Why is Thoreau a hero of environmental politics—but not Emerson? Join scholar Russell C. Powell for a public research talk revisiting Emerson’s universalism alongside Thoreau’s attention to place, asking how environmental politics can address climate injustice while remaining grounded in particular communities and forms of life.

This event is part of a year of special programming on Transcendentalism at the Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) at Harvard Divinity School. The talk will be held at CSWR in Cambridge, MA and livestreamed on Zoom. Registration is required for both in person and online attendance.

Join Concord historian Richard Smith for an exploration of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s woodlots at Walden Pond—land made famous by Henry David Thoreau’s time there. Walden was a frequent destination in Emerson’s daily nature walks, shared with loved ones and enjoyed in solitary contemplation.

Meet at the Walden Pond Visitors Center in Concord for this free event, co-sponsored by the Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association (RWEMA) and The Walden Woods Project, in cooperation with Walden Pond State Reservation.

Join us for a leisurely tour of Emerson’s garden and grounds as Lidian’s beloved roses come into bloom. Along the way, we’ll consider how the landscape has evolved as it continues to reflect the Emersons’ interest in the natural world and our relationship to it.

Meet in the Emerson House bookshop for tickets ($7 per person) and an 11 a.m. start to this special event. Rain date is Friday, June 12th.

Join public historian Richard Smith for a talk on the literary and spiritual connections between Lexington’s Theodore Parker and Concord’s Ralph Waldo Emerson, both of whom were linked to the revolutionary events of April 19, 1775 through their grandfathers.

This event is sponsored by Lexington History Museums and will be held at The Depot in Lexington, MA. Tickets are $10 for LHM members and $15 for non-members.

Enjoy a spring walk along the trail that Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau often took between Emerson’s home and Thoreaus’s cabin on Walden Pond, and learn about their friendship from a Concord Museum interpreter. 1-mile walk, uneven and unpaved terrain, rain or shine. Meet at the Concord Museum.

Sponsored by the Concord Museum. Tickets are $10 for members and $20 for non-members and include same-day admission to the Concord Museum.

Join us and our friends at Concord’s historic Wright Tavern for an early birthday celebration for Emerson on May 22, 2026. A private tour of the Emerson House begins the day, followed by a luncheon at the Tavern and performance of the one-man play Ralph Waldo Emerson: The Sage of Concord.

Tickets are $45 per person and reservations are required.

Join us on Sunday, May 17th, 2026 for free tours of the Emerson House, offered in partnership with Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area during the annual Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History.

Complimentary guided tours will be offered on the hour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Due to limited capacity for this special event, online reservations are recommended.

The Ralph Waldo Emerson House in Concord, Massachusetts reopens for the 2026 season on Thursday, April 30th. Guided tours of this treasured historic home will be offered on a walk-in basis from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and last approximately 45 minutes. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Tickets are $15 for adults (18-61), $12 for older adults (62+), $8 for youths (7-17), and free for children under 7.

Our friends at the Emerson Society invite all to attend an online symposium featuring graduate student works in progress on the subjects of Emerson and transcendentalism.

The virtual symposium is free to attend and will be held online via Microsoft Teams.

We invite you to tune into PBS on Monday, March 30th for the premiere of the latest Ken Burns collaboration: a three-part docuseries on Henry David Thoreau. The first and second episodes will air on March 30th, followed by the final episode on March 31st.

Filmed in part at the Emerson House, where Thoreau spent a great deal of time with Ralph Waldo and his family, this exploration of Thoreau’s life and work will be the first nationally broadcast biography of the man behind the myth.

In honor of Ellen Tucker Emerson's birthday week, the Transcendentalism Council of First Parish in Concord is hosting biographer Kate Culkin on the evening of February 26th for a presentation on the significant role that Concord’s First Parish played in Ellen's life.

This event will be held in the Sanctuary of First Parish in Concord and livestreamed on Zoom. Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance, with a suggested donation of $10 per ticket.

