Tour the Otis House Museum

Explore over 200 years of history at the foot of Boston’s iconic Beacon Hill neighborhood! Situated at 141 Cambridge Street, nestled beside the historic Old West Church, you’ll find the last surviving mansion in Bowdoin Square, the most luxurious neighborhood before Beacon Hill was constructed. This house was designed by Charles Bulfinch for the man who would become the 3rd mayor of Boston – Harrison “Harry” Gray Otis. Join us for guided tours on Saturdays during November to learn about the rich lives of one of Boston’s wealthiest families in the Federal era. Discover how use of the home changed through the centuries and learn about the restoration this National Historic Landmark has undergone. Join our knowledgeable guides for an enlightening and entertaining tour of this beautiful mansion! Please note that the tours run approximately 45 minutes and involve standing, walking, and stairs. Chairs are stationed throughout the house, which is not air conditioned, but hand fans are available for free. Tours of only the first floor are available upon request. Hours: November, Saturdays Only: 11am – 2pm Tours on the hour Adults: $15 Students and Seniors: $13 Youth (ages 6-12): $7 EBT or SNAP (up to 4 tickets): $2 Children (ages 0-5), HNE Members, and Boston Residents: Free

Otis House Museum

Lyman Estate Landscape Tour

Walk the rolling paths and garden trails of the 37-acre Lyman estate with us. Landscape and horticulture were always integral to the estate. This site was home to pleasure grounds, formal gardens, a working farm, greenhouses, and woodlands for over four generations of the Lyman family. See how the grounds have changed over time and explore that which has remained intact in spite of it.&nbsp; Member $15; Nonmember $20.&nbsp; Please call 617-994-6672&nbsp;for more information. Tour will meet at the front door of the mansion. Accessibility Considerations:&nbsp;This outdoor tour involves traversing uneven surfaces and some stairs for 90 minutes. It will run rain or shine. The greenhouses, one of the oldest surviving complexes in the country, will be open 9:30-4:00 and participants can visit before or after the tour. View Image

Lyman Estate

Life of a Laborer, a Working-Class History Tour

From cooking meals to operating a factory loom, laborers made the Lyman family’s life on a grand estate possible. Hundreds of workers were employed in occupations like gardeners, maids, and farm hands during the Lyman Estate’s 150+ years of operation. Thousands more held positions in industries that helped the family financial prosper, like the textile mills in Waltham and Holyoke that the Lyman’s invested in. Explore the working-class history of the Lyman Estate and visit areas of the house not usually on view during this new specialty tour. Member $10; Nonmember $20 This program is funded in part by a grant from the Waltham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Life of a Laborer, a Working-Class History Tour&nbsp;will also be offered on&nbsp;<a href="https://my.historicnewengland.org/19944/life-of-a-laborer-nov">November 2</a>. Accessibility Considerations:&nbsp;Tour involves four floors of stairs. There is a ramp for access to the first floor but the estate has not been equipped with ramps, elevators, or chair lifts to reach the other floors. Visitors are welcome to sit on the reproduction furniture in the house and service animals are welcome. We are happy to work with you to make your visit an enjoyable one and we encourage visitors with questions or requests to call ahead.

Walk the rolling paths and garden trails of the 37-acre Lyman estate with us. Landscape and horticulture were always integral to the estate. This site was home to pleasure grounds, formal gardens, a working farm, greenhouses, and woodlands for over four generations of the Lyman family. See how the grounds have changed over time and explore that which has remained intact in spite of it.&nbsp; Member $15; Nonmember $20.&nbsp; Please call 617-994-6672&nbsp;for more information. Tour will meet at the front door of the mansion. The Lyman Estate Landscape Tour&nbsp;will also be offered on&nbsp;<a href="https://my.historicnewengland.org/19944/lym-landscape-nov">November 16</a>. Accessibility Considerations:&nbsp;This outdoor tour involves traversing uneven surfaces and some stairs for 90 minutes. It will run rain or shine. The greenhouses, one of the oldest surviving complexes in the country, will be open 9:30-4:00 and participants can visit before or after the tour. View Image

Tour the Browne House

Take a 45-minute tour of the house and grounds with one of our knowledgeable guides. Built between 1694 and 1701 for a farming family, Historic New England's Browne House contains rare surviving architectural features from the late 1600s. In a near ruinous state when it was acquired by Historic New England founder William Sumner Appleton in 1919, the house was painstakingly restored in what is acknowledged to be the first fully documented restoration in America. Browne House is a modest “one-over-one” dwelling with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century additions. Prominent features include a steeply pitched roof, diamond-patterned casement windows, and early door and window placements and styles. During the restoration, an impressive amount of seventeenth-century finish detail was uncovered. There is one large room on the first floor, which incorporated living, cooking, and sleeping space. The upper chamber contains an extremely rare three-part casement window frame. October 5 and 6 Tours at 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM Tickets available online. Free for Historic New England members and Watertown residents. ACCESSIBILITY Tour involves standing, walking, and stairs. Visitors with limited mobility may be able to enjoy a first floor tour of the house. Visitors can access a&nbsp;<a href="https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=o5zZ9ogUVQX" target="_blank">virtual tour</a>&nbsp;of the museum from their own digital device. Folding chairs are provided for visitors who would like to use them while on tour. The site is not equipped with ramps, elevators, or lifts. There is no public restroom and the house is not air-conditioned. Service animals are welcome. We are happy to work with you to make your visit an enjoyable one and we encourage visitors with questions or requests to call ahead. Historic New England is the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the nation. Visit some of our 38 sites throughout New England this season!

