It was my pleasure to visit the Eustis Estate Museum for the first time during their Open House…read morelast year. Their original furniture shall not be touched, as evidenced by the ropes gently blocking one's way. Other furniture, you could not only touch but even sit up on, as they were replications. It wasn't the largest estate I've visited - the top floor was also off limits - but it was amazing to realize that this place was a relatively recent acquisition by Historic New England portfolio.

Lovely estate that is decorated for the Christmas season. It is basically a mini version of a…read moreNewport mansion. One of the staff members was awesome and let us sit in front of the couch to take a picture with the Christmas tree. (They rent out the space for filming & photoshoots. There are bathrooms available for visitor use.) It offers both guided and self guided tours. There are two floors open for visitors and a large front porch where they have rocking chairs in the summer to see the view. There are also walking trails that go through the estate. It will look spectacular with the fall leaves.

Krista and Carla were our educational leaders. They have so much knowledge!…read moreThey gave so much information about all the weather apparatus and the use of this observatory! The view is amazing! Definitely need to go back in the spring!

Free water for dog and 2$ designer water. Best bargain I've received this month with a great view.read more

Socialite Isabel Weld Perkins and her husband Larz Anderson purchased their first motorcar in 1899…read moreand continued to purchase a new motorcar almost every year through Isabel's passing in 1948. As their collection grew, most of their retired vehicles were stored in the Carriage House on their estate in Brookline. In 1927, the Anderson family opened their collection for tours and, upon Isabel's death in 1948, she bequeathed her estate and automobiles to the town of Brookline with the stipulation that both be entrusted to a non-profit organization for the public. Today, the Larz Anderson Auto Museum features rotating exhibits on the ground floor and select vehicles from the museum's permanent collection on the lower level. It's a small collection, with only about 10-12 vehicles on loan from others on display in the rotating exhibits and 16 vehicles (4 of which still run and drive) from permanent collection on display at any given time. At the time of this review in September 2024, the current rotating exhibit features several post-World War II vehicles from the US and Europe, along with a small display of print and television advertising campaigns. Given the size of the museum, you can easily view the collection without rushing in about an hour. The museum hosts events on its vast lawn during the spring, summer and fall, including Cars & Coffee Boston gatherings that are open to all makes and models and other themed events that cater to specific genres of automobiles and motorcycles, including European, American, custom, Japanese tuner, alternative fuels, trucks, hot rods, and motorcycles. The museum also hosts occasional track days at Palmer Motorsports Park. Check the museum's website (https://www.larzanderson.org/) for more information. PRO TIP: The museum and its lawn are also available for rent to host private events, such as weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, birthday parties, and corporate team building events with indoor capacity of 150 for a standing cocktail style reception or up to 100 for a formal seated dinner.

Wow I hope you have the opportunity to visit this museum . It's accessible through Larz Anderson…read morePark . It's clearly labeled so you can't miss it . The hours are Tuesday - Sunday 10:00am - 3:00 pm . You don't need to purchase tickets in advance . You can park in the parking lot of the park and just walk down to the museum .

Came here for a special showing of The Polar Express. This theater is definitely very old school…read moreand the lobby is cute and welcoming. There is a small little snack area and they provided us with some complimentary popcorn as part of the screening. The popcorn was very tasty and was fresh. The employee working there was also friendly. The seats themselves were definitely on the older side and weren't nearly as plushy as the ones at more modern theaters, but were still fairly comfortable regardless. The screen itself was easy to see and the picture quality and sound quality were great. Parking was very easy in the free lot across the street.

We had a theater like this when I was growing up -- back in the day. They have two screens, a…read moreconcessions stand, and lounges (what restrooms were once called). When we were there, the theatre was showing "Jane Austen Wrecked My Life," a film in French with subtitles, and Lilly, based on the life of Lilly Ledbetter. The coming attractions were artful films as well. While not stadium seating, the seats were comfortable and the pitch of the theater offered good viewing. The staff are courteous and kind. Parking is easy on the street or in the nearby parking lots.

If you like animals, this a really cute way to spend an hour (or more) for $5…read more We arrived at the end of the day, and saw the whole museum/zoo are in about 45 minutes - but absolutely could have spent more time. Indoors they have several educational areas and some live native animals with medical needs or with protection status - snakes, rodents, a skunk, some owls. They also have some taxidermy animals and exhibits on animal sounds. We didn't check out the gift shop this time around, but made a bee lline for the outdoor animals after we made the rounds inside. We loved the otter the best - but there were some beautiful owls, and other birds, a fox, a deer. This museum is very family friendly and wholesome - but we were not the only childless adults there to see the animals! It is also obviously very convenient to hiking and a great bonus to a hike.

Had a wonderful hike and got to see animals before the trail great hiking spot for all ages I agree…read morewith Abigail

I am a pretty serious model railroader but I am also a child at heart. While I love to see…read morecarefully crafted model railroads with exquisite details and a focus on realistic train operation, I also enjoy just seeing a bunch of shiny trains running round and round with lots of lights and sounds. The BSMRM combines both of these desires. It is a model railroad club first, which means to a potential visitor that you will find somewhat cramped aisles, sections of the layouts that are under construction or perhaps needing a face lift for the scenery, and some really cool vantage points roped off to visitors. The three layouts (N scale, HO scale, O scale) were designed primarily for the member's enjoyment, not hundreds of public members walking through, and that also translates to an experience that isn't handicapped accessible. That being said, they are open once a year (the first weekend in December) and for $5 you are invited into their "home" to see their pride and joy. Sure, the trains run well (usually) but there might be a few issues along the way. And while most of the staff are friendly, problems do come up and if you try and talk to them when they are busy trying to trouble shoot an issue they be less than responsive. That being said, though, I really enjoyed myself. I drove from Albany, NY solely to see their train layouts after reading articles about them in the model railroad magazines and was not disappointed. It was hot, it was loud, it was crowded, and it was fun! If you like model trains (or have kids that do), a visit here during their open house weekend will not disappoint.

I have to give these ultra, mega, total nerds some serious credit for developing a museum for model…read moretrains. This place is a local legend and it is open only a couple times a year to the public, the rest of the year the collector guys just sit around and play with trains i guess. This is a serious collection and a good spot to bring little kids to if they are well behaved and won't pick up sharp things just to try and swallow them.

This was the holiday activity I didn't know I needed…read more Yesterday the Norwood historical society was giving free tours of the historic Day House -beautifully decorated for the season. I noticed the sign for the museum for the first time this week and then a Facebook invite came up in my suggestions Even without the Christmas decor this is such a gorgeous and well maintained house museum. They are clearly very passionate about it. The home belonged to the artist F Holland Day and his family and it is beautiful... Truly the home of people who valued beauty. A member gave a really nice tour to a local family and I The members onsite were very welcoming and happy to share. Follow their Facebook page for future events, I guess. There aren't any regular tour hours but if you can catch them it is a lovely experience.

I've been cleaning out my parent's house in Wellesley, and finding all sorts of treasures…read more Treasures that are too good for Savers! I brought some of the goodies I found to the Wellesley Historical Society, which is a win-win for both of us. They were very happy to receive my items, and gave me a donation receipt, where I could fill out all the details. I'm extremely concerned with helping to save Wellesley's architectural gems in any way I can. If you have things like china, heirlooms, silver, glassware, etc, that you don't need anymore, consider donating them to the Historical Society!