My family and I will be moving to the Andover area this summer.I would like some helpful hints and or suggestions on where do I look to find info on local family activeties,play groups,dance classes,movies,even which salon or spas are best and more affordable.I currently live in a small town with 3 stores so this is very exciting to get back to "civilization" but also a bit overwheliming since I'm not familiar with the area. Is there a local paper I should get? I've ben online and the community and school system seem wonderful but it doesn't list too many small details. i would really appreciate any feed back so once we arrive this summer I might have a better sense of direction.Also if anyone has suggestions on how to make the transfer smoother for the kids too. My daughter will be in a new school this fall & is a little nervous to leave her "first" set of school friends behind.(she's shy and sensitive until she gets comfortable with new people) Thanks!
Thanks everyone for your info. Its a great help to my husband and I!
I suggest checking out the Andover/N.Andover YMCA. They have tons of programs and classes for kids and its a great way to meet other moms in the area. Here's the web site:
www.mvymca.org
Good Luck
Hi A., I live in N. Andover. A great resource is the mothers connection. It is a local group (fees involved to join) with info about nursery/pre schools as well as play dates and volunteer work. If you google mothers connection, andover you should find it.
Also, the YMCA is a great place to meet people with kids the same age. They have a membership for just the kids ($110/yr) and then you can sign up for sports, swim, gym or art classes.
Last and most expensive is Cedardale Raquet and Swim club. You can join annually or just for the summer. They have 3 outdoor pools, a 2 story fitness center, and 12 tennis courts.
One more, You will be pretty close to Ipswich (rt 133) They have a great state park we like to call the mushroom pool. 3 ft deep with a fountain and a playground. Great spot on hot days. As well as Cranes Beach which is just about 20 minutes away.
Ask your neighbors too! Good luck!
Hi A., How exciting! Moves are stressful but exciting new beginnings also. I just found a great web site that you might find helpful - it is www.meetup.com just fill in Andover in the appropriate search box and you might try "moms", "play groups", etc. for the search. You will be amazed at how many of these opportunities exist. A mentor just sent me this web site yesterday, and I spent over an hour on it last night trying to make contact with many of them. I am a Shaklee Distributor and go around speaking with Moms' groups about non-toxic home cleaning products and all-natural nutrition, etc. so this was a goldmine for me. I hope this is a big help for you. Welcome to the Andover area. I am in Georgetown - please keep my contact info and feel free to call/e-mail me any time for assistance with anything. I have 6 children (3 biological & 3 step) and 10 grandchildren. Best wishes, A. - E. Taft ____@____.com ###-###-#### www.emilytaft.com
Good luck and welcome to the area!! I would stronly suggest checking out www.themotherconnection.org for more information. It is a local volunteer organization run by moms for moms. If you sign up now you should get their summer newsletter issue that is jam packed with things to do in the area and ways to connect with other moms.
Good luck with the move...we are also moving at the end of June...so no advice on that front yet...
H. Z (mom of three boys; Spencer 4 1/2, James 3 1/2 and Wilco 10 mths old)
Sign up for the email newsletter www.bstoncentral.com It comes out weekly and lists lots of activities for the area. I don't know if they have a mothers club in Andover, if not there is one is Tewksbury which isn't too far depending on where you live in Andover. They would be able to hook you up with a playgroup and other activities.
Good luck
K.
We moved to Andover in the fall, and luckily the move went very easily. Ie my daughter (2 years old) transitioned right into her new bedroom.
As for groups, I will second the Mother's Connection. There is the Newcomers Group for Andover and North Andover. http://www.newcomerscluboftheandovers.org/ They have a subgroup called the Mom & Tots group that meets every Wed. The nice thing about this group is that it is much smaller (Maybe 30 members) than the Mother's Connection (I think it has ~600 members). There is also the some activities through the town DCS for kids over 4...I haven't tried them yet. But check out the towns website. http://andoverma.gov/
The local paper is the Andover Townsman or the Eagle Tribune (I think that paper covers the Merrimack Valley area).
Send me an email if you have any additional questions and I can try to help (note, since we have only been here for a few months...we are also still learning about the area).
