Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House

I love Orchard House! The tour is really good, and it’s really pretty! It is $ 10 for adults to get in and $ 5 if you are under 17. The gift shop is really nice too.

Here are some observations followed by some helpful tips. First, each staff person encountered was polite and proficient. Second, unlike many historic homes the Alcott’s home is furnished with about 80 to 85 percent of the family’s original belongings. Third, even if you have not read «Little Women» if you enjoy US history this tour covers not only the Alcott family but the issues of the era. Finally, this is one place where a knowledgeable tour guide makes the experience. Our guide spoke equally about Louisa the woman, the author’s family and their friends, and related both subjects to Alcott’s books.
Now the tips. First, I did not see any signs but you purchase admissions tickets from the gift shop cashier (ask if there are any discounts). Two, the staff say you may wait inside the gift shop or outside for the next tour, yet, yesterday, no staff came outdoors to see if people were waiting which resulted in me missing part of the introductory video. Also stay close bye if you want to sit for the introductory video. the film room is very small with about 10 chairs and some people had to stand for the movie. Third, ask for an available folding chair for the tour if needed as you cannot touch or sit on the period pieces. Four, at this time tours of Alcott outdoor chapel are not available but you can peak in the windows. Finally, unless they have read the books most young children may be bored with the «historic» tour. Despite our tour guides effort to draw the interest of one young visitor the boy was whining and then preoccupied with his computer device.

Wonderful historic house visit, especially for fans of Louisa May Alcott’s books. Little Women was written here and you can even see the desk her father built her which she wrote it on. Doesn’t take long to tour the house and there are lots of other historic sites in the area to fill out your day.

So let me start by saying I’ve never read «the book» AND I’m a male so let that set the stage for the scene. First of all the Orchard House is NOT part of the national park (AND SHOULD BE), so everything at and in here if funded by donations and fees for the tours. It really is an awesome piece of history that needs to be preserved and appreciated. The house and grounds are beautiful and steeped in history. If you don’t know anything about the Orchard House or all you know is about Little Women then your just stating the surface and missing the bigger picture. The historic figures alone (besides Louisa May Alcott, her father, her sisters not to mention her NEIGHBORS) are ALL iconic American figures.
So with all that being said make or female you should take in the Orchard House = you will learn FAR more than you expected. The tour starts with a video, pretty simple but you can’t skip it — they are pretty strict about the process and procedures of the tours! Oh by the way — NO PHOTOGRAPHY OF ANY TYPE. I know everyone has a camera these days and needs to post pics of where they are and when — NOT from The Orchard House! I had to remind the tour guide twice that NOT everyone had read «the book» so the tour and statements could be put in context. Orchard House = don’t assume everyone knows the back story or has read the book! The tour is can be very informative (if you ask questions). Again the only things keeping it from a higher score are the assumptions of knowledge and a bit of an attitude from our tour guide. With all that being said The Orchard House is a must stop and see place if your in or around Concord MA.

Tour: 5 Stars
House: 4 Stars
Honestly, this was really unexpected but I loved it. I’ve never read little women so I went into this knowing very little about the author or the book but I found this experience super interesting!
The house at first on the outside doesn’t seem like anything special. It is only when you enter the rooms and you see the actual furnishings and portraits that the family used so long ago! It really makes you feel like you are in a piece of history. I think the highlight by far though was the excellent tour with Maureen. I can’t speak for any of the other tour guides but Maureen was wonderful with her description of all kinds of details of the family. She painted a beautiful story that I will be sure to remember for a very long time and covered both the inspiring and disappointing characters and features of the Alcott family.
One minor reservation is the video that they show at the beginning of the tour, it looks like it was made at least a decade ago and didn’t leave me that excited for the actual guided tour. If they can do a re-​filming of it, or re-​edit, it could probably do a better job of opening and introducing the rest of the tour!
I highly recommend taking the tour with her if possible. At $ 8 a head for students, it was definitely worth it. Also, be sure to check out the gift shop.

