Makes me wish we had kids again!

---------- Original Message ---------- From: New England Partners <today@newengland.com> To: rryals@comcast.net Date: 12/19/2023 3:06 PM EST Subject: 💜 of MA: These mega-fun activities will give you cred with your kids!

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Be the Cool Parents These mega-fun activities will give you cred with your kids. [The Heart of MA] http://link.newengland.com/q/UACVoX3RTwq0XGotAn_lwaPh9UD1oDo3AojZcOJcnJ5YWxz... Sponsored by: The Heart of MA http://link.newengland.com/q/8o8xcMzrnqt0XTd69TCJUvYecIg1cmh3PsoZcOJcnJ5YWxz... Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism http://link.newengland.com/q/NYV0BwgP3qO0X08yLipmqz9lVAedBeJn4B0ZcOJcnJ5YWxz... [Urban Air]

Dodgeball gets a bouncy makeover courtesy of Urban Air in Bellingham, with a trampoline arena adding high jumps and soft landings to the proceedings.

Keeping kids active and engaged during cabin-fever season doesn’t have to feel like a challenge. It might just be your chance to show them how awesome you are. Central Massachusetts has a sleighful of family-friendly indoor and outdoor activities to help you warm up a winter weekend, and even more to do when the first buds of spring arrive.

Do More Outdoors

Kids are seemingly impervious to weather when they’re playing and having fun, and Ski Ward http://link.newengland.com/q/ssamrjXdps80X6U7JszZHHJTjffPrSs5s2sZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in Shrewsbury has plenty of opportunities for both with nine ski and snowboard trails and a tubing park with a dozen lanes. Ski Ward’s 220 feet of vertical drop is rightsized for a half day (or magical evening) on the slopes, especially when learners and little ones are along for the ride.

Families can strap on skates and glide around the Worcester Common Oval http://link.newengland.com/q/xqpWkayfv1w0X0KGflzl3Sjk90i0k7KKRIEZcOJcnJ5YWxz.... The 12,000-square-foot rink is also the best vantage point for the city’s winter lighting installation that glows throughout December. Before or after hitting the ice, look for the big neon sign beckoning diners to George’s Coney Island http://link.newengland.com/q/4FfAeMt1wz80XxD8aDcDQ-RGGs3ee1tG2M3ZcOJcnJ5YWxz..., serving up snappy hot dogs and other kid-friendly fare on nearby Southbridge Street since 1918.

Princeton’s Cornerstone Ranch http://link.newengland.com/q/itm8fmIUI9i0XsgWdN6AKE_Jzxgofbefw00ZcOJcnJ5YWxz... lets visitors ride a horse, drive a horse, or get pulled around by a horse, snow or no. Trail rides are offered year-round, as are classes that introduce kids and adults to driving a wagon or sleigh. Prefer to have a pro at the reins? The ranch also has half-hour wagon and sleigh rides that end with hot cocoa and s’mores by a warming bonfire. Or stop at Stone Cow Brewery http://link.newengland.com/q/hs_n2Qf6rkN0XOc6LzERUoYVw42L2Y6GslnZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in nearby Barre, where most of the Barn Kitchen’s ingredients are grown or raised on-site, and kids can amuse themselves on the sledding hill while adults sip a Cows Out Milk Stout or two.

Ninety rope bridges, 16 ziplines, and three “leaps of faith” are sprinkled across nine aerial courses at Boundless Adventures http://link.newengland.com/q/Gz7k9t2Q9G10XZfH3XX1P_LzB4B89tLuuRrZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in Berlin, open early April through late November. Courses are tailored to different ability levels, and there are day and night options for families with kids ages seven and up. Escape the chill! http://link.newengland.com/q/lggGso8HSA80XHsFwBjfjYGHh2f9s89O40VZcOJcnJ5YWxz... Discover the vibrant Heart of Massachusetts—just an hour from Boston, Providence, Hartford, or Manchester. Our guide unlocks endless adventures in this colorful season. Stay, play, and embrace cherished traditions! Read Now http://link.newengland.com/q/zi-uEqA1BCr0XGIbZLAa1G2Sw6KYEOpACjOZcOJcnJ5YWxz... SPONSORED

The Great Indoors

Not every winter day is ideal for outdoor fun, but the Heart of MA is sitting pretty when it comes to indoor adventures, even if the weather turns ugly.

