Some of the most extraordinary animals in New England—including Snowy Owls, Black Rat Snakes, and American Kestrels—live at Trailside Museum. On your next visit, stop by the auditorium for a special animal encounter, where you'll come face to face with one of our resident animal ambassadors.
Drop-in to Meet Live Animals
Saturdays: 12:00 PM & 2:00 PM
Sundays: 11:00 AM & 1:00 PM
Animal Encounters is a drop-in program included with museum admission—no registration required. Simply arrive at the auditorium at your chosen time, and you're in.
Spend time with one of our educators and leave with a deeper understanding of the wildlife in your own backyard. What adaptations help this animal survive? What does it eat? How does it fit into our larger ecosystem? Come with your own curious questions and leave with an unforgettable experience meeting the wildlife of Massachusetts up close.
About Our Animal Ambassadors
Every animal at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum is here because they cannot survive on their own in the wild. Their presence at the museum serves as a living ambassador for their species, bridging the distance between people and the wildlife that shares this landscape with us every day. Coming face to face with a real hawk, turtle, or snake transforms an abstract awareness of nature into something felt and remembered. That personal connection is what inspires people to care—and caring is where conservation begins.