The Trustees

10/13/2026

Fall at Appleton Farms is made for wandering. 🍂 Follow more than 12 miles of trails through rolling fields and the wooded Grass Rides, linger by the barnyard, and gather for programs made for every age, from Barnyard Story Hour for the littlest farmhands to Adult Cow Connection for the grown-ups. Before you head home, stop by the Farm Store for organic produce, grass-fed beef, and fresh baked goods (get the Sourdough loaf, it's a fan favorite).

Members park free. ✨ Open daily, sunrise to sunset. Allow a minimum of two hours.

🐕 While not permitted on the farmstead side of property, we welcome dogs to our 259-acre section of Appleton Farms known as the Grass Rides. Originally created as horse and carriage paths for the Appleton’s, the trails are now beloved by hikers and dogs alike. This wooded area is accessible from the Highland Street parking lot.

📷 of Appleton through the years, credits: Dan Maier (1), Jennifer Saylor (2), Roy Goodwin (3), Galina Mushinsky (4), Stoney Stone (5), Sarah Rydgren (6), Cheryl C (7)

| [Image description: Appleton Farms in autumn: a gravel farm road curving past a pasture at sunset, golden maple-lined carriage paths carpeted in fallen leaves, a stone wall topped with small pumpkins, and a blaze of red and orange trees at the edge of an open field. Other scenes include a copper-colored cow gazing from a grassy hillside and round hay bales resting beneath a sprawling oak.]

10/12/2026

Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day.

The places in our care across Massachusetts have been home to Indigenous peoples and communities for thousands of years, and they remain home today. These lands carry histories that deserve respect and reflection, not just today, but every day.

At The Trustees, we remain committed to listening, learning, and building respectful relationships with Indigenous communities as we care for these cultural landscapes. We're grateful to the Indigenous educators, artists, and knowledge keepers who share their stories with us and help shape how we tell the stories of these places.

📷: Pegan Hill, Natick

| [Image description: A worn footpath runs through a bright green meadow toward a gap in an old stone wall. Tall trees rise against a clear blue spring sky.]

10/11/2026

The light moves slower in October. Long shadows across the meadow, leaves letting go one at a time, a stillness that only shows up this time of year.

Today, let that be enough. Wishing you a serene Sunday. 🍂

📷: Rock House Reservation, West Brookfield - credit: Lee Ann Gale; Appleton Farms, Ipswich; Fruitlands Museum, Harvard; Norris Reservation, Norwell - credit Patrick PJ

| [Image description: Fall color glows across four scenes: bright red and orange foliage mirrored in a still pond, and golden trees arching over a fenced paddock and white farm buildings. The set closes with a pink and orange sunset over a grassy hillside and the sun shining through autumn branches onto a reflective marsh.]

10/09/2026

The Weekender: Long Weekend Edition. Three days. Six regions. Pick your corner of the state and choose your next adventure!

North Shore
🎃 Halloween on the Hill at Long Hill, Beverly (Sat, Sun)
🐄 Coffee with the Cows at Appleton Farms, Ipswich (Sat)
🏰 Castle Hill tours on the Crane Estate, all three days

Greater Boston
🌾 Fall Fun at Powisset Farm, Dover: hayrides, live music, a climbing haystack (Sat)
🍹 Fall Mixology at Minton Stable Community Garden, JP (Sat)
📚 Home to Two Revolutions tour at The Old Manse, Concord (Mon)

South Shore
🍄 Mushroom Walk through Whitney and Thayer Woods, Hingham (Sun)

Central
🦅 Flying into Fall at Fruitlands Museum, Harvard: bird walk, live falconry, nature art (Sat)
🧚 Fruitlands Fairy Forest, Fruitlands Museum, Harvard (Sat)

Berkshires & Western Mass
🎃 The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show, Stockbridge (Sat, Sun)
🍂 Fall Foliage Hike at Chesterfield Gorge (Mon)

Martha's Vineyard
🚜 Fall on the Farm at The FARM Institute, Edgartown (Sat morning)

Members save on most of it. Plans, tickets, and times here (or see our🔗in bio): https://thetrustees.org/program/things-to-do-this-weekend/

📷: Fruitlands Museum, Harvard (1,2); Appleton Farms, Ipswich (3); Powisset Farm, Dover (4)

| [Image description: Red farm buildings sit beneath blue skies and bright fall foliage, followed by a tiny green fairy door tucked into a mossy tree trunk. Curious white cows graze in a sunny pasture, and a red tractor pulls a wagon full of hayride passengers across a field.]

