The Caterpillar Lab at Discovery Museum
2025-09-21 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Discovery Museum, Discovery Museum, 177 Main St, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Join us for a special visit from The Caterpillar Lab! Come see a variety of New England caterpillar species showcased on open-air displays of local plants. Get up close to enormous giant silk moth caterpillars, fierce-looking snake-mimicking caterpillars, convincing twig-mimicking caterpillars, and bubbly butterfly caterpillars. Witness rare moments of metamorphosis and watch ecological relationships play out first-hand under a digital microscope. Be sure to chat with the educators from The Caterpillar Lab—you’re sure to discover something new! Learn more about The Caterpillar Lab at https://www.thecaterpillarlab.org/.
September 18, 19 & 21, 10:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 4:00pm
September 20, 1:00pm – 4:00pm

Boarding House Park
2025-09-24 10:00 - 12:15, 2025-09-25 10:00 - 12:15, 2025-10-01 10:00 - 12:15, 2025-10-02 10:00 - 12:15, 2025-10-08 10:00 - 12:15, 2025-10-09 10:00 - 12:15, 2025-10-15 10:00 - 12:15, 2025-10-16 10:00 - 12:15 and 2 more dates | Boarding House Park, Boarding House Park, 40 French St, Lowell, MA, United States
Join Lowell National Historical Park for Free Fun for Kids with Lowell Summer Music Series at Boarding House Park. Each performance is unique and includes so many things to do. Starting at 10:00 am, have blast with music, performances, arts and crafts, free books, snacks, and organized playgroups. These events create joyful, enriching moments for kids and a welcoming space for families to connect and thrive. After the performance, climb on Lowell National Historical Park’s trolley for a free ride.
Learn more about the free concerts for kids on the Lowell Summer Music Series website: lowellsummermusic.org/pages/kids

Celebrate Take a Child Outside Week! Outdoor Scientists
2025-09-25 10:00 - 12:00 | Discovery Museum, Discovery Museum, 177 Main St, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Get a new perspective on Discovery Woods by exploring with a variety of science tools. Measure, observe, compare, and contrast as we collect some data and look closely at what we find. Inclement weather may result in changes to the program or cancellation.

Celebrate Take a Child Outside Week! Seed Investigation
2025-09-26 13:00 - 15:00 | Discovery Museum, Discovery Museum, 177 Main St, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Late Summer/early Fall is the time when many trees and plants release their seeds to grow a new generation. These seeds have some ingenious ways of getting where they need to go. Some tempt animals to eat them, which gives them a free ride and provides fertilizer at the same time! Some parachute from trees, float on the air or water, or shoot out from seed pods like missiles. Join us to see what kinds of seeds we can find in Discovery Woods and on the Great Hill Conservation Land! Please note that the conservation land trails are not ADA or stroller accessible; please wear appropriate footwear and clothing. For more information on Great Hill, please visit trails.actonma.gov. Inclement weather may result in changes to the program or cancellation.

Wellness on the Walkways: Nature Reflections on the Merrimack
2025-09-28 11:00 - 12:00 | UMass Lowell Bellegarde Boathouse, 500 Pawtucket Blvd, Lowell, 01854, United States
Join Lowell National Historical Park on Sunday, September 28th, at 11am to enjoy a morning boat ride while taking in the nature and beauty along the Merrimack River. Take some time to be still, present, and reflect. We will provide writing and art materials, (or bring your own!) and prompt you along the boat ride to encourage your creativity to flow.
Tickets may be purchased for $1 on Recreation.gov. https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/300011/ticket/10253678
This program will begin and end at the UMass Lowell Bellegarde Boathouse located at 500 Pawtucket Blvd, Lowell, MA 01854.
This event is part of Lowell National Historical Park’s Wellness on the Walkways Series of events. Stay active with a variety of activities exploring the city’s urban and natural landscapes via the many walkways of Lowell.

