Needham Community Education

Come celebrate the 250th Anniversary of American Independence by visiting the Museum of Fine Arts’ galleries dedicated to the Revolution and the New Nation. See how the art of the 18th century reflected this dramatic time in history and the role that artists played in shaping this pivotal time. This Summer the MFA will open newly redesigned galleries showcasing both familiar works and long unseen works from their collection. Limited to 6.

In 1793, shipping merchant Theodore Lyman commissioned famed architect Samuel McIntire to design and build a Federal-style house for his family. Three additional generations also left their mark on the estate during their 150 years of ownership. Hear the story of the Lyman family and the architecture of the house during a tour of the mansion. Then, head outside to walk the rolling paths and garden trails of the 37-acre estate with your guide. Landscape and horticulture were always integral to the estate. This site was home to pleasure grounds, formal gardens, a working farm, greenhouses, and woodlands for over four generations of the Lyman family. See how the grounds have changed over time and explore that which has remained intact in spite of it.

This walking and sightseeing tour is centered around the local sites and stories of the American Revolution, and so much more! Street by street and block by block and neighborhood by neighborhood, there are tales to explore spanning from the contributions of the indigenous Massachusett Tribe who have called this area home for millennia, through nearly four centuries since the arrival of British Puritans who hoisted their flag on what they viewed as “a city upon a hill” with the eyes of all people upon them, and the resultant growth, conflict, revolution, industrialization, immigration, civil rights progress and civic improvement. We’ll begin at the stunning Old State House (the former seat of British power in colonial Boston), and end in the shadow of Breed’s Hill in Charlestown (site of the Battle of Bunker Hill), to explore how Boston went from the capital of a loyal and fruitful British colony to the cantankerous powder keg that exploded into a revolution that reverberated all over the world, and also how we’ve wrestled with our own dark demons to continually strive for social progress, religious freedom, medical advancements, educational excellence and more than a few championship sports parades. Johnny Kinsman is a Boston Duck Tours guide, American Revolution buff, actor and storyteller who loves this town and tells its history the way it is and the way it was; beans and all. After the conclusion of the tour, a table in the cozy and historic Warren Tavern is a great place to discuss how lucky we are to be in the greatest city in the country! The distance traveled on foot will be under two miles, over the course of two hours. The tour is rain or shine, so please wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Limited to 10.

Shawmut Peninsula is the promontory of land on which Boston, Massachusetts was built. In other words, downtown Boston was originally a hilly little peninsula almost surrounded by water. Over the past 400 years, a series of landfills terraformed this tiny outpost into the bustling metropolis it is today. Come trace Boston's original shoreline and see how cutting down a series of hills and hauling in earth from the suburbs allowed the creation of Back Bay, Beacon Hill, West End, Mill Pond, and Haymarket and complicated the construction of the Big Dig.