[Worcester’s EcoTarium.] Built in the 1960s by the Louis Paul Jonas Studios, the life-size Siegfried the Stegosaurus statue greets visitors at Worcester’s EcoTarium. The EcoTarium http://link.newengland.com/q/LHEdGQRWJOy0XIOL7goVEEHKg_9fGvlmzbIZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in Worcester makes science rad with interactive displays like a hurricane simulator, a climbing wall where kids learn about rocks and minerals as they ascend, and a planetarium with daily sky shows. Knowledge from the Secrets of the Forest exhibition can be applied on hikes around the EcoTarium’s 45-acre grounds. Try to catch a Worcester Railers http://link.newengland.com/q/jKOrP_4-ODC0XKuo2K2_6mGRs-twPGNMPprZcOJcnJ5YWxz... hockey game at the DCU Center http://link.newengland.com/q/VVOqVnLOAug0XwRKVYKgku8G1jZgVBclP4RZcOJcnJ5YWxz... between October and April, too.

Stimulate young minds and bond as teammates at escape-room destinations like Escape Games Worcester, http://link.newengland.com/q/RlZA2pu-lgI0X00WHMiXKM_q64fo2HooELpZcOJcnJ5YWxz... where you can choose from four adventures including a Hollywood murder mystery. Or become a UFO “truther” at Live Action Escapes’ http://link.newengland.com/q/pKHPkq1Cvmi0XC2Pojsinndg_-4ZkEvwFgGZcOJcnJ5YWxz... extraterrestrial-themed brain teaser, one of five escape rooms at this Worcester complex. For older kids, Natick’s Level99 http://link.newengland.com/q/eeNx6OiATuy0X2b4d-U7V2KSWU_86YJS4vLZcOJcnJ5YWxz... amps up the challenges with 40 themed escape rooms, scavenger hunts, and one-on-one competitions including elements like mazes and a ceiling full of swinging axes.

“I’m bored” might be the rarest phrase ever spoken at Apex Entertainment http://link.newengland.com/q/enlxVQlpFA20Xk-MQsOa_-dvbwHHV--q2JlZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in Marlborough, which has acres of indoor activities including go-kart racing, a two-story laser-tag arena, 18 holes of glow-in-the-dark mini golf, bowling, an arcade, and—dangling above it all—a ropes course. Active families will also enjoy bouncing around the Altitude Trampoline Park http://link.newengland.com/q/2Pez_nlHlmr0X0333RDB7RVL0vYE_oxN4E5ZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in Marlborough or Urban Air Adventure Park http://link.newengland.com/q/ivCmQApa4ga0XdGvblFieicATRr5QnGN5rKZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in Bellingham, where attractions also include an aerial course, indoor playground, and dodgeball court.

Mini golf, a ropes course, and a live-action fantasy game are part of the fun at Great Wolf Lodge http://link.newengland.com/q/gfhz_iGsymr0Xx037FiG7QVgByC-_VRYPEXZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in Fitchburg, but the big lure is the resort’s massive indoor water park with age-appropriate attractions for everyone from tots to teens. Slides, tube rides, a wave pool, a lazy river, and constant warmth banish the winter blues. [Plain View Farm’s friendly alpacas] Open Sundays or by appointment, Plain View Farm’s friendly alpacas, llamas, and chickens make good family-friendly company. Walk with the Animals

You know who doesn’t mind the cold? Animals that wear big furry coats. Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm http://link.newengland.com/q/s1o5ELZJHVR0XB8cmua6UiuN_jSlElG7sfUZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in Lincoln and Worcester’s Green Hill Park http://link.newengland.com/q/RQVbvKOJeAy0XzvVTb-CESfdOAc_v_FsfuLZcOJcnJ5YWxz... both have year-round petting zoos populated with farm animals. At Plain View Farm http://link.newengland.com/q/Pax2x1HD2td0XJSWCnIpKO_LxCW6xf4PPYrZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in Hubbardston, you can meet a pack of alpacas and shop for super-soft winter hats and gloves.

Southwick’s Zoo http://link.newengland.com/q/0JOEhsWK_VS0XG4x632HY1RzvDSohHr9aXDZcOJcnJ5YWxz... in Mendon hosts an annual Winter Wonderland holiday light display from mid-November through the end of December, with possible bonus viewings of cold-loving zoo animals. For the full experience—including animal-encounter programs, a trail through a deer forest, and a rainforest-themed maze—the zoo reopens for spring in mid-April. [The heart of MA] http://link.newengland.com/q/32JN8Gf_Hli0X4JPv7gYnudytabU82e8CpxZcOJcnJ5YWxz... SPONSORED

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