Celebrate Take a Child Outside Week! Working in the Garden
2025-09-30 10:30 - 12:00 | Discovery Museum, Discovery Museum, 177 Main St, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Learn what plants need to grow and help us take care of the Discovery Woods Garden. We will water our plants, check for weeds, and see if any plants are ready to be picked. Be on the lookout for insects that help our plants to grow!
Inclement weather may result in changes to this program, or cancellation.

Open Streets Lowell
2025-10-04 12:00 - 16:00 | Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, 115 Merrimack St, Lowell, MA, 01852, United States
Open Streets are a nationwide movement to encourage healthy activities such as walking and biking and the use of streets for outdoor dining, shopping, activities, and more. An all-volunteer team is organizing Lowell’s very own pilot Open Streets event. It’s free fun – family and student friendly! For one afternoon, Merrimack Street between Kirk and Central will be closed to vehicular traffic and open to you!
More info at https://diylowell.org/openstreets
Come for:
Arts and Crafts Market: Local vendors selling unique or handmade goods
Creative Experiences Zone: Free or paid interactive crafting, art demonstrations, and more – kids, students, and adults all welcome!
Community Street: Learn about Lowell through a community group resource fair and activities
Sidewalk Sales and Al Fresco Dining
Music & Dance
Fun Surprises

Backyard and Beyond: Wildflower Planting at Discovery Museum
2025-10-05 10:00 - 12:00 | Discovery Museum, Discovery Museum, 177 Main St, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Native wildflowers are a great way to support pollinators and add a pop of color to your outdoor space. Join us in Discovery Woods as we plant seeds together. Learn the simple steps for preparing and planting, and get inspired to add bee-friendly plants to your neighborhood. Inclement weather may result in changes to the program, or cancellation.

Discovery Museum Reflection Room: Whose Land are We On? at Discovery Museum
2025-10-11 10:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-12 10:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-13 10:00 - 16:00 | Discovery Museum, Discovery Museum, 177 Main St, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
October 13th is Indigenous People’s Day, a day to honor and celebrate Native American Peoples. Join us as we explore a variety of stories written by Indigenous authors to learn more about Native histories and cultures. Take a closer look at a map of New England to see where the tribal territories overlay the borders that we know as our current cities and towns. Then, add a mark to the map where you live to find out whose land we are really on.
Saturday, October 11 – Monday, October 13, 10:00am – 4:00pm

Monsterbash
2025-10-17 18:00 - 20:00
Join us for this fun and fall festive event! Monsterbash has been a huge hit every year. This is not a ‘scary’ event. Activities are gauged to Elementary School Aged children. Cost to attend is $10 and can be paid for online or at the gate when you arrive.

National Chemistry Week: The Hidden Life of Spices! at Discovery Museum
2025-10-19 10:00 - 12:00 | Discovery Museum, Discovery Museum, 177 Main St, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Discover the wonders of chemistry as we celebrate National Chemistry Week. Join us and our guest educators from the local American Chemical Society Chapter for fun, hands-on activities around this year’s theme, The Hidden Life of Spices!

Halloween Hullabaloo at Discovery Museum
2025-10-25 10:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-26 10:00 - 16:00 | Discovery Museum, Discovery Museum, 177 Main St, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Join us as we celebrate Halloween weekend! Dress for the occasion and give your Halloween costume the chance to spook, sparkle, and shine. Challenge yourself to a few holes of Pumpkin Putt Putt and other outdoor games with a frightfully fun twist. Use your powers of observation on a Spooktacular Scavenger Hunt and expect other ghostly surprises to pop up around the Museum! Some outdoor activities will be weather dependent.
Saturday, October 25 & Sunday, October 26, 10:00am – 4:00pm

Night at the Museum - Public Health Museum Tewksbury
2025-10-28 18:30 - 20:00 | Public Health Museum, East Street, Tewksbury, MA, 01876, United States
Don’t miss your chance for a Night at the Museum! Secure your After Hours tickets for exclusive evening tours and experience the museum like never before.
