School’s out! Our super fun vacation picks for Science and Nature activities!

Looking for something fun to do with the kids during school vacation? Check out our picks for some educational and healthy fun!

Walking Trails (Free or $)
The seacoast area has a ton of beautiful and interesting walking and nature trails including Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth, Odiorne Point in Rye, Parker River in Newburyport, Dover Community Trail in Dover, Great Bay Wildlife Refuge in Newington and my favorite, the Science & Nature Center in Seabrook. Most are free, however some charge a small fee. Don’t forget to stop by the visitor’s centers for a trail map which offer points of interest and/or seek-and-find activities. For more information, see our article on local walking trails.

Franklin Park Zoo & Stone Zoo ($-$$)
1 Franklin Park Road, Boston MA (617) 541-5466
149 Pond Street, Stoneham MA (617) 541-5466
Did you know that both the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA are open year round with outdoor exhibits? Watch as the animals explore their exhibits in search of special treats hidden inside boxes or hung from trees. What fun!

McCauliffe-Shepard Discovery Center and Planetarium ($$)
2 Institute Drive, Concord NH
This museum in Concord, NH focuses on space exploration and offers rotating exhibits, daily planetarium shows and an observatory where you can experience the thrill of bringing faraway moons, planets, nebulae, clusters, and galaxies right into view, up close and personal. The educational aspect of the museum may be a bit complicated for the younger ones, but the hands-on exhibits make it great fun for kids of all ages.

Seacoast Science Center Day Camps ($$)
Odiorne Point, 570 Ocean Boulevard, Rye NH
Want to drop the kids off for a day of fun? Kids (ages 3.5 to 5th grade) explore, discover and connect with nature at the Seacoast Science Center’s environmental day camps. Located in historic, 135-acre Odiorne Point State Park, campers have tide pools, beaches, woodlands, a salt marsh, a freshwater pond and more as their classrooms. Indoors, the Center’s hands-on exhibits, scientific instruments and technology resources reinforce what campers have learned outside. Lessons, activities, art projects, games and stories combine for a full day of learning, excitement and fun! Visit their website for daily/weekly camp costs and program themes per age group.

Joppa Flats Education Center ($)
1 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport MA (978) 462-9998
Joppa Flats vacation program offers a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities while keeping minds active and hands busy during school break. Each session offers a different theme, with art activities, experiments, group games, and more. It’s free-flow learning for the whole family. Come once or make it a three-day adventure; fly by for an hour or stay all day for a vacation activity that suits your family schedule. Some activities are drop-off friendly and some are great for the entire family!

The seacoast has so many unique and fun activities for families. For more ideas, check out our Places To Go section which is a comprehensive directory of local diversions or our online calendar.

If you have any fun ideas for school vacation week that you’d like to share, let us know!

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1 Response

  1. Just a reminder to check your local library for museum passes! Many local libraries have fee or discounted passes for local, Boston, and Portland museums. We just used the Dover Public Library pass for the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium. Four of us went for free!

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