Visiting Orchard House

The sights, scents, sounds, and sensibilities of an Alcottian Christmas celebration come alive within our festively decorated rooms and through interactions with Living History portrayers as Victorian music, games, and crafts will be enjoyed by all!  

Reservations are strongly urged for this perennially popular program

~ ~ ~

Orchard House will also be decorated for the holidays through January 12, 2025

A unique opportunity to enjoy beloved holiday music performed by talented Revolutionary War re-enactors will be provided in our acoustically inspiring School of Philosophy!  Centuries combine to produce an unforgettable evening of merriment as The Concord Minute Men Fife & Drum Corps offer delightful medleys of seasonal songs while honoring the fact that Orchard House (c. 1650) was home to two Concord Minute Men in 1775!

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)

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)

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!

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)

Participate through December 31st;

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 are 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 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

    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. 

 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!