The Trustees

05/30/2026

Once in a blue moon... it's actually a Blue Moon. 🌕

May's second full moon peaks Sunday, May 31 at 4:45 a.m. EDT, and there's a twist: this Blue Moon is also a Micromoon, meaning it's near its farthest point from Earth. So it may look a little smaller and dimmer than average. The moon is, in fact, keeping its distance.

For the best views without setting a 4am alarm, head out at dusk on Saturday, May 30, when the moon rises around 8pm over the eastern horizon (hopefully) bathed in gold and orange.

Best spots in Massachusetts: any open beach (think Crane Beach in Ipswich) or open field with a clear eastern view (like Jewell Hill in Ashburnham). If you can get yourself safely up a small mountain, that’ll do too (think Peaked Mountain in Monson).

📷: Full Moon rising over Misery Island, Salem

| [Image description: A photo of the full moon rising over Misery Island in Salem, MA with a seagull carrying a mussel in the foreground.]

05/29/2026

This river otter was spotted floating at Bear Swamp in Ashfield, a 312-acre reservation with boggy wetlands, fern-lined trails, and all sorts of wildlife keeping a watchful eye on visitors. We'd say they're living their best life in complete and otter joy.

📷: Bear Swamp, Ashfield - credit: Shawn Adams | [Image description: A river otter floats on its back in still, dark water, looking upward with its paws resting on its chest.]

05/28/2026

There's something a little magical about hearing live music in the middle of the woods. 🌿🎶

That's the idea behind Scenic Songs, our 2026 series with Club Passim, the legendary Cambridge folk venue that's been championing acoustic artists for more than 65 years. Four Sundays (and two Saturdays) of guided hikes paired with intimate, unplugged performances at some of our most beloved places.

🎵 June 14 | Erin McKeown | Bartholomew's Cobble, Sheffield
🎵 July 12 | Forsyth | World's End, Hingham
🎵 Aug 1 | Sweet Petunia | Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich
🎵 Sept 19 | Rachel Sumner | North Common Meadow, Petersham
🎵 Oct 4 | The Nields | Rocky Woods, Medfield
Tickets and details at the link in bio. Members save. https://thetrustees.org/program/scenic-songs/

📷: Scenic Songs at World's End, Hingham; Rocky Woods, Medfield; Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

| [Image description: A series of photos documenting musician performances featuring acoustic guitar for a small audiences seated in various nature settings at Trustees properties across Massachusetts.]

05/27/2026

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1880, Moraine Farm in Beverly is one of the North Shore's most quietly spectacular places to wander. Rustic stone walls, rolling meadows, beautiful gardens, shaded forest trails, and sweeping views of Wenham Lake unfold across 78 acres of carriage paths and woodland.

Olmsted scholars have called it the finest existing example of his approach to planning a country estate, a testing ground for ideas he'd later bring to Brooklyn's Prospect Park and the Biltmore Estate.

Want to make a day of it? Our trails connect directly to the City of Beverly's John C. Phillips Nature Preserve next door, opening up even more lake vistas to explore. Bring the dog (on leash) or pack a picnic. Just remember Moraine Farm is carry in, carry out, so please take everything you brought back home with you.

The historic estate house and grounds are also available to rent for weddings and private events through The Estate at Moraine Farm.

Open daily, sunrise to sunset. Free to all.

📍 779 Cabot St, Beverly

📷 credit: Michael Dalton (2), Rob King (3), Nicole Chan (4, 5)

| [Description: A series of photos highlighting the beautiful landscape of Moraine Farm in Beverly, MA.]

05/26/2026

This Sunday, the gardens at Long Hill bloom with the music, art, and craft of a culture that has shaped this landscape for over a century. Celebrate Japan! returns to Long Hill on Sunday, May 31 from 10AM–3PM, in partnership with the Japan Society of Boston and in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

The Sedgwick family, who stewarded Long Hill from 1916 to 1979, cultivated a deep appreciation for Japanese art and horticulture, and their influence still lives in the maples, tree peonies, and Japanese plantings you'll wander through. Spend the day with taiko drumming from ShinDaiko, origami, fish printing, the Mine Crane Art Exhibition, a self-guided Japanese garden tour, storytime, and a kids' scavenger hunt. This event is free for Trustees and Japan Society of Boston members!

Pre-registration is required. Sign-up here: https://thetrustees.org/event/445530/

📷: Long Hill, Beverly

[Image description: A promotional graphic for Celebrate Japan! at Long Hill on Sunday, May 31st from 10AM–3PM, featuring a photo of taiko drummers in traditional happi coats performing on the brick porch of the Long Hill house.]

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we pause to remember the service members who gave everything so that the rest of us could gather, wander, and rest. Honoring them looks like many things. For us, it looks like quiet trails, open fields, and historic places kept whole for the next generation to find. May the landscapes we love hold space today for gratitude, memory, and peace.

📷 East Over Reservation, Rochester - credit: Joshua Nameika | [Image description: A photo of a historic rock wall through a field at East Over Reservation in Rochester, MA.]

05/24/2026

Meet some of the locals of Peaked Mountain in Monson. Over the past week, visitor Pete Miller turned his lens on four of Peaked Mountain's full-time residents at the Miller Forest Tract in Monson, and they were happy to pose. A beaver settled in for a quiet moment, a song sparrow perched mid-branch, a red squirrel peeked around a trunk, and a tree swallow took the high ground. The Miller Tract's trails wind around Lunden Pond, where beavers, herons, and other wildlife are drawn to the quiet waters. If you’re ever in Monson, consider a visit to this 425-acre mountain wonderland.

📷 Peaked Mountain, Monson - credit: Pete Miller

| [Image description: Four wildlife photos from Peaked Mountain in Monson, MA. Left to right: a beaver resting in tall grass, a song sparrow on a leafy branch, a red squirrel peering around a tree trunk, and a tree swallow perched atop a weathered snag.]

05/22/2026

Three days, one perfect excuse to be outside. Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, and we've got special places across the state ready to welcome you. ☀️

Stroll alongside sheep at Weir River Farm, paddle the Castle Neck River on a CraneOutdoors kayak adventure, or lace up for the Barn to Run Trail Race at Powisset Farm. Prefer a slower pace? Wander Naumkeag's terraces on a guided garden tour, or start Memorial Day with yoga among the sculptures at deCordova. However you want to spend the long weekend, there's a Trustees property waiting.

See the long weekend's line-up 🔗 thetrustees.org/program/things-to-do-this-weekend

📷: Weir River Farm, Hingham | [Image description: A photo of sheep standing around at a farm in Hingham, MA.]

Looking for something to do in Massachusetts this weekend? From a scenic concerts to hiking with goats, there's something for everyone

05/21/2026

Because of you, we’re growing!

This Founder’s Day, we’re excited to introduce new ways to experience Membership:
- A new Member webinar series
- Enhanced access to Crane Beach (including reentry and presale opportunities)
- More Member events
- Better ways to stay connected
- Built from your support. Designed for how you engage today.

Learn more: https://thetrustees.org/content/benefits-of-membership/

📷: Fruitlands Museum, Harvard | [Image description: Photo of a beautiful sunset vista at a summer sunset concert series at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA.]

05/21/2026

135 years ago, a simple idea took root: That special places should be protected — not by a few, but by a community, and preserved for public use and enjoyment.

Since 1891, that community of Members has been you.

Today, we celebrate Founder’s Day and the generations of Members who have made this work possible. Thank you for being part of this story.

📷: Appleton Farms, Ipswich | [Image description: Photo of a volunteer group walking a trail at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA.]