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Header Photo Credits

 

Clockwise from top left:  Hampshire County: Eric Carle Museum; Greater Springfield: Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, Springfield Museums; Franklin County: Green River Festival; Greater Boston: Outside the Box Festival; Martha's Vineyard: Edgartown Lighthouse  

 

 

 

 

April 2015

 

Greetings! Massachusetts is rich in arts & culture, so it's no surprise that exciting events, exhibits and festivals are held in the state's 16 regions all year long. Find out more!

 

3-Of-A-Kind: Water Power

Photo: Plimoth Grist Mill, courtesy of Plimoth Plantation

1.  It didn't take long for the Pilgrims to tire of grinding corn by hand. The labor-saving solution: the water-powered Plimoth Grist Mill. Today's reproduction of the original mill still produces delicious, organic cornmeal.
2.
  Lowell became an industrial powerhouse in the mid-19th century; 6 miles of canals harnessed energy from the Merrimack River to power 40 textile mills. The Lowell National Historic Park brings this age of machines and mill girls to life.  
3.
Until the 1970s, Boston's drinking water was delivered via 3 massive, 19th- and 20th-century, steam-powered pumping engines. The Waterworks Museum tells the story of brilliant engineers and their quest for clean water.

Plan your next getaway to Massachusetts! 

 

 

Featured Region: Johnny Appleseed Country

Spring is here at last!  Enjoy seasonal blooms, and more, with a visit to the Fitchburg Art Museum's annual "Art in Bloom" exhibition on April 9-12 to see how floral designers interpret pieces in the collection. Or experience the collision of art, nature, science, and technology in the Museum's "naturetech" exhibition. Massachusetts artists Nathalie Miebach (sculpture), Cristi Rinklin (painting) and Michelle Samour (mixed media) prompt questions about the natural world and offer exquisite, awe-inducing ways to observe, organize, depict, and understand it. Take a tour and expand your horizons! And be sure to stop by Tower Hill Botanic Garden's "Art of the Heirloom" show, which celebrates a delightful intersection of art and garden with original art commissioned by the Hudson Valley Seed Library. Find more information on Johnny Appleseed Country.

 

 

Martha's Vineyard 

Join us Saturday, April 25th for  Island Alpaca's Annual Shearing Day featuring the area's finest alpacas! Alpacas are shorn in the Spring, and this year we have 72 alpacas who are scheduled for shearing. Each alpaca produces between 3 to 13 pounds of fiber depending on age, genetics, environment and nutrition. Bring the family, meet the alpaca and learn more about this friendly animal. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.    For more information visit islandalpaca.com or call 508-693-5554. Find more information on Martha's Vineyard.

 

 

Mohawk Trail Region

Photo: Andy Warhol, Andy Warhol's Index (Book), 1967 (pre-publication mock-up designer's copy). Williams College Museum of Art, Gift of Richard F. Holmes, Class of 1946. © 2015 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Williams College Museum of Art in Williamstown presents "Warhol by the Book" March 7- August 16. From his student days in the 1940s to his death in 1987, Warhol experimented wildly with form and content, turning traditional notions of media and authorship on their heads. He co-produced a satirical cookbook; held coloring parties for crowdsourcing his own promotional books; and designed a pop-up book featuring sound recordings, holograms, and a do-it-yourself nose job. The exhibition is organized by The Andy Warhol Museum, one of four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. Find more information on the Mohawk Trail Region

 

 

MetroWest

Credit Mao Lin,
Garden in the Woods

MetroWest is busy clearing snow in anticipation of April 11 openings at two major venues: Southwick's Zoo and New England Wild Flower Society's Garden in the Woods. Garden in the Woods, a living museum of rare and native plants in 45 acres of north Framingham, offers guided tours, lots of family activities, and workshops. Tucked into the forest in Mendon, Southwick's Zoo offers exhibits, daily shows, and events in addition to animals (of course!) and the famous Skyfari Sky ride. Find more information on MetroWest

 

 

Nantucket Island

Celebrate Spring's Arrival...."Daffy Style"!
The Chamber-sponsored Daffodil Festival (April 24-26, 2015,) in its 41st year, is a full scale celebration of winter's thaw featuring an Antique Car Parade, Tailgate Picnic and Children's Beach Family Picnic as well as a Daffy Hat, Dog and Children's Parade.  It's a joyous occasion for both islanders and visitors alike. Come wear your Daffy hat, watch the car parade, have a picnic and welcome long -awaited spring! Find more information on Nantucket Island.  

 

 

North of Boston

Let's go fly a kite! Kite Day is back at Cogswell's Grant in Essex on April 11th.  Bring your favorite kite or build one of your own to soar around the sky! Archie Stewart of Kite Education will be on hand with the materials and know-how to help you make and fly kites. Watch Kites Over New England's professional kite flyers impress with big, creative, and colorful kites that dance and gracefully glide.  A fun day for the whole family! Rain date is April 12th. Find more information on North of Boston.

 

 

Plymouth County

Join the North River Arts Society for their 39th Annual Festival of the Arts celebration on Saturday, May 23rd & Sunday, May 24th in Marshfield Hills! This festival and street fair, a highlight of Memorial Day weekend in Plymouth County since 1977, celebrates the community's creativity and diversity with photography exhibits, an artist and artisan marketplace, painting demonstrations, live music and activities for the kids! Learn more at SeePlymouth.com/events. Find more information on Plymouth County.

