Menu

Shoreline explorations

Guided Nature Walks

Small-group walks across tidal flats, salt marsh and tide pools, led by trained volunteer guides.

  • Walks & tours
  • Families
  • Adults
A rocky tide pool with seaweed, barnacles, periwinkle snails and a small crab resting under clear water.

Kneel at the edge of a tide pool, follow a channel across the flats at low tide, or stand quietly where the river meets the marsh. Our guided walks are an invitation to slow down and really look.

Guides share what lives here, how the tides shape each place and why it matters. Groups are small, the pace is gentle and questions are always welcome.

We are working with towns and land trusts to confirm each walk. A walk only appears here once its site has given permission.

What you’ll do

  • Walk the shoreline with a trained guide, timed to the tide.
  • Look closely at life on the tidal flats, in tide pools and along the edge of the salt marsh.
  • Learn how the tides, the river and the Sound shape the coast.
  • Practice our wildlife ethic, observe where found, and leave everything as you found it.

Upcoming dates

Dates are being confirmed now. Ask us and we will let you know when registration opens.

Questions

Where do the walks take place?
We are planning walks at several shoreline sites between Guilford and Essex. We only announce a walk once the landowner or town has given written permission, so check back or ask to hear when dates are confirmed.
Can children pick up the creatures we find?
We follow an observation-only ethic. We look closely, take photos and leave everything where we found it.
How much does it cost?
Fees are being finalized and will be posted with each walk.
  • Close-up of a fiddler crab on wet marsh mud, raising its one oversized orange claw.
    • Kids
    • Families
    • Indoors

    Maritime Discovery Lab

    Hands-on science for young explorers

    A 90-minute, hands-on lab for ages 6–12, built around each month's shoreline theme.

    Ages 6–12, with a parent or guardian90 minutes

  • A spotted harbor seal resting on a shoreline rock, with calm water and a low wooded shore behind it.
    • Families
    • Kids
    • Indoors

    Family Maritime Night

    A monthly evening for the whole family

    A relaxed monthly evening of shoreline discovery for children and grown-ups together.

    All ages, children with their families

  • Blue crabs on a weathered wooden dock beside a wire crab pot, with a harbor village and moored boats beyond.
    • Walks & tours
    • Adults
    • Outdoors

    Maritime History Walking Tours

    Local lore & legends

    Walking tours of shoreline villages and burial grounds, sharing the maritime history and legends of the lower Connecticut River.

    Teens and adults; families welcome

Have a question about this program?

We are happy to help you decide whether it is a good fit.

Ask about this programSee all programs