Join Kate Culkin, author of Emerson’s Daughters, for a special guided tour of the Ellen & Edith Exhibition at the Emerson House on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

Offered at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., these author tours have limited capacity and online reservations are recommended. Tickets are $50 for the Author’s Tour & Book Package and $20 for the Author’s Tour only.

Join Kate Culkin, author of Emerson’s Daughters, for a special guided tour of the Ellen & Edith Exhibition at the Emerson House on Sunday, September 28, 2025.

Offered at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., these author tours have limited capacity and online reservations are recommended. Tickets are $50 for the Author’s Tour & Book Package and $20 for the Author’s Tour only.

Join Professor Kate Culkin for a discussion of her new book, Emerson’s Daughters, and the critical role the manuscript holdings of the Concord Free Public Library's William Munroe Special Collections played in her ability to write this “biography of a sisterhood”—the first full-length study of the lives of Ellen and Edith.

This free event will be held in the Main Library’s Goodwin Forum and simultaneously broadcast over Zoom. Registration is requested for both in-person and virtual attendance.

Join the Firelight Theatre Workshop for Episode 4 of their We Were Friends series—short plays reimagining Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s profound, platonic friendship, set in today’s world. Middle of the Dial: Partners will be performed in the Emerson Barn.

Sponsored by the Concord Museum. Tickets are $15 for members and $25 for non-members.

Join us for a leisurely tour of Emerson’s garden and grounds as Lidian’s beloved roses come into bloom. Along the way we’ll consider how the landscape has evolved as it continues to reflect the Emersons’ interest in the natural world and our relationship to it.

Meet at the Emerson House turnstile at 11 a.m. for this free event. Rain date is Friday, June 13th.

Enjoy a spring walk along the trail that Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau often took between Emerson’s home and Thoreaus’s cabin on Walden Pond, and learn about their friendship from a Concord Museum interpreter. 1-mile walk, uneven and unpaved terrain, rain or shine. Meet at the Concord Museum.

Sponsored by the Concord Museum. Tickets are $10 for members and $20 for non-members and include same-day admission to the Concord Museum.

The Ralph Waldo Emerson House in Concord, Massachusetts reopens for the 2025 season on Tuesday, April 22nd. Guided tours of this treasured historic home will be offered on a walk-in basis from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and last approximately 45 minutes. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Tickets are $15 for adults (18-61), $12 for older adults (62+), $8 for youths (7-17), and free for children under 7.

Join this celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with a full day of events and activities around the town of Concord, Massachusetts. The opening battle in America’s war for independence took place at Concord’s Old North Bridge on April 19, 1775—an event memorialized by Emerson as the “shot heard round the world.”

Our friends at the Emerson Society invite all to attend an online symposium featuring graduate student works in progress on the subjects of Emerson and transcendentalism.

The virtual symposium is free to attend and will be held over Zoom.

Join us for a leisurely tour of Emerson’s garden and grounds during foliage season. Along the way we'll explore how the landscape and outbuildings have evolved as they continue to reflect Emerson's interest in the natural world and our relationship to it.

Meet at the Emerson House turnstile at 11 am.

Join us for a walk around Emerson’s property to identify native birds and their habitat with experienced birdwatchers Pat and Tony Nastase.

This free event begins at 8 a.m. and is open to all; children are welcome if accompanied by an adult. Please bring binoculars and water, and we recommend that you wear comfortable, waterproof shoes.

Join guest speaker David Wood—Curator of the Concord Museum—for a a look into the inner sanctum of this world-famous poet, essayist and speaker, who spent his writing, thinking and conversing hours in his beloved study.

Sponsored by The Friends of Sleepy Hollow, this talk will be held in the main dining room of Concord’s Colonial Inn. Tickets are $25/each, including a full breakfast, and reservations are required.

Join historian and author Harold Holzer for a talk exploring the career of the preeminent American sculptor Daniel Chester French, whose works include The Minute Man in Concord and the iconic statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial. French was a friend and neighbor of Emerson and also sculpted several likenesses of him.

This event is sponsored by the Concord Museum and will be held in the Churchill and Janet Franklin Lyceum in the Rasmussen Education Center. Tickets are $5.00 for members and $10 for non-members.