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
- Venue Rental
- Property Map
- Regulations & Advisories
Overview
Advance tickets are required for Fruitlands Museum; please click here to reserve them.
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.
At this time, the Fruitlands Farmhouse and Shaker Gallery remain closed. The Art Gallery and Native American Gallery are open Thursday-Sunday through advanced online ticketing.
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.
2020 Season
HOURS
- Monday and Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday Grounds Only 11AM-4PM, Café Open 11AM-2:30PM - Thursday-Sunday Art Gallery, Native American Gallery, Wayside Gallery and Pop-Up Shop, and Grounds 11AM-4PM, Café Open 11AM-2:30PM
- At this time the Shaker Gallery and Fruitlands Farmhouse remain closed.
ADMISSION- Please note, advanced passes are required
- Wednesdays: Grounds and Café Only
Member: FREE
Nonmember: $10 per car parking pass - Thursday-Sunday: Admission to Open Galleries and Grounds
Member: FREE
Nonmember Adult: $12
Nonmember Child (Ages 5-12) $6
Under 5: FREE
Nonmember Senior/Student: $10
Regular admission is always FREE for Trustees Members!
Teachers are always FREE!
During winter open hours visit the Art Gallery, Wayside Gallery, Museum Store, and museum grounds. All other museum buildings and the Café are closed and re-open during the main season.
Directions
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.
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.
