Events
Events By Category
Freedom’s Way Hidden Treasures 2026
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.
In Celebration of Waldo
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.
Thoreau Society 2026 Annual Gathering
Join The Thoreau Society for their 85th Annual Gathering from July 8-12, 2026 in Concord, MA, with select panels viewable virtually. Discussions, workshops, and guided nature walks will explore this year’s theme of “Living Well: Thoreau, Health, and Flourishing.”
Author Kate Culkin will lead a special tour of the Emerson House on July 10th and the July 12th panel “Give me Health and a Day” is sponsored by our friends at the Emerson Society.
Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.
Emerson House 2026 Reopening
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.
Emerson Society 2026 Online Symposium
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.
Premiere of Henry David Thoreau Documentary
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.
Thoreau Alliance Online Auction 2026
Support our friends at the Thoreau Alliance by bidding on a unique selection of objects and experiences in their annual online auction, running from March 1-31, 2026.
Our donation this year is Lot #271: a private tour of the Emerson House with a special focus on Thoreau’s time there. We look forward to sharing some notable anecdotes & artifacts with the lucky winner!
“I Must Stay Where I Belong”: Ellen Emerson, Faith, and First Parish in Concord
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.