Daytrips Archives - Page 2 of 5

Snowboarding Tips

Mar 172015

**I was invited to a complimentary day of snowboarding at Wachusett Mountain as part of a media event. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own and were not influenced in any way**

For years I’ve wanted to try my hand at snowboarding. I can ski, although I haven’t done so in a number of years, but for whatever reason, I had never given snowboarding a try – until last week.

I was invited to spend the day at Wachusett Mountain Resort in Princeton, MA. I had the option to ski or snowboard, but I knew right away that this was my chance to have a go with the snowboard, so I jumped on it. Plus, I was going solo, so my husband wasn’t going to be standing there laughing at me, which was an added bonus.

Fun fact: “Wachusett” is the Algonquin Indian word for “The Great Hill”.

As you know, winter is not over yet, and thanks to the copious amounts of snow we got here in the Boston area this year, there is still plenty of time to spend at the slopes. In case you want to try your hand at snowboarding, I decided I’d go over some tips for snowboarding with you today. You can never be too “safe” when it comes to snowboarding and I definitely learned a lot while I was out there on the bunny slope last week.

Bundle Up

It’s safe to say that if you’re going to go snowboarding, you should probably bundle up! Bundling up allows you to stay warm while you adventure out into the snow. Continue reading »

If You Love LEGOS®, You Will Love the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Boston!

Jan 282015

**My family was invited to experience the LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Boston at no charge in order to facilitate this post. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own and were not influenced in any way**

If there is one thing that my boys can agree on, it’s their love of LEGOS®. We have thousands of Legos in our house and LEGOs® are pretty much their go-to toy. They both knew that the LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Boston opened last year and when I told them that we were finally going to go check it out, they were beyond excited.

But what exactly is the LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Boston?

It is a 44,000 square-foot indoor attraction that features more than 3 million LEGO® bricks and is geared toward children aged 3 to 10 (and their families). Sounds pretty awesome, right?

We arrived shortly after the place opened for the day because we were excited to check it out. Because the LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Boston only sells a certain number of tickets per hour (because they want to make sure everyone enjoys their experience), it’s recommended that if you go, you buy your tickets online to make sure you don’t have to wait when you get there. Plus, the tickets are cheaper if you purchase them online versus at the door.

Once we were inside, we took an elevator up to the second floor, which is where all the action is.

Once you get upstairs, the first couple of parts of your LEGOLAND® Discovery Center experience are organized for you. First up was the LEGO® Factory Tour: Continue reading »

A Trip to the Franklin Park Zoo With New Balance #NBZooKids #FPZoo

Oct 162014

**Disclosure – I received a pair of New Balance sneakers for each of my boys and a family four pack of tickets to the Franklin Park Zoo at no charge to help facilitate this post. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own and were not influenced in any way.

As the mom of two very active little boys, having comfortable sneakers for their little feet has always been a high priority for me. While comfort is the number one thing I look for when it comes to my boys footwear, style is a very close second. I want their feet to feel good and I want them to look good at the same time. And that’s why I love New Balance. Not only are they a Boston based company (yay Boston!), but they make really, really awesome sneakers, too. I have been wearing NB kicks myself for years and the gruesome twosome have each had numerous pairs of New Balance sneakers over the years.

Just in time for back to school this year, my boys were each sent a new pair of New Balance sneakers. For my little guy, I chose the Hook and Loop 574 sneakers. He can tie, but is still a newbie & it’s a little slow going, so I thought the velcro closure might be a little better for him while he’s away all day at school. My oldest picked out his own sneakers and chose the Varsity 574. I’d say both pairs are pretty sharp looking, wouldn’t you?

I am excited to tell you about New Balance’s newest line – the Trip to the Zoo collection! This colorful collection of kicks is perfect for kids planning to hit the playground, explore the zoo, or impress at school! Featuring a lightweight EVA midsole, synthetic/mesh upper, and hook & loop closure for easy on/off, the new collection has been available since October 1^st in infant and preschool sizes at www.newbalance.com & in New Balance stores for $47.95-$54.95. Continue reading »

Fright Fest at Six Flags New England! Thrills By Day and Frights By Night! #Thrillitup #FrightFest

Oct 062014

Last weekend, my family and I were invited to check out Fright Fest at Six Flags New England. Not only do we love all things Halloween, but we love Six Flags, so to say that we were all excited about spending the day there is a complete understatement!

