Boston Common – Salem Happenings

The Cure for Your Friday the 13th Woes

Friday the 13th is once again upon us, and it is certainly a day that many people dread. In fact, if you are one of the large number of individuals that is filled with nothing but disgust every time you hear the words “Friday” and the “13th” in the same sentence, you may be looking for something that you can do with your family after the day is over. Fortunately, if this is indeed the case, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department may have exactly what you are looking for. This is because the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and Mayor Martin J. Walsh are hosting the Boston Bubble Festival on Boston Common from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, May 14, 2016). This event will allow you and your children to learn about the science behind bubbles, see live bubble demonstrations with some of the biggest floating bubbles you’ve ever seen, make your own bubbles at a series of bubble stations, listen to music, and participate in a wide variety of other kid-friendly activities. For more information on the Boston Bubble Festival, which is completely free and open to the public, please visit the Boston Bubble Festival’s Facebook page.

Photo credit: elPadawan via Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA

Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure

Do you want to do something with your kids this weekend, but they’re a little too old for an Easter egg hunt? Have you always been a big fan of board games and/or the TV show, The Amazing Race? Are you planning to be somewhere in the Boston area this weekend? Well, if you answered yes to some or all of these questions, Urban Adventure Quest may have the perfect way for you to entertain your family this weekend.

This is because Urban Adventure Quest is hosting an Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure from 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. every Saturday from now until the end of the year. This event will take you on a two to three hour tour of Boston where you will have the opportunity to use your smartphone to figure out clues, carry out challenging objectives, and learn more about this incredible city that so many people call home. For more information on the Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure, which begins at Boston Common for approximately $50 a team of 5 or less (there are often promotional discounts and special offers available online for Urban Adventure Quest as well), please visit the Urban Adventure Quest website.

Photo credit: Vignesh Ananth via Visualhunt.com / CC BY

Ice Skating at Boston Common Frog Pond

The weather’s starting to get warmer, which means that if you’re an ice skating fan, time is starting to run out. In fact, with spring right around the corner, this weekend could very well be your last chance to get on the ice before it all starts to melt. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a place to skate, there is probably no better place in the Boston area than the Boston Common Frog Pond. This is because from the end of November to the middle of March, the Frog Pond becomes one of the most popular outdoor ice skating rinks around. The Boston Common Frog Pond, which is open for skating from 10:00 A.M. to 3:45 P.M. on Mondays, 10:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 10:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. every other day of the week (weather permitting), is also relatively inexpensive. Best of all, skaters that are 57 inches or shorter can skate for free as long as they have their own skates (you can rent skates at the Frog Pond for a rate of $12 per day for adults and $6.00 per day for Children.) For more information on the Winter Ice Skating at the Boston Common Frog Pond, please visit the Boston Common Frog Pond’s Winter Programs page.

Photo credit: Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism via Visualhunt / CC BY-ND

The Cure for a Rough Week

Have you ever had one of those weeks where nothing seemed to go right? One of those weeks where everything that possibly could go wrong did in spite of how carefully you planned everything out or how hard you tried to make everything work? Well, if you have, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, people across the world have had similar experiences since time first began. However, if you’re looking for a way to forget about a rough week, I’ve always found that the best way to put a terrible week behind you is to find something amusing to do. And, by amusing, I mean funny, so if you’re looking for something funny to do this weekend, you don’t need to look any further than Boston Common.

This is because the Cardboard Tube Fighting League (yes, you read that correctly) is hosting a cardboard tube battle from 11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. on Saturday on Boston Common. This event, which is completely free and open to the public, will allow you and anyone over the age of 5 to battle each other with cardboard tubes (like the rolls that wrapping paper comes on). All of the tubes for the battle will be provided by the League (to ensure that all of the tubes are safe to use), but everyone is encouraged to come in cardboard armor and/or costume. For more information on the Cardboard Tube Fighting League event on Boston Common, please visit the Cardboard Tube Fighting League – Boston Facebook page.

Photo credit: BuddaBoy via Visual hunt / CC BY-ND

Making Mother’s Day Memorable

There are some truly remarkable people in this world, but very few people are more remarkable than the average mother. I mean when you stop and think about it, who in their right mind would spend nine months with a tiny little person kicking them, making them sick, and causing every sort of havoc possible to ensure that this same little person could do all of these things to both of his or her parents for the next 18 years? Now, I know what you’re thinking “when you put it that way, it doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.” However, if everyone focused on the downside and ignored the rewarding experience that parenting can be, none of us would be here. As a result, the powers that be have designated this Sunday as Mother’s Day to recognize all of the women who have sacrificed a portion of their lives and/or their sanity to make sure that we are here to celebrate the occasion.

And, if you are looking for a way to celebrate, here are a couple of ways that you can make this Mother’s Day truly memorable. First, if you’re a relatively new mother or the mother of a young child and you’re looking for a way to celebrate mother’s day with your family, you may want to head over to Boston Common this weekend. This is because the Friends of the Public Garden are hosting Duckling Day, which is sponsored by the Motor Mart Garage, from 10:30 A.M. to 12:15 P.M. on Sunday (May 11, 2014.) This celebration of the famous book by Robert McCloskey, “Make Way For Ducklings, will feature clowns, a dramatic reading of “Make Way For Ducklings”, a duckling parade, face painting, magicians, music, puppet shows, play equipment courtesy of Knucklebones, and a whole lot more. In fact, there will even be massage therapists standing by to offer free massages to all of the moms out there that are looking for a chance to unwind. For more information on Duckling Day or to register for the event, please visit the Friends of the Public Garden Events page.