Browne House

Take a 45-minute tour of the house and grounds with one of our knowledgeable guides. Built between 1694 and 1701 for a farming family, Historic New England's Browne House contains rare surviving architectural features from the late 1600s. In a near ruinous state when it was acquired by Historic New England founder William Sumner Appleton in 1919, the house was painstakingly restored in what is acknowledged to be the first fully documented restoration in America. Browne House is a modest “one-over-one” dwelling with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century additions. Prominent features include a steeply pitched roof, diamond-patterned casement windows, and early door and window placements and styles. During the restoration, an impressive amount of seventeenth-century finish detail was uncovered. There is one large room on the first floor, which incorporated living, cooking, and sleeping space. The upper chamber contains an extremely rare three-part casement window frame. August 3 and 4, September 21 and 22, October 5 and 6 Tours at 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM Tickets available online. Free for Historic New England members and Watertown residents. ACCESSIBILITY Tour involves standing, walking, and stairs. Visitors with limited mobility may be able to enjoy a first floor tour of the house. Visitors can access a <a href="https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=o5zZ9ogUVQX" target="_blank">virtual tour</a> of the museum from their own digital device. Folding chairs are provided for visitors who would like to use them while on tour. The site is not equipped with ramps, elevators, or lifts. There is no public restroom and the house is not air-conditioned. Service animals are welcome. We are happy to work with you to make your visit an enjoyable one and we encourage visitors with questions or requests to call ahead. Historic New England is the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the nation. Visit some of our 38 sites throughout New England this season!

Take a 45-minute tour of the house and grounds with one of our knowledgeable guides. Built between 1694 and 1701 for a farming family, Historic New England's Browne House contains rare surviving architectural features from the late 1600s. In a near ruinous state when it was acquired by Historic New England founder William Sumner Appleton in 1919, the house was painstakingly restored in what is acknowledged to be the first fully documented restoration in America. Browne House is a modest “one-over-one” dwelling with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century additions. Prominent features include a steeply pitched roof, diamond-patterned casement windows, and early door and window placements and styles. During the restoration, an impressive amount of seventeenth-century finish detail was uncovered. There is one large room on the first floor, which incorporated living, cooking, and sleeping space. The upper chamber contains an extremely rare three-part casement window frame. September 21 and 22, October 5 and 6 Tours at 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM Tickets available online. Free for Historic New England members and Watertown residents. ACCESSIBILITY Tour involves standing, walking, and stairs. Visitors with limited mobility may be able to enjoy a first floor tour of the house. Visitors can access a <a href="https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=o5zZ9ogUVQX" target="_blank">virtual tour</a> of the museum from their own digital device. Folding chairs are provided for visitors who would like to use them while on tour. The site is not equipped with ramps, elevators, or lifts. There is no public restroom and the house is not air-conditioned. Service animals are welcome. We are happy to work with you to make your visit an enjoyable one and we encourage visitors with questions or requests to call ahead. Historic New England is the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the nation. Visit some of our 38 sites throughout New England this season!

Take a 45-minute tour of the house and grounds with one of our knowledgeable guides. Built between 1694 and 1701 for a farming family, Historic New England's Browne House contains rare surviving architectural features from the late 1600s. In a near ruinous state when it was acquired by Historic New England founder William Sumner Appleton in 1919, the house was painstakingly restored in what is acknowledged to be the first fully documented restoration in America. Browne House is a modest “one-over-one” dwelling with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century additions. Prominent features include a steeply pitched roof, diamond-patterned casement windows, and early door and window placements and styles. During the restoration, an impressive amount of seventeenth-century finish detail was uncovered. There is one large room on the first floor, which incorporated living, cooking, and sleeping space. The upper chamber contains an extremely rare three-part casement window frame. August 3 and 4, September 21 and 22, October 5 and 6 Tours at 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM Tickets available online. Free for Historic New England members and Watertown residents. ACCESSIBILITY Tour involves standing, walking, and stairs. Visitors with limited mobility may be able to enjoy a first floor tour of the house. Visitors can access a <a href="https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=o5zZ9ogUVQX">virtual tour</a> of the museum from their own digital device. Folding chairs are provided for visitors who would like to use them while on tour. The site is not equipped with ramps, elevators, or lifts. There is no public restroom and the house is not air-conditioned. Service animals are welcome. We are happy to work with you to make your visit an enjoyable one and we encourage visitors with questions or requests to call ahead. Historic New England is the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the nation. Visit some of our 38 sites throughout New England this season!

