Third Thursday Evening Openings
Every Third Thursday through December 2025, 5:00 - 8:00 pm
Orchard House is pleased to share in Concord’s new “Third Thursdays” initiative -- sharing history, shopping, and culinary offerings after regular operating hours with visitors and residents alike!
Stop in to enjoy our award-winning guided tours, master a beguiling 19th Century craft, peruse and purchase in our carefully curated Museum Store, embrace the evening ambiance of our historic landscape, and delight in a meet-and-greet with Concord Minute Men re-enactors.
Tickets for evening guided tours are available on a first-come/first-served basis on each third Thursday. Shopping in our store, strolling our grounds, and engaging with our special visitors from the past are always free to all.
Aspiring to Authorship - Sharing Space in Orchard House
An Exceptional Opportunity to spend private time in Louisa May Alcott's Bedchamber
Select dates in February, March, & November
9:00 - 11:00 am
By reservation only
News & Activities at Orchard House
Write Stuff! Youth Creative Writing Camp - August 2025
Youngsters ages 8 - 12 are invited to participate in our uniquely entertaining and educational camp to experiment with writing poetry, fiction, correspondence, journaling, and stories inspired by nature and art. Campers will have the rare chance to spend time writing in Louisa's room, closely observe artifacts in the House, and immerse themselves in the beautiful grounds of The Wayside and Ralph Waldo Emerson's garden. In addition, they will discover ways to move their bodies and enjoy games that encourage playfulness and creativity to make memories that last a lifetime!
Limited to 10 participants; advance registration & pre-payment required
Aspiring to Authorship - An Exceptional Opportunity for Sharing Space in Orchard House
Ever wonder what it was like for Louisa May Alcott to unleash the simmering stories in her brain onto paper? Orchard House now offers a unique chance for visitors to encourage the same spirit of creativity and determination Miss Alcott exhibited by spending private time within the evocative atmosphere of her bedchamber.
Not interested in writing? You may instead read, sketch, meditate, or reflect.
(1 person / Up to 2 hours / Must be 18+ years)
Discover our Emmy Award-Winning Documentary: Orchard House - Home of Little Women
Orchard House has a rich, fascinating, and inspiring 350-year historical and literary significance that has finally been captured on film! Viewed by millions nationwide on public television, it has now been awarded an Emmy and is available for purchase from our Museum Store.
(Special pricing available for online orders only)
"The Legacy & Allure of Orchard House's Landscape" - Discover Concord Magazine Article
Visitors from around the world or across town consider our gardens and grounds to be a perpetual source of hope, joy, and beauty. While Mr. Alcott spent years honoring the historic landscape by carefully tending it, Louisa paid tribute to the family’s love of horticulture in Little Women by having the March sisters cultivate their own flower beds. Read what all the buzz is about in a delightful article written by Executive Director Jan Turnquist — then try your hand at creating your own Little Women Garden!
Colonial Concord Christmas Concert by Concord Minute Men - December 17, 2024
A unique opportunity to enjoy beloved holiday music performed by talented Revolutionary War re-enactors was provided in our acoustically inspiring School of Philosophy! Centuries combined to produce an unforgettable evening of merriment as The Concord Minute Men Fife & Drum Corps offered delightful medleys of seasonal songs while honoring the fact that Orchard House (c. 1650) was home to two Concord Minute Men in 1775!
Next year's concert date will be posted in Fall 2025
An Old-Fashioned Christmas at Orchard House - December 7th & 8th and 14th & 15th, 2024
The sights, scents, sounds, and sensibilities of an Alcottian Christmas celebration came alive within our festively decorated rooms and through interactions with Living History portrayers as Victorian music, games, crafts and more were enjoyed by all!
Next year's program dates will be posted in Fall 2025
~ ~ ~
Orchard House will be decorated for the holidays through January 12, 2025
"A Broad Stroke for a Husband" - Saturday, 24 August 2024 @ 5 pm
"A Broad Stroke for a Husband" - Saturday, 24 August 2024 @ 5 pm
"A Broad Stroke for a Husband" - Saturday, 24 August 2024 @ 5 pm
A marvelous time was had as The Taming of the Shrew met Twelfth Night during the performance of Hannah Cowley's uproarious -- and refreshingly modern! -- 1783 play by Theater in the Open on our evocative grounds! We also thoroughly enjoyed our first-ever collaboration with Theater in the Open, and look forward to more opportunities to partner with them and revive forgotten classics!
(Click button to find out more about them)
Annual [Virtual] 5K, 10K, & 1 Miler Walk / Run Benefit for Orchard House
In-person event returns in 2025!
Donations accepted year-round
Walk, run, stroll, or shimmy during our fun, fitness-focused event that can be done anywhere in the world, in any weather! Participants, their families, friends, and fans were invited to virtually join UTA PIPPIG — marathon legend, fitness motivator, and event Honorary Chair — to support our public education and historic preservation initiatives.