Six Flags New England offers family-friendly Halloween thrills during the day, but after 4 p.m., the ghouls come out to play. The park transforms into a fright-filled environment with walk-through attractions, scary shows and thrill rides that make the most of the season. Fright Fest is the largest Halloween event in New England with over 20 different attractions!

When the sun goes down, the ghouls come out. Watch as the park transforms from “Thrills by Day” to “Fright by Night.”

As you can see, the park was all decked out for Halloween:

The detail of the decorations was absolutely incredible and the folks at Six Flags New England clearly went all out! Continue reading »

A Day at the New England Aquarium via the Cultural Connector

Sep 082014

Last weekend my family decided that we wanted to spend the day in Boston. There is so much to do in the city, so we like to get the kiddos in there as much as we can. Since it was a lovely day out, we decided to take the new Cultural Connector, which is a first-of-its-kind water transportation service that provides a water shuttle linking Boston’s waterfront cultural destinations.

The Cultural Connector can bring you to six different cultural destinations on Boston’s historic waterfront:

Institute of Contemporary Art
Tea Party Ships and Museum
New England Aquarium
Boston Children’s Museum
Faneuil Hall
USS Constitution and Museum

We decided that we wanted to spend our day at New England Aquarium

I have been to the New England Aquarium many times over the course of my life. My very first school field trip was to the aquarium (kindergarten) and I love that the aquarium really hasn’t changed much over all these years. Continue reading »

Attention All Lords and Ladies – King Richard’s Faire is Now Open in Carver

Sep 042014

Last year, Chris and I took the gruesome twosome to King Richard’s Faire, our local Renaissance fair, which is open every September and October in Carver, MA. The boys loved King Richard’s Faire so much that we promised it was something we would do with them every year. Seriously, they have talked about it off and on all year long (you can read all about our day there last year by clicking here) and they were thrilled when we went back over Labor Day weekend. The fair includes all sorts of entertainment, exciting rides, shows, games and so much more on the 80-acre site of King Richard’s Faire.

As soon as you walk through the gate, you feel like you’re stepping into medieval times. Continue reading »

The Glacial Caves at Loon Mountain

Jul 292014

**Masshole Mommy received four complimentary tickets to visit the Adventure Center at Loon Mountain in order to facilitate this post. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own and were not influenced in any way**

While we were staying at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, New Hampshire a few weekends ago, one of the things we did was take a gondola ride up to the summit. We’ve stayed at Loon numerous times over the years, but it wasn’t until we got a Super Adventure Pass for their Adventure Center that we actually went to the top of the mountain.

There are a few things to do up on the summit of the mountain, including the Glacial Caves. There you can crawl, squeeze and climb your way through the really old caves & boulders that date back to the ice age. Seriously.

More than 12,000 years ago, the massive Laurentide Ice Sheet covered Loon Mountain in more than a mile of ice. When the ice melted, it left behind a whole bunch of ginormous boulders just below the summit. Now-a-days you can explore the small caverns and passageways tucked into the that area because they’ve built a wooden walkway throughout it. Continue reading »

Summer Fun at Loon Mountain

Jul 282014

Do you think the White Mountains of New Hampshire are just for winter fun? Think again. There are tons of things to do in the summertime and the Loon Mountain Adventure Center has a whole slew of great activities for you to do on your summer getaway! The best part is that you can customize your experience.

