Massachusetts is overflowing with great places to visit, with over 100 museums and galleries across the state, water parks, attractions, historical sites and too many delicious restaurants to count, it makes for the perfect getaway or staycation.
We had the pleasure of a joining a hosted tour with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.
Our weekend began with a trip to Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, MA.
At Drumlin Farm you can experience a day on a working farm and wildlife sanctuary. Visiting in the early spring is a real treat! The farm was bursting with baby animals of every sort, billy goats, piglets, and lambs. Each time we visit we spend a majority of our time sorting wooden eggs in the chicken coop! This is by far Owen’s favorite spot on the farm.
On 206 acres with 4 miles of trails, it’s is a beautiful place to spend the day and have a picnic. Drumlin Farm has several great special events and offerings throughout the year as well, such as Strawberry Day (June), Dairy Day (June) and Tales of the Night (October), 4H Club, winter and summer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, and a seasonal farmstand with a variety of Drumlin Farm products, farm and nature programming for children, families, and adults including the popular summer day camp, nature-based preschool, and local and offsite birding trips for adults. *Tip: A Mass Audubon Membership is affordable and definitely worth the investment!
- Free admission to the wildlife sanctuaries across Massachusetts for year-round outdoor adventures
- Savings on nature programs, fun seasonal events, and purchases at the gift shops.
Our next stop was The EcoTarium in Worcester, MA.
The EcoTarium has a long-standing history in Worcester dating back to 1825, originally named the Worcester Lyceum of Natural History, New England Science Center and finally The EcoTarium. Over the years and after millions of dollars in renovations to the building and grounds the museum returned to its roots in the natural sciences with a focus on hands-on exploration and discovery.
The EcoTarium’s museum building features three floors of hands-on, interactive exhibits that explore the natural and physical sciences. Each year, the museum welcomes dynamic traveling exhibits, as well as houses permanent installations that make creative use of the museum’s natural history collection and living wildlife.
Owen is mesmerized by the Rube Goldberg machine outside of the curators workshop and also enjoyed the preschool discovery area. But on this trip we discovered our new favorite spot, The Nature Explore Outdoor Exhibit!
This interactive outdoor exhibit features climbing structures, a stream to explore, a large sandbox for digging and playing, nature art and music. The concept plan was developed collaboratively by the EcoTarium and the Nature Explore organization, based on these principles. In August of 2014, the exhibit received National Certification as an official “Nature Explore Classroom”.
We ended our day at Great Wolf Lodge New England in Fitchburg, MA.
Great Wolf Lodge is jam-packed with things to do! The massive indoor water park is kept at a comfortable 84 degrees, with twisting water slides , wave pool, lazy river, and a splash filled zero-depth water playgrounds for the little ones. Your family will splash the day away while creating unforgettable memories.
Great Wolf Lodge has much more to offer outside of the water park, MagiQuest, Scoops Kids Spa, Northern Lights Arcade, Howlin’ Timbers Play Park with mini-golf, bowling, indoor ropes course, bedtime stories and magic shows hosted in the lobby and more.
Our suite had plenty of room to sleep a family of 5, cozy beds, T.V., mini fridge, coffee maker and a large bathroom. The resort offers several options for dining, from pizza, subs, and salads at Hungry as a Wolf to sit down dinner at Lodge Wood Fired Grill. They even have an on-site Dunkin Donuts. The breakfast buffet at Lodge Wood Fore Grill was a great way to start the day.
Our final stop was the Butterfly Place in Westford, MA.
The Butterfly Place is home to hundreds of species of butterflies and offers the chance to stroll through a solarium with a variety of tropical plants and flowers. They have a small gift shop and educational center where you may observe eggs, caterpillars, cocoons and chrysalides. Each display gives information about the species featured. The gift shop offers a Butterfly Hatching Kits so that you can hatch and release your own live butterfly or moth. We decided on a Luna Moth and are anxiously waiting for him to hatch!
Although we weren’t too far from home we had a fantastic time exploring on our Mini-Vacation in Central Massachusetts. Sometimes a night away is all you need!
*Our Mini-Vacation was hosted by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. All opinions expressed are my own.
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