Events
Events By Category
Celebrating the Art of Edward Waldo Emerson
Join our celebration of Edward Waldo Emerson’s second career as an artist with this first-of-its-kind special exhibition of a selection of his works, most of which have been held in private collections for generations.
On display at the Concord Free Public Library from July 30-September 10, 2026, the exhibition is free and open to the public during the Main Library’s regular hours.
“Celebrating the Art of Edward Waldo Emerson” is presented by the Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association (RWEMA), in collaboration with the William Munroe Special Collections of the Concord Free Public Library Corporation. This project is supported by the Concord Cultural Council and the Concord Center Cultural District, with funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Emerson's Woodlots at Walden
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.
![[HDS Talk] Emancipating Ecology: The Emerson-Thoreau Fault Line and Why It Matters for the Climate Crisis](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6742847b5a0db278359b0744/1787923755158-WT38USPEFU7FWCL5XMOX/458962357_1036904194804039_6573472708795559869_n.jpg)
[HDS Talk] Emancipating Ecology: The Emerson-Thoreau Fault Line and Why It Matters for the Climate Crisis
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.
The Emerson Circle: A Conversation with Bruce Nichols
Join author Bruce Nichols in conversation with local historian and Thoreau expert Richard Smith about Nichols’s acclaimed new book, The Emerson Circle—an engaging look back at the Transcendentalists of 1840s Concord, MA and their enduring influence on the way we think about what it means to be an American original.
This event will be held in the Sanctuary of First Parish in Concord and livestreamed on Zoom, with a suggested donation of $10 per ticket for both in person and online attendance.
Presented by The Thoreau Alliance, the Transcendentalism Council of First Parish in Concord, and the Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association (RWEMA).
[HDS Talk] Imaginative Seeing in Goethe, Coleridge, and Emerson
In “The Poet,” Emerson said that imagination is “a very high sort of seeing.” Join scholar Ryan Shea for a talk exploring the imagination as an organ of direct intuitive perception that might become the foundation for a new phenomenological science of ecology.
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.
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 Out of Doors: Spring Garden Tour 2026
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.
Abundant Heresies: The Revolutions of Theodore Parker and Ralph Waldo Emerson
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.
Emerson-Thoreau Amble 2026
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.
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.
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.
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.