(if you think this review is too long, just scroll to the bottom for my more "humorous"…read moreobservations) If you're driving on Adams Street towards Lower Mills or the other way towards East Milton Square, you might overlook this spot. If you're into historical sites and museums, this might be worth a look. Otherwise, you might just want to go to one of the many higher-profile museums in the area, like the Adams Historical Site the town next door. You have to reserve a spot in one of the scheduled tours to enter the museum. I went for a 1 pm tour and the next one was at 3. Trust me, the tour is really 2 hours long. The positive of this museum is that while the house is not that large in terms of square feet, you do get your bang for your buck. The tour guide was generally polite and rather informative. However, she always seemed to ask historical questions every time we entered a room and wanted us to answer - really got irritating as the tour went along. If I wanted to answer historical questions, I would've gone to a bar for stump trivia. Lastly, if you're not into this stuff, you will be bored out of your mind and will resort to utilizing the futuristic item called a smartphone. The Forbes family was involved in various historical events/periods and some of those rooms each had a theme from a time period. The family was involved in the China trade, so there's a decent collection of old Chinese furniture in the parlor. It doesn't compare to the Peabody Essex Museum, granted, but it's something. There is a room for the Forbes involvement in the Civil War and Abolition. Another room described the Forbes charitable endeavors during the Great Famine in Ireland during the mid-1800's. So you'll get some learnin' from various periods. Compared to other historical spots around the area, this one doesn't seem to be maintained well and needs better restoration. There was significant water damage in a few rooms and exhibit pieces (like beds, plates, etc.) seemed to be arranged worse than a 5-year old. The house needs a paint job in the worst way. Also compared to other historical sites, this one was rather dirty. There is a "gift shop", and by "gift shop", I mean a small glass case in the foyer containing books for sale. p.s. - you'll likely have older folks in your tour group that think "oriental" is still an acceptable way to describe Asians. p.p.s. - there's a nice Chinese junk model. It's in a glass case, and not in some sort luggage storage box or something. So you can't say there's junk in the trunk. *rim shot* :-P

Most people would drive by this historic home without paying much attention but the small staff is…read morevery friendly and often you can get a private or near-private tour of this gorgeous 1830's greek revival home which is filled with varying antiques but what is of particular interest is the vast array of objects collected by the Captain during the China trade years of the 1800's. Also, one of the previous owners was an avid collector of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia. The museum is set up more like a home and objects are easy to see and some can even be handled (kitchen area). The architecture inside and out is beautiful and the grounds keep with the feel of the home. The tour can be done on your own or guided. Great place to relax and take your time admiring the collection.

Great setting. Totally serene & an easy jaunt from Boston…read more The 44 acres under conservation easement and mansion are also available for indoor and outdoor events including community groups, party and wedding rentals, corporate functions, recreational and educational programs, and fundraising events. Check out their seasonal schedule for events.

Threw a suprise birthday celebration for my spouse at this location and Leo and his team were…read moregreat. I would definitely party there again.

Phenomenal museum and knowledgeable guides... the house is awesome built in 1627 with a significant…read moreaddition in 1711. And the separate museum building was just built and is absolutely incredible. Great pieces of history and informative interactive screens. Definitely worth the trip!

Excellent museum. Staff is entertaining as well as educational. Still owned by the family…read moreamazingly who do a great job of upkeep. Tour includes a visit to the original house which is just off the high school athletic fields. Best part of the visit for me was meeting a 10th and 11th generation of family! How could a visit be better.

Came here for kayaking. Brought own kayak. There are several places to launch kayaks…read more Also you can rent kayak or canoe here. Plenty of benches and parking. Con: lots of poops from dogs and/or birds on the grass. Don't want to lay down there.

Continuing along the Esplanade to Allston/Brighton you'll come to this sweet green whose gorgeous…read moregrounds offer playgrounds, boating, a public theater and even community gardens! I'm sure the path is scenic and pleasant from downtown, but I wouldn't know because let's be honest, the loop is 18 miles. Think I've ever bladed it all? Right. So while it's a ways out and not super easy to reach by public transit, the parking lot is huge and attractions abundant.

" History is Awesome "…read more Boston MA as we know has so much history . However Newton MA a suburb a bit outside of Boston MA has it too . Check this place out in Newton ma that has ties to the Underground Railroad. Just a great history of anti slavery . Parking is outside in a small lot or on street so no worries . Small fee charge to maintain the up keep.

What a beautiful way to spend a couple of hours. This is an early Georgian style farmhouse in a…read moresalt box shape, 1600's authentic home. The rooms are set up as if the family was living there. My favorites are the hand stenciled floor, the hearth and the beautiful balusters on the main staircase, all hand turned. The two women at the front desk today were really nice and answered some questions I had about the furniture. What was fun for me? Was filling out a postcard that would go to another visitor of this historical house. And I would receive one from someone I did not know that visited. It's a small donation of four dollars and it really made , the visit fun. Other things I liked about the house with the grounds. There's a neat grinding stone on the property outback, that you would miss unless you really looked for it with the tag. It's an early Native American grinding stone. Also, the flowers were in bloom, peonies, roses, salvia . Perennials in an herb garden. I like that the fruit trees are on the property as well. If someone I knew wanted a venue for a party or a wedding, I would ask them to consider this property. All in all a lovely place to be in the city.

