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Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House

Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House

Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House
4.5
Historic SitesHistory Museums
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Immortalized by Louisa May Alcott in the beloved classic, Little Women, Orchard House (c. 1650) is best known for being where the groundbreaking novel was written and set in 1868. One of the oldest, most authentically-preserved historic sites in the country, Orchard House has, for over a century, provided inspirational accounts of the Alcott family’s contributions to the fields of literature, education, philosophy, the arts, and social justice through award-winning guided tours, unique educational programs for students of all ages, and lively living history events . The Concord School of Philosophy and a Museum Store are also on the premises.
Duration: < 1 hour
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  • roaming_kiwi58
    Christchurch, New Zealand2,818 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interesting for fans of the book Little Women.
    Of course this house is a must see for Little Women fans. It was a residence of the Alcott family and much of the furniture dates from their occupation. The guides are knowledgeable and will tell you a lot about the Alcott family. There is also a gift shop.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 November 2023
  • Gudgers
    133 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Enjoyable!
    We enjoyed our tour of Orchard House. We did not have advance tickets for the Sunday afternoon we were there but were able to get on the next available tour. The tour starts with a film then moves on to the house. Our tour guide was very knowledgable. Cute gift shop. We were there for about an hour.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 26 November 2023
  • drwatson32
    Shawnee, Oklahoma1,517 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very cool
    We did not expect to run across this site while in the area to view Revolutionary War spots. What a pleasant surprise! The tour starts with a video and then ends with a walk through the house. The whole thing took about an hour. Photography is not allowed inside the house.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 3 June 2024
  • nowpacking
    Dallas, Texas4,227 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Little Women Lives On!
    Step inside! Our guide made the rooms come alive! If you know the book, you will be intrigued with the many scenes that were just a part of daily life for the March family. Each room holds special memories - the hardships, the love of reading, art and theater, the emotional angst among sisters, the inevitable hilarious incidents - but most of all was the love that was contained inside these walls!
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 25 June 2024
  • JessieJessGreen
    67 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful home and land. Great tour guide!
    I visited this home when we were on a Boston and area trip. The grounds, and Concord itself, are simply beautiful. Tara, our guide did a wonderful job guiding us through the house. I learned a ton about the May family and continue to be amazed at what Louisa did for her family. If you’re in the area, this is a must see!
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 3 July 2024
  • Sammi M
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A stellar visit!
    Whenever family or friends are visiting the area, we take them to Orchard House, which is a great mixture of charm and history and often on the bucket list for many. My husband and I agree a lot of the experience depends on the guide. We've done this tour many times and we can easily say our guide Dara made it seem like a brand new tour and is easily now a fan favorite. Down to earth with a relaxed manner and freckles, she kept the group laughing as she brought us into the lives of the Alcott family and shared some of their personal stories not mentioned in the introductory video ( which is simply too long and unnecessary). She also spoke about some of the historical people who have floated through the lives of the Alcott family such as abolitionist John Brown, who we did not know visited the home as an example. We visited this summer previously with some family and had a rather young guide who seemed over her head and repeated a lot of the video. This time, with Dara, the tour was actually interesting and we learned things we had not heard before. The gift shop attached to the house was quite busy but the woman at the desk, Jenny, was cheerful and helpful when we asked a question. She popped into the store from the desk despite being busy to help us look for a book and gave some worthwhile suggestions. And as a heads up, do not park in the front parking lot which can be difficult to pull out of and into traffic. There is a separate parking lot just a short way down with lots of parking and is easy to maneuver.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 21 August 2024
  • Terry G
    Holly Springs, North Carolina80 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An Unexpected Pleasure
    We passed by Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House during a driving tour of Lexington and Concord and stopped, just out of curiosity. I'm so glad we did. I never read Little Women, but the story of Louisa and her family was fascinating. I don't want to give away anything you might learn on the tour, but I will say that this house should be a "must stop" when you're in the area.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 27 August 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles589 reviews
Excellent
437
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124
Average
18
Poor
7
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3

Christine R
170 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
The parking is limited in front of the house, but there is additional parking a block away and across the street. Inside of the house there is a little gift shop full of little women items and miscellaneous trinkets - decently priced. You can do a tour of the house, we did not have time, but it looked like pretty much everyone else visiting was doing the tour.
Written 16 February 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.

Alex S
West Midlands, UK23 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
Visited from the UK whilst exploring Concord. We didn't plan to do a house tour but we caught the last tour of the day and we're glad we did! This ended up being the unexpected highlight of the Concord/Lexington area.
We had watched Little Women once and knew only small amounts about the history but we were absolutely fascinated with this house. Out of all the museums I've visited around the world this has to be one of the best for authenticity and "transporting" you to a place and time. Everything was so well looked after including the gardens. Much of the furniture and family items are still there and my favourite has to be viewing the original art over the bedroom walls, and seeing the small desk Little Women was written at.
I wish I could remember the tour guide's name but she was a wonderful storyteller, and kept it so interesting and immersive.
The price was reasonable and the only real downside was no photos being allowed indoors, I do understand why, but travelling from the UK to a remote area, it would've been lovely to show fan's of the film, as they'll likely never to travel that far to see themselves.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone in the area. You'll be surprised!
Written 2 November 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.

reise3
1,287 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2023 • Family
We enjoyed our visit. The docents were very knowledgeable & we were guided through each room of the house in a timely, but not rushed manner. There’s no photography inside. It was especially touching to see the small desk on which Little Women was written and May’s artwork displayed throughout the house. There’s timed-entry admission and tickets range from $8 to $15. Check the website for eligible discounts.
Written 2 September 2023
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.

