Chelmsford, MA Outdoor Activities
Recommended Outdoor Activities by Groupon Customers
While the 90-foot long Thomas E. Lannon schooner boasts many impressive characteristics—including a 64.5-foot deck, a spacious 18-foot beam, and a resemblance to a 1903 sword-fishing schooner—none of them rivals the story of how the vessel got its name.
Before the ship was built in 1997, owner Tom Ellis was visiting his relatives in Newfoundland when he overhead them reciting stories of his grandfather Thomas Lannon, who had fished the Gloucester coastline for more than 40 years. On one particularly stormy day in 1908, Lannon and five other men set out into the waters off Nauset aboard two dories and rescued the crew of the capsized schooner Eric amid 70-mph winds. Each of the rescuers received the eternal admiration of the rescued men and a medal from the Massachusetts Humane Society, which Ellis possesses to this day.
More than a century later, the crew of the Thomas E. Lannon keeps its namesake's love of the sea alive by chartering an array of sailing voyages that have attracted more than 100,000 passengers to date. After helping raise the sails at the voyage’s start, passengers capture vivid views of Gloucester harbor's lighthouses, castles, beaches, and waterfront homes sold by Poseidon himself.
Surrounding Kennebunkport Marina is a town awash in centuries of nautical history; the community also boasts a spot on AOL Travel's list of the 10 Best Beach Towns in America. The marina contributes to its pristine environs with new docks, an outdoor fireplace, and a riverside courtyard where guests can lounge on adirondack chairs. From the docks, which have hookups for water and 30- and 50-amp service, boaters can captain their vessels down the Kennebunk River or travel one-quarter mile to open ocean waters. Year-round storage keeps ships protected during winter or transatlantic spitball wars, and spring engine commissions by certified technicians prep boats for the sailing season.
Those without their own watercraft can join the Kennebunkport Boat Club, which grants members of any skill level access to a quartet of boats that range from 15 to 26 feet. Additionally, the store offers powerboat, canoe, and kayak rentals, and reservations of the Captain's Cottage make lodgers feel more nautical than tying their shoelaces in bowline knots.
A coach at the first Equine Special Olympics in 1999 and again in 2011, North American Riding for the Handicapped–certified trainer Kathleen Gallant possesses a deep, long-lasting love for horses and their ability to help others. After attending equestrian vocational school as a teenager and working at several race tracks, Kathleen developed her passion for jumping and dressage and began teaching others, which she has been doing for more than two decades. Today, English riding lessons are the focus at Chiron Equestrian Services, as well as therapeutic riding for children and adults with special needs. Both private and group lessons begin with the establishment of a balanced, centered riding style and, once these basics are mastered, move on to more advanced riding techniques such as hunt seat, jumping, and dressage.
On 31 acres of tree-rimmed paddock, the trainers at Chase Farms work to mold horses into show champions and students into confident riders. Owner and trainer Colleen Fitzpatrick and her team personally tend to each of the horses, keeping the noble beasts healthy and happy with run-in sheds, large stalls, and customized tack rooms. During riding lessons, they teach students how to properly tack and groom steeds before focusing on achieving the individual’s riding goals. Riding programs accommodate students of all abilities, helping them work toward accomplishments such as competing in national shows or properly communicating with horses instead of just occasionally commenting on their status updates.
While majestic chestnut stallions, brown and white pinto mares, and blond pony hunters roam Herring Brook Farm’s 28 acres of open ranch land, owner Mary Beth McGee lopes among them on a bronze steed, training juniors and adults hunter and jumper techniques for competitions and show. Spurred by a lifelong love of horses, she took up coaching more than 20 years ago, leading a number of her students to national finals while instilling the fundamentals of proper horse care in everyone she teaches. When not showing horses and their pet humans how to leap fences, brick walls, or Shaquille O'Neal, Mary Beth opens her farm to horse shows, where tenderfoot colts and wizened horses prance and pose in an indoor ring with a heated viewing room. She also raises horses for sale or lease and runs summer youth riding camps and dressage programs with the help of her capable staff.