What an impressive historical site. This family's home was crucial to the Underground Railroad. It…read morewas pretty fascinating to see how this historical site really believed in abolishing slavery to help those two go into freedom. I didn't realize how important this site is to history but it was really nice to see letters and photographs of that time and about Newton area that nobody really thinks about. It was pretty cool to see all the old fashioned toys and clothes of the time. There is a lot of literature posted on the exhibitions. I really recommend going here.

We planned a field trip to the Jackson Homestead with our homeschool group. We had nearly 30 people…read morebetween the ages of 7 and 50, and everyone enjoyed the visit. The attraction is reasonably priced for individuals visiting at $6 per person. The field trip was also very reasonable for up to 30 children and up to 10 adults. The foyer explains the background of the owners and their involvement with the abolition movement and the underground railroad in the 1800s. The children were able to look at source documents and work in teams to make inferences on the information and draw conclusions. Next, we moved to the lower level which is professionally outfitted with plaques explaining the history and a lot of fantastic artifacts. There were several interactive and "please touch" areas, which all the children (and even the teens enjoyed). There were boxes they could climb into to show what it was like to travel across the ocean as a captured slave, and the interesting story of Henry Box Brown. There was even an excavated well (covered with a grate, of course) that may have been used to hide fugitive slaves. On the main floor, the children were able to explore some of the other areas of the house, like "Newton's Toy Box," information on stained glass, and an extensive time-line of the house and history makers. Upstairs was a small area open to the public (due to their offices being on that floor) that had a flag on display from the civil war era. and envelopes used for propaganda during that time period. There were also pictures of the original rooms and textile samples with information about the dress at the time. The main floor also has a lovely little gift shop with a good variety of souvenirs. The staff was friendly and helpful. A most wonderful trip!

The guided tour of Otis House really worked for me; when I took it I felt as if I'd been…read moretransported back to the time when this was the Otis family's Boston home. Our tour group was comprised of only a few people, and that made it easy for my friend and me to ask the guide multiple questions as we went along. She not only didn't mind the questions, but our obvious interest caused her to focus the ongoing tour on some of the things we asked about. One of the things that's very different about touring Otis House vs. many other historical houses in Boston is the fact that visitors are not confined to an area encircled by ropes. Instead you're allowed to walk around freely in the rooms, get close to the furniture, and really absorb the splendor of the house. I highly recommended that you take the time to pay a visit here!

My wife and I had the Boston Go card and the Otis house was on the card so we took a trip to Beacon…read moreHill and entered the house of the third mayor of Boston. My wife and I love to take historical house tours because they are usually pretty interesting, and it usually gives us an excuse to have a date without a lot of people talking during a movie or bothering us in general. The house was fairly large and about 2/3 of it was accessible to the public. It stared off with about a 15 minute slide show of old time Boston, which was very interesting. There were three other women on the tour with us and the tour guide was older and seemed to love what she did in her retirement years. The house was furnished with wallpaper that matched what the family had and furniture from that era. The area use to be the red light district of town, kind of the bottom end of Beacon Hill towards the North End of town. They actually moved the house back a little when they widened the road. Otis left the decorating to his wife, which was out of character for the time, and she did a wonderful job. There were a lot of sitting rooms and a huge dining room because they liked to entertain. They had a few false doors to make the rooms look even and mirrors in a lot of rooms, because it showed wealth at the time. The upper levels were more extravagant because at the time there was a great deal of dust on the street and the lower levels got a little dark. A very interesting 45 minute tour, we over head the tour guide say to another worker "They didn't ask any questions." Small complaint, if we didn't ask any questions, how about fill some of your speaking points with previously asked questions? Fun part of the day though.

Wow! I don't k ow that I'd ever get to experience seeing a depiction of a Senator office. This…read moreInstitute provides a realistic view of the Senate chambers, Senator Kennedy's desk in the senate and his office. I felt like I was on a tour of his actual office. The information is laid out exceptionally well, easy to read and understand. It is amazing to read about his time in office, the purpose of the Senate and a lot of information regarding voting rights. This was extremely helpful to me being that I'm from a state where gerrymandering is/was in full display recently and the recent elections that took place and will take place this year. Definitely pay the Institute a visit! I don't think you will be disappointed. As I was walking out, I was asked by someone going in "was it worth it?" I said yes, but after I answered I thought only you can decide if it is "worth it" His paintings alone are worth a visit! He was a very talented artist!

I had to return because there was so much more to see and absorb this life long journey Edward M…read more KENNEDY as Senator has given to all of us! To witness his actual Office in detail and all the photos and momentous events recorded for history and the items around the office to see was incredible! I made sure to look at every photo in his office especially the ones of his parents who paved the way for Young Ted to follow! Senator Kennedy was a born leader and cared about all of us for a better United States of America! His personality made him a leader to reach both parties Democrats and Republicans! The Staff here as My Exceptional Guide NOAH, well I met another Guide who was on duty today at Senator Kennedy's Office who was just as informed and Enthusiastic to show me around! Today's visit at the Institute was a highlight of America's 250th Birthday Celebration because of the wealth of information and knowledge I received by these young people manning the Entrance and those who will answer any questions about this Institution! What a Gift Senator Edward M. Kennedy and those who made this invaluable building cataloging his life for a better world is for generations to come! Thank you and may the next big Birthday to Celebrate 275, or the 300th America's Birthday, I wish I could celebrate with you all!