Things to Do in Norwell

Click above to buy tickets for Jonny Lang, August 9, 7:30 p.m. Click on the links below for tickets to other performances.

Headless Indian chiefs. Vengeful witches. Treacherous generals. Though they may seem like figures in a horror novel or modern newspaper, they are all characters featured in Colonial Lantern Tours of Plymouth's intriguing and true-life historical tours. For more than 25 years, the staff of enthusiastic history buffs has traversed the scenic pathways of Plymouth and neighboring Boston, pointing out sites of interest while regaling guests with tales of the region's diverse history—from legendary ghosts to ghoul-inhabited tunnels to educational tales of pilgrim settlers and Native Americans. Tours meander through town squares, down hidden alleyways, and past historic harbors, guided by the light of 17th-century lantern replicas. Docents also offer seasonal Halloween-, Thanksgiving-, and Christmas-themed trips that detail colonial holiday customs, such as topping every tree with a bust of Benedict Arnold. To date, Colonial Lantern's yarns—at once macabre and enlightening—have enthralled numerous reporters from a variety of publications, such as the Los Angeles Times.

The ocean's waves and a seabird's occasional rock ballad are all that interrupt the silence across the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Suddenly, a humpback whale leaps from the water and crashes back down, sending a plume of whitecaps into the air. Aboard their boat, a tour group snaps photos of the breathtaking moment as a crewmember narrates it all.

The US Coast Guard–licensed captains at Capt John Whale Watching and Fishing Tours aim to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences like these everyday. Their boats serve as floating classrooms, aboard which they teach deep-sea fishing some days and pilot groups into the habitats of everything from dolphins to minke whales on other days. The marine educators also lead kids' programs that let the students explore an on-board tidal pool to feel the texture of spider crabs, sea stars, and baby submarines.

Fish don’t say “cheese.” But that doesn’t stop captains Doug and Jeff Amorello from snapping photos of the monstrous striped bass and bluefish that their customers reel in. The two own Sashamy Sportfishing, where they orchestrate half-day fishing trips around Plymouth Harbor aboard their 36-foot charter fishing boat, Sashamy. As full-time fishermen, the duo knows their way around the area, and as family members, the two have a soft spot for promoting wholesome activities. They welcome all ages aboard their boat, fostering the future of fishing stories shared between fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, and teenagers and their cell phones.

The ferry etches white waves into the rippling, blue expanse of Cape Cod Bay as it speeds away from Plymouth. From his cabin on the top deck, the captain––a licensed skipper armed with more than 20 years of seafaring experience––slides his sunglasses over his eyes to shield them from the morning sun that gilds the waters in its glittering beams. From their seats on the ferry’s sun deck or inside the enclosed cabin, passengers gaze at historic sites as they listen to a narrated history of Plymouth Harbor.

Champions of introducing visitors to the area’s storied past, Waterfront Enterprises’ crew members shepherd guests back and forth between Plymouth and Provincetown during daily three-hour roundtrips throughout the summer months. The U.S. Coast Guard-inspected ferry sidles up to Provincetown’s Fisherman’s Wharf for a five-hour stopover, granting visitors a window in which to explore the community’s abundant sights. Guests can peruse local art galleries before stopping for lunch at a restaurant or hitting the Cape Cod National Seashore to comb the beach for shells capable of broadcasting the soothing sounds of the sea or Enya. After an afternoon of wandering, sightseers hop back on the carpeted, climate-controlled ferry to return to Plymouth as evening draws near.