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Adventures Out

All Creatures Great and Small

My family loves to go to the local zoos, especially to see the zebras. But there are other places in Massachusetts to find amazing animals. Here are three special spots to experience animals up close and personal. Check the web sites for dates and hours.

Howling with the Wolves

At Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, meet Weeble, Nina, and other British Columbian timber wolves in an almost natural setting. During the one-hour presentation, discover how the personalities of these gray wolves define how they fit within the group dynamic. Learn how wolves went from predator to prey after interactions with humans and how people are now trying to preserve the species in the wild. Find out how wolves benefit the natural order and the environment. Then join the wolf pack in a howling chorus.

Endangered Livestock

When we think of barnyard animals, the words exotic, rare, or endangered don't usually come to mind. But these are what you'll find at Davis Farmland in Sterling. Meet Buddha (a Pyrenean mountain goat), Arnold (an Ossabaw Island hog), Pete (a Poitou ass), Brook (a Scottish Highland cow), and Old Spots (a Gloucestershire pig)---all ancestral breeds of modern farm animals. As the largest private sanctuary for endangered livestock in North America, Davis Farmland keeps species alive, some that were around during the days of the woolly mammoth or the Roman Empire.

During the day, you can participate in scheduled farm activities such as milking, bottle feeding, and egg collecting. Or, if you time your visit just right, see new baby animals arrive and play the new-parent name game. Last year, the Davis family welcomed a bunch of new babies, including an alpaca, a llama, emus, a miniature donkey, sheep, and dwarf goats. In addition to the petting zoo, the farm also features interactive play and craft stations, a busy social calendar, a zero-depth water spray park in the summer, a corn maze, and apple picking in the fall.

Butterflies Are Free to Fly

Imagine being surrounded by beautiful butterflies where the weather is always a balmy 80 degrees. At the Butterfly Place in Westford, the warm, 3,100-square-foot glass atrium is filled with colorful plants and shrubs filled with nectar to attract the butterflies. At any point, up to 500 butterflies may be released in the enclosed area, representing up to 50 species from New England and around the world. Walk along the curving paths and if you’re very still, perhaps a butterfly will choose to land on you. You also can view these fluttering creatures from the windows in the air-conditioned observation room, which also features exhibits and a continuously running 15-minute video presentation of the life cycle of butterflies.

(BPP, 6/09)

Side Streets

Before your next night on the town, visit Restaurant.com for big savings at local eateries. 

 Bypass theater ticket lines. Buy movie tickets in advance at Fandango.com. Read reviews and find showtimes for any movie in the U.S.

© 2003-2009 Robin C. Mason, WordsWorth2
Email Robin with calendar event listings, suggestions, and corrections.