Participants will be permitted access to the sub-basement two stories below ground to view the massive Allis pumps that delivered 30 million gallons of water per day to the citizens of Boston. They will also have the exclusive opportunity to climb either the Allis Engine or the Leavitt engine for an up-close look at these mammoth machines. This is one of several tours offered during May.

When Old North Church opened its doors in 1723, it fanned the flames of a growing religious controversy over sacred singing. While Old North was Boston’s second Anglian Church, Massachusetts was dominated by Congregationalists who had strict rules about what type of music was appropriate for worship.

Old North’s massive new presence in Boston’s North End delivered a powerful ritual challenge to the city’s Congregationalists, none more important than the innovative psalm texts and tunes that its congregation sang at Sunday services. This talk from Dr. Stephen A. Marini of Wellesley College will explore these little-known sacred song practices and their contexts from the earliest decades of Old North’s history.

The Massachusetts Historical Society and the South End Historical Society are teaming up to help you learn more about ways to research the rich and vibrant history of the Sound End.  Each organization will explain how to use the items in their collections to find out more about local history. 

Kicking off the annual Gardening Together Series - an informative, outdoor event on the Loring Greenough lawn to celebrate the arrival of Spring! Come discover how to wake up your sleeping garden, “meet” some of the people who lived and worked at Loring Greenough, and see a secret space recently explored by the city’s Archeologist!

Join the Brighton-Allston Historical Society and the neighborhood as we celebrate our annual meeting and the restoration and dynamic reuse of Allston-Brighton's "newest" Boston Landmark, The Charles River Speedway. This historic 120-year-old property has been beautifully repurposed by the non-profit Architectural Heritage Foundation from old stables and police space into thriving and beautiful creative spaces. 

One resident describes the Kite and Bike Festival as, “My favorite day ever in the twenty years I’ve lived in Boston!”

Picture endless blue skies dotted with colorful kites, children and families running and laughing across bright green fields — this event is not to be missed!

This event is hosted by the Franklin Park Coalition. 

At the forefront of New England's preservation movement were women bringing a passion for preservation to the communities where they lived. Yet, somehow, these tenacious women's history is often overlooked or lost from the record. Join Elizabeth Paliga, Preservation Services Manager for Northern New England, as she traces women's participation in preservation through the late 19th and early 20th centuries and elevates their contributions in preserving New England's history. 

Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arboretum, only one is singled out each year for a daylong celebration. Mainly located on the edge of Bussey Hill Road in the heart of the landscape, the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is among the premier collections of these plants in North America. Lilac Sunday has been celebrated at the Arnold Arboretum since 1908.

Tours of the lilacs and family activities are available from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., but the Arboretum is open as usual from dawn to dusk.  

Join an in-person tour of the NBSS 2023 Exhibition: Continual Craft, to explore the opportunities and challenges in students' work through a number of examples: the durability of dovetailed furniture and fine bindings, the transformation of outdated materials, the reinvention of an old space, and more.

This event is free and open to all:

Register for the event

This event is part of Boston Design Week 2023