Children, Youth and Family Programs

Upcoming programs may be viewed in our calendar.

Each July we offer three half-day camps for children. In 2025, the first camp we offer is Watercolor Painting (July 7-9) with local artist Debbie Campbell. This camp covers the essentials of painting nature. Campers, ages 10-13, study painting techniques and express their creativity while learning about color, composition and perspective. In Watch Your Garden Grow (July 14-16) campers, ages 8-11, will have the chance to explore the science and art of gardening through hands-on experience. Nature Explorers (July 21-23) is for children ages 6-10 and is co-sponsored by the Lake Sunapee Protective Association (LSPA). Campers will learn about nature at the Hay Estate by exploring and playing in the woodlands, meadows, and wetlands. Scholarships are available for all three of our summer camps. To register a camper CLICK HERE or for more information, please email us at info@thefells.org or call us at 603-763-4789 x3. 

Fairy Village

Visit the Fairy Village, tucked in a woodland niche behind the Old Garden–just off the Wildflower Loop–a special place where families connect with nature. For as long as stories have been told, fairies have captured the imagination of the young and young at heart. Many houses make a village, build yours with natural found objects and leave for all–including the woodland fairies–to enjoy.

Valley Quest

Valley Quest uses treasure hunts to celebrate community, natural history, cultural sites, stories and special places. The Fells hosts a summer Valley Quest, one of over 200 in and around the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont. Each quest is a set of rhyming clues that leads guests by and to a special natural or cultural place. Solve the riddle to find a treasure box. You can find The Fells Quest (also known as the Hay Refuge Quest) in Valley Quest: 89 Treasure Hunts in the Upper Valley (2001) and in the upcoming Valley Quest III: The Best of Valley Quest (2008). Copies of the Fells Quest are also available at The Fells Gatehouse. For more information on Valley Quest, visit www.vitalcommunities.org.

If you are interested in bringing a school group or field trip to the John Hay Estate at The Fells, please contact our Education Director at education@thefells.org or by phone at 603-763-4789, ext 3.