It’s time for the official closing of summer: Labor Day weekend. This weekend is shaping up to be a beautiful one, with blue skies and temperatures in the seventies. Make the most of this perfect late August weather with one (or all) of the below activities. Happy long weekend!
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Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Museum
The Pingree School in South Hamilton Opens their 11th Annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Museum, “Art at a (Social) Distance” this Saturday. The exhibit consists of fifty sculptures places around the 100-acre property, so you can responsibly take in art and the fresh air.
pingree.org/sculpture-show
Sunset Sail Salem
Sunset Sail Salem still has availability for Saturday’s Morning Mimosa Sail—what better way to start your long weekend? On Labor Day, make the most of this beautiful weekend with a private charter with friends and family, or hop onto their group sail and enjoy others’ company spaced out in the open air.
sunsetsailsalem.com
Bread & Roses Heritage Festival (Virtual)
The region’s only true Labor Day festival, the 36th Annual Bread & Roses Heritage Festival is an arts and music festival honoring Lawrence’s multi-cultural roots and rich labor history while commemorating the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike. The strike by Lawrence’s largely female and POC textile labor force lasted for two months and was named after this verse by James Oppenheim: “Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!” The festival is virtual this year, streaming performances, activities, historical tours, and more at breadandrosesheritage.org.
Appleton Farms
Enjoy the weather outdoors at one of the country’s oldest continually operating farms, Appleton Farms. Take a guided tour of the idyllic grounds, or join a dairy farmer on a pasture walk to learn about cows. Stop by on Saturday or Sunday afternoon for Pizza Picnics and try their fresh pizzas made by hand in the wood fire oven, plus libations from local vendors.
thetrustees.org/place/appleton-farms
PEM
The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem reopened July 18 with new safety protocols and new temporary hours: Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Now, you can buy your tickets in advance and take in world-class art focuses on the North Shore and beyond. One current exhibit, “Anila Quayyum Agha: All the Flowers Are for Me,” involves a breathtaking, luminous sculptural chamber of light inspired by Persian and Turkish architecture and textiles.
pem.org
Kayak Adventure
Enjoy the nature beauty of the North Shore with a kayak adventure—Castle Hill hosts an intimate kayak tour on Labor Day with a picnic stop on Castle Neck River. You can also find kayak rentals at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Little Harbor Boathouse in Marblehead, and Essex River Basin Adventures in Essex.
Alfresco Dining
Soak in these last few beautiful summer nights with alfresco dining on the North Shore. Check out some Newburyport dining options here, or take a look at some tried and true favorites here.
Have a Picnic
If you want to socially distance even more then outdoor dining, there’s no better way to spend quality time with friends or family in nature than with a picnic. The North Shore is ripe with picnic spots—take a look at some of our favorites here.
Castle Hill
Explore Castle Hill on the Crane Estate like never before with Castle Hill Illuminated, a unique nighttime spectacle combining music, lighting, and narration. Timed entry tickets let you socially distance as you travel back in time to the Castle Hill of 1929. If you want to explore the gardens and beautiful landscape of the estate, stop by any day this weekend for guided walking or golf cart tours of the grounds—be sure to buy tickets in advance!
the trustees.org/place/castle-hill-on-the-crane-estate
Go to the Beach
Sometimes simple days at the beach are the absolute best days. Here you can find a few of our favorite beaches on the North Shore, perfect for soaking up those last rays of summer.