10/08/2026

Winterlights tickets are now on sale for Trustees Members, so you get first pick of the season's glowiest nights! ❄️ Thousands of lights, new and expanded displays, warm treats, and festive music are waiting at Naumkeag in the Berkshires and the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate south of Boston in Canton, November 27 through January 2.

Tickets open to everyone Wednesday, October 14. Not a member yet? Join today to get in early and save on tickets.

Visit https://thetrustees.org/program/winterlights-massachusetts/ for tickets and membership.

📷: Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton

| [Image description: Families and couples pose for photos beneath a glittering light-draped archway as snow falls. Snowy wooded paths glow with rainbow-wrapped tree trunks, candy cane displays, and tunnels of warm white lights, alongside a whimsical, oversized sundae sculpture set against a field of purple orb lights.]

Experience the magic of the holidays as Winterlights returns to the Berkshires and South of Boston this sparkling season.

10/07/2026

Phase III of Great Marsh restoration is our largest yet, and it starts with protecting the wildlife that calls the marsh home.

Here's how our coastal ecology team does it: https://thetrustees.org/nature-ecology/how-monitoring-protects-wildlife-during-great-marsh-restoration-inside-phase-iii/

📷: Crane Wildlife Refuge, Ipswich

Centuries-old agricultural ditches have disrupted the marsh’s natural water flow, causing peat to break down and the land to sink just as sea levels rise. To reverse this trend, The Trustees and partners are rolling out Phase III of the Great Restoration project.

10/06/2026

Some trails take you somewhere. This one takes you to two places.

The Two Bridges Trail links Bullitt Reservation to Chapel Brook in Ashfield, winding through quiet woods, over footbridges, and down to the falls where Chapel Brook tumbles over rocky ledges. Trustees Hiker Debbie Bombard walked it recently and captured the details worth slowing down for. 🥾

Fall is the season for looking closer. Mushrooms push up through the leaves and out of fallen logs: ivory corals, golden spires, a shelf of rust and cream rings. Small wonders, easy to miss if you're moving too fast. 🍄

📍 Start at Bullitt and take the Pebble Trail to the Two Bridges Trail which continues 1.8 miles to Chapel Brook. Please note: The trail route passes through private
property, so please stay on trail. It's about 5 miles round-trip. Take your time. Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times. 🐕

📷: Bullitt Reservation and Chapel Brook, Ashfield - credit: Debbie Bombard

| [Image description: A series of photos from the Two Bridges Trail between Bullitt Reservation and Chapel Brook. Scenes include a wooden footbridge, stone steps, a forest path, a rocky brook, and two waterfalls, one tumbling over boulders and one spilling into a clear pool. Close-ups show fungi along the way: white and golden coral mushrooms, a frilly white cluster on a mossy rock, and a shelf fungus with rust, brown, and cream rings.]

10/05/2026

A Yes on 6 sign now stands on The Trustees' largest cluster of permanently protected Conservation Restriction land in southern Berkshire County. The landowner chose to protect this place forever, and now we're asking you to help protect places like it all across Massachusetts.

Two ways to get involved:
✅ Pledge to vote YES on Question 6 and request your own lawn sign: https://bit.ly/3S8ZXpD
📞 Join our phone banking drive this month. One shift makes a real difference: https://bit.ly/4i1ZYFX

Let's get this one done together.

📷: Trustees-protected Conservation Restriction in Berkshire County

| [Description: A photo of a land owner standing next to a lawn.]

10/04/2026

Can you name this property by its calling card? 🔴 Three views, one very photogenic barn (and one very unimpressed cat).

Here are a few hints: 296 acres across three towns, a trail with panoramic views of Mount Wachusett, and an overlook high enough to catch the Boston skyline 45 miles away.

📷: [Photographer Name]

| [A red barn shown in three settings: behind a Siamese cat in a plaid harness sitting among yellow wildflowers, framed by golden maple leaves at the end of a shaded dirt road, and beside a split-rail fence at sunset. Green hayfields and open sky surround the barn in each view.]

10/03/2026

There's a short window each year when the hills turn gold and the air smells like apples and woodsmoke. That window is open now. 🍂 🍎

From Monument Mountain in the Berkshires to Mashpee River on the Cape, our fall foliage guide maps out where and when to catch peak color across Massachusetts. At Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, peak runs through late October, and the sunset views are worth timing your walk around.

For a live look at how the color is moving across the state, explore Mass DCR's new interactive foliage map.

You can find our Fall Foliage Guide here: https://thetrustees.org/nature-ecology/fall-foliage-massachusetts/

📷: Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

[Two people walk up a grassy trail at Fruitlands Museum, surrounded by trees in vivid fall color.]