March 2016 – Salem Happenings

Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure

Do you want to do something with your kids this weekend, but they’re a little too old for an Easter egg hunt? Have you always been a big fan of board games and/or the TV show, The Amazing Race? Are you planning to be somewhere in the Boston area this weekend? Well, if you answered yes to some or all of these questions, Urban Adventure Quest may have the perfect way for you to entertain your family this weekend.

This is because Urban Adventure Quest is hosting an Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure from 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. every Saturday from now until the end of the year. This event will take you on a two to three hour tour of Boston where you will have the opportunity to use your smartphone to figure out clues, carry out challenging objectives, and learn more about this incredible city that so many people call home. For more information on the Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure, which begins at Boston Common for approximately $50 a team of 5 or less (there are often promotional discounts and special offers available online for Urban Adventure Quest as well), please visit the Urban Adventure Quest website.

Photo credit: Vignesh Ananth via Visualhunt.com / CC BY

South Boston Saint Patrick’s Day Parade

Saint Patrick’s Day may have been yesterday, but if you were one of the unlucky souls that got stuck working late, don’t worry. The luck of the Irish may still be with you. In fact, it just so happens that the South Boston Saint Patrick’s Day parade is scheduled to take place this Sunday (March 20, 2016) at 1:00 P.M. As a result, if you’re looking for a way to celebrate the holiday a little late, heading to South Boston could definitely be a good call.

The parade, which will start at the Broadway T station on West Broadway and head east until it loops around to end on Dorchester Street right next to Dorchester Avenue and the Andrew T stop, will feature just about everything, including bagpipes, duck boats, drums, minutemen, Stormtroopers, and a whole lot more. Best of all, the event is completely free (unless your kids talk you into buying them all of that magnificent green swag.) For more information on the South Boston Saint Patrick’s Day parade, please visit the South Boston Parade website.

Photo credit: Bryan Maleszyk via Visual Hunt / CC BY

Celebrating a Lion’s Birthday

Today is actually my mother’s birthday, and while it is a special day for my family, it’s certainly not the only birthday this weekend. In fact, as you have probably guessed, there are a number of people both famous and not-so-famous who are celebrating their birthdays this weekend as well. However, if you don’t happen to know any of these people, you may be looking for a way to join in on the celebratory fun. Fortunately, if this is indeed the case and you are looking for a way to join in on all of the birthday fun even though it’s not your birthday, it just so happens that there are a pair of lions at the Franklin Park Zoo who are celebrating their birthdays tomorrow.

Dinari and Kamaia, who are actually brothers, are both celebrating their seventh birthday from 10:15 AM to 2:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, March 12, 2016). This celebration will allow you to see the lions playing with special birthday enrichment items, learn interesting facts about the lions, and sign a giant birthday card. Best of all, you will actually be able to enjoy a slice of birthday cake if you are one of the first 200 people to join in on the festivities. For more information on the Lion Birthday Celebration at the Franklin Park Zoo, which is included in the zoo’s normal admission price, please visit Zoo New England’s Special Events page.

Photo credit: Corey Leopold via Visualhunt.com / CC BY

Boston: The Home of Weird Weather and History

There are very few places on Earth where the weather can go from 55 and sunny to 27 and snowing within 48 hours, but Boston has always been one of them. In fact, it was this kind of weather that made it so hard for the pilgrims that first settled here to survive the long, harsh, and completely bizarre winters of New England. However, Boston is not only known for its strange weather but also for its rich history, and one of the most unfortunate events in Boston history actually occurred exactly 246 years ago tomorrow on March 5, 1770. This tragic event, which is known as the Boston Massacre, played a large role in beginning the American Revolution, but even though it was an infamous event at the time, it has largely been forgotten by textbooks and the average person alike.

Fortunately, if you would like to explore Boston’s history and learn about one of the key catalysts of the American Revolution, you’re in luck because it just so happens that there is a Boston Massacre Commemoration and Reenactment this weekend. This event, which is scheduled to take place from 11:00 A.M. to approximately 8:00 P.M. on the anniversary of the event (tomorrow, March 5, 2016), will allow you and your children to see what the daily lives of the citizens of Boston and British soldiers within Boston would have been like at the time, watch a reenactment of the trial of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre, and see a reenactment of the Massacre itself. Best of all, the event is completely free for children 18 and under and is completely free for adults with the exception of the trial (space for the Trial of the Century is limited, and admission to the trial is included in admission to the Old State House.) For more information on the Boston Massacre Commemoration and Reenactment, which will take place in and around the Old State House in Boston, please visit the Bostonian Society’s Old State House Events page.

Photo credit: Kinchan1 via Foter.com / CC BY