor and warmth of 1606. View the Christmas Specials Menu Here.
Gather with loved ones, soak in the harbor views, and allow us to make your holiday truly special. Reserve your Christmas table and celebrate the season by the sea.
