I grew up in a town nearby. As a little tiny tot I would come take art classes here every Saturday…read moremorning. Back then the museum was a lit smaller. FAM taught me that I can be an artist. Even though I have no desire to be a professional artist. As such FAM holds a special place for me. Now that I'm an adult I seem to show up every few years. Usually for a local exhibit. The museum sponsors a lot of local exhibitions. And I show up because I know some body who is fortunate enough to have artwork on display. (And once I even had artwork on display!). Like right now there is an exhibition of local Finnish artists. And I know 2 of them. (Though I never got my act together to submit anything - so I'm not included). It's a great resource for the city of Fitchburg. I was happy to see they participate in the summer Friday's program. And that they offer free admission on certain Thursday's. And they offer free admission to the local neighborhood. This museum truly makes art accessible. Both for the artist. Ad well as exposing art to people who can't afford the price tag of an MFA. Keep up the good work FAM.

This museum exceeded my expectations. Wonderful exhibits. Particularly liked the photography…read moreexhibits. Very friendly staff. May do a return visit in the future! Mary Jane C. MA

Totally great place to take the kids!read more

Very cool dioramas about the forest history of the area, and a scavenger hunt for the kids. And…read moreHarvard Forest is surrounded by beautiful nature trails (dogs welcome) with signs to guide and educate your walk. Like the glass flowers at the Museum of Natural History in Cambridge, these dioramas are not to be missed.

I called ahead since I was driving an hour and a half on a weekday to visit, just to make sure they…read morewould be open. The museum is part of a compound of research buildings. It's quiet, and you might or might not see other people around. If you do they'll probably be researchers, and they will be very friendly. Basically, you walk in, there's an arrow pointing to a light switch that turns on the lights in the dioramas, and you have at it. The dioramas are definitely worth seeing, if you're into that sort of thing, they are well maintained and labeled. But there's not much else to see at the museum. So plan to do a short hike in the research forest back behind the museum. It's super low impact and very educational, with informational markers all along the paths. I ran into a researcher in the forest who was very friendly and happy to share a little time and knowledge. It was super quiet and peaceful, otherwise. I made a day of it by going into Petersham, a very cute little town, and grabbing lunch at The Country Store on Main Street, which is an adorable establishment. Lovely little day-trip.

A fascinating collection of historical grand pianos in a beautiful old building. What makes this a…read morewonderful place to visit is the personal tour by one of the owners. Tours are by appointment and take at least two hours, more if you want to play the pianos yourself. Our tour was led by Patricia, who is not only very knowledgeable about the pianos and related composers but also an amazing pianist and amusing poet. I didn't realize that she plays pieces on the pianos during the tour to show their differences; that added tremendously to our enjoyment of them. We hope to come back for a concert during their concert season (April/May)! There is a pizza place across the street (easy walking distance) that has good calzones and sandwiches.

This is a world-class antique piano collection, located about 70 miles outside Boston. What makes…read morethis place outstanding, however, is that the instruments are in playable condition and that they are open to the public to see, hear AND play. The owner/curators, Mike and Pat Frederick, are warm hosts and know their pianos. The instruments they have collected almost all date from the 18th and 19th century, when most of today's piano repertoire was created. The recommended 3-hour tour takes you back in time, and the further you go, the more you realize that today's pianos are distant cousins from what the composers and performers of the day actually used. What you discover is that Chopin on an Erard and Schumann on a Streicher, for example, sound and feel completely different than when played on a modern Steinway. I've visited the center with professional pianists, and I see jaws drop when they discover how much more suitable the original instruments are in making sense of the music. The differences are not subtle. Visit the website for details of the collection and instructions on how to make an appointment for yourself or a small group. Bundle up if you visit in the winter. Central heating is the enemy of old pianos, so the thermostat is kept to a chilly 50 degrees!

What a marvelous library! It is beautiful. Staff are terrific! They…read moreoffer special quiet rooms which can be used for ZOOM meetings. I attended an awesome evening presentation there, offered by Greg Barnhisel, speaking about his new cultural biography, "Code Name Puritan: Norman Holmes Pearson at the Nexus of Poetry, Espionage, and American Power." Published October, by the University of Chicago Press.

I like how quiet it is there, gives me a place to read, do my homework, chill, or sometimes meet up…read morewith my friends!! Librarians are so super nice too, I love their librarian fashion. The DVD sections are fun to browse through too! Lots of oldies. Overall it's awesome.

I toured the Harvard Forest as part of a conference and thoroughly enjoyed the Dioramas. Then to…read morewalk through the forest and experience the setting was relaxing and invigorating as well. As we walked through our tour, we would occasionally stop and talk to young people from around the country as they were conducting their research. They were always eager to share their story, about where they were from and what they were doing. It is that kind of place. Now, I am a forester, so I'm looking at this experience through that lens. But I think a walk in this forest, either alone, with family or friends would be a pleasant experience.

The forest was nice to walk through (tons tons tons of bugs though!) but the museum never opened!…read moreIt was 40 minutes after opening time, and nobody was there. We waited ten minutes but nobody came. Really disappointing, we heard that the displays were cool! Maybe we'll come back another, but it was upsetting that they never opened when they were supposed to.

Hundreds of artifacts displayed in this beautiful home make this an excellent Museum worth…read morevisiting. Caretakers and tour guides lovingly tell the story of the town. Very nice!

Nice collection of historical items and information about the town of Winchendon in a beautiful…read morewell-preserved historic home. Get a tour as we did and it makes a big difference. Seemed a lot of volunteers were a bit clustered at the front door and not through out where they could be useful for questions. (one was a bit aggressive about not allowing photos, though photography is allowed - confusing).