Top 5 Museums Near Westford, MA

Finding a local activity during the winter can be a great way to get out of the house and explore your town without coming in contact with the cold too much. Museums are an entertaining way to spend your days because there’s so much to look at and learn about while walking through the facilities.

Our team at Nucar Honda of Westford has found the top five museums near Westford, Massachusetts, that are must-sees.

Westford Museum

Visit Westford Museum to learn about the town’s unique history. Here, you can explore typical artifacts you can find in a small town. Those who have a particular interest in genealogy can speak with the museum’s staff members about the books and other informative materials about former Westford families. Perhaps architecture fascinates you. In that case, the museum has plenty to share about older homes in the town.

Additionally, you can learn about Westford Academy and get an idea about what it was like to be a student at the school while reviewing yearbooks, memorabilia items, and photographs of former students, teachers, and other faculty members. After you’re done looking around, visit the gift shop to purchase an item to commemorate your trip to the museum.

• Hours:
  • Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday: Closed.
  • Sunday: 1 to 3 p.m.
• Location: 2 Boston Road, Westford.

Parish Center for the Arts

Parish Center for the Arts is a private nonprofit organization that houses an art gallery for visitors to enjoy and serves as a performing arts theater for the community. The center’s art gallery makes for the perfect Sunday activity because you can view new exhibits that showcase each month. Each month, the exhibits rotate to a different artist of the month to ensure there’s something new for visitors to look at regularly and showcase as much art as the center can.

Regional artists can get their work on display at this museum, so when you’re walking through, you’re viewing artwork from locals. Check the museum’s website to know when to attend the center’s annual Westford Regional Art Event (WRAE). Additionally, Parish Center for the Arts is a neighbor of the Westford Museum. This way, you can visit both places in one easy trip.

• Gallery hours:
  • Sunday: noon to 2 p.m.
• Location: 10 Lincoln St., Westford.

Parkerville Schoolhouse

Have you ever been curious about what it might have been like to be a student in school over 100 years ago? Head to Parkerville Schoolhouse to experience it. This museum is a one-room, one-teacher schoolhouse from the 1880s. In 1989, the Friends of the Parkerville Schoolhouse established itself to save and preserve this schoolhouse as part of Westford’s history. The town’s community used this schoolhouse to educate their children and for town meetings.

When you visit here, there’s a lot of living history you can experience, such as listening to recorded tapes of interviews with the schoolhouse’s former students. Look through scrapbooks with photos from actual classes and their report cards.

• Location: 110 Carlisle Road, Westford.

Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House

Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House is a 20-minute drive to Concord, Massachusetts, and it’s the family home of Louisa May Alcott, the author of “Little Women.” In 1857, Amos Bronson Alcott purchased 12 acres of land where the home resides, a manor from the 1660s. On the 12 acres, there were about 40 apple trees, giving the home its name, the Orchard House. The family lived in the home until 1877.

Most notably, the home is where Louisa wrote “Little Women” in 1868, and when you visit, the architectural structure and the furniture haven’t changed much since the family left, so it’s like you’re in the novel. Most of the furniture you see in the home belonged to the Alcotts. During your trip, you can request to see family photos and other artifacts from the archive for an additional fee when you ask the staff members.

For tickets, you can use the museum’s website to reserve your time.

• Hours:
  • Monday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Sunday: 1 to 5 p.m.
• Location: 399 Lexington Road, Concord.

Whistler House Museum of Art

View spectacular art pieces at Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell, Massachusetts, a 13-minute drive. This art gallery is the home of James McNeill Whistler, a premier American painter from the 19th and 20th centuries. This home was built in 1823, and the architecture has Federal and Greek Revival elements. The museum features one new artist each month, and you may purchase some of their artwork. Some artists’ work you can see here includes:

• Aldro Thompson Hibbard.
• John Singer Sargent.
• William Henry Holmes.
• William Preston Phelps.

Additionally, the museum has rotating exhibits you can explore a few times a year. In the permanent collection, you can view several artwork pieces in the Main Gallery, Francis Room, Second Floor, and Hallway. Finally, on the third floor is the studio for in-house artists. This room allows local artists to create pieces in the creative and beautiful loft.

• Hours:
  • Wednesday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Saturday through Tuesday: Closed or by appointment only.
• Location: 243 Worthen St., Lowell.

So, there you have it. Our team’s choices for the top five museums near Westford, Massachusetts, that you should schedule a time to visit. What do you think of our list? Did we miss one of your favorite museums in the area? Contact us, and tell us about it. Here at Nucar Honda of Westford, we value our customers’ opinions, especially about great historical sites to visit in our town.

Visit our dealership in Westford, before heading out to spend the day at one of these fascinating museums. When you come to our showroom, we want to help you find your dream vehicle while you browse our new car and used vehicle inventory. We pride ourselves on making our customers feel cared about, so we do our best to help get you the best deals at our dealership.

Image by Lindsay is licensed with Unsplash License.