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Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House
Category: Arts & Entertainment Museums Museums [Edit]
399 Lexington RdConcord, MA 01742
(978) 369-4118
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 10 am - 4:30 pm
Sun 1 pm - 4:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
15 reviews for Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House
Review Highlights
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"I've loved Little Women since first reading it in the..." In 10 reviews -
"Following that is a guided tour around the house." In 13 reviews -
"The tour starts with a short video about Louisa." In 3 reviews
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15 reviews in English
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Review from C. R.
Wilmington, MA
4/17/2012
I am impressed with this establishment. We learned so much about the Louisa May Alcott and her family. I brought my two year old (not really having a babysitter with us on vacation) and the staff was AWESOME with her. My little one cried and acted like a two year old who was bored (I know! What was I thinking?) . The woman giving the tour (obviously a mom) got me another tour guide, so my older children could listen and the baby not disturb the rest of the group. The house looked as it should based upon the families income. Lovely, charming home!
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Review from Mark T.
12/26/2010 3 photos
This was the home of The Alcotts from from 1858 to 1877. Located just down from the Minute Man National Park, the house includes a tour and is located close to several historical sites. Not only is the house important for fans of Louisa May Alcott & Little Women Fans, but Bronson Alcott was an educational reformer and established a school in Boston that focused on children and treating them as intellectual beings rather than discipline problems. He became Superintendent of Concord and established a School of Philosophy.
The early American authors are very prevelant in this area and everyone should take the time to reconnect to our past.Listed in: Literary Travels
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Review from Sarah S.
3/11/2011
I love the book, Little Woman so I was super excited to go see Luisa May Alcott's house. Go in the fall, so you can see all the foliage. And it's pretty close to Walden Pond and the downtown area has cute shops to stop in as well.
The was so so, but I expected as much, because really how fascinating do you expect it to be? The ladies who work there are really nice, and you can browse the gift shop while you wait for the tour to begin. -
Review from Trish F.
Boston, MA
2/20/2008
Do you think the real Laurie was as hot as Christian Bale? Yeah.. me neither.
My old roommate and I went here because we decided it'd be a fun day trip. She's a HUGE Alcott fan so this was a jolly good time for her. I feel pretty awful because I was that jerk laughing at the Louisa May re-enactor during the beginning of the tour. Good news is that she wasn't there physically (they show you a video). Something about a spider web being a fairy's way of spinning a story? Iunno.. I got the giggles. I apologize to the children.
Our tour guide was a really sweet guy, but he would close his eyes while he was talking or look off into the distance like he was reading a script. He seemed pretty knowledgeable on all things Alcott, so that was cool. The house is pretty interesting. Sadly, a few of the rooms were under construction when I went, so I was brought out of "the moment" a few times. These girls must have been tiny.. like literally little women.. because the beds were so small. I was afraid to touch anything because I didn't want to break it or catch scarlet fever.
I'd go during spring/late winter. Methinks this place could get sweltering during the summer. The store is pretty awesome. It has all things that you could possibly relate to the Alcotts, including a Feminism and Alcott book my roommate was drooling over. -
Review from Lyndsay B.
Columbus, OH
7/7/2006 2 photos
For the Lousia May Alcott fans, this is Mecca.
Not only does it look just like the house from the movie (I'm sure that's no coincedence), but you actually get to see some artwork by May Alcott (Amy in the book Little Women). All of the tour guides I have had have been very knowledable (even about very obscure things!).
The house also features a sweet little shop that has both current and antique selections of Alcott's novels.
Current rates: $8 for adults, $7 for seniors/students, $5 for children (5-17) and $20 for a family (up to 2 adults and 4 youths) -
Review from Jack M.
Boston, MA
10/26/2009
Poor thing needs some TLC.
We went on the tour of this place last Sunday - great day for it.
You make your way around back, pay the $9 for a ticket, and then head to the second building / school out back to watch a short video narrated by Susan Sarrandon. Then, back to the house and into the kitchen. No photos, no cell phones, please. Our guide looked as old as the house. She could have done a better job but was... OK. You visit each room, see some original artwork, hear a few quotes and stories. It was definitely worth the visit because we both love the book and movie of Little Women, but I think the guide could have been better. Plus the poor home needs some TLC. I wish the historic society would sink some more money into maintaining this place! -
Review from Gail L.
Naperville, IL
1/4/2010
One moment please, let me get this out of my system.
OMG OMG OMG SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEL
Okay, I feel better now.
As a little girl, I loved the book Little Woman. Loved it. I, of course, wanted to be Jo. I was very happy when she married her professor.
I didn't actually know much about the author, actually. I didn't even know her house was in Concord, but the second I found out, I was so excited I could barely see straight.
As other reviews have mentioned, the tour starts with a short video. Our group was mainly excited mothers, excited little girls, bored husbands, and super excited me. Our tour guide was a college student, and she was very good. She could answer just about any question we could throw at her. The house is full of the family's original furnishing, including quilts. It felt like a home - it was hard to remember to not touch things!
I love the story about the mood pillow (I want one!), and it was really neat seeing the desk where Alcott wrote Little Woman. It was completely worth the 9 dollar admission.
