Boston Flora

Category: Cape Cod & Islands

  • Friday, December 2 – Sunday, December 4 – Nantucket Christmas Stroll

    Nantucket is particularly enchanting during the holiday season, when New England’s finest traditions come alive for the 48th Annual Christmas Stroll Weekend, December 2nd – 4th, 2022, part of Nantucket Noel, a months-long celebration organized by the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce.

    The Annual Christmas Stroll Weekend is a community holiday celebration attracting visitors from around the world. Santa Claus arrives to the island via  Coast Guard vessel and rides up Main Street in a jolly red fire truck accompanied by the Town Crier. Carolers in Victorian costumes, bell ringers, student choirs and other musicians perform on the Main Street stage as well as stroll through town performing, all the while visitors can enjoy Nantucket’s unique shops and restaurants.

    For more information, visit the. Annual Christmas Stroll Weekend webpage.

  • Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, November 25 – Friday, December 23 – Gardens Aglow

    This year Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich will continue the celebration of lights that has become a treasured holiday tradition with a fully outdoor experience. This event features beautiful light displays throughout the gardens, as well as many activities throughout the grounds. Roast marshmallows at the fire pits. Participate in a reindeer scavenger hunt.

    Tickets must be purchased online in advance, are date specific, and have a time-specific entry. Walk up ticket sales are not guaranteed at the door. All tickets are date and time specific, and attendance is limited to provide a safe, high-quality experience for all. Tickets are non-refundable and are only valid for the date and entry time for which they are purchased. Restrooms are located near the entrance and portable restrooms are located near the back of the property. More information is found at

    Tickets are $20 for Heritage members; $22 nonmembers , Youth $11/$12, 2 and under free. Buy tickets at www.heritagemuseumandgardens.org

  • Friday & Saturday, November 11 & 12, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – CranFest – CANCELLED

    Massachusetts Cranberries and Plimoth Patuxet Museums are excited to present, in partnership—CranFest—a two-day festive celebration of the cranberry, its enduring history in the Commonwealth and role in the culture, livelihood, and culinary traditions of the region.Come enjoy all the fun seasonal activities that will take place on the grounds of Plimoth Patuxet Museums. Live music sets a festive mood all weekend long and each day has a different theme. Foodie Day on November 12 centers on lectures, culinary purveyors, food trucks, and local spirits tastings, highlighted by a Cranberry Recipe Competition. Established in 1888 to standardize the measure with which cranberries are sold, the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association is one of the country’s oldest farmers’ organizations. Today, the trade organization for Massachusetts Cranberries represents approximately 275 growers throughout Massachusetts. This unity has given growers both a single voice and collective strength in promoting the cranberry industry. NOTE: We have just learned the festival has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances but the museum hopes to be back with this event in 2023.

  • Friday, October 14 – Sunday, October 16, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Art in Bloom Flower Show at Heritage Museums & Gardens

    Objects from Heritage Museums & Gardens’ permanent collection will be uniquely showcased in this special three-day Floral Design event, held in the Heald Center of the J.K. Lilly III Automobile Gallery. Dozens of floral designers from Cape Cod and the Southeastern Massachusetts area will delight visitors with top-quality floral interpretations of objects from Heritage’s own collection, chosen by each designer. Each floral design will be staged with a mounted photo of the artwork. Free with admission or membership. No advance registration required. Free for Heritage members, $21 Adult / $11 Youth / Free 2 & under for nonmembers. For more information visit www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org

  • Wednesday, September 21, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Design for Habitats, Gardens, & Landscapes of Refuge on Randall’s Island

    Randall’s Island is known for sports and outdoor music as well as a place for health and social institutions. However, most New Yorkers are unaware that the island is also home to many acres of wetlands, woodlands, meadows, and ornamental gardens that create beauty and sanctuary in a landscape surrounded by the bustle of New York City. Landscape and garden designer Veronica Tyson-Strait will share the Randall’s Island that she knows: an oasis for birds, butterflies, and anyone seeking refuge. She will also share strategies to enhance biodiversity in your own garden. This program on September 21 at 5:30 pm is co-sponsored by the Polly Hill Arboretum and by the Dukes Soil Conservation District and The Nature Conservancy. In person, in an open air building. $5 PHA members, $10 nonmembers – space is limited.