Melonie S
Cranford, NJ462 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
My wife made this a must see tour while we were in the Concord and Lexington area. We visited on a Sunday morning. I had no idea this woman was an author of a very popular book and now a movie, called "Little Women." I found out when we were driving up to the home.

My wife had previously read the book and had seen the movie. I had not. I thought the 15 minute video before the tour began was better than the actual tour. The 15 minute video involved an actress portraying Louisa May Alcott giving a tour through her house. When we actually took the guided tour, we roamed the rooms and the tour guide just pointed out things of interest in each room. It was a bit of a let down. My wife thought the same.

However, I still enjoyed my visit and now I really want to see the movie. The price of admission was worth it and there was a nice gift shop at the end. There was sufficient parking. If you are a fan of the author, book, and/or movie, this is a must see for you!
Written 29 March 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.

Tori Chevalier
2 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Friends
I want to preface this by saying I’m not sure if these issues are due to COVID, the time of year, our docent, or something else. Overall this was enjoyable, but I went pre-covid and had a more enjoyable time. The video was much shorter and the tour longer last time. This video was about half the “tour” and myself and someone with me found the interpreter playing Louisa May Alcott awkward. And then she gives a video tour of the house! What’s the point if we’re going to tour it ourselves? My guess is so they can rush you through. Once we actually toured it basically felt like a repeat of the video, and it didn’t feel like we could linger in any room to take in some of the details, and it’s not like we were spending more than a couple minutes in each room. I remember hearing details about how the Alcott’s were involved in the anti-slavery movement on our last tour and it was never mentioned. It really just felt like regurgitated info from the video, which itself seemed repetitive (how many times do we need to be reminded which sister was which character in the book and whether they were youngest, oldest etc.?)

I did hear one of the employees mention something about October and how they needed us to have tickets to hand them so they can keep track of everyone. So I’m not sure if fall is busier for them. But I don’t see why they couldn’t have had a shorter video like the original one and kept the tour longer… it’d add up to 45 minutes either way and be more informative and worth the money.

Lastly, I don’t get why they don’t allow photography. I don’t this this is new but it’s still weird. They say it’s due to the comfort of their guests and security but other houses in Concord allow photography as long as it isn’t flash. People are taking pictures of items in the house not of other guests!
Written 21 October 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.

TravelMomma
Boston, MA154 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Family
This is well worth a visit, even if you’re not a Little Women fan. It’s very well preserved and taken care of. I have teenagers and we all thought the recreation videos were cheesy. I feel like it would be very confusing for younger children as the first video has a different actress than the second and they both are acting as Louisa May Alcott. One video takes you on a thorough tour through the house, and I was worried for a bit that that would be the only tour we’d get, but they do take you through the actual house after. No need to tour twice in my humble opinion.
There were only 8 in our group, plus the guide, and we felt rushed. We actually didn’t get to see one room because it’s very small and we were rushed onto the next. When I politely asked if we could peek inside before heading downstairs, the guide argued with my teenage daughter and me. First that it was not the room my daughter was labeling it (so sorry for not knowing the correct name) and then she insisted that we had already seen it. She did eventually allow us to see it but good grief.
Overall, with a different guide, we would have enjoyed it more I’m sure. The home and grounds are lovely and we learned quite a bit about the family.
Written 20 October 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.

Kaitlin
Charleston, WV2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021 • Family
Being one of four girls named after the Little Women, this was a must-see on a recent road trip. My mother and I visited this month and did the guided tour. Everyone on the staff was welcoming, passionate about the history, and very informational.

You’ll see the on-ground philosophy schoolhouse and the family home where legendary figures, like Emerson, visited regularly. The house contains original artifacts and artwork, and the guide provided wonderful insight to each member of the family and their everyday life.

It was amazing to not only see the location and real life inspiration behind Little Women, but to learn how enlightened, talented and unique the entire Alcott family was.
Written 20 October 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.

mc0ll
Abergavenny, UK10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
We’re currently visiting from the UK and doing a tour of the east coast of the US and whilst Orchard House is one of the smaller museums we visited, it is by far the best. It was a fascinating visit made extra special by the tour guide Diane who provided a wonderful tour around the house, giving loads of insights and showing loads of hidden highlights associated with the Alcott family. We thoroughly recommend going out of your way to visit!
Written 26 August 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.

Bonnie Y
22 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022
I visited with my adult children on Sept. 8, 2022 and the docent on duty (unfortunately I don't have her name) made the tour special. Thankfully she did not talk about the furniture details but spoke about the people and related each item in a room to the Alcott family member. She referred to recent movies and how they were similar and different to things that happened with the real life Alcotts. She was a pro!
Written 13 October 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.

Excursion765331
West Warwick, RI19 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022
Of course this is a must for Little Women fans!
The home is in wonderful condition and most of the furnishings, art, books, and so on belonged to the Alcott family. And yes to see the desk where Little Women was written is a thrill.
Our guide Lauren was very knowledgeable and patient, the house was crowded as it was Christmas week when we visited.
Again this may be because of Covid but a docent in each room so the visitor could linger would be the best setup.
Written 27 December 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.

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Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

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