Upcoming events.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, July 25
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Green Street
(From JPHS) Laid out in 1836, the street played a key role in Jamaica Plain’s development, functioning as a residential, commercial, and transportation conduit in the lives of the district’s residents. Although Green Street was subdivided as early as 1851 for stores, factories and houses, it was not extensively developed until the late 1870s with construction continuing until the early 1900s. The Bowditch School was completed in 1892, and early in the 20th century, the United States Post Office moved from its location on Call Street at Woolsey Square to its new location at the corner of Green and Cheshire Streets.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, August 1
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Woodbourne
(From JPHS) Travel around the Pond with the Jamaica Plain Historical Society. Once a district that only included the houses of Boston’s elite, the Pond was later put to industrial use as tons of ice were harvested there each winter. Learn about the movers and shakers, such as Francis Parkman and James Michael Curley, who made their homes on the Pond’s shores. Discover how the Pond was transformed from private estates and warehouses into the parkland we know today.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, August 8
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(ENC) Second Saturdays: Volunteer Stewardship in Franklin Park
(From the ENC) Join Emerald Necklace Conservancy staff and volunteers with land stewardship work in the Emerald Necklace parks on Saturday, August 8! This month, we will be working in Olmsted Park.
Registration is required in order to participate in this event. Those who register will automatically receive an email with further details, including the necessary waivers to sign and specific information on where to meet and what to expect on the day of the event.
Please email volunteer@emeraldnecklace.org with inquiries on this event or other volunteer opportunities.
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Jamaica Pond
(From JPHS) Travel around the Pond with the Jamaica Plain Historical Society. Once a district that only included the houses of Boston’s elite, the Pond was later put to industrial use as tons of ice were harvested there each winter. Learn about the movers and shakers, such as Francis Parkman and James Michael Curley, who made their homes on the Pond’s shores. Discover how the Pond was transformed from private estates and warehouses into the parkland we know today.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
(ENC) Jamaica Pond Walking Tour
(From the ENC) Explore the hidden history of Franklin Park on a guided walking tour through its forgotten ruins. Discover overgrown stonework, lost structures, and the stories behind the park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Perfect for curious locals, history lovers, and urban explorers. Uncover the secrets hiding in Boston’s largest park.
Please dress accordingly and wear comfortable shoes
For ages 15+
Event time range 1 – 1.5 hours
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
(ENC) Urban Naturalist Walks
(From the ENC) Join the Franklin Park Zoo for a guided exploration of Franklin Park’s natural wonders! This nature walk invites outdoor enthusiasts, students, families, and curious minds to discover the diverse wildlife and ecological features that make the park so special.
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, August 15
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Monument Square
(From JPHS) Tour a residential area that includes a National Historic District. View architecture that spans three centuries, the oldest community theater company in the United States, and an elegant 18th-century mansion that once served as the country’s first military hospital. Learn about the monument commemorating fallen Civil War soldiers from West Roxbury and about Pauline Agassiz Shaw, who established the class that became the model for continuous free kindergarten education. We will visit a house dating to 1716 that once served as a tavern, the Eliot School dating back to 1689, the home of the first woman to graduate from MIT, and the First Church Burial Ground.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, August 22
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Sumner Hill
(From JPHS) TThis National Historic District includes one of the finest collections of Victorian houses in the area. The district includes the ancestral home of the Dole Pineapple Company founder and the homes of progressives who were active as abolitionists and women suffragists.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, August 29
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Hyde Square
(From JPHS) Learn about 1840s Hyde Square when German and Irish immigrants transformed the neighborhood with their businesses, schools, and institutions. See how in the early 1960s, Hyde Square changed again when Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican immigrants transformed it into Boston’s first predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. This tour also takes us to the home of Maud Cuney Hare, a prominent music historian and one of only two black women students at the New England Conservatory of Music in 1890. You will also learn about the property currently housing the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center, which was once a site of the Perkins School for the Blind. The tour will also walk through the Sunnyside neighborhood, the site of homes built by philanthropist Robert Treat Paine from 1889 to 1899 as a “worker’s utopia” for working families.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, September 5
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Stony Brook
(From JPHS) Explore a fascinating industrial area at the geographic heart of Boston that includes 19th-century tannery and brewery buildings, the homes of early German settlers, and today’s Boston Beer Company, the brewers of Samuel Adams. In the 1970s, a coalition of community groups joined together to block construction of the Southwest Expressway through Jamaica Plain and other Boston neighborhoods. Today, the Southwest Corridor Park that runs through the Stony Brook neighborhood stands as a testament to the power of community activism.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide outside the T Stop.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, September 12
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Green Street
(From JPHS) Laid out in 1836, the street played a key role in Jamaica Plain’s development, functioning as a residential, commercial, and transportation conduit in the lives of the district’s residents. Although Green Street was subdivided as early as 1851 for stores, factories and houses, it was not extensively developed until the late 1870s with construction continuing until the early 1900s. The Bowditch School was completed in 1892, and early in the 20th century, the United States Post Office moved from its location on Call Street at Woolsey Square to its new location at the corner of Green and Cheshire Streets.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
(ENC) Urban Naturalist Walks
(From the ENC) Join the Franklin Park Zoo for a guided exploration of Franklin Park’s natural wonders! This nature walk invites outdoor enthusiasts, students, families, and curious minds to discover the diverse wildlife and ecological features that make the park so special.
