Jump into June!

by Elizabeth Morse Read

Celebrate Father’s Day, Pride month and the official beginning of summer! Plan your day trips, vacations, and summer camps for the kids. Then head for the beaches, take a boat ride, try some outdoor yoga, picnic at outdoor concerts, or wander through street fairs, festivals, farmers markets, and Portuguese festas!

Fun for the whole family

Take the family on an immersive adventure back to prehistoric times at “Dinosaurs Among Us!” at Roger Williams Park in Providence through August 13, walking amidst sixty life-sized animatronic and interactive dinosaurs (rwpzoo.org)!

See what life was like during the Revolutionary War! Visit the Fairhaven Village Militia’s Military Encampment at Fort Phoenix June 3-4 (fairhaventours.com)!

Take the kids to the monthly Open Farm Days at Round The Bend Farm in Dartmouth – grass-fed meats, botanicals, local veggies, honey, and family-friendly farm tours (roundthebendfarm.org)!

Make a splash at WaterWizz in Wareham (waterwizz.com)!

Check out the Newport Car Museum in Portsmouth to see more than 90 vintage cars and driving simulators (newportcarmuseum.org)!

Take the whole family to the Westport River Watershed Alliance’s free River Day 2023 with the Wampanoag Project on June 24 at 493 Old County Road in Westport (westportwatershed. org)!

Check out Cruise Nights at Shipyard Park in Mattapoisett with music by Johnny Angel on June 2 & 16, July 7 & 21, August 4 & 18 and September 1 & 15 (mattapoisett.net/calendar)!

Find out what’s happening at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol (asri.org)!

Treat the kids to the Rockwell Carnival at Bristol’s Town Common June 20 to July 4 (july4thbristolri.com)!

Take a walk through the past at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (nps.gov/nebe)!

On rainy Wednesdays-Sundays, take the little ones to the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River (cmgfr.org)!

Enjoy free family fun and entertainment on the second Thursday of the month at New Bedford’s AHA Nights – PRIDE is the June 8 theme (ahanewbedford.org)!

Food and festivals

Take the family to the Rhode Island Caribbean-American Heritage Festival on June 24 at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence – live music, food, and fun (caribbeanamericanheritagefest.com)!

Don’t miss the 34th Annual Strawberry Festival in Assonet on June 18 (tuesdayclubofassonet.org)!

Taste your way through the historic district with New Bedford Food Tours on a 3-hour guided walking tour to sample local foods at five signature restaurants (nbfoodtours.com)!

Sign up early for events and workshops at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol – like the Red Wine Tasting with Lynda Gaines June 18 (blithewold.org)!

Show up at Capron Park in Attleboro on June 17 for the Juneteenth Festival – music, games, food, pop-up market, dancing (attleborojuneteenth.com)!

Sign up for a Newport Foodie Stroll on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through October 14, a walking food tour through the restaurants of Lower Thames Street in Newport (visitrhodeisland.com)!

Celebrate Juneteenth in Taunton on June 18 at Church Green of First Parish Church (facebook.com/ tauntonjuneteenthcommittee)!

Don’t miss the 5th Annual “Smoke on the Water” Full Boar BBQ on June 24 at Columban Fathers in Bristol – BBQ, cigars, whiskey, live music, auction, 21+ only (facebook.com/ smokeonthewaterevent)!

Bring the whole family to Fairhaven’s annual Homecoming Day Fair on June 24 (fairhaventours.com)!

Don’t miss Coastal Wine Trail’s 10th Annual Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Festival on June 17 at the Westport Fairgrounds (coastalwinetrail.com)!

Special events, exhibits, and lectures

Calling all artists! Sign up now for the annual Cuttyhunk Plein Air Festival on June 17, departing from Pier 3 in New Bedford and sponsored by the Marion Art Center (marionartcenter.org/ cuttyhunk)!

Buy your tickets early for the annual fundraiser “Garden Party: Nothing But Trouble,” a speakeasy event in the gardens of the Rotch-Jones-Duff Manson in New Bedford on June 9 –cocktails, period music, hors d’oeuvres, open bar (rjdmuseum.org)!

Bring your binoculars on the free Spring Birding Walk on June 10 through Munn Preserve in Mattapoisett (mattlandtrust.org).

