North of Boston/Merrimack Valley has plenty of indoor and outdoor fun on its Kids Trails

Discovery Museums

Acton, MA 01720 Phone: 978-264-4200

This pair of museums is a two-for-one bargain for families with younger and older children. Children’s Discovery Museum is a Victorian house transformed into hands-on exhibits and activities for pre-school children. The Science Discovery Museum, a contemporary structure, invites school-aged children to experiment with science and math. Check for seasonal changes in programs and hours.

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary

Route 117, South Great Road Lincoln, MA Phone: 617-259-9807

This sanctuary, run by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, is a place to explore a working farm and a wildlife sanctuary in one. Livestock operations happen in the Animal Barns, where the farmers do chores and answer questions. At the Bird Hill and Drumlin Underground exhibits, kids can get close-up views of skunks, rabbits, owls, hawks, deer, and foxes.

Hammond Castle Museum

Gloucester, MA 01930 Phone: 978-283-7673

John Hays Hammond, Jr., a prolific inventor and art lover, built this medieval-style castle in the 1920s for his collection of Roman, medieval, and Renaissance artifacts. Visitors may explore the great hall, with its legendary pipe organ, indoor courtyard, Renaissance dining room, guest bedrooms, inventions exhibit room, and the tower dungeon. Tours are customized for children or adults.

Liberty Ride

Lexington, MA 02420 Phone: 781-862-1450

Ride along the historic Battle Road by air-conditioned bus while your costumed guide recounts the events of April 19, 1775, the first day of the American Revolution. Visit the Lexington Battle Green, and the Old North Bridge, the Minuteman National Historical Park, and Lexington and Concord. Open Memorial Day weekend through October 15.

Minute Man National Historical Park

174 Liberty Street Concord, MA Phone: 508-369-6993

Located in the towns of Lexington, Lincoln, and Concord, this park commemorates the opening battles of the American Revolution. At Concord’s North Bridge, families can see the where Colonial militia men fired the shot heard ‘round the world. The Battle Road Trail is a trip through a restored Colonial landscape that the British traveled in their retreat to Boston. The Hartwell Tavern on Battle Road is now a living history center.

New England Pirate Museum

Salem, MA 01970 Phone: 978-741-2800

Move over, Captain Jack Sparrow. This museum is the place to see and meet some serious pirates, argggh. A guided tour begins in the museum’s artifacts room of authentic pirate treasures and continues through a Colonial seaport, aboard a pirate ship, and in a cave, where kids – ready or not -- are sure to encounter some of those 17th-century robbers of the high seas.

Russell Orchards

Ipswich, MA 01938 Phone: 978-356-5366

In addition to picking fruits and selecting treats from the bakery (the house specialty is homemade cider donuts), children can take part in Farm Kids an activities program for children ages 3 to 8. Each month-long session will feature a farm theme with related activities, like painting farm murals; planting pots of herbs and annuals; baking from scratch; petting baby chicks, rabbits, and lambs; and making beeswax candles.

Salem Trolley

Salem, MA 01970 Phone: 978-744-5469

Trolley offers a one-hour tour of Salem’s highlights and its fascinating past. Stops include the Salem Wax Museum and the Salem Witch Village, Pickering Wharf, Salem Maritime Site, the House of the Seven Gables, Winter Island, Salem Willows, Salem Witch Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, Witch Dungeon Museum, Salem Witch House and Salem Inn, Phillips House and Chestnut Street.

Stone Zoo

149 Pond Street Stoneham, MA 02180 Phone: 617-541-LION (5466) Fax: 781-438-9517

Get Close.

Formerly known as the Middlesex Fells Zoo, Stone Zoo is located near Spot Pond reservoir. Highlights of the zoo’s collection include the snow leopards of Himalayan highlands, bald eagles of Yukon Creek, and jaguars and cougars of the Sierra Madre. Also back every day is the Lord of the Wings: Birds of Prey show. This interactive show aims to uncover the mysteries of eagles, vultures, and hawks.

Wolf Hollow

98 Essex Road Ipswich, MA Phone: 508-356-0216

Families for whom the dog is the favorite of the household will enjoy a visit to this conservation area for gray wolves. A one-hour lecture covers the animal’s role in nature and its relationship to humans. Visitors can observe wolves interacting with their pack mates. Here’s the fun kicker: visitors are invited to howl with the wolves at the end of each presentation.