Scott Erb
Explore a bygone Transcendentalist community, whose pastoral landscape houses wide-ranging collections of art and artifacts.
Plan Your Visit
- Overview
- Ideas for Your Visit
- Admission & Hours
- Directions & Contact Info
- Facilities & Accessibility
- Venue Rental
- Property Map
- Regulations & Advisories
Overview
Advance tickets are required for Fruitlands Museum; please click here to reserve them.
This spring, Fruitlands Museum will have a phased reopening, expanding hours and building access over April and May.
April access is to the grounds only until the Art Gallery reopens with new exhibition “Piecework: Resistance and Healing in Contemporary Textile Arts” with a Member Preview Weekend, April 24-25 and public opening on April 28. Hours will expand to full, six-day-a-week Main Season hours on May 15th with the reopening of the Native American Gallery and new exhibition “Ripples Towards the Future“. More information and Advanced Passes, please visit here.
The Shaker Gallery and Fruitlands Farmhouse remain closed at the time. We look forward to announcing a summer opening date for these historic spaces. Please see our program listing for opportunities for outdoor walking tours focused on these subject areas.
The Fruitlands Museum Café will reopen for the 2021 season on Friday, April 30th.
The Fruitlands Museum has a diverse collection of art and material culture on 210 acres of land, stunning views and miles of walking trails.
In 1843, Amos Bronson Alcott and Charles Lane turned a swath of Harvard farmland into a Transcendentalist experiment in subsistence farming and Emersonian self-reliance, named Fruitlands, which ultimately disbanded after only seven months. In 1914, Clara Endicott Sears opened the grounds to the public, establishing a museum in the property’s 1820s farmhouse. Now, the 210-acre landscape encompasses five collections first established by Sears: the original Fruitlands Farmhouse; the Shaker Museum, the first such museum in the country; the Native American Museum, celebrating the history of indigenous peoples; the Art Museum, with a variety of rotating exhibits, contemporary art, and showcasing a combined collection of more than 300 Hudson River School landscape paintings and 19th-century vernacular portraits; and the Wayside Visitor Center, a classroom, education, and exhibition space.
Ideas for Your Visit
Enjoy the exhibits, hike the grounds, or attend events like the summer concert series or the annual craft festival in fall.
Admission & Hours
Advance tickets are required for Fruitlands Museum; please click here to reserve them.
Early Spring 2021
Through April 11th
Saturday and Sundays | 11am-4pm Grounds Only Access
Closed Weekdays
Admission: Grounds Only Parking Passes $10 per car, Free for Members
Special Patriot’s Day Hours – Grounds Only Access (Monday, April 19)
11am-4pm
April 12th – April 25th
Wednesday-Sunday | 11am-4pm Grounds Only Access
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Admission: Grounds Only Parking Passes $10 per car, Free for Members
Art Gallery Member Preview Access Available Through Advanced Tickets April 24th and 25th
April 26th – May 14th
Wednesday-Sunday | 11am – 4pm Grounds and Art Gallery Access
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Admission: Grounds and Gallery Parking Pass $15 per car, Free for Members
The Fruitlands Museum Café will reopen for the 2021 season on Friday, April 30th.
Main Season 2021
May 15th – December 6th
Main Season Access includes Art Gallery, Native American Gallery, Wayside Gallery, Grounds, and Trails. The Shaker Gallery and Fruitlands Farmhouse remain closed at the time. We look forward to announcing a summer opening date for these historic spaces. Please see our program listing for opportunities for outdoor walking tours focused on these subject areas.
Hours
Monday, Wednesday-Friday 10am-4pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm
Closed Tuesdays
Gallery and Grounds Admission
Adults $12
Children (5-12) $6
Children Under 5 Free
Seniors/Students $10
Trustees members receive free admission
Pricing is per person, please reserve for each member of your party
Grounds Only Parking Passes $10 per car
Directions & Contact Info
Fruitlands Museum
102 Prospect Hill Road
Harvard, Massachusetts 01451
Phone: 978.456.3924
Get directions on Google Maps.
Fruitlands Museum is located in eastern Massachusetts about 45 minutes west of Boston off of Route 2. The Museum has a spectacular view to the west of Mount Wachusett and, on a clear day, to Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire. The view west overlooks the Oxbow Wildlife Refuge and the Nashua River Valley.
Explore our museum collections and historic buildings as well as 210 acres of woodlands and meadows. Our site offers a great location for weddings, corporate events and family outings.
FROM THE EAST
Take Route 2 west to exit 38A. Head south on Route 110 and take your first right onto Old Shirley Road. The Museum is about two miles ahead on the right.
FROM THE WEST
Take Route 2 east to exit 38A. Head south on Route 110 and take your first right onto Old Shirley Road. The Museum is about two miles ahead on the right.
FROM THE NORTH
Take 495 South to Route 2 west to exit 38A. Head south on Route 110 and take your first right onto Old Shirley Road. The Museum is about two miles ahead on the right.
FROM THE SOUTH
Take 495 north to Route 2 west to exit 38A. Head south on Route 110 and take your first right onto Old Shirley Road. The Museum is about two miles on the right.
Facilities & Accessibility
Accessible Features
Accessible parking is located at the upper lot by the Museum Shop, and the lower lot by the Wayside and Art Galleries.
Rides are available in a 4-seat gator to facilitate access around the hilly terrain at the center museum campus. This amenity has been placed on hold during COVID, so please call ahead to check availability.
Accessible bathrooms are available at the Prospect House Café/Gift Shop and at the Wayside Gallery.
The Art Gallery, Native American Gallery, and Wayside Gallery, as well as the Fruitlands Museum Cafe and Shop are all wheelchair accessible. The Shaker Gallery and Fruitlands Farmhouse are not currently wheelchair accessible.
Venue Rental
For more information about hosting your wedding or private event at Fruitlands Museum, please visit our website.
Property Map
Free trail map distributed from bulletin board in the parking area. Please understand that supplies periodically run out. We recommend that you take a photo of the map on your phone so you can refer to it during your visit, or download a trail map before you head out.
Regulations & Advisories
Advance tickets are required for Fruitlands Museum; please click here to reserve them.
- Dogs must be leashed at all times
- Disturbing, removing, defacing, cutting or otherwise causing damage to vegetation or any natural feature, sign, poster, barrier, building, or
- All fires are prohibited
- Camping is prohibited.
- Hunting and firearms are prohibited.
- Mountain biking is prohibited.
- Horseback riding is prohibited.
- The Trustees reserves the right to photograph or video visitors and program participants for promotional use, and usage of our properties implies consent. Please read our photo and video policy.
