Lynn and many other local communities will participate in Trails & Sails 2019, an Essex County-wide event that features more than 150 free events over 10 days, from Friday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 29.
Events celebrate the elaborate variety of historic, cultural and natural resources in the Essex National Heritage Area: the 34 cities and towns of Essex County.
Trails & Sails was created by Essex Heritage 18 years ago to highlight the area’s unique character by connecting people to its special places. “It is our mission to knit together the exceptional places of Essex County — the places that make this area like nowhere else — in a fun way that inspires residents and visitors to make connections between their lives and these places,” said Annie Harris, Essex Heritage CEO. “Through programs like Trails & Sails we are enhancing tourism, building partnerships and engaging people of all ages in sustaining the places that make this region so unique.”
This year’s event is expected to attract more than 5,000 participants who can take advantage of a variety of family-friendly activities, walks, guided hikes, paddles, historical tours, lectures and other activities — happening morning, afternoon and evening. There’s an event for everyone:
- Outdoor Enthusiasts: Explore Lynn Woods; paddle at twilight on Lake Gardner in Amesbury; trek along the Ipswich section of the Bay Circuit Trail; set sail on the Schooner Fame in Salem or the Schooner Lannon in Gloucester; and more.
- Fans of Walking Tours: A series of Lynn Walking Shoe Tours guided by Michelle Guzman; Architecture & Social History tour in Marblehead; History & Architecture walking tour in Manchester-by-the-Sea; Clipper Heritage Trail tour in Newburyport; Historic Olmsted Subdivision tour in Swampscott; and more.
- Family Fun: Take a beach walk and write poetry in Swampscott; explore the night sky in Amesbury; dig for history at the Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers; and more.
- Art & Culture lovers: Be dazzled by the St. Stephen’s Church stained glass windows in Lynn; take in art at the GALA (Galleries at LynnArts) plein art exhibit in Lynn; explore outdoor sculptures in Newburyport; and more!
Other Lynn events include: the 11th annual World Musical Festival at High Rock Park; a tour of the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Museum; guided tour of Lynn Museum; History of Pine Grove Cemetery tour; a walking tour of the Fay Estate; 70th anniversary tours of City Hall; The Unfinished Agenda of Frederick Douglass in the 21st Century at Lynn Public Library.
Nahant: What Defines a Townie lecture.
Peabody: History and Architecture Tour.
Marblehead: Little Harbor and Islands Walk; Architecture and Social History Walking Tour of Downtown; Social History & Architecture Tour of the Historic King Hooper Mansion; 375th Anniversary Presentation at Fort Sewall; Evening Stroll: Changes in Marblehead 1700 to 1818 & Beyond; Cinders & Suds: Servant Life at the Lee Mansion talk.
Saugus: The School Buildings of Saugus historical lecture.
Swampscott: Talk and Tea, Stained Glass Windows of Church of the Holy Name; Green Poetry for Kids: Haiku and Beach Walk.
Visit TrailsAndSails.org to see the complete listing of events. All Trails & Sails events are free and most are available on a first-come, first-served basis with the exception of a few reservations-required events.