Weekend Fun: Eagles

The Massachusetts Audubon Society is hosting the 4th annual Merrimac River Eagle Festival this weekend. There will be tours, eagle demonstrations, and activities for children.

The bald eagle's name comes from its white head, but not because it appears bald (without hair), as many people assume. The word bald (Middle English: balled) used to mean "white." It is the national bird of the United States, chosen instead of Benjamin Franklin's choice of the turkey.

The MA Audubon Society also runs Drumlin farm, which BPPG mentioned a few weeks ago.

Weekend Fun: Groundhog Day

February 2 is Groundhog Day. This is not a holiday, just a family-friendly fun way to break up the long, cold winter. According to legend, the groundhog comes out of his hole on this day to see if it is spring yet. If he sees his shadow, he will be frightened back into his hole, and we will have six more weeks of winter. If not, we can enjoy an early spring. The most famous groundhog prognosticator is Punxsutawney Phil, in Pennsylvania.

We have had so much snow this year that I hope Monday is cloudy and shadow-free.

Drumlin Farm in Lincoln is having a special Groundhog Celebration on Sunday from 9am-4pm. Activities include crafts, stories, science investigations, and hot cocoa drinking.

Ghandi & King's Boston Inspiration

Yesterday was India Republic Day, and the Monday before that was Martin Luther King Day. The peaceful non-violence of both Mahatma Ghandi and Dr. King was inspired by On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau's hometown of Concord is an easy drive from Boston; the Concord Chamber of Commerce has good visitor information on their website.

Visit Walden Pond, a short drive away from downtown Concord. This small lake has a beach and is surrounded by a walking trail (easy enough for older kids, but not handicapped accessible). There is also a replica of the tiny cabin Thoreau lived in during the 2 1/2 years that inspired his most famous book, Walden, and a visitor center/gift shop.You will find plenty of parking for a $5 fee (the parking lots occasionally fill up on summer weekends).

The Concord Museum has a special Thoreau collection and exhibits that explain Concord's important role in the American Revolution, literature, and more. You can also visit the homes of several of Thoreau's famous friends: Louisa May Alcott's home, The Orchards; Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Wayside; and Ralph Waldo Emerson's house.

My own favorite place to visit is Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Although winter snow makes parking and walking difficult, it is especially beautiful in the fall when the leaves are turning colors. Author's Ridge is an area with the graves of several famous authors, including Thoreau, Alcott, Hawthorne and Emerson. Thoreau's grave often has apples and other natural gifts left by admirers!

Weekend Fun: Harvard Square

The weather is temporarily warming up, a nice opportunity to see Harvard Square, where limited parking means you'll have to walk. One favorite winter Saturday includes these three activities:

• Ice skating at the Charles River Hotel - a small outdoor rink
• Hot chocolate at L.A. Burdick - the richest drink you've ever encountered
• Glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History - lifelike and wonderful

If kids still have energy after that, finish with a visit to the Curious George bookstore.

The museum recommends public transportation. The hotel has an underground garage, which is easy but expensive. On-street metered parking is hard to find and limited to one or two hours.

However you get there, it's a fun plan for a winter weekend!