Want to do it all? The Super Adventure Pass is the way to go, which includes everything Loon has to offer. Check it out –

Only want to do certatin attractions? Check out the Loon Adventure Pass:

If you only have a few hours to spend, the Base Camp Pass or Bunyan’s Bouncin’ Backyard Pass might be perfect for you: Continue reading »

There is Something For Everyone at Water Country

Jul 152014

**Masshole Mommy and her family received complimentary admission, parking, cabana and a locker rental during the day of our visit. All opnions expressed here are strictly my own and were not influenced in any way**

Here in New England, we only get about three months of summer, so my family really tries to make the most of it. One thing we do every single year is head to the water park. This year, we decided to make the 90 minute ride up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to spend the day at Water Country and I am so happy we did.

One of the nice things at Water Country is that they offer cabanas, so you can have your own personal space for the day. We liked the idea of having a place to keep all of our stuff, so we happily set up shop in one of their Standard Cabanas, which was located right next to the Wave Pool. The cabanas at Water Country accommodate six people with a small table, 2 chairs and 2 Lounge chairs. No worries if you have extra guests because you can fit up to 2 additional people ($10 per guest) in the cabana with you. Continue reading »

A Look at Edaville USA’s Newest Attraction, Dinoland!

Jul 082014

Recently, the boys and I headed over to Edaville USA in Carver, MA for the Grand Opening of the newest addition to the park, Dinoland! In case you’ve never been, Edaville USA is a family fun amusement park located in South Carver, MA. In addition to Dinoland, the park features train rides through picturesque cranberry bogs, vintage amusement rides, indoor and outdoor play spaces, and some newly acquired modern rides.

I grew up going to Edaville and was super excited that I was invited to attend the VIP grand opening of Dinoland!

Dinoland offers children and adults a chance to travel through the wooded footpath and witness over 20 life-sized dinosaurs moving and roaring in an outdoor environment.

Purgatory Chasm

Jun 172014

You know how there are local places that you hear about over and over, but never seem to get to? For me, Purgatory Chasm was one of those places. I knew a ton of people that had gone, but I wasn’t entirely sure exactly what it was. So I did what anyone would do and Googled it.

This is what the mass.gov site had to say:

A unique natural landmark, Purgatory Chasm runs for a quarter of a mile between granite walls rising as high as 70 feet. Popular with picnickers and rock-climbers alike, the Chasm is believed to have its origin in the sudden release of dammed-up glacial meltwater near the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 14,000 years ago.

That sounds cool, right?

So, over Memorial Day weekend, we took a drive up there. It was about an hour from my house, but as soon as I saw the place – it was totally worth it! Continue reading »

The Newport Cliff Walk – Newport, RI

Jun 032014

On Mother’s Day, Chris and I decided to take the gruesome twosome for a walk along one of Newport’s most famous attractions – The Cliff Walk. The Cliff Walk is a 3.5 mile path along the gorgeous coastline of Newport, RI. The Cliff Walk runs behind several of the Newport Mansions and it’s an absolutely gorgeous place to go for a walk.

We started the walk at the beginning, which was right next to First Beach on Memorial Drive . At that point along the path, it’s paved and pretty easy to navigate, but there are some rocky, unpaved sections further down along the path. Continue reading »

Summer Fun at Water Country in Portsmouth, NH and a Discount on Tickets #WCFamilyFun

May 242014

This post is brought to you by Water Country in Portsmouth, NH

If there is one thing that my boys love, it’s playing the water. It was still chilly in April when they started asking when we were going to head up to Water Country in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Those boys are so silly because at that point we still had the heat on!

Anyhow, Chris and I always make sure that the boys get their fill of the water over the few short months of summer we have here in New England and we will be heading to Water Country soon enough. We love it there because there there is so much to do and it’s not far from Boston at all.

My boys usually spend most of their day at Water Country in the wave pool, but the Adventure River is right up there, too. Not to mention all the cool water slides they have there. It’s an awesome way to spend a day of family fun during the summer time!

Water Country’s grand opening is right around the corner on June 07 and guess what? I have a discount for you if you’re planning on going (and if you’ve never been, you should definitely plan on checking it out).

Just use the promo code ‘Blog30’ for $3.00 off of the $38.99 admission price or buy a Basic Season Pass and receive a Free Friend Ticket with promo code STAYPLAY!