Get ready for the Battleship Boogie fundraiser swing dance on June 3 at Battleship Cove in Fall River (battleshipcove.org)!

Enjoy the outdoors at the Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth –sign up for the Women’s Canoe Trip on the Slocum River June 3 or the Summer Solstice Plover Stroll on June 21 (lloydcenter.org)!

Be a witness to history at the opening of Abolition Row Park and the unveiling of the monument to Frederick Douglass on June 24 in the historic district of downtown New Bedford (nbhistoricalsociety.org).

Sign up for the Nature Drawing classes through June 29 at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol (blithewold.org)!

Step into the region’s maritime past at the exhibit “From the Hold: The Port in Photos 1880-1980” at the Fishing Heritage Center on New Bedford’s waterfront through June 30 (fishingheritagecenter.org).

Check out “Art in Bloom” June 23-25 at the Marion Art Center – learn about edible flowers and herbs, floral watercolors, flower pressing, biophilic design (marionartcenter.org)!

Enjoy free walking tours on AHA! Nights in New Bedford through September, led by the New Bedford Preservation Society – “Walkways: Exploring the People and Places of Historical New Bedford” (nbpreservationsociety.org).

Learn more about the free virtual classes and video library in meditation, laughter yoga, tai chi, yoga, nutrition, and smoking-cessation hypnosis offered by the New Bedford Wellness Initiative (facebook.com/ newbedfordwellnessinitiative)!

Be amazed by WaterFire in Providence on June 3, June 18, June 24, July 14, August 19, September 2, September 9, and November 4 (waterfire.org)!

Explore the free public art and programs presented by the Massachusetts Design Art and Technology Institute (DATMA) entitled “Shelter 2023” in New Bedford starting June 22: “Threshold” at Custom House Square; “Our Woven Story” at the intersection of Union Street and Route 18; and the “Community Tides” mural on Fish Island (DATMA.org).

Quench your thirst for learning at the free monthly New Bedford Science Café lectures and discussions at The Last Round Bar & Grille (nbsciencecafe. com)!

“Discover Buzzards Bay” offers an online portal with information about 100+ public places to walk, bird-watch, kayak/canoe, fish, snowshoe or cross-country ski (savebuzzardsbay.org/discover). You can find other outdoor recreation spots along the South Coast at thetrustees.org, exploreri.org, massaudubon.org, asri.org, riparks.com, or stateparks.com/rhode_island.

To market, to market

Celebrate Juneteenth! – don’t miss the BuyBlackNB Pop-Up Vendor Market on June 17 at the Rotch-Jones-Duff Mansion in New Bedford – music, community-building, curated selection of local Black-owned businesses (rjdmuseum.org).

Don’t miss the June opening of Fall River’s open-air Farmers and Artisan Market on the corner of Columbia and Canal Streets (vivafallriver.com)!

Support all the small businesses –restaurants, boutiques, services – in downtown New Bedford on “Shop Small Crawl” day June 3 (downtownnb.org)!

Mark your calendar for the Greyhound Pets of America Crafts Fair on June 4 on Middleborough’s Town Hall Lawn – free admission and parking (discovermiddleborough.com).

Don’t miss the NESBS Summer Sip & Shop at Buzzards Bay Brewing in Westport on June 10 – 30+ local artisans and crafters on the lawn (buzzardsbrew. com/events).

The Fairhaven Farmers Market on Alden Road opens for the season on June 18; the Huttleston Marketplace opened last month (fairhaventours. com).

Head for the Mayflower Brewing’s summer Shop Local Marketplace in Plymouth on June 25 (mayflowerbrewing.com/connect/ events)!

Make a trip to Somerset on Saturdays to stroll through the South Coast Open Air Market to purchase all things local, handmade, and fresh (southcoastopenairmarket.com)!

New Bedford’s Outdoor Farmers Markets open this month through October: Mondays at Brooklawn Park, Thursdays at Buttonwood Park, Fridays at Clasky Common Park and Saturdays at Serenity Gardens (coastalfoodshed.org).

There’s music in the air

Groovy! The free Summer of Love Concerts at the Onset Bandshell start June 28 (onsetbay.org)!

Reggae on West Beach is back! Take the family to hear live music and DJs on the New Bedford waterfront on June 25, July 30 and August 27 (facebook. com/reggaeonwestbeach)!