    Registration is required. Sign up at bit.ly/Veronica-Tyson-Strait-Lecture

  • Wednesday, September 7, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Amazon Forest Agricultural Expansion and Climate Change

    Dr. Marcia Macedo, Water Program Director and Senior Scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center, takes a unique view of the Amazon forests as she explores how agricultural expansion and climate change is altering the flow of water through tropical landscapes, focusing on hotspots of connection between upland forests and aquatic systems like streams and rivers. Dr. Macedo has Brazilian roots and feels a strong cultural tie to the region she is now studying. The September 7 lecture begins at 5:30 and is sponsored by and held at Highfield Hall, 56 Highfield Drive in Falmouth, and is $10.

    Register online now or call, 508-495-1878 ext. 2

  • Saturday, August 27, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, August 28, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – 10th Annual Kill Tide Arts & Crafts Festival

    In late August the Full Sturgeon Moon causes a flood tide which drowns the larval pupae of dreaded Greenhead Flies …a cyclical phenomenon known locally as the Kill Tide. On August 27 and 28, at Drummer Boy Park, 773 Main Street, Route 6A in Brewster, come to a free event celebrating the Kill Tide. Over 100 Juried Artisans will display and sell their American made arts and crafts; including Photography, Tile, Fine Art, Silver Jewelry, Hair Accessories, Quilts, Personal Care, Soy Candles, Trivets, Flags, Painted Doormats, Pottery, Doll Clothes, Adult Apparel, Pet Gifts, Pillows, Fiber Art, Wreaths, Stained Glass, Children’s Clothing, Wire Wrapped Jewelry, Tole, Shell Crafts, Baskets, Ornaments, Photo-art, Leather, Metal Garden Sculpture, Sea Glass Jewelry, Mosaic, Paper Crafts, Stoneware, Original Painting, Growth Chart, Nautical Home Décor, Folk Art, Furniture, Metal Signs, Up-cycled Fiber Art, Rail Road Spike Art and much more. For complete information visit https://castleberryfairs.com/kill-tide-arts-and-craft-festival-2022/

  • Restoration of the Herring River

    Reporter David Abel of the Boston Globe has written a “must read” piece on the Herring River in Wellfleet. The Federal and state restoration project is the largest in the nation’s history. Enormous ecological benefits will result. The link to the article is https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/07/27/science/century-later-resurrecting-river-vital-ecosystem/?s_campaign=breakingnews:newsletter If you hit a paywall, consider subscribing, supporting regional journalism, helping fund excellent reporting such as this. You can also follow the project at http://www.friendsofherringriver.org/

    John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

  • Wednesday, August 24, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Secrets of the Sargasso Sea: Blooms, Biodiversity, and Ocean Tipping Points

    Jeff Schell, oceanographer and chief scientist with Sea Education Association (SEA), has spent his career teaching, sailing and conducting oceanographic research. In that time, he has set sail on more than 40 SEA Semester cruises and spent over 1,600 days at sea. Much of this time was spent exploring the Sargasso Sea, a mysterious part of the ocean so named for the presence of drifting Sargassum algae that harbors a diverse community of unique organisms.

    Through decades of study, many secrets of the Sargasso Sea have been revealed; however, many questions remain. Jeff will share a few SEA stories from his voyages and highlight recent discoveries made in the Sargasso with the help of students and colleagues. This lecture will take place at Highfield Hall, 56 Highfield Drive in Falmouth, on August 24 at 5:30 pm.

    Register online now or call, 508-495-1878 ext. 2. $10.

  • Wednesday, August 24, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life: Citizen Science and Biodiversity

    The Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury is hosting a free public lecture on Wednesday, August 24 at 5:30 pm.

    Launched in 2021 by BiodiversityWorks and the Betsy and Jesse Fink Family Foundation, the Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life project seeks to enlist a broad community of nature enthusiasts to document the distinctive biodiversity of Martha’s Vineyard. We protect what we value; we value what we understand—preservation of the Island’s irreplaceable biological wealth ultimately depends on building a constituency of Vineyarders committed to studying and preserving diversity. MVAL Program Director Matt Pelikan will explain how the Atlas of Life is achieving this through tapping both archival information and the power of “citizen science” websites.

    Registration is required. Sign up here: bit.ly/MV-Atlas-of-Life-Lecture