Things to Do
Outdoor Ice Skating Around Boston, Winter 2026-27
MarketStreet opens Nov 13, the Tall Ship Nov 27. Frog Pond, Kendall and Kelly have not announced 2026-27 hours. Which to pick, and how to get there.
Family
Holiday Train Rides Near Boston for Kids, 2026
Edaville, the Polar Express on Cape Cod, Santa trains in New Hampshire and a trolley in Maine: dates, prices and booking tips for the 2026 season.
Home
Before the First Snow: A Massachusetts Home Checklist
The winter prep that is specific to Massachusetts: CO law, parking and hydrant rules, a free Mass Save audit, outage numbers and generator rules.
Photo: Domenico Convertini / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0Day Trips
Portsmouth, NH at Christmas: Parade and Candlelight
A day-trip plan for Portsmouth's Dec. 5 holiday parade and Strawbery Banke's Candlelight Stroll: dates, tickets, getting there from Boston, and parking.
Feature · Things to Do
Photo: Fletcher6 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0A December Day in Salem, After the Halloween Crowds
Holiday tours at the Seven Gables, a market at Old Town Hall, museums, a wharf walk and how to get there by commuter rail, with 2026 dates.
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The calendar
This weekend, and the weeks ahead
Market · On now
Snowport
Music · Tue, Nov 10
Geoff Tate: Operation: Mindcrime, The Final Chapter
Music · Tue, Nov 10
The Music Box Open Mic
Community · Wed, Nov 11
Melrose Veterans Day Ceremony
Family · Thu, Nov 12
Creative Kids, Jr.: Pipe Cleaner Fall Corn
Museum · Fri, Nov 13
Drop-In Art Making: Noguchi-Inspired Light Sculptures
Music · Fri, Nov 13
Dweezil Zappa: DZ20, Like Father Like Son
Music · Fri, Nov 13
Mamma Mania: The American Tribute to ABBA
Out and about around Boston
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Things to Do
A North Shore Cold-Weather Plan: Salem, Lynn, Wenham
Four cold-weather days on the North Shore: Salem museums, a Wednesday free night in Lynn, Wenham in the morning, Topsfield trails and candlepin.
Photo: Das Nili / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Things to Do
Free Holiday Things to Do in Boston This December
A dated December calendar of free tree lightings, a car-free Newbury Street, a Portsmouth parade and North Shore holiday weekends.
Photo: Melikamp / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Things to Do
Winter Walks North of Boston: Six Trails and Parking
Six winter walks north of Boston, the Fells to Halibut Point, with where to park, what it costs now, and the dog rules at each.
What to eat and drink nearby
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Eat & Drink
Thanksgiving Pie Orders North of Boston, 2026
Pie pre-order deadlines run Nov. 17 to 22 at North Shore and Cape Ann bakeries and farms. Pickup days, prices and the charity pie, sorted by date.
Photo: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0Eat & Drink
Holiday Market Food and Drink: Seaport, SoWa, Salem
Where to eat and drink at Boston's Snowport and SoWa Christmas Market, plus Salem's Old Town Hall fair and Notch's German market, with hours and prices.
Photo: Jane023 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Eat & Drink
Farm Stands and Orchards Open Late, North of Boston
North Shore and Merrimack Valley farms still open for cider donuts, pies and Christmas trees in November and December, and which have closed.
Home
Ice Dams on New England Roofs: Causes, Fixes, What to Skip
Ice dams come from heat leaking into the attic. Start with a free Mass Save assessment, then air sealing, insulation and, in a storm, a steam crew.
Home
Massachusetts Waste Bans: What You Can't Put in the Trash
Mattresses, textiles, old TVs, batteries and leaves are banned from Massachusetts trash. What is on the state list, and where to take each item.
Home
Massachusetts Winter Heating Help and Shutoff Rules
How HEAP fuel assistance works this winter, who is protected from utility shutoffs, how budget billing smooths January bills, and who to call.
Local
Overnight Parking Bans: Rules for 42 Towns
Eighteen of 42 Boston-area towns ban overnight street parking on a schedule; eighteen act only when a storm is declared. Find yours, with fines.
Local
Christmas Tree Pickup by Town: Dates and Drop-Offs
Curbside tree pickup dates for Greater Boston towns, A to Z: 2027 dates where posted, last year's schedule where not, and drop-off spots.
Photo: Elizabeth B. Thomsen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Local
Beverly This Month: Cabot, Larcom and the Train
What is on at the Cabot and the Larcom through early December, plus Lynch Park in the off-season and where to park for the train.
Photo: Lauren A Siegel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Family
Free Things to Do With Kids Around Boston in Winter
Museums that are free for kids or on set nights, national park sites, the Arnold Arboretum and a winter market: free days out with posted hours.
Photo: 4300streetcar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0Family
Indoor Things to Do With Kids Around Boston in Winter
Three North Shore museums plus Boston's children's museum and aquarium and a climbing gym: hours and prices for cold days.
Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons, Public domainFamily
Library Museum Passes Near Boston: Rules by Town
Booking rules for library museum passes in Melrose, Malden, Medford, Stoneham, Wakefield, Lynn, Salem and Somerville.
Photo: Adavyd / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Day Trips
Gloucester and Rockport in Winter: A Cape Ann Day Trip
Motif No. 1, Bearskin Neck, Halibut Point and the Cape Ann Museum, with weekend train times from North Station and a car-free plan.
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Day Trips
Newport at Christmas: A Timed Day of Mansions and Harbor
Two itineraries for Newport's holiday mansions, Sparkling Lights and the Bowen's Wharf tree lighting, with hours, tickets and free winter parking.
How things work around here
See all Explainers
Explainers
Mass Save Heat Pump Rebates Explained for 2026
How much Mass Save pays for a heat pump in 2026, what whole-home and partial-home mean, how the 0% loan works, and what changes on January 1, 2027.
Explainers
MBTA Commuter Rail Fares, Zones and Parking North of Boston
Fare by station on the Newburyport/Rockport, Haverhill and Lowell lines, plus parking rates and when the $10 weekend pass beats a round trip.
Explainers
FY2027 Property Tax Abatement Deadlines by Town
Abatement deadlines for Cambridge, Boston, Somerville, Reading, Melrose and more, plus how to read the bill and how an abatement works.
Snow rules, trash, events
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