I wanted to visit the Orchard House as it’s more of a point of interest to me through the transcendentalist movement and the history associated with that than anything having to do with Little Women… though I totally understand that I may be in the minority on that one. Haha.
No photos inside the home during tours or whatnot, of course, but taking a tour is none the less enjoyable and very informative. It’s interesting to see all the little nooks and crannies associated with the house and to note how the house is generally cobbled together. It makes you think back to the fact that Bronson Alcott was responsible for the addition on the home and much of the construction or repair… and there’s a beauty to the rustic and quirky construction of it all… even if it feels quiiiiiiiite toasty during these summer days. (My inner-​Finn would have appreciated the saune-​esque feel a bit more if I, ya know, hadn’t had to go back out into public right after this visit feeling a bit sweaty and gross.)
Also, yes, the guides seem knowledgeable.
Oddly, I might have had the most fun wandering through the store and picking out gifts for a couple friends — fans of the Alcott family or other Concord authors. Also, they had fans going in the store! On such a humid day, this was totally appreciated (and yes, I totally may have lingered in the store for a bit longer because of it). :)
The house is quite enjoyable though. I’d recommend it to my fellow Concord/​Boston/​transcendentalism geeks, and for fans of Louisa May Alcott herself? It seems like a «can’t miss».

Due to heavy traffic we got to the house after it was closed. Never less we walked around the exterior of the house and the ground. It was beautiful. It is a nice place to visit if you are a fan of the author.

So, it’s obviously worth going if you’re into literary history (which I am), but the tour contained an odd amount of information and it was too full.
We don’t mind spending money to help with the upkeep of historical houses like this, but we just found the tour to be slightly incoherent. It wasn’t organized in a great way. The items or stories told about each room appeared to be fairly random. I think it could be better organized (the narrative, not the rooms) to help give the visitor a slightly better picture. It seemed to be aimed at the fanboy/​fangirl rather than for those seeking general knowledge.
On the one hand, it’s great that a female author is getting the much deserved space to be appreciated for her accomplishments. On the other, reducing Alcott to a series of «here’s where she wrote» and «there’s her pillow» seems to serve to marginalize her importance to American literary history. It’s cool to see those things, but couldn’t we get a broader perspective on her? I feel like her father actually seems more interesting (although that’s because I have a burgeoning interest in educational history) and, perhaps, more important since there’s little context for Alcott in the tour.
They allow too many people on the tours so it was very cramped and we were not able to get a good look in each room without bumping into others. I understand that they want everyone to see it who comes by, but this didn’t seem to make much sense.
They don’t suggest a visit to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery which seemed odd based on people’s interest in her life. Why is this? Seems like there should be an information sheet with a map.. .

The Orchard House is a must see when visiting Concord. Our tour guide was very energetic and enthusiastic. The house was amazing to see, and to know all the history behind the Alcott family was a bonus. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area!

Awful tour at a wonderful place. First, there were too many people crammed into the tour– some people had to stand through an introductory video. It was the same in some of the small rooms. I suggest reducing tour sizes– OK, you might not make as much money some days but really would be better. Second, our high school-​age tour guide rattled off some facts and canned jokes, all of which seriously detracted from learning or having fun being in the house. I will add that I am a LM Alcott fan and had been anticipating this visit. Also noted that the staff in gift shop and reception area were not very friendly.
All in all, quite a travesty Couldn’t wait to leave, sad to say. I agree with another reviewer that the Alcotts would not be happy with the way guests are now treated in their old home.

I guess I could have popped into the Concord library for a pass (One pass each at the main library and at Fowler Library; Each pass admits 2 adults and 4 youths for FREE.) for Orchard House like Catie C. did, but instead we picked up $ 4 vouchers on one of those deal sites a month or so earlier. Since our group was a little tight on time, for us, it was probably the better option.
If you don’t have the time to make two stops at the local library (the first to pick up the pass, and a 2^nd to drop it back off), and there aren’t any voucher deals to be had, yet you have a CharlieCard in your wallet, you can still score a 2-​for-​1 admission! (For 2013 anyhow.) With regular admission for adults being $ 10, that’s entrance for the two of you for $ 5 apiece. At minimum, with a touch of pre-​planning, there is a 50 cent admission coupon available on the Orchard House website.
Hours are seasonal, so check on that before you go. They hurried us into a small room beside the gift shop where a 15 minute video was already playing. Our tour guide then greeted us and off we went — through the kitchen, the dining room where the Alcott girls performed their plays, the parlor where big sister Anna was wed, up to check out the 3 rather spacious (so I thought) bedrooms, then back down to what I figured was the father’s study.
Due to our numerous questions (yes, I was at fault for some of those), our tour lasted nearly an hour. Our guide was chock full of interesting information about the Alcott family. I wish we could have chatted for far longer, but given that we had taken part in what was probably the 2^nd to last tour of the day, she was generous in her time with us. Then we still had the opportunity to peek around the gift shop before the doors had to lock up.
We had a terrific time! And we were fortunate to visit when Anna’s wedding dress was on display on the bed in the bedroom she had shared with Louisa.
A unisex bathroom available for public use located just off from the gift shop.
There are a few parking spots right out front by the wood fence, otherwise there is additional parking available at the nearby Wayside Lot on Hawthorne Lane.
From the Orchard House official website:
Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House is open year-​round on the following schedule:
November 1 — March 31
Monday — Friday, 11:00 — 3:00
Last tour at 3:00
Saturday, 10:00 — 4:30
Sunday, 1:00 — 4:30
Last tour at 4:30
April 1 — October 31
Monday — Saturday, 10:00 — 4:30
Sunday, 1:00 — 4:30
Last tour at 4:30
Closed: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and January 1 & 2; Open at 12 noon on Patriots’ Day (3^rd Monday in April)
Tip — Don’t Touch! No Photos in the house.

