Brook Farm Historic Site in Massachusetts, USA - map and visitor information

Research checked: 2026-10-30. Check linked official notices before travel.

Brook Farm Historic Site combines a short woodland walk with the history of a nineteenth-century experimental community. The Massachusetts state property lies in Boston’s West Roxbury neighborhood beside the Charles River. Its historic landscape and trails suit a quiet visit on foot.

Read the landscape around a surviving print shop

The circa-1890 Print Shop survives from the property’s later orphanage era. Near it, an interpretive kiosk introduces the site’s history. The Blue Heron Trail connects this small trail network with a wider corridor of protected land.

Know before you go

Fees, hours, and seasonal access

Take care on the shared entrance drive

The Baker Street gateway serves both the park and the cemetery. Watch for vehicles and cemetery visitors. Follow the drive toward the Print Shop and the DCR parking areas. Do not assume the first marked cemetery parking area is the park trailhead.

Keep the historic grounds quiet

Keep a dog on a leash. Use the established trails through the woodland and beside the river. Respect the shared cemetery entrance and avoid disturbing visitors to the cemetery.

Contact DCR for a planned group visit

For an educational visit or another organized activity, call DCR to discuss the plan before setting arrangements. Check any program’s meeting point and schedule separately from the park’s daylight hours.

Enter from Baker Street in West Roxbury

The address is 670 Baker Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132. Signs for DCR and Gethsemane Cemetery flank the shared gateway. Use the adopted management plan to understand the entrance, DCR parking and trail connections.

Other parks around West Roxbury

Millennium Park borders Brook Farm to the south and has a road entrance at 300 Gardner Street. Charles River Reservation forms part of the surrounding protected-land corridor. Check the particular reservation access point before adding a separate stop.

Combine a short walk with the site’s history

• Read the interpretation near the Print Shop before entering the trail network.
• Walk the riverbank and woodland routes, which together provide just over one mile of official trails.
• Use the Blue Heron Trail connection for a longer outing after checking the route and return plan.

A small trail site with limited parking

DCR has two visitor parking areas along the shared drive and a small history kiosk by the Print Shop. There is no designated picnic area. Plan a walk with the supplies your group needs.

About the historic site and conservation corridor

DCR manages the site for passive recreation and habitat protection. The Charles River corridor includes marshes, red maple swamps, fields and woodland. Brook Farm has National Historic Landmark status.

Several uses followed the Transcendentalist community

The Brook Farm Institute for Agriculture and Education occupied the property from 1841 to 1847. Later uses included a Civil War training camp and a Lutheran orphanage. The state established the historic site in 1988. The Commonwealth Museum’s Brook Farm exhibit explains what remains.

Habitats beside the Charles River

Wetlands, woodland and fields form part of a larger connected habitat corridor. Observe animals quietly from the trails and keep dogs under control.

Contact

Call DCR at 617-698-1802 for site questions. The official visitor page lists the Baker Street address and daylight hours.