 

 

Southeastern Massachusetts

The Rehoboth Historic Homes Bus Tour will be held April 19th! Ride a relaxing coach bus as local historians Dave Downs and Lende McMullen recount tales about the history of the homes in North Rehoboth that were built in the 1800s and earlier. Choose one of two time slots: 1-2:45 p.m. or 3-4:45 p.m. Each ride will include a walking tour of one historic home. Cost is $10 members, $15 non-members. Refreshments included after the tour. For reservations, contact 508-252-3031 or carpentermuseum@gmail.com.  Find more information on Southeastern Massachusetts

 

 

The Berkshires

Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum in Lenox offers tours, teas and events year-round! Visit the 1893 artisan crafted Jacobean-Revival mansion built for JP Morgan's sister, Sarah and backdrop for part of the "Cider House Rules" film set. Available for private rental. On Saturday, May 9th, the museum will host a Tea and Talk event at 3:30 p.m: "Mrs. Vanderbilt: Lusitania Widow and Ventfort Hall Grande Dame," presented by local historian and author Cornelia Brooke Gilder. Located at 104 Walker Street; visit gildedage.org for hours and events. Find more information on

 

 

Greater Merrimack Valley

Play Ball! "The Art of Baseball" is at the Concord Museum from April 17-September 20.  Discover how baseball, America's national pastime, has inspired artists! Admire baseball- inspired paintings, sculptures & memorabilia. Be inspired by Boston Red Sox Hall of Famers' objects, such as Ted Williams' glove on loan from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Enjoy Extra Innings, Vintage Baseball, Movie Nights & many more programs and events all summer. Visit concordmuseum.org or call 978-369-9763.  Find more information on Greater Merrimack Valley.

 

 

Central Massachusetts

Spring has finally sprung in Central Mass! This April vacation, The EcoTarium's Annual Earth Day takes place on April 24th. This celebration will include many indoor and outdoor Earth-Friendly happenings, with plenty of hands-on activities. Along with this celebration, Old Sturbridge Village's 1st Annual Family Farm Fest is around the corner! From the 18th to the 26th, new baby animals will be arriving and the fields will begin to be prepped for the coming seasons. Find more information on Central Massachusetts.

 

 

Franklin County

Visit Historic Deerfield, an authentic 18th-century New England village in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. Tour beautifully restored museum houses with period architecture and furnishings! See Yankee ingenuity at work in demonstrations of colonial-era trades. Historic Deerfield opens April 18th for the 2015 season with the Patriot's Day Revolutionary Muster & Parade, with activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also experience open hearth cooking, wagon rides, and "Liberty Walk" tours. The museum will offer free admission for mothers and grandmothers on Mother's Day (May 10) and for fathers and grandfathers on Father's Day (June 21)! Find more information on Franklin County.  

 

 

Greater Boston

Bostonians and visitors alike have much to enjoy this month, especially the beloved rites of spring. Art in Bloom, floral arrangements inspired by works of art, is in residence at the MFA, while the Big Apple Circus plays to the delight of all on City Hall PlazaOpening day for the boys of summer is the 13th and the Swan Boats come out of hibernation (18th) coinciding with the Greenway's Spring Food Fest and the Carousel spinning. Patriot's Day Weekend brings historical reenactments, parades and commemorative ceremonies and the 119th Boston Marathon runs on April 20th. Find more information on Greater Boston

 

 

Cape Cod

The ArtsApp Cape Cod is the best way to create your own Arts Trail...Cape Cod artists, craftspeople, galleries, museums and theaters are right at your fingertips! Download to your mobile device to find what's nearest to you while you wander around the Cape. Plan visits to studios of artists inspired by the Cape's natural beauty, galleries highlighting award-winning artists, and museums and performing arts venues that reflect the unique arts community of Cape Cod! Download the App now. Book your Cape Cod getaway online today! Find more information on Cape Cod.

 

 

Greater Springfield

From April 9-12, the Festival of Flowers will be held at the Springfield Museums! Welcome spring by viewing the galleries of the art, history and science museums as they burst with colorful and imaginative floral arrangements. Over 50 works are interpreted by regional florists and garden club members. Works of inspiration include American and European paintings, Japanese decorative arts, Chinese cloisonné, Native American objects, Indian motorcycles, a Gee Bee airplane, and outdoor sculptures. For more information on these great events and others, visit valleyvisitor.com. Find more information on Greater Springfield.

 

 

Hampshire County

Discover the rich literary culture in western Massachusetts with the first ever Easthampton BookFest on Saturday, April 11th. The day's schedule is packed with readings and book signings by distinguished local authors; workshops about illustration and zine making; a series of 10-minute original plays; a lit marketplace featuring work by local literary artists, small presses and self-published authors; and even a literary trivia contest at Easthampton's Abandoned Building Brewery. See a complete schedule of events here. Find more information on Hampshire County.

 

Regional Tourism Councils  

The Berkshires  Cape Cod  Central Massachusetts  Franklin County  
Greater Boston  Greater Merrimack Valley  Greater Springfield  
Hampshire County  Johnny Appleseed Country  Martha's Vineyard  
MetroWest  Mohawk Trail  Nantucket Island  North of Boston  
Plymouth County  Southeastern Massachusetts