Get ready for some springtime fun! The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is rolling out a bonanza of free and cheap programs for the kiddos this April school vacation week. They've got everything from critter spotting to painting sessions on tap at various parks statewide.
According to an announcement from DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo, the aim is to get "more families into our beautiful state parks." So, from April 13 to 21, you're looking at 42 events in 15 knock-your-socks-off locations. Parents eager for details can scoot over to the DCR's website. And don’t forget, Park Serve Day is also back on the last day, where folks will work together sprucing up these scenic spots.
As for what's cooking, how about digging into animal skulls at Purgatory Chasm State Reservation, where knowledge-hungry tots and their guardians can unearth how creatures make their way in the world. Not your style? Perhaps the slimy and scaly world of eels at Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is the ticket, complete with catch-and-release fishing and a crafty eel project for the littles.
If feathered friends are more your jam, then pack the optics and hit up the Spring Birding Walk at Halibut Point State Park or catch the winged wonders at Belle Isle Marsh Reservation. Now, if you've got an aspiring Picasso in your brood, there's a paintbrush with their name on it at Holyoke Heritage State Park, as confirmed in their press release. It's all about making art and memories, and hey, they'll even let you take that masterpiece home.
One thing’s for sure, with DCR's packed calendar, you won’t be hearing any "I'm bored" complaints this April. And when those special moments happen, be sure to snap and share using @MassDCR on your fave social platform. Seems like DCR's ready to play ringmaster to a circus of family-friendly adventures—just what the doctor ordered for a school break in the Bay State.
