It’s over. Winter has come to an end, and spring fever is upon us. And the North shore is an ideal place to indulge your desire to celebrate the arrival of warmer temperature, blooming flowers, and life springing back from its winter rest.
We’ve gathered six ways to do just that, from ambling through one (or more) of the region’s stunning outdoor destinations, to laying the ground for a summer of productive gardening.
Get outside
The North shore is home to a rich variety of places to go for a stroll and watch for signs of spring. Visit Long Hill in Beverly to watch the buds burst into bloom throughout its beautiful gardens, or head to Maudslay State Park in Newburyport to enjoy profusions of azaleas and rhododendrons. Traverse the fields and woods of Appleton Farms and maybe catch a glimpse of a springtime baby farm animal while you’re there. Need more ideas? We’ve got some.
Fly a kite
Unearth your kite from winter storage and head to Cogswell’s Grant in Essex on April 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the property’s annual Kite Day. Visitors are encouraged to fly their own kites alongside professional kite flyers showing off their stuff in the sprawling field overlooking the water. Register for the $10 kite-making workshop to learn the basics of building and decorating your own flyer, then take it for a spin. The main event is free of charge for flyers and spectators alike.
Appreciate public art
Take advantage of the warming weather to explore some of the North Shore’s plentiful outdoor public art. In Newburyport, a new, colorful mural of a heron towers over the parking lot of the Tannery and behind the Newburyport Art Association the Range Light Sculpture Garden offers up more free art to the public. Salem’s Punto Urban Art Museum includes more than 60 murals on buildings in the Point neighborhood and downtown Lynn is home to more than 65 striking and thought-provoking murals. And every other Saturday from April 13 to June 8, the Cape Ann Museum will be offering walking tours of Gloucester’s public sculptures.
Bask in blooms
Flowers are the universal icon of spring. Get your floral fix at the Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens’ Celebrate Spring events features lush gardens planted with thousands of tulips, daffodils, and other early bloomers. Want to get more hands-on? Throughout the spring and summer, Stevens-Coolidge and Long Hill in Beverly will be hosting flower arranging workshops. Or consider buying a floral CSA share from a local farm for a constant supply of petals throughout the spring and summer.
Get your garden going
It’s never too soon to start planning and prepping, whether you plan to grow a gorgeous field of annuals or a bed of lettuce and tomatoes that will keep the whole neighborhood in salad. We’ve got some tips to get you started. Then, begin with a visit to Backyard Growers’ free vegetable seed giveaway on March 23, and keep your momentum going at one of the organization’s garden planning workshops in April. Come May, visit the Monarch Gardener at its new full-time location in Topsfield for locally grown native plants and definitely swing into Long Hill’s annual plant sale.
Go for a run
Join other runners to welcome the season with an organized race – there are dozens to choose from this spring. Start off Easter weekend with the Tortoise and the Hare Trail Races in Salisbury, which include a 10K, a 5K, and a one-mile color run in which participants are showered with colored powder at each 1/4-mile mark. For the kids, check out the Daffodil Dash at The Track at Suffolk Downs on April 13 – 50-yard dash races for kids, plus food, face-painting, and flower crowns. Or consider the Black Excellence 5K in Lynn on April 20, a fundraiser for the North Shore Juneteenth Association.