The gift shop is also really neat - I bought a pillow quilt kit that mirrored some of the quilts in the house.Listed in: Places we went on our…
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Review from R V.
Waltham, MA
1/27/2010
I've taken this tour several times and I've never been disappointed. I'm not a fan of Louisa May Alcott and I've never read "Little Women," but I'm interested in Bronson Alcott, such an amazing philosopher, and I enjoy old houses with a literary connection. Without fail, the guides have been knowledgeable, vibrant and, frankly, they clearly enjoy what they're doing. It's always busy there and they offer many tours throughout the day - and throughout the year, for that matter. Much of Concord closes after the tourist season, but Orchard House keeps on going.
What makes this tour so great for me is that it does not focus on the house itself or the furniture. Instead, they tell the story of this amazing family (and, really, I can hear about furniture anywhere... where else can I go to hear about the Alcotts?). I do wish there was a way to access the Concord School of Philosophy, a building still standing next to the house which Bronson Alcott established later in his life. -
Review from Michelle L.
Boston, MA
8/16/2010
I've loved Little Women since first reading it in the fourth grade. I was known to watch the 1994 film as well and cry when Beth died (and to shout things when Jo turned down Laurie).
I was so thrilled to finally visit Orchard House. This was definitely my Mecca. Some of the information I already knew from seeing an episode of This Old House featuring Orchard House, and from my own knowledge of Louisa May Alcott through doing a biography project on her once-- so I already knew the basic Alcott history, about Fruitlands and Bronson's crazy experiments, and about May's drawings adorning the walls.
Still, I had plenty to learn from our sweet and articulate tour guide. The information on May in particular was interesting; I knew she had done the illustrations for the first edition of Little Women but I had no idea of the extent of her artistic talent. I ended up buying a print of hers in the gift shop (and quietly repenting my distaste for Amy all these years).
The gift shop was far too tempting. I wanted every book I laid eyes on-- not to mention the films of Little Women, the cookbooks, the quilt kits (but I don't even quilt!) and so on.
I would actually come back here and take the tour again, if given the chance. It was highly enjoyable. -
Review from Joann H.
Burlington, MA
10/23/2011
Just got back from the Orchard House - it was truly like stepping into the scene of "Little Women." I am glad I went by myself and didn't bring my husband along, though - I think he would have gotten a bit bored, as he's not familiar with Louisa May Alcott or her books. It was great to see so many 10-12 year old girls enjoy themselves here and get so excited about classic literature - let's hope that continues, even with the prevalence of electronics, TV and Facebook that can occupy so much time in teens' lives these days. The 3:45 p.m. tour was packed! The 15-minute introductory video was the only part of the tour that I would change, as we were packed in a tiny room like sardines and the video tracking settings were awful - the picture was bouncing all over the place and all staticky so it was tough to pay attention to. The rest of the tour was great - I imagine that no tour is exactly the same since each docent likely has chosen Transcendentalist and/or Alcott quotes that mean the most to them. Plus, different people ask different questions so that adds to the experience. I really liked Louisa's room with all the owls - still pondering what the significance of the owls was to her. I'm glad I got the opportunity to tour this piece of history!
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Review from Catie C.
6/1/2009 4 photos
Like literature? Like Louisa May Alcott? This is THE place for fans!
For the tight budgeted American literature fan, I went to Concord Library to pick up a pass for free admission. Saved myself $9 for a tour around the house.
The tour starts with a short video about Louisa. Following that is a guided tour around the house. Guide answers questions as we go. She seems to have answers to every single question. May's art is hung all around the house.
I did learn something new today! The Alcotts are related to John Hancock! woahh!!! Some of the descendants of the Alcotts still live in Concord today. -
Review from Susan P.
Sudbury, MA
5/25/2010
I loved the tour. I thought that the guide was so knowledgable and excited to share her understanding of the Alcott family. The tour took 45 minutes, and I would have liked a more in-depth version, because I am a huge LMA fan. But this was wonderful. They have done a beautiful job preserving the house, and have lots of the family possessions to illustrate. Well worth the $9 tour fee.
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Review from nicol- a.
Cambridge, MA
7/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
AMAZING! they have so much of the original pieces to the Alcott home. The tour was great- and added so much content and rich detail. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Little Women (a lot of the story is based on similar family realities) but also for anyone who loves history. So cool to see the house intact & be able to experience how they lived. I will recommend this to anyone coming to NE for a visit.
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Review from Christian H.
San Diego, CA
10/12/2009
The tour is 80% for fans of Little Women and 20% fans of transcendentalism and Boston history. The docent-led tour is friendly and they obviously care about the history of Alcott, what they don't really seem to know much about is the home, its contents or the structure. the tour also does not include Mr. Alcott's classroom/lecture hall which is a good portion of the historical significance. If you care about architecture, interiors and period furniture - it is a good place to go if you can mute out the docent and do your own observing.
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Review from Lily L.
Los Angeles, CA
12/11/2010
i cant wait to go my parents went wheni just fineshed little women i loved little women i deffinetley recomend it my parents brought back post cards from the store looking at the pictures i want to learn about louisa may alcott and all the wonders of the orchard house
