Winter Activities in Essex County
January can be a difficult month for many in our area. The Holidays are over, the bright lights have all come down, and the cold and windy conditions of winter have truly arrived. The very earliest signs of Spring returning to New England are at least a couple of months away, and the daylight hours still seem too short for most of us, but there are still many activities, events and places to visit that can enhance our days and improve our spirits. With a little cooperation from Mother Nature, cross country skiing venues all around Essex County on some of the many great open spaces of this region become a place for both enjoyment and exercise. In some locations in the northern part of the region there are even locations where one can test their down hill skiing capabilities, and certainly if the weather gets cold enough there are ponds and flooded areas where ice skating can be enjoyed. We offer the suggestion of pond skating with the usual warning to always be careful to be certain the ice is thick enough to be safe. I have always found that hiking and long walks on some of the great natural trails in this region or along the magnificent coast of New England while sometimes quite cold can still be exhilarating and usually provide spectacular and different views than we customarily see in the other seasons of the year.
Outdoor Locations Where Winter can be Enjoyed in the Region are Plentiful
We recently asked some of the Commissioners of the Essex National Heritage Area to tell us about some of their favorite outdoor winter places and they provided us with a sampling of some great spots.
- Woodson Farms in Amesbury where sledding or just enjoying the scenery can be a treat;
- Harold Parker State Forest in Andover, North Andover, and Middleton where one can take advantage of the miles of wooded trails for snow Shoeing or Cross Country skiing, or just a walk in the woods;
- Maudslay State Park in Newburyport where a visit or a walk can be a great escape;
- Chandler Hovey Park, Fort Sewell and Crocker Park in Marblehead where the harbor and ocean that is so important to us can be viewed in a different light;
- Headlands Park and Halibut Point in Rockport where public footpaths and trails all lead to the water;
- Plum Island in Newbury, where winter can bring out certain starkness and wilderness that can have great appeal even in winter.
Obviously, the outdoors and the walks in the harshness of the winter season are not for everyone. If one wants to find refuge from the cold and the winter wind there are a wide variety of places to visit in dozens of communities in the Essex National Heritage Area where one can still sample the treasures of the region. It would be impossible in the limited space that we have in this column to list them all, but the following is a sampling of some of the locations.
- Cape Ann Historical Museum, at 27 Pleasant Street in downtown Gloucester is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM and offers collections in fine arts, decorative arts, fisheries and marine history, books, photographs and other historical artifacts. The museum seeks to further the knowledge and enjoyment of Cape Ann history and art, and is a great place to spend a winter day.
- Wenham Museum, at 132 Main Street, on Route 1A in Wenham is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM and offers doll, toy, costume, textile and photographic collections and artifacts from the famous Wenham Lake ice cutting industry dating back to 1840. A trip to the museum can also include a stop at the famous Wenham Tea House and Shops that is also operated by the museum. Certainly a visit to this location can be a wonderful experience.
- Peabody Essex Museum, at East India Square in Salem is open daily from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM and offers wide collections of Maritime, American Decorative, Korean, Indian, African, Chinese, Japanese and Native American art along with important exhibitions too numerous to list here. There are also collections of early American and Chinese homes and a visit to this world-renowned museum can fill more than a single day.
- Addison Gallery of American Art, on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover opened its doors in 1931 when the idea of a museum devoted exclusively to American Art was an innovation. The museum is open Daily from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM except on Sunday when the hours are 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The museum offers many collections of famous American artists from Colonial times to the present and a list of exhibitions that are far ranging and comprehensive. A visit to this location can be a great way to spend a winter day.
All of the locations listed above have websites and the links to the individual museums access more information about the particulars of their programs. We certainly hope that some of the ideas outlined here will make your winter days more pleasant, and that you will take advantage of all that this region has to offer regardless of the time of year or the weather conditions.