Secondly, if your mom is a big fan of flowers (specifically lilacs) and you’re looking for something that your mother would love, Arnold Arboretum may have the perfect way to make this Mother’s Day memorable. This is because the Arnold Arboretum is hosting Lilac Sunday this Sunday (May 11, 2014) from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. This daylong celebration will allow you and your family to eat, drink, partake in family-oriented activities, see more than 170 different kinds of lilacs, and more. For more information on Lilac Sunday, please visit the Arnold Arboretum News and Events page.

Photo credit: JD Hancock / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Friday Fun: How To Avoid Melting

Has your thermometer given up even trying to show a real temperature and is just reading “Hot, Hot, Hot? Has your air conditioner, realizing that there is no hope of cooling down your house, gone on strike? Are you afraid that if you don’t find something cool to do this weekend, you’re going to end up melting like the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz? Well, if you answered “yes” to any of these questions, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re in the U.S. right now. With temperatures approaching 100 degrees in many areas throughout the country, finding a way to stay cool is definitely at the top of most people’s to-do lists. Fortunately, if you’re in the Boston area this weekend, there are a number of events that are not only taking place at cooler places or cooler times of the day, but a number of events that are also absolutely free.

First, if you and/or kids are looking for a cool and refreshing treat, you may want to head over to Taza Chocolate in Somerville, MA tomorrow (Saturday, July 20, 2013.) Taza Chocolate is offering free Mexican-style popsicles, which are also known as Paletas, from 12 to 3 p.m. as part of their Chill Out Saturdays. These treats are made by a local vendor based in Cambridge, MA, known as Real Pops, and they come in a variety of flavors. For more information about Taza Chocolate’s Chill Out Saturdays, please visit the Taza Chocolate website.

If you are looking for a way for your kids to have some fun in the water, you may want to check out the Frog Pond Spray Pool & Fountain, the Rings Fountain on the Greenway, or the Veterans Memorial Swimming and Wading Pool. The Frog Pond Spray Pool & Fountain, which is located on Boston Common, features a free wading pool for young children and a 70-foot spray plume for children and their parents. The Rings Fountain on the Greenway, which is located in the Wharf District Parks in Boston, features a giant circular spray fountain that uses 64 nozzles to spray water in a series of circles around the people in its center. The Veterans Memorial Swimming and Wading Pool, which is located on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, features a full-sized swimming pool that adults and kids can use for free and a free wading pool for younger children.

Finally, if you and your kids are looking for something that is a little dryer but still pretty cool, you can always head on over to the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The Faneuil Hall Marketplace not only has a number of shops, restaurants, monuments, and museums that everyone can enjoy, but also has a free light show called Summer Blink every night from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. until September 6th. This special show features over 350,000 LED lights that will allow you see the entire Marketplace and the entire Boston skyline light up as the Standell’s famous song about Boston, Dirty Water, plays in the background. For more information, please visit the Boston Blinks website.

Friday Fun: Things to Do During February Vacation

This weekend marks the end of February Vacation for students throughout most of the Northeastern United States and a number of other areas as well. As a result, there’s only a couple days left for all the parents out there to find something to do with their kids, and many parents have already begun their desperate search for an activity that will keep their children entertained this weekend. Unfortunately, trying to locate an activity that your kids will find entertaining is often as easy as trying to get your children to pick up their toys, and you may be having trouble coming up with an idea that your kids will truly enjoy. However, if you’re looking for something to keep your kids entertained for a few more days or you’re just trying to make up for the fact that you had to work all week, you may want to consider taking your kids ice skating.

Ice skating can be a fun and a relatively inexpensive way for you to spend a day, and you will be able to find at least one ice skating rink in most areas. In fact, if you live in the northern section of the United States or anywhere that typically experiences colder weather during the winter, you may be able to find an outdoor rink that offers free skating and/or low-priced skate rentals. In most cases, the best way to find an outdoor rink is to check out the website for the closest major city.

For example, if you live in the Boston area, you may be able to skate on the Boston Common Frog Pond by calling the Boston Centers for Youth and Families at 617-635-2120. Skating on the Frog Pond is typically free for skaters younger than 14 and $5.00 for skaters age 14 or older. Skaters below the age of 14 can also rent skates for a fee of $5.00, and skaters age 14 or older can rent skates for a fee of $9.00. If you can’t find an outdoor rink or you’d rather find an indoor one, you may be able to find an ice skating rink by using Map Muse’s Ice Rink Locator.

If, on the other hand, you or your kids are about as coordinated as I am (or, in other words, you put on skates, walk two inches, and then end up face first against the ice), you may want to check out the websites for some of your local art, science, or children’s museums. A lot of museums, especially museums that are more geared towards children than adults, have a number of special events to keep kids and their families entertained during each school break.