Head for Buzzards Bay Brewing in Westport for Foodtruck Farm Fest: Livin’ Local – free live concerts all summer on Friday/Saturdays starting June 16 (buzzardsbrew.com/events)

There’ll be dancing in the streets of downtown New Bedford during the free Summer Sound Series concerts every other Friday from June 9 to September 15 (destinationnewbedford.org)!

Don’t miss the Second Annual Country Music Festa on June 3 at Madeira Field in New Bedford! Live music, line dancing, food trucks and pig roast, local beer and wine, 21+ only (facebook.com/countrymusicfesta)!

Mark your calendar for the free Food Truck Sunsets at Safe Harbor New England Boatworks in Portsmouth – stunning sunsets, food trucks, local beers/wines, live bands on June 24, July 5 and August 19 (foodtrucksin.com)!

Don’t miss the free Sunday Picnics in the Park at Capron Park in Attleboro –food trucks, live music on June 25, July 23, and August 20 (ediblesema.com/ event)!

Don’t miss the free Pierce Beach Concert Series in Somerset June 28-August 9 (townofsomerset.org/ playground-recreation)!

Buy your tickets early for the Wednesday evening Concerts at Apponagansett Park in Dartmouth June 14 through August 30 (town.dartmouth. ma.us/recreation-division)!

Don’t miss the Buzzards Bay Brewing Bluegrass Festival June 18, under the tent in Westport! Local bands, craft beer, cider, wine and food trucks (buzzardsbrew.com)!

There’s always something going on at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown! Don’t miss the seaside Beach Bash at Third Beach on June 22 with live music and picnics (normanbirdsanctuary.org)!

Buy your ticket-per-carload now for the Westport Rivers Sunset Music Series , which starts June 9 – Tickets must be purchased online in advance (westportrivers.com)!

Bring a blanket or chair to the Summer Concert Series at Ragged Island Brewing Company in Portsmouth, part of an event-packed schedule of events (raggedislandbrewing.com/summer2023-events)!

Bring a picnic or enjoy the food trucks when you head for Soule Homestead in Middleborough for their Summer Concerts June 10, July 8, August 5, September 23, or the Folk Festival on June 24 at the outdoor pavilion (soulehomestead.org)!

Support the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s educational programs and concert series by attending the elegant “Symphony Seaside Swing” on June 2 with dinner and dancing at Kilburn Mill in New Bedford (nbsymphony.org).

Bring your picnic basket to Running Brook Vineyard in Dartmouth for free live music every Saturday and Sunday year-round (runningbrookwine.com)!

Buy your tickets early for the TriCounty Symphonic Band’s 20th Annual Pops Concert “ Shall We Dance?” on June 11 under the tent at Tabor Academy in Marion (tricountysymphonicband. org).

Pack a picnic to enjoy the free ProjectArts summer concerts on the Plymouth waterfront starting this month (projectarts.com)!

Bring a blanket to the Summer Concerts at Independence Park in Bristol June 20 to July 4 (july4thbristolri. com)!

Classical acts

Don’t miss the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s 2023 Annual Gala with Renee Fleming on June 3 at The VETS in Providence (riphil.org).

Newport Classical will present violinist Stella Chen and pianist Henry Kramer on June 9 at the recital hall of Emmanuel Church in Newport (newportclassical. org/events)!

Don’t miss the Pilgrim Festival Chorus’ performance of “American Voices” on June 24-25 at St. Bonaventure Parish in Plymouth (pilgrimfestivalchorus.org).

Enjoy the A Morning of Classical Piano with Daniel Adam Meltz on June 25 at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol (blithewold.org)!

South Coast sounds

Head for Plymouth’s Pilgrim Memorial Hall to hear Celebrating Billy Joel at The District Center for the Arts in Taunton (thedistrictcenterforarts.com)!

Don’t miss A Jazzy Pop-Up Concert with Acute Inflections at The Music Mansion in Providence on June 1 (musicmansion.org)!

Show up at The VETS in Providence to hear Natalie Merchant June 28 (thevetsri.com)!

Check out who’s performing in The Vault at the Greasy Luck Brew Pub in downtown New Bedford (vaultnb.com)!

Head to the Narrows Center in Fall River to hear Bill Frisell Trio June 1, Jadice Venson June 15, Jorma Kaukonen June 22, Eilen Jewell June 30 (narrowscenter.com)!