Take a 45-minute tour of the house and grounds with one of our knowledgeable guides. Built between 1694 and 1701 for a farming family, Historic New England's Browne House contains rare surviving architectural features from the late 1600s. In a near ruinous state when it was acquired by Historic New England founder William Sumner Appleton in 1919, the house was painstakingly restored in what is acknowledged to be the first fully documented restoration in America. Browne House is a modest “one-over-one” dwelling with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century additions. Prominent features include a steeply pitched roof, diamond-patterned casement windows, and early door and window placements and styles. During the restoration, an impressive amount of seventeenth-century finish detail was uncovered. There is one large room on the first floor, which incorporated living, cooking, and sleeping space. The upper chamber contains an extremely rare three-part casement window frame. August 3 and 4, September 21 and 22, October 5 and 6 Tours at 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM Tickets available online. Free for Historic New England members and Watertown residents. ACCESSIBILITY Tour involves standing, walking, and stairs. Visitors with limited mobility may be able to enjoy a first floor tour of the house. Visitors can access a <a href="https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=o5zZ9ogUVQX" target="_blank">virtual tour</a> of the museum from their own digital device. Folding chairs are provided for visitors who would like to use them while on tour. The site is not equipped with ramps, elevators, or lifts. There is no public restroom and the house is not air-conditioned. Service animals are welcome. We are happy to work with you to make your visit an enjoyable one and we encourage visitors with questions or requests to call ahead. Historic New England is the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the nation. Visit some of our 38 sites throughout New England this season!

Movies at the Mansion: A League of Their Own

Summer nights are perfect for a free outdoor movie on the historic Lyman Estate grounds. Come early to walk the landscape, have a picnic, explore the c. 1793 mansion, and enjoy musical entertainment by the Waltham High School show band. A League of Their Own (PG)&nbsp;is a&nbsp;1992 classic takes a look at the first women's professional baseball league. Set during World War II, it focuses on the rivalry between sisters, one a sweet-swinging catcher and the other a pouty, impulsive pitcher, who play on the same team, which is managed by a washed-up, hard-drinking ex-Major Leaguer.&nbsp;Run time: 128 minutes Please bring your own lawn chairs and/or blankets. In the event of rain the movie will be shown indoors. Candy and drinks are available for sale. Alcohol is not permitted.&nbsp; Generously sponsored by East Cambridge Savings Bank, Watertown Savings Bank and Roche Bros. Supermarkets.

Movies at the Mansion: Elemental

Summer nights are perfect for a free outdoor movie on the historic Lyman Estate grounds. Come early to walk the landscape, have a picnic, explore the c. 1793 mansion, and enjoy musical entertainment by the Waltham High School show band. Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental”&nbsp;is set in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air residents live together. The story introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in. Released in 2023 with a 101 minute run time. Please bring your own lawn chairs and/or blankets. In the event of rain the movie will be shown indoors. Candy and drinks are available for sale. Alcohol is not permitted.&nbsp; Upcoming Movies: <a href="https://my.historicnewengland.org/19944/movies-a-league" target="_blank">July 25: A League of Their Own</a> Generously sponsored by East Cambridge Savings Bank, Watertown Savings Bank and Roche Bros. Supermarkets.

Movies at the Mansion: Barbie

Summer nights are perfect for a free outdoor movie on the historic Lyman Estate grounds. Come early to walk the landscape, have a picnic, explore the c. 1793 mansion, and enjoy musical entertainment by the Waltham High School show band. Finally catch or re-watch Greta Gerwig's instant classic: Barbie (PG-13)!&nbsp;Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans. Released in 2023 with a 116 minute run time. Please bring your own lawn chairs and/or blankets. In the event of rain the movie will be shown indoors. Candy and drinks are available for sale. Alcohol is not permitted.&nbsp; Upcoming Movies: <a href="https://my.historicnewengland.org/19944/movies-elemental" target="_blank">July 18: Elemental</a> <a href="https://my.historicnewengland.org/19944/movies-a-league" target="_blank">July 25: A League of Their Own</a> Generously sponsored by East Cambridge Savings Bank, Watertown Savings Bank and Roche Bros. Supermarkets.

Summer Evening on the Terrace

Enjoy the front terrace of the Otis House for an evening of women’s history, wine, and sunshine. Did you know the Otis House was home to a homeopathic “female physician”? Or that it was a boarding house before becoming a museum? Taste wine by women winemakers and learn about the women of the house, from Sally Otis to the Williams Sisters, at this unique event. The event includes four tastings with Gordon's Wine Marketing Director and Sommelier, Chelsea Bell, hors d'oeuvres provided by the Tip Tap Room, and spotlight talks by Otis House Museum staff. Historic New England or Beacon Hill Civic Association Member $60; Nonmember $65. Must be 21 years old. Please call 617-994-5920 for more information.&nbsp; Rain Date: Friday, June 28, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Discover kid-friendly fun in Boston, Massachusetts, and surrounding areas! Enjoy hands-on exhibits at the Boston Children’s Museum, explore the New England Aquarium, and visit the Franklin Park Zoo. Find parks, playgrounds, and seasonal events perfect for families across Massachusetts.

Top 20 kid-friendly things to do in Boston, MA

Kid-friendly things to do in Boston

Kid-friendly events

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.