I’ve been on the tour twice, and each time I learn something new! The guides are informative and clearly love what they do. If you enjoy exploring historical homes, or if you’re a fan of Louisa May Alcott, or you have a vested interest in early New England education. or you have a pulse and curiosity, this is worth a trip.
It’s also nice because while there is a small gift shop, you aren’t pressured and pushed into buying anything. It’s also not an overly «girly girly GIRL POWER» type of tour either; there’s a good deal of time spent talking about the other family members, particularly Louisa May Alcott’s father, so if you have boys (or maybe your own dad) who want to learn some history, this wouldn’t scare them away either.
The house is well-​preserved, and it feels a lot more close-​knit and intimate than some of the other historical house tours I’ve been on. I like that a lot. It’s also definitely worth checking out in the summer or early autumn because sometimes you can look into the schoolhouse in the yard. The area itself is so lovely, and just enjoying the surround nature in itself is worth planning for those seasons.

This was definitely worth the $ 9!!! My sister and I visited and lucked out as well… we walked in right when a tour was about to start!
Having read Little Women many times, this was a great spot to visit (though, I admittedly wasn’t apparently a ‘super fan’ as many of the other guests were… I couldn’t remember enough of the book to answer the questions — ha ha!).
Our tour guide clearly loved the home, which was cobbled together out of two homes and was rickety and angled and wonderful. I loved the original artwork in the rooms and all the stories of the home. The guide was really knowledgeable and answered everyone’s questions with clearly the knowledge of someone who has done her homework!
It’s a great spot, worth the tour and a walk around the house!

Okay, this review is gonna sound nerdy… but if you’re Unilocaling «orchard house» you’re probably a big nerd.
This place was so much fun! i freakin’ live «Little Women» so it’s fun to take silly pictures and renact parts of the book/​movies. Like Joe and Laury by the fence, and a pregnant meg in the garden.
But in seriousness it was also interesting learning about these women, and especially Louisa May Alcott. Very educational and very fun. Plus, concord is gorgeous especially in the fall.

I’ve visited Orchard House three times, and I would go again right now if I didn’t already have other plans. Seriously though, if anyone needs an Orchard House buddy – message me.
Obviously I, like many bookish young ladies and lads, LOVED Little Women. I cannot count the number of times I’ve read the book or seen the movies (at least three of the movies), so visiting Orchard House was a bit like meeting a celebrity and having him or her tell me that I’m cool.
I’ve never had a bad tour at Orchard House, but some have been more thorough that others. What really makes this tour so unique is that since the characters in Little Women are based on real people, you care about the people who lived in this house so much more. I never knew that Louisa May Alcott got mercury poisoning when she worked as a nurse during the war; I never knew that the real Beth was so shy she would knit mittens for the neighbor children, but was too timid to give them to them. There were so many interesting stories about this family, that even if they had not featured in one of the world’s most-​beloved novels would still be fascinating.
Some of Bronson Alcott’s educational theories are still in use today. Louisa May never married, instead choosing to support herself. The littlest Alcott, May (Amy), was an incredibly successful artist and married (not Laurie) a man 20 years younger than her. Mrs. Alcott was a strong feminist but also a woman who found ways to support her husband’s radical ideas and still keep her family fed and happy. The real Meg was just as much of a dolt as the book, but that’s comforting in a way.
I cannot say enough good things about my visits to Orchard House. I even love the cheesy video they make you watch in the beginning. Fun Fact: the woman who ‘plays’ Louisa May in that video, often hangs out at the Colonial Inn down the road as Louisa May. So you can tour her house, and then go talk to her (I have never done this).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.