Nashobah Praying Indian Event - November 12, 2023
Nashobah Praying Indian descendant Strong Bear Medicine and scholar/author Dan Boudillion discussed the Nashobah Praying Indians’ millennia-long presence in our area, their journey of survival, and the current thriving community. They also referred to Dan's recently published book, The History of the Nashobah Praying Indians: Doings, Sufferings, Survival, and Triumph, as a valuable resource for those who wish to know more.
Requests to receive a recording still being accepted
Enhanced Visit Experience featuring May Alcott Artwork through October 15, 2023
In honor of the Concord Free Public Library's Sesquicentennial and Concord Museum's celebratory "Perpetual Invitation . . ." exhibit, Orchard House displayed many rarely-seen artifacts related to May Alcott's life and artistic career in every room along our guided tour. Visitors were enlightened by, impressed with, and astonished at May’s talent, and came away with a greater appreciation for this gifted artist whose life (all too brief . . .), joie de vivre, and legacy continue to uplift and enrich us!
Little Women Film Festival - February 2, 9, 16, & 23, 2023 in The School of Philosophy
Treating ourselves to a February full of Marches, all four major motion pictures of Little Women (1933, 1949, 1994, 2019) were shown chronologically on consecutive Thursdays in collaboration with and celebration of The Concord Players, honoring their Spring 2023 Decennial Production of Little Women [The Musical]!
Orchard House featured in the March/April 2022 issue of Yankee Magazine
In the “Weekend Away” section (pages 68-73, accessible via the link below), Orchard House is one of the sites that Yankee recommends to visit — even if only on the outside — during a Spring weekend trip to Lexington and Concord. You may read the entire issue as well, without a subscription, using the link.
Virtual Fundraiser Event: A Conversation with Actor Chris Cooper - October 23, 2021
Academy Award winner Chris Cooper joined Orchard House Executive Director Jan Turnquist for a scintillating Zoom webinar about the making of Greta Gerwig’s 2019 Little Women film!
We are extremely grateful to Mr. Cooper for giving generously of his time so that all proceeds from this event can benefit Orchard House’s educational programs and historic preservation!
Virtual Book Launch - A Worse Place Than Hell . . . by John Matteson - February 9, 2021
Celebrate the latest publication from the Pulitzer Prize-winning pen of John Matteson — A Worse Place Than Hell: How the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Changed a Nation — by watching the Virtual Book Launch hosted by Orchard House Executive Director Jan Turnquist on Tuesday, February 9, 2021!
"Welcome to Our Home" Monthly Living History Tours
"Welcome to Our Home" offers an interactive tour with an expert living history guide, allowing for intimate access to fascinating anecdotes about the Alcotts' lives and times. 19th Century games, songs, and a treasure hunt round out this memorable experience suitable for all ages. Offered the fourth Saturday of each month through November, as well as during February and April school vacation.
Please note that these tours are temporarily suspended
John Matteson Virtual Book Launch - February 9, 2021
Celebrate the latest publication from the Pulitzer Prize-winning pen of John Matteson -- A Worse Place Than Hell: How the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Changed a Nation -- by watching the recorded Virtual Book Launch hosted by Orchard House Executive Director Jan Turnquist on Tuesday, February 9, 2021!
During the event, Prof. Matteson discussed the genesis of his new book and the poignant, inspiring, often surprising backstories of the five individuals featured within -- Louisa May Alcott, Arthur Fuller, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr, John Pelham, and Walt Whitman -- as well as how this pivotal time in American history not only provided life-changing lessons in the moment, but continue to hold relevance for turbulent modern times. (Learn more about the book here) This free Webinar was conducted/recorded via Zoom and livestreamed on Facebook. A Trivia Game, Q&A, and virtual toast were also included in the festivities.
A Worse Place Than Hell . . . is still available at a discounted price through our Online Museum Store. Copies purchased from Orchard House include a bookplate signed by the author and a custom-designed bookmark commemorating the publication. Prof. Matteson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Alcott biography, Eden's Outcasts - The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father, and The Annotated Little Women may also be purchased from us.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House was closed to the public since March 13, 2020, but re-opened on August 1, 2021. Tax-deductible contributions in support of this event and future programming are always gratefully accepted here.
Many thanks to those who joined us live on February 9th. We hope many more of you will enjoy watching the recording!
"Welcome to Our Home" Monthly Living History Tours
"Welcome to Our Home" offers an interactive tour with an expert living history guide, allowing for intimate access to fascinating anecdotes about the Alcotts' lives and times. 19th Century games, songs, and a treasure hunt round out this memorable experience suitable for all ages. Offered the fourth Saturday of each month through November, as well as during February and April school vacation.
Please note that these tours are temporarily suspended