RECENT PROGRAMMING
Holiday Open House (Sunday, December 8, 1-4PM)
Our annual holiday open house returns! You're invited to join us Sunday, December 8 as we bundle up for the holiday season.
Wander through the historic design office at your own pace, take part in family-friendly arts and crafts and enjoy light refreshments.
Offered in partnership with Friends of Fairsted.
Employees at Work (Saturday, November 9, 6-7:30PM)
What do we really know about the employees of the Olmsted firm? When it comes to landscape architecture, the image of Frederick Law Olmsted and his sons often comes to mind. However, these landscapes couldn't be designed without the help of others that also called Fairsted their workplace.
Every Kid Outdoors (Saturday, October 12, 11 AM - 3 PM)
Fourth graders and their families (including homeschoolers) are invited to pick up their FREE Every Kid Outdoors pass, which provides access to hundreds of National Parks and federal recreational lands until August 2025.
Weed Warriors- National Public Lands Day (September 28, 2024 9:30AM-12:30PM)
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site invites enthusiastic and passionate volunteers to assist us on Saturday, September 28 to celebrate National Public Lands Day! National Public Lands Day is the largest single-day volunteer effort for America's public lands.
3rd Annual Art in the Park at Fairsted (July 21, 2024 10AM-4:30PM)
Enjoy a summer day filled with music and art on the South Lawn! The day will include performances by Vaness Trien and The Jumping Monkeys, Juventas New Music Ensemble, and Just Kids. Family-friendly art activites will be available throughout the day, as well as tours of the historic design office at 10 AM and 1 PM. This free event is made possible in partnership with the Friends of Fairsted.
A Short Walk on a Long Day- The Riverway, Reinventing the Parkway (June 21, 2024 6:00-7:30PM)
Join 2023's Beveridge Fellow Loïc Massias for a tour of the Emerald Necklace and the work of the Olmsted firm in the Riverway. As part of Massias’s current research on Frederick Law Olmsted’s park systems and their reception in France, the 2-hour walking tour will explore the innovative vision and design’s processes that led to the creation of the Emerald Necklace. This program will touch on the role of water in the design’s process, structure of the urban fabric, layered circulation, integration of architectural elements, and plant palette.
Volunteer Open House (February 25, 2024 1:00 - 3:00PM)
Come visit with current volunteers, staff, and other prospective volunteers to discover upcoming opportunities, enjoy light refreshments, and tour the site before we open for the season. Opportunities include front-line visitor engagement, developing and presenting tours, supporting education program, and assisting in behind-the-scenes projects! Training will be held in March with anticipated start dates of April/May.
Holiday Open House (December 10, 2023 1:00PM-4:00PM)
In partnership with Friends of Fairsted, join us at Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site for our yearly holiday open house. With food and beverages, as well as holiday themed arts and crafts activities, you will be able to wander through the Olmsted historic design office at your own pace, with staff available to answer questions. We hope to see you before we close down for the winter!
Fall Walks and Talks: Parks and Politics- A Learn and Burn of Jamaica Pond (November 25, 2023 12:30PM-1:30PM)
Join us on a tour of Jamaica Pond and its notable neighborhood. Our first 1.5 mile loop will include a discussion of the politics behind the Emerald Necklace and how the neighbors were involved with local politics. Our second loop will be fitness focused- more walking, less talking to warm up on a chilly day. We will be walking around the pond during cold and windy weather! Please be prepared by wearing comfortable shoes and wear multiple layers to be warm.
Fall Walks and Talks: Franklin Park- The Jewel of the Emerald Necklace Part 2 The Country Park (November 18, 2023 11AM-12PM)
Franklin Park is considered one of Frederick Law Olmsted’s finest design achievements and a prime example of his social ideals. Discover Olmsted’s vision for Franklin Park’s Country Park on this two-hour walk through the landscapes of Scarboro Pond, Schoolmaster Hill, and the Country Park meadow. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing.
Fall Walks and Talks: Franklin Park- The Jewel of the Emerald Necklace Part 1 The Ante Park (November 4th, 2023 12PM-1PM)
We will be learning about the Ante Park section of Franklin Park, the jewel of Frederick Law Olmsted's Boston Park System, known as the Emerald Necklace. We will be starting our walk by White Stadium in Franklin Park at 12PM. his walk is not a loop as we will be walking through the Ante Park section of Franklin Park, ending on the opposite side. We will be walking a little over one mile and will go for roughly an hour and a half.
Fall Walks and Talks: Brother Artists- Olmsted and Richardson in Malden (October 21, 2023 1PM-2PM)
Join us for the third part of our series "Brother-Artists" as we explore the Converse Memorial Library in Malden, Massachusetts, and discuss the collaborations of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Henry Hobson Richardson, who a mutual friend referred to as 'brother-artists." The Converse Memorial Library was constructed between 1883 and 1885 and was the last Richardson-Olmsted library project.
Fall Walks and Talks: The Fells and the First Metropolitan Park System (October 7, 2023 10AM-12PM)
Join us to discuss the reasons why the Middlesex Fells Reservation was created and the Olmsted Firm’s involvement in designing and implementing the Boston Metropolitan Park System. Join us at 10:00 on Saturday, October 7th to explore the Fells through a lens of history and design. The program will consist of a 3 mile moderately paced hike over fairly rugged terrain.
