Peters Hill, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Bring your family and friends to Peters Hill for an afternoon of free tours, crafts, family activities, and more! Did we mention free ice cream and bubbles? Free activities open to all ages include:
Tours of Peters Hill offered in both English and Spanish
Plant information tents featuring wildflowers and plant defenses, fascinating Arboretum plant highlights, know-how of Arboretum experts, and a rich assortment of cuttings to view up close
Ice cream, art activities, lawn games, StoryWalks®, and more!...
Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of landscape architecture, designed some 500 public spaces in North America. The Arnold Arboretum, the only arboretum he designed, is a National Historic Landmark and a model for others around the world. Arboretum docent, Bill Beizer, will identify the elements of the Arnold Arboretum that best reflect Olmsted's philosophy and approach to landscape design.
Join us for a tour of the proposed Roslindale Gateway Path: an accessible shared-use pedestrian and cycling path through the Arnold Arboretum. When complete, this path will provide a missing pedestrian link between Forest Hills Subway Station and Roslindale Village Commuter Rail Station, offering carbon-free commuting options and connecting Boston residents with the natural spaces in their own neighborhoods. Come learn about this collaborative project with the Arboretum's Head of Operations and Project Management, Danny Schissler.
Online or at Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre St., Boston
Just in time for the Arboretum's sesquicentennial and the bicentennial of the birth of pioneering landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, authors Rolf Diamant and Ethan Carr will speak on their recent book, "Olmsted and Yosemite: Civil War, Abolition, and the National Park Idea." They'll offer a new interpretation of how the American park—urban and national—came to figure so prominently in our cultural identity, and why this more complex and inclusive story deserves to be told.
Initiation – In Love Solidarity is a choreographic narrative exploring the embodiment of the Middle Passage, and the resilience and evolving identities of women in the African diaspora. A film component of the work was created at historic sites in New England related to the transatlantic slave trade and emancipation. The imagery of the cowrie shell is present throughout, chosen as an emblem of the transformative identity of the Black female body.