Water Country’s is social, too, so be sure to follow them to keep up with their latest news and updates:

Twitter: @WaterCountry

Facebook:www.facebook.com/WaterCountry

Instagram: @WaterCountryWP

We’re heading up to Water Country early in July, so stay tuned to hear all about our adventures at the park!

Masshole Mommy is one of Water Country’s 2014 season bloggers. Park admission for my family was received, but all opinions expressed here are stictly my own and were not influenced in any way.

Boomer’s Playland in Carver, MA

Apr 292014

UPDATE: Boomer’s has closed it’s doors as of summer 2014!

**********************************************

My boys love going to indoor play places and one that we are frequent visitors at is called Boomer’s Playland in Carver, MA. It’s only about ten minutes from my house and the boys have a flippin’ blast every time we go there.

The main attraction at Boomer’s is their interactive Mega-Climber filled with tubes, nets, windows, mats, slides.

The Capron Park Zoo

Apr 062014

It may have been 40 degrees out a couple of weekends ago, but to us, it was a great day to head to the zoo. We have memberships to two local zoos and one of them is reciprocal with the Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro, MA, so we took a ride over there. The zoo is only about 20 minutes from my house and it’s quite possibly the smallest zoo of all time, but they have a nice playground, so that kind of makes it worth going.

The USS Massachusetts at Battleship Cove

Apr 012014

You may remember that a ways back I took the boys to Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA. It’s a collection of battleships that you can board and tour. Since I had taken so many pictures the day we were there, I decided to break up each battleship into separate posts rather than bombarding you with 859,234 pictures all in one absurdly long post.

Today I am sharing some of the pictures that I took while we were on board The USS Massachusetts.

A Field Trip to the Ocean Explorium in New Bedford

Mar 312014

About two weeks ago, I got to chaperone my first grader’s field trip to the Ocean Explorium in New Bedford. My family used to be members there, so he was familiar with the place, but for many of the kids, it was their first time there.

Three out of the six first grade classes went on the field trip that day & the other three went the following day. The people at the Ocean Explorium split each classroom into groups and we went through four separate stations as a group. The Ocean Explorium is relatively small, so I think that was the best way to run things.

Our first stop was Science on a Sphere. Using high-speed computers, multiple projectors and advanced imaging techniques, Science on a Sphere creates an image of the planet in 3-D. Continue reading »

The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University

Mar 152014

Last week I told you about our visit to the Harvard Museum of Natural History. We had no idea that when we got our tickets for that museum, that another museum was included in the admission price. The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is attached to the natural history museum on the 3rd floor, so you can walk right into the second museum after you are done with all the fun stuff in the The Museum of Natural History.

Because we were limited on time the day we were there, we only got to see one floor of the Peabody Museum. There are three floors, so I think another visit is in order soon. The day we were there, we got to learn a little bit about the history of Latin America. The first exhibit that we came to was called Storied Walls: Murals of the Americas.

Storied Walls: Murals of the Americas explores the spectacular wall paintings from the Maya murals of San Bartolo and Bonampak in Guatemala and Mexico, respectively; and the Moche huacas of northern Peru. The artists and artisans who adorned these walls left stunning visual accounts of some of the most significant and enduring stories of their times—stories that insist upon being read, even now, centuries after their creation.

The original art works remain for the most part in situ. Storied Walls uses the photographs and drawings of archaeologists, models, and fragments of original murals to examine the meanings and social uses of murals within the Maya, and Moche cultures; the history of their discoveries and investigations by affiliates of the Peabody Museum and others; and ongoing efforts to preserve and restore these fragile painted surfaces.

Here are a few of the pictures I took of the items on display:

The USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr at Battleship Cove

Mar 142014

Today I am sharing some of the pictures that I took while we were on board The USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.

The Museum of Science, Boston

Mar 112014

We recently took a trip into the Museum of Science in Boston with the boys. It’s one of their favorite places to go because of all the hands-on learning they get to do there. They think they’re playing, but they’re really learning at the same time!

There are three floors of exhibits, so it’s usually a jam packed day whenever we go there.

Older Entries Newer Entries