Fruitlands Museum

Fruitlands four galleries, singular collections, over 200 pastoral acres, trails and vistas stir the imagination.
Founded in 1914, the museum takes its name from a utopian community created by Bronson Alcott and Charles Lane in 1843 and includes the original farmhouse used by its members, a Shaker Museum, a Native American Museum and an American Art Museum that includes over 100 Hudson River School landscape paintings and a large collection of 19th century vernacular portraits.
Fruitlands is located on 210 acres with a spectacular view of the Nashua River Valley and includes a Café, Museum Store and 2.5 miles of walking trails.
History
Over ninety years ago, Clara Endicott Sears bought a gentleman’s farm on land that had once sheltered Bronson Alcott’s Utopian experiment in communal living known as Fruitlands.
Fruitlands lasted a mere seven months, but Sears helped rescue it from oblivion by turning the Alcott farmhouse into a house museum to celebrate the Transcendentalists’ vision.
Between 1914 and 1945, Sears’museum, named after Alcott’s commune, grew to include Native American art and artifacts, a Shaker collection, and a Picture Gallery of American vernacular portraits and Hudson River School landscapes.
Groups:
Please call in advance and make a reservation to take advantage of our group discount.
Guided tours by reservation.
Parking:
Free to all visitors.
Accessibility:
Restaurant, Rest Rooms, Museum Store/Reception Center, Wayside, and Indian Museum are fully handicapped accessible.
Restaurant
Fruitlands has a full service restaurant.Check the website for current hours.
Picnic Areas
The grounds are open to museum ticket-holders for picnics. We have many shaded picnic tables for museum visitors who bring their own lunch.
Visit our Listing on FamilyZip for photos, insider tips and more information.
HOURS | ↑ top |
April - November: Weekdays, 10AM - 4PM. Weekends and Holidays, 10AM - 5PM
November - March: Weekends Only, noon - 5PM
COST | ↑ top |
(Purchase Museum and Grounds Admission at the Museum Store)
Fruitlands Museum & Trustees Members FREE
Adults $12.00
Seniors and Students w/a college id $10.00
Children 5-13 $5.00 , under 5 FREE
Trails/Grounds Only
Adults $6.00 , Children $3.00
WEBSITE | ↑ top |
LOCATION | ↑ top |
102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard, MA, 01451 map
Phone: (978) 456-3924
RELATED LINKS | ↑ top |
- Profiles
Info changes frequently. We cannot warrant it. Verify with Fruitlands Museum before making the trek. If you find an error, please report it...