The Butterfly Place, Westford MA

One of the more annoying things about Groupon is that I end up buying things that I probably wouldn't have if i didn't feel the pressure to 'buy now or forever hold your peace'.  A few months back there was a deal for The Butterfly Place in Westford.  I thought "Hey cool!  that would be fun, and look how much I'm getting off!"  Then the months went by and it was no where on our list to go.  I tried a few times to make plans with people to go, and they somehow always fell through.  Today we decided to venture out there on our own, something I try not to do often!  I don't think I really need to explain why - there's nothing worse than bringing the 3, 2, and not-quite-1 year old somewhere and realizing I'm in over my head.


Nonetheless, after a very short workout at the YMCA, we got on the road to Westford.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the area, its in the Lowell area.  As we were driving the skies opened up and I was terrified that this was going to be a bad idea.  We got there, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised.  It was so easy to find, and plenty of parking.  I decided not to take the stroller because most butterfly places I've seen don't allow them.  So I packed Riley into the Baby Bjorn and ventured in.  When you walk in there's the 'gift shop'.  It's not all that impressive, but they were so friendly.   I'm actually glad it wasn't that impressive of a shop, since the kids would have wanted more than they always did.

We walked back into a display room and the kids were so excited! There were a few cases with butterflies and some with cocoons.  They were pretty excited here and I thought it would go really well.  We walked back into the "Garden".  I thought it was just beautiful.  So many butterflies flying around.  We quickly recognized the Blue Morpho Butterfly from Go Diego Go.  Unfortunately, the kids were a little uncomfortable.   Patrick (3) did alright when I had him on a mission to find yellow flowers.  Cecilia (2) liked the butterflies, until she realized they were flying around her.  We sat on a bench to stay still to see if they would land on us.  Cecilia was ok once she settled in under my feet.  It was a bit of work to keep them in the butterfly room, and we really didn't last too long before we had to leave.

The Groupon had a balance so we needed to pick up a few things in the gift shop.  The kids picked out butterfly nets and we headed home.  The entire excursion took just about an hour.  While it was beautiful, for us at these ages it wasn't worth the trip.  We still can go and see butterflies at the Franklin Park Zoo.  While this has no where near the concentration of butterflies, the kids still get a few minutes to check it out and it's somewhere we already are. 

The Butterfly Place
120 Tyngsboro Rd
Westford MA
978-392-0955

Strollers ARE allowed in the butterfly room!
February 14th - March 31st: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
April 1st - August 31st: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
September 1st - October 31st: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Adults ..........................................$12.00
Seniors (65+) .............................. $9.00
Children (3-12 years) .................. $7.00
Children (2 & under) ...................Free

 

Constitution Beach, East Boston

So it's been a while since I've posted.  This year has been a busy one for us as three out of our four siblings (my husband's and mine) are getting married!  I've been a little lax on posting about our adventures as other things have taken priority.  Even so, we have been exploring and have so many great places to post about.  (Leave some suggestions for us as well!)

So, beach and three kids?  Let's just say, I am not a beach person to begin with - I burn, don't like swimming.  To throw three kids into it is my own personal nightmare.  I'm worried about them in the water, the waves, the rip-currents, the inevitable sunburns, sunscreen in the eyes (not a fun ER trip, trust me!).  So many of my friends spend much of their summer at Salisbury Beach Reservation.  I have never gone, but I know they love it.  My mother and sister also love going to the beach.  Today they were both on vacation and wanted to spend the day at the beach with me and the kids.  I reluctantly agreed to go, and I must say I'm glad I did!  I think this is a great beach for kids.  Constitution Beach is really a great space!  It's the only beach in East Boston, and this website gave some really great information.  My understanding is that year ago this place was a dump.  The city successfully cleaned it up and then shipped in sand from the Cape.

There are so many reasons that I think that this place is great for kids.  One, it's located right across from the airport.  For the kids, what could be more exciting than watching planes taking off and landing just across the way.  (It is actually quite cool to watch, even as a grown up)  For me, the beach is sheltered from the airport.  This means that the currents are almost non-existent, and the waves are perfect size for toddlers/preschoolers.

Two, there is a fenced in playground just off the beach!   It's clean, and it's a good sized playground.  Just behind here runs the T's Blue Line.

Three, There are restrooms and changing rooms at the beach are in pretty good shape.  The area's equipped with showers for rinsing, and there's a concession stand there as well.  (We packed a picnic lunch and Nana brought the treats so there was no need).

Four, the parking is right there, behind the playground and runs the length of the beach!  Or you can park on Bennington St. and take the pedestrian walkway over the subway tracks.  I'm not sure how easy this place is to find without a GPS.  I'm fortunate to have family live in the area, so we meet there and head over via backroads. 

It looks like this is a popular place for the local camps to bring kids for some outdoor fun.  So at some points the playground was a little busy.  This was fine since they groups came and went.  One YMCA group set up a snack station for all the little ones at the beach with juice boxes, crackers, and some other snacks.

There are many other things to do here.  I'm fairly certain I spotted some tennis courts, softball field, a basketball court, and there's a skating rink just off the beach. 

I don't have a beach tent, so we took the tented wagon for the baby.  This worked out great, and I also had many extra hands to help me manage the little ones.  They loved running up and down from the water, watching the boats, planes, and trains, and running back and forth to the playground, just as I knew they would.   It ended up being a great day at the beach - not crowded, lots to do, and the excitement over the airplanes only 2,000 feet away didn't fade away.  If we end up looking to spend another day at the beach, this will likely where we end up. If you and your family love the beach, this is definitely worth the trip.  Despite having a great time, I just don't think this is something I could do without help, so it will have to wait for another vacation day from a family beach-goer, or for a year or two from now when the babes are a little older!