Listed below are some fun outing and activity ideas that troops have enjoyed in the past.
Please note before taking your troop on any outing, you need to verify that it is safe and appropriate. The first step to do this is by reading and following the specific Girl Scouts of Eastern MA (GSEM) Safety Activity Checkpoint associated with your activity and reviewing the Safety-wise chapter and Approaching Activities sections of the Volunteer Essentials (chapter 4). If your activity falls in GSEM’s high risk category, you need to check that the vendor has an up-to-date certificate of liability with GSEM: you can check that in GSEM’s Current Certificate of Liabilities document.
If you have any questions about safety, travel, or certificates of liability, please email the Girl Scouts of Eastern MA directly at Safety@girlscoutseasternmass.org.
ABC Baker
Online resource
>> Coloring sheet activities for younger girls – nice activity during Cookie promotion time.
Backstage Dance Center
300 Eliot Street, Ashland 508.881.8226
>>Dance instruction and workshops for all ages
Bertucci’s
414 Washington St, Holliston, 508.429.4571
>> Pizza making, baking, and sampling outing for Scouts.
Butterfly Place
120 Tyngsboro Road, Westford, 978.392.0955
>> Self-directed visit to an indoor garden filled with hundreds of free-flying butterflies.
Dancing Arts Center
9 Whitney Street, Holliston 508.429.7577
>>Dance instruction and workshops for all ages
Danforth Museum of Art
123 Union Avenue, Framingham, 508.620.0050
>> Art-related workshops for Brownies, Juniors, and older Scouts.
EcoTarium
222 Harrington Way, Worcester, 508.929.2703
>>Troops can visit this Science & Nature museum and explore the exhibits and grounds on their own or schedule an Educator taught program.
Fire Station
59 Central St, Holliston, 508.429.4631
>>Offers Scout tours.
Garden in the Woods
180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, 508.877.7630
>> Offers children’s group tours.
Girl Scouts of USA “For Girls” pages
Online resource
>> Many pages of activities, games, and videos for all levels of Girl Scouts.
- CEDAR HILL, WALTHAM: 265 Beaver St, 781.373.4360
- EMMA HALL MUSEUM, MIDDLEBORO, 111 East Grove St, Middleboro, 774.766.6943
- NORTH ANDOVER: 1740 Turnpike Rd, 978.774.4880
>> Check the website or call for hours.
Holliston in Bloom
Volunteer for monthly clean ups, special projects
73 Charles Street, Holliston 508.429.5392
Holliston Trails
See their HollistonTrails.org Website Contact Page for contact information
>>The Friends of Holliston Trails is a non-profit organization established to support the Holliston Trails committee. See the attached PDF for some ideas of how Girl Scouts can help.
Support the Holliston Trails.PDF
Opportunities are for Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes
1070 Washington St, Holliston, 508.429.1700
>> Offers 3 programs for Girl Scouts but will also customize an outing to meet troop needs for badge requirements.
Mass Audubon Broadmoor
280 Eliot Street
, Natick, 508.655.2296
>> See Broadmoor’s PDF brochure for lots of information regarding their Scout nature programs: http://www.massaudubon.org/content/download/3420/38010/file/Broadmoor-Girl-Scout-Brochure.pdf
Molly’s Apothecary
163 Main St, Medway, 508.533.3800
>> Girl Scout soap- and lotion-making workshops – they’ll work with you for level appropriate offerings.
Moose Hill Audubon
293 Moose Hill Parkway, Sharon, 781.784.5691
>> Moose Hill offers badge work programs, overnights, hikes, and opportunities for Gold Award projects. Please visit Moose Hill’s website, or see their PDF brochure for more information: http://www.massaudubon.org/content/download/8158/145915/file/scoutprograms.pdf
465 Huntington Ave, Boston 617.267.9300
Natick Organic Community Farm *
117 Eliot Street, Natick, 508.655.2204
>> Offers pages full of programs, tours, badge work, and projects for all levels.
Police Department
550 Washington St, Holliston, 508.429.1212
>> Offers Scout tours.
Project Just Because
109 South Street Hopkinton, 508.435.6511
>> Site Visit
Pure Sugar Candy
89 Cross Street, Holliston, 617.872.9019 info@puresugarcandy.com.
Rail Trail*
Participate in monthly clean up, raise funds, volunteer at Annual Trail Run, Volunteer at Fire & Ice Trail Walk
Shen’s Gymnastics *
16 Everett St, Holliston, 508.429.9898
Soul Spirit Studio (Yoga)
76 Railroad St, Holliston, 508.277.9230
State House Tour compliments of Carolyn Dykema & aide Liz Walk
State House Room 127 Boston, MA 617.772.2680
Step by Step Studio of Dance
9 Lincoln Street, Medway 508.533.1953
>>Dance instruction and workshops for all ages
Tangerini’s Farm *
139 Spring St, Millis, 508.376.5024
>> Offers Scout field trips with different farm-related options.
TC Scoops
100 Main Street, Medway, 508.533.8808
>> Offers contest for girls to create a sundae using a secret ingredient — will work with troops re: allergies.
Tower Hill
11 French Drive Boylston 508.869.6111
>> Scout programs through GSEM or can book independently
Wellesley College Greenhouses
106 Central St, Wellesley, 781.283.3094
>> Offers free and open-to-public visits; troops can schedule free, guided group tours of greenhouses and botanic gardens, too.
Wellesley College Whitin Observatory
106 Central St, Wellesley, 781.283.2726
Whitehall Art Studio
301 Wood Street, Hopkinton, 508.544.9638
>> Offers workshops for badges for all Girl Scout levels.
Whole Foods
255 Hartford Ave, Bellingham, 508.966.3331
>> Offers store tour after which the girls eat pizza, samples, etc. They also offer a food-making program for a fee.
Willowbrook Farm (LiL’ Folk) *
1070 Washington St, Holliston, 508.429.1700
>> Offers 3 programs for Girl Scouts but will also customize an outing to meet troop needs for badge requirements.
YMCA Hopkinton Outdoor Center *
45 East St, Hopkinton, 508.435.9345
>> Offers in-depth programs that help with the completion of many badge requirements. Troops can customize a program. See their PDF brochure for more information: http://www.metrowestymca.org/uploads/sites/hopkinton/Files/Scout Programs Brochure.pdf
Bethlehem, NH, hike, ski and stay in a cabin
Also check out the GSEM Program Guide for events throughout Eastern MA.
Some events that girls have attended and enjoyed from GSEM are:
- MOS – Museum of Science Sleep Over
- Chocolate Therapy
- Campfire and smores sing along
- Snack Badge (Brownie)
- Norfolk Agricultural High School Pets Badge (Brownie)
- Diablo Glass
- Sew Studio
- Snow tubing at Ward Hill
- Soap making with Charlene Stevens
*Note that there are guidelines around venues involving high risk activities such as horseback riding, swimming/water sports, archery, ropes courses, hayrides, gymnastics/trampolines, etc. For these and any activities on this list, troop leaders are responsible for assessing the activity, as well as verifying its certificate of liability is current with GSEM where appropriate.
What if an outing is listed as high risk in the Volunteer Essentials but my vendor isn’t listed in GSEM’s Current Certificate of Liabilities document?
If you don’t see your vendor listed as having a current certificate of liability in GSEM’s Current Certificate of Liabilities document, you can request approval for an activity by following GSEM’s How to Request Approval for an Activity document. You will need a Certificate of Liability from the vendor: this is an example of a Certificate of Liability.
If you have any questions about this, please email the Girl Scouts of Eastern MA directly at Safety@girlscoutseasternmass.org.
Holliston Girl Scouts 