'Trails & Sails' Weekend of Walks and Water

Photo Credit: Essex National Heritage Area

Interested in taking a nature walk along the Shawsheen River Greenway in Andover? Or exploring Harold Parker State Forest in North Andover? How about touring Haverhill’s public art scene, birding in Groveland, or blacksmithing in the forge at the Lawrence History Center? No matter what your interest or passion, you can find something to learn, explore, and enjoy during Trails & Sails: Two Weekends of Walks and Water on September 18-20 and 25-27.

Presented by Essex Heritage, Trails & Sails features more than 150 free events over two weekends and celebrates the rich variety of historic, cultural and natural resources in the Essex National Heritage Area.

Encompassing the 34 cities and towns of Essex County, a 500-square-mile region just north of Boston, the Essex National Heritage Area was created by an Act of the U.S. Congress in 1996 in recognition of the important role that the county played in American history and the significant resources that still exist in the region.

Trails & Sails, now in its 14th year, was created by Essex Heritage to highlight the unique character of the Area by directly connecting people to place through creative experiences – with the goal of engendering a commitment to preserving them.

For Trails & Sails 2015, Essex Heritage has partnered with nonprofit and for-profit recreational organizations across Essex County to offer 150+ free, fun, and family-friendly events at more than 100 sites that showcase our region’s distinctive heritage, history, culture, and natural environment. From historic tours and museums, to guided nature tours both onshore and off, there are activities happening morning, afternoon and evening that welcome your exploration.

The line-up of Trails & Sails events in the western Essex County communities of Andover, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen and North Andover include:

Andover

• Andover’s Industrial Village: A Historical Exploration
• Opening Reception for the Fall Exhibitions at the Addison Gallery of American Art
• Paddle the Shawsheen River
• Shawsheen River Greenway Walk
• West Parish Historic Cemetery Tour

Groveland

• Birds & Nesting Box Tour

Haverhill

• Author’s Day at Whittier Birthplace
• Bella Building Walk
• Civil War Walk at Hilldale Cemetery
• Garrion House Tour
• Going Downtown Exhibit
• Guided Tour of Essex Street Gateway Mural
• Pentucket Burial Ground Tour
• River Ruckus Festival
• Self-Guided Tour of Haverhill Public Art
• A Spiritual Quest Weekend at Hilldale Cemetery

Lawrence

• Blacksmithing Friday in the Essex Company Forge
• Bread & Roses Strike Walk
• Children’s Civil War Muster
• Civil War Sunday Stroll
• Crime & Urban Legends of Lawrence
• Den Rock Park Hike
• Essex St. Downtown National Historic District Tour
• Historic Mills Photo Walk
• North Common Historic District Tour
• Spicket River Cleanup
• Spicket River Greenway & Ferrous Site Walk
• Twilight at Bellevue Cemetery
• Walk to the Great Stone Dam
• Walking Tour at the Origin of American Environmentalism

Methuen

• “Pipes & Pipes” Car Show

North Andover

• Everyone’s Poetry on TV?
• Explore Harold Parker State Forest
• Messages from the Past: Symbolism in the Old Burying Ground
• Stevens to Stevens Walk
• The Bay Circuit Trail
• The Stevens-Coolidge Place: Endless Summer Garden Party

All Trails & Sails events are free and most are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, with the exception of a few events that require reservations. Visit www.TrailsAndSails.org to see the complete listing of events and design a personalized itinerary. A limited number of free hard-copy guides will be available at the 13 Essex National Heritage Area Visitor Centers – including the Haverhill Visitor Center at the Buttonwoods Museum and the Lawrence Visitor Center at Lawrence Heritage State Park – as well as Eastern Bank branches after Labor Day.