Earth week special tours

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Rest-Stop-Ranch Inc.

Rest-Stop-Ranch Inc. offers a serene garden sanctuary for caregivers and individuals facing chronic illness, promoting healing through nature, community support, and restorative experiences. Their mission is to provide a peaceful escape from daily stresses.

A weekly drop-in for caregivers, people with memory changes, volunteers and neighbors.Come any time between 1 and 4 PM on Thursdays for coffee, tea and a snack. Stay for twenty minutes or the whole three hours. In warm weather we sit on the patio, and you can walk or roll the trails. In winter we move into the Caretaker&rsquo;s Cottage, which has a step-free entrance.When: Thursdays, 1:00&ndash;4:00 PM. Closed on Thanksgiving, from mid-August through Labor Day, and from December 23 until the winter bonfires begin in mid-January.Where: 202 Haverhill Road, Topsfield, MA. We have 10 parking spaces, so please register and we will hold one for you.Cost: Free. Donations are welcome in the box by the plant stand or online.Questions? Call 978-887-4202.

Thursday Social

Open garden afternoons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, April through November.Wander the gardens on your own, at your own pace. There is no program and no schedule. The paths are smooth enough for wheelchairs and walkers. See what is blooming that week, listen for birds, watch the koi, or bring a book or a picnic and find a bench in the shade.Garden Rx is for care-partners, people living with long-term illness or memory changes, and anyone else who wants a quiet afternoon outside. It is rooted in therapeutic horticulture, the practice of spending time with plants for your health. A 2018 review of 143 studies linked time in green spaces to lower cortisol and lower diastolic blood pressure (Twohig-Bennett and Jones, Environmental Research).When: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00&ndash;4:00 PM, April through November. Drop in any time. Closed for our summer break from mid-August through Labor Day.Where: 202 Haverhill Road, Topsfield, MA 01983. We have 10 parking spaces, so please register and we will hold one for you.Cost: Free. Donations to help maintain the gardens and trails are welcome when you register or in the box by the plant stand.Questions? Call 978-887-4202.

Garden Rx: Open Garden Days

A quiet Sunday in the gardens, once a month from April through November.Weekends can be long when you are caring for someone or living with memory changes. On the second Sunday of the month we open the gardens by appointment, a few guests at a time, so the paths stay quiet. Walk or roll the trails with the person you care for, at whatever pace suits you both. The paths are smooth enough for wheelchairs and walkers. See what is in bloom, rest on a shaded bench, or watch the fish in the koi pond.When: The 2nd Sunday of each month, April through November, 10:00 AM&ndash;2:00 PM. Please choose a time slot when you register; arrivals are spread out so only a few people are on the trails at once.Where: 202 Haverhill Road, Topsfield, MA 01983. We have 10 parking spaces.Cost: Free. Optional donations help maintain the trails.Questions? Call 978-887-4202.

Sunday Stroll

A morning outdoors for people with memory changes and their care-partners, on the second Saturday of every month.We started the Memory Caf&eacute; in the Garden in 2015. It is recognized as the first outdoor Memory Caf&eacute; in the U.S.A. and is featured in Dr. Jytte Lokvig&rsquo;s book, The Alzheimer&rsquo;s and Memory Caf&eacute;.The caf&eacute; is for people living with Alzheimer&rsquo;s, other dementias, brain injuries, or Down syndrome with memory changes, together with a family or professional care-partner. Please come as a pair; care-partners stay and take part. It is not a clinical program, a formal support group, or drop-off respite care.From April through October we meet outside, rain or shine, in the wheelchair-accessible gardens. We watch birds, visit the koi pond, picnic, and make nature crafts. From November through March we meet inside the Caretaker&rsquo;s Cottage for coffee, conversation, flower arranging, and crafts with plants. Drum circles and seated dancing are part of many mornings, and there is no wrong way to join in.When: The 2nd Saturday of every month, 10:00 AM&ndash;12:00 PM.Where: 202 Haverhill Road, Topsfield, MA 01983.Cost: Free. Optional donations help cover craft supplies.Questions? Call 978-887-4202.

Memory Café

A six-week supportive group for unpaid family caregivers to connect, network, and learn relaxation skills.Up to eight caregivers meet in the Caretaker&#39;s Cottage. Each session has time to share, a guided relaxation, and resources to take home. The group is led by Mary MacDonald, founder of Rest-Stop-Ranch and a Kripalu-trained yoga teacher. Come to one session or all of them, and please register for each session you plan to attend.When: Tuesdays, 4:00-5:30 PM, November 10 through December 8, 2026.Where: Caretaker&#39;s Cottage, 202 Haverhill Road, Topsfield, MA.Cost: Free. Optional donations help cover refreshments, facilitator training, and building upkeep.Questions? Text Mary at 978-887-4202.

Stop & Rest

Holiday lights in the gardens on three December weekends.For three weekends in December, the gardens are lit for the holidays and open on Friday and Saturday evenings. Walk the paths at your own pace, on your own, with family, or with the person you care for. The paths and seating work for wheelchair users. The strolls are outdoors and after dark, so please dress for the cold.Dates: Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5; December 11 and 12; and December 18 and 19, 2026.Time slots: 4:00&ndash;5:30 PM or 5:30&ndash;7:00 PM.Where: The gardens at Rest-Stop-Ranch, 202 Haverhill Road, Topsfield, MA 01983. Our parking area holds 10 vehicles, so please reserve a time slot before you come.Cost: Free. Donations to support our programs are welcome but never expected.Questions? Call 978-887-4202.

Holiday Stroll

One Saturday afternoon a month, January through March, by the fire pit or inside the Caretaker&rsquo;s Cottage.Winter is a long, shut-in stretch for many caregivers and for people living with mobility or memory changes. Once a month we light the fire pit on the brick patio and open the Caretaker&rsquo;s Cottage, so there is somewhere warm to go on a winter Saturday. Some guests stay out by the fire the whole time; others come inside to warm up and talk. Caregivers come on their own or bring the person they care for, and neighbors are welcome too.The Cottage is heated and wheelchair accessible. We serve hot coffee, hot cocoa and snacks. Dress in layers if you plan to spend time by the fire.Dates: Saturday, January 16; Saturday, February 13; and Saturday, March 13, 2027.Time slots: 1:00&ndash;2:30 PM or 2:30&ndash;4:00 PM.Where: 202 Haverhill Road, Topsfield, MA 01983. Our parking area holds 10 vehicles, so please reserve a time slot before you come.Cost: Free. Donations to support our hospitality programs are welcome but never expected.Questions? Call 978-887-4202.

Rest-Stop-Ranch Inc.

Rest-Stop-Ranch Inc.

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Sunday Stroll

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Garden Rx: Open Garden Days

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Stop & Rest

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Garden Rx: Open Garden Days

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Thursday Social

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Memory Café

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Upcoming events

Events

Get your tickets

Sunday Stroll

Get your tickets

Garden Rx: Open Garden Days

Get your tickets

Stop & Rest

Get your tickets

Garden Rx: Open Garden Days

Get your tickets

Thursday Social

Get your tickets

Memory Café

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Rest-Stop-Ranch Inc.