Fruitlands Museum

Fruitlands Museum

Fruitlands Museum
4.5
Speciality MuseumsArt MuseumsHistory Museums
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
Closed
Friday
Closed
Saturday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
Fruitlands Museum is comprised of four separate museums, showcasing Transcendentalists, Shakers, Native Americans and American paintings on 210 acres of meadows and woods with 2.5 miles of trails and a breathtaking view of the Nashua River Valley. The Fruitlands Museum Store sells fine crafts by local artists and the Museum Café, which is open during the main season (April 15 through November 7), focuses on locally sourced, sustainable cuisine reflective of the heritage of New England.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles128 reviews
Excellent
78
Very good
35
Average
11
Poor
3
Terrible
1

Andres72423
Bridgeport, CT5,072 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Couples
A 210 acre museum which has several galleries and a Shaker Museum. It was a rainy day so we were looking for things to do which would keep us indoors. The art works was really good and we really enjoyed the Native American gallery which had plenty of Native American artifacts. It was a pleasant time, we enjoyed ourselves. It would have been nice to get out for a hike on their trails but the weather did not cooperate.
Written October 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Curt K
New Castle, DE1,784 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Couples
While visiting New England, we took a trip to the Fruitlands Museum. This place was started as an experiment that did not succeed but it was interesting none the less. The museum pays homage to the Indigenous People, houses an art collection, and was where Louisa May Alcott grew up and was induced to write "Little Women".
Written October 11, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

wordnerd66
Boston, MA16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
I visited Fruitlands with family in April 2022, and also went to deCordova museum in Lincoln during the same week. I didn't know this ahead of time but they happened to be the two venues for the New England Triennial 2022, which featured many artists from the area. This is a lovely pastoral setting for a museum. There are some outdoor sculptures and also a few exhibition rooms. Very low key and enjoyable, and a great option for a family outing. There are a few hikes and walks right on the grounds - which are easy and totally doable with young kids or elderly parents.
Written May 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Elizabeth T
2 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
This is a pretty place with great views. On a clear day there would be opportunities for picnicking and roaming in the forest. I visited on a rainy day and went to the Shaker store, farmhouse, Native American gallery, art gallery, and store. And I felt like it wasn't worth the $17 I paid. There's some attempt at informative signage in each building but not enough. The tour with the guide was disappointing. She talked a lot. A lot. I think I'd rather just read the displays. She was knowledgeable but there was a lack of order and coherence to her storytelling--and a lack of historical context. She didn't address some foundational questions that I would've liked to have started with like, "What was going on in New England or the US to prompt such extreme utopic living experiments? Were these founders being influenced by events on the continent? Why was New England such a seeming hotbed of utopic activity? How did Alcott meet some of his supporters, espec those coming from Europe, i.e. was he publishing something that they were reading? Given that Alcott grew up as a farmer, why didn't he plant more diverse crops? Did he consult anyone? Were there European thinkers influencing his ideas about labor and vegetarianism? What exactly was he writing and saying? How has Alcott's experiment impacted the U.S. today?" It would've been nice to have some quotes or snippets from his writing on the wall to understand what he was thinking. But most importantly, Fruitlands Museum is missing an opportunity to connect visitors to our nation's history. These were 19th -century hippies trying to create their own cultural revolution. Making these people human, fleshing out their lives, and connecting them in some detail to our own lives today would've been very helpful.
Written October 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bcnett
Stoneham, MA439 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
It's a beautiful spot, but there is very little here to see or to do. The thing that made it a positive experience for us was the tour where we visited two houses. The tour is NOT included in the $12.00 admission fee. We had to pay $7.50 each for it. We had an excellent tour guide who told us about transcendentalism, Louisa May Alcott's family's stay here, and the filming of the 2018 version of 'Little Women that was done here.

There is a steep hill to see the houses and no transportation is provided.
Written June 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rooindie
Sioux Falls, SD908 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021
We did a tour, and without that, we agree we'd only give this a 2. The art and Native American Galleries were small and not especially interesting. What makes this place interesting is the "experiment in living" that happened here, and there isn't much information about it without doing the tour. The tour involves uphill walking and no shade. We also tried to see the nearby Shaker sites - don't bother. We probably spent about 90 minutes at the site.
Written October 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Helen O
4 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Business
Under new management, who don't seem to know what they're doing. I went there with my library book group to plan for the upcoming year. I had tried to get the menu online to check the offerings and prices - no dice. There was no maitre d', no waiters. It wasn't even clear if it the place was open. We didn't know where to get the food - oh, inside - Who knew? We eventually figured it out, but overall I've never gone back and I live here in Harvard, MA. It's unfortunate becaause this is a beautiful venue.
Written February 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

oldtimeminuteman
Worcester, MA21 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
Very little to see for the admission price. They now charge extra to tour the farmhouse and shaker gallery. Also,they seem to be pushing a PC agenda instead of just a historical museum. We used to visit every few years but won't be anymore.
Written August 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dmcnslt
Asheville, NC98 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
Only two of the four museums were open when we visited. These two contained few items and these were pretty uninspired. Even the hiking trail we took was nothing special. On the plus side there are lovely views from the parking lot, staff are exceptionally nice and knowledgeable, and the gift shop and restaurant for lunch are both quite good. I would not go much out of your way to visit.
Written July 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Phyllis B
Woodstock, Connecticut, United States96 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
It was one of those days that we headed out to explore! We had heard of Fruitlands Museum, but knew nothing about it. It was a wonderful experience full of interesting information. The staff were excellent and so happy to answer all of our questions! Our only negative was that we didn't realize that some buildings were closed because of the cold weather in New England. This makes sense now, but we wish it was made more obvious on their website. We will definitely return to see the additional buildings, but also to take advantage of the hiking trails.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Fruitlands Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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