Olmsted NHS Events

Join us for our 2026 Fall Walk and Talks!

Throughout October and early November, join park rangers for guided walks and talks throughout the Boston area. Scroll down for more information. 

 

NPS

Fall Walks and Talks Schedule

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Fall Walks and Talks: Elmsted - The American Elm and the Olmsted Legacy
Location: Arnold Arboretum
Saturday, October 3rd, 1:00-2:30 PM

The American elm has long been a symbol of New England. On this guided walk, hear the story of the rise and fall of the American elm and how it intertwined with the life and work of Frederick Law Olmsted.
The tour will start from the Arborway gate of the Arnold Arboretum and make our way up to the elm collection on Bussey Hill, exploring the impact the elm has had on the American landscape.

Location: Please meet on the steps in front of the Hunnewell Visitor Center (125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130).
For registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/elmsted-the-american-elm-and-the-olmsted-legacy-arnold-arboretum-tickets-2001241344734

Fall Walks and Talks: "Lungs of the City" - Public Health and Parks
Location: Jamaica Pond
Saturday, October 17th, 10:00-11:30 AM

Boston is deemed a “public health powerhouse,” as it is one of two cities in the United States where city residents are always approximately a 10-minute walk from a park. Join a ranger while examining the history of the public health movement and how it intersects Frederick Law Olmsted’s landscape architecture career from Central Park all the way to Fairsted.

The tour will start at the Jamaica Pond Boathouse and explore parts of Jamaica Pond and Olmsted Park.

Location: Please meet at the Jamaica Pond Boathouse (507 Jamaicaway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130).
For registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lungs-of-the-city-public-health-and-parks-jamaica-pond-tickets-2001692300555

Fall Walks and Talks: Hardscapes - Architecture and Collaboration in the Olmsted Landscape
Location: The Riverway
Saturday, October 24th, 10:00-11:30 AM

Partnership can be a powerful force. Throughout Olmsted’s career his work as a landscape larchitect found partnerships that proved fruitful and harmonious but also difficult and frustrating. But each partnership Olmsted held was as unique as a fingerprint; exhibiting varied power dynamics and design inspirations that would go on to provide each project with its own distinct character. Explore Olmsted's partnerships and influences on a guided walk of the Riverway with a park ranger.

Location: Please meet at the intersection of Longwood Ave. and Chapel St.
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hardscapes-architecture-and-collaboration-in-the-olmsted-landscape-tickets-2001695155093?aff=oddtdtcreator

Fall Walks and Talks: Social Clubs, Impressionism, and Olmsted
Location: St. Botolph Club
Saturday, November 7th, 1:00-2:30 PM

In the nineteenth-century, social clubs were spaces for the upper classes of society to socialize and explore new ideas. The St. Botolph Club was an important figure in the popularization of Impressionism in the United States and hosted one of the first Monet exhibits in the country. Join a ranger while exploring Olmsted's membership and participation in nineteenth-century social venues, much like the St. Botolph Club.

Location: Please meet at the St. Botolph Club (199 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02116).
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/social-clubs-impressionism-and-olmsted-tickets-2001696891286?aff=oddtdtcreator

 

Recent Programming

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5th Annual Art in the Park (July 12, 2026, 10AM-4:00PM)

Enjoy a summer day filled with music and art on the South Lawn! The day will include performances by Vanessa Trien and The Jumping Monkeys and Juventas New Music Ensemble. Family-friendly art activites will be available throughout the day. This free event is made possible in partnership with the Friends of Fairsted.

Rumex Removal - National Public Lands Day (September 27, 2025 9:30AM-1PM)
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site invites enthusiastic and passionate volunteers to assist us on Saturday, September 27 to celebrate National Public Lands Day! National Public Lands Day is the largest single-day volunteer effort for America's public lands.

For more information, browse our opportunity on volunteer.gov. Participants will be eligible for one fee-free coupon to a participating federal agency.

4th Annual Art in the Park at Fairsted (July 20, 2025 10AM-4:00PM)
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 and Juventas New Music Ensemble. 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.

Holiday Open House (Sunday, December 8, 2024 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, 2024 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, 2024 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.

 

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