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Discover garden & pasture
Join Coggeshall Farm staff for daily programs showcasing the daily lives of 1790s salt marsh tenant farmers. On Sundays, the summer garden takes center stage with activities designed to make children feel engaged and helpful. From watering, feeding, planting, and harvesting, there is something for everyone to do! At 1 p.m., visitors have a chance to get close to the animals on a pasture walk and see Coggeshall Farm livestock graze. Children and adults will love this nature stroll (wearing comfortable shoes and long pants are suggested).
Total eclipse of the heart!
Where else would you want to be for next week’s solar eclipse than at Rhode Island’s very own planetarium! The Museum of Natural History is hosting a celebration with family fun activities, including a reserved common area outside for safe eclipse viewing, a NASA TV MegaCast view of the totality path, education activities, and a planetarium show! The special planetarium show begins at 1 p.m. and prime viewing of the eclipse is at 2:47 on the dot. Receive solar eclipse viewing glasses with the purchase of museum tickets.
The Redcoats are coming!
Join the Newport Historical Society for its largest reenactment to date, the 1777 British Occupation. During this free afternoon event, over 75 costumed re-enactors will recreate aspects of life during the summer of 1777 in the heart of Newport’s Old Quarter. The afternoon program will open with an argument between two gentlemen who favor the crown and will close with the capture of General Prescott. In between are tons of activities and challenges to help you kids see the history of politics in real time! To find out about the full program and all afternoon activities, click here.
The Museum of Work & Culture’s Annual Labor Day Open House
The MoWC’s free annual Labor Day Open House kicks off the 20th anniversary celebration with some special friends and radio personalities. Along with Rhode Island PBS – the event will welcome Julia, a new friend from Sesame Street! A sweet and curious four-year-old girl with autism, Julia made her onscreen debut in April. Families have the opportunity to visit, interact, and have their photo taken with Walkaround Julia. Three meet-and-greet sessions will take place at 10am, 11am, and 12pm. All participating families will also receive copies of We’re Amazing, 1, 2, 3!, a storybook featuring Julia.
While the MoWC does offer award-winning low-sensory programming for visitors on the spectrum, the Labor Day Open House will not be a low-sensory environment. However, tools and services – including color communication badges, hands-on activities, and trained staff from the Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment – will be available to visitors.
A harvest fest for family!
Two full days of old-fashioned fun and games, with live music, yummy food, games, fun crafts, hay rides, pony rides, and much more! Against the backdrop of a working 18th century living history farm, Coggeshall Farm, visitors of all ages can try their hand at more than a dozen competitions (inspired from the 18th-century!) including corn shucking, sack races, and French & English (better known as tug-of-war). For music, enjoy award-winning duo, Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly, who will perform traditional American and Celtic folk songs. Julio Amaro will also perform with classical guitar, creating flamenco, Latin, and world music. In addition, grab some quintessential Rhode Island treats provided by a variety of food vendors, along with Coggeshall Farm’s own famous jonnycakes.
Admission: Entrance to Harvest Fair is $7 for adults; $5 for kids 5-12 years of age, seniors, and active military; free for children under 4 and Coggeshall members. The entrance fee includes games, competitions, performances and selected craft activities.
Kids Concert with Foxtrot Music
As part of the Hunter Music Series, head over to the lawn of Lippitt House Museum for a free afternoon concert with Foxtrot Music. The genius behind Foxtrot Music is Kirsten Murphy, who plays guitar, piano, ukulele, and sometimes the banjo. She uses puppetry, storybooks, singing, dancing, and lots of hands-on time with instruments to create lessons that engage curiosity, joy, and participation. The concert will be a whole body, mind, and heart experience! And lots of hands-on instruments for the kids!
Windmills and garden tips
Do you have a garden? Or are you planting seedlings with your children? Whether you’re growing lettuce or lupines, it’s important to know who to turn to for advice – and the URI Master Gardeners are here to help! Bring your questions, your little ones, and even a soil sample from your garden for free analysis. Explore the grounds, see the ducks in the pond, and check out the old Robert Sherman Windmill. Prescott Farm is a gem!
The Great Road Day
Six historic sites along seventeenth-century Great Road (Route 123) in Lincoln, Rhode Island, host special tours and displays! All sites are open free to the public: Arnold House, Blackstone Valley Historical Society, Hannaway Blacksmith Shop, Hearthside, Saylesville Meeting House, and Valentine Whitman Jr. House. You can pile your family into the car and take a short jaunt between all the sites, or just make it a destination day! Explore the area and discover how local residents and visitors lived and worked from the seventeenth century through the twentieth century. Taking place during late September when leaves start to change their colors, a day trip along this route is sure to be beautiful. The historic homes, farms, and mills create a rolling landscape along the Great Road Historic District, which retains much of the Blackstone Valley’s early 19th-century rural character.
American Girl Baking Workshop
The Museum of Work & Culture’s Third Annual American Girl Baking Workshop will once again celebrate Blackstone Valley’s American Girl, Grace Thomas, whose passions include French, baking, and her bulldog Bonbon. The Baking Workshop will happen in conjunction with Wright’s Dairy Farm & Bakery. Young bakers will receive a chef’s hat and pink apron and, after a demonstration by Wright’s Bakery’s pastry chef Paul Dulude, will fill and glaze éclairs with all ingredients and baking materials provided by Wright’s.
Admission is $25 per baker; $6 per accompanying adult. Admission to the MoWC is included! Space is limited and early registration is strongly encouraged. Tickets are available for purchase at shopmowc.com.
Battle Of Chase Farm
For the first time, Chase Farm Park will be hosting Revolutionary War re-enactors. For kids with active imaginations, this brings the history of our country to life, in the way no movie can! More than 200 or so re-enactors will be portraying camp life, performing drills, and acting out different scenarios. For children, this is a chance to see, feel, hear, and experience the past and engage with new ideas and situations; understand history by being part of it! While Hearthside wasn’t even around during the Revolutionary War, the great-great-grandfather of Arnold Talbot (owner of Hearthside 1904-1926) was Silas Talbot of Providence, a courageous hero who distinguished himself as both an army colonel and as a highly successful naval captain during the American Revolution. Silas’ portrait hangs over the dining room fireplace at Hearthside as the patriarch of the Talbot family.