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, September 19
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Woodbourne
(From JPHS) Travel around the Pond with the Jamaica Plain Historical Society. Once a district that only included the houses of Boston’s elite, the Pond was later put to industrial use as tons of ice were harvested there each winter. Learn about the movers and shakers, such as Francis Parkman and James Michael Curley, who made their homes on the Pond’s shores. Discover how the Pond was transformed from private estates and warehouses into the parkland we know today.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, September 26
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Jamaica Pond
(From JPHS) Travel around the Pond with the Jamaica Plain Historical Society. Once a district that only included the houses of Boston’s elite, the Pond was later put to industrial use as tons of ice were harvested there each winter. Learn about the movers and shakers, such as Francis Parkman and James Michael Curley, who made their homes on the Pond’s shores. Discover how the Pond was transformed from private estates and warehouses into the parkland we know today.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Sumner Hill
(From JPHS) We are giving a special Sunday afternoon tour for JP Open Studios. This National Historic District includes one of the finest collections of Victorian houses in the area. Sumner Hill includes the ancestral home of the Dole Pineapple Company founder and the homes of progressives who were active as abolitionists and women suffragists.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, October 3
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, October 10
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, October 17
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, October 24
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, October 31
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, November 7
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, November 14
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, November 21
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, November 28
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, December 5
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, December 12
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, December 19
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Stony Brook
(From JPHS) Explore a fascinating industrial area at the geographic heart of Boston that includes 19th-century tannery and brewery buildings, the homes of early German settlers, and today’s Boston Beer Company, the brewers of Samuel Adams. In the 1970s, a coalition of community groups joined together to block construction of the Southwest Expressway through Jamaica Plain and other Boston neighborhoods. Today, the Southwest Corridor Park that runs through the Stony Brook neighborhood stands as a testament to the power of community activism.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide outside the T Stop.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, July 18
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(ENC) Jamaica Pond Walking Tour
(From the ENC) Join a guided Nature Walk led by a Boston Park Ranger, and explore Jamaica Pond and its inhabitants. Discover local wildlife, plant life, and the history that shaped our parks into what we enjoy today! It’s a perfect way to slow down and connect with nature this Summer.
Please dress accordingly and wear comfortable shoes
Ideal for ages 12+
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Hyde Square
(From JPHS) Learn about 1840s Hyde Square when German and Irish immigrants transformed the neighborhood with their businesses, schools, and institutions. See how in the early 1960s, Hyde Square changed again when Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican immigrants transformed it into Boston’s first predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. This tour also takes us to the home of Maud Cuney Hare, a prominent music historian and one of only two black women students at the New England Conservatory of Music in 1890. You will also learn about the property currently housing the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center, which was once a site of the Perkins School for the Blind. The tour will also walk through the Sunnyside neighborhood, the site of homes built by philanthropist Robert Treat Paine from 1889 to 1899 as a “worker’s utopia” for working families.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
(ENC) Second Saturdays: Volunteer Stewardship in Franklin Park
(From the ENC) Join Emerald Necklace Conservancy staff and volunteers with land stewardship work in the Emerald Necklace parks on Saturday, July 11! This month, we will be working in Franklin Park.
Registration is required in order to participate in this event. Those who register will automatically receive an email with further details, including the necessary waivers to sign and specific information on where to meet and what to expect on the day of the event.
Please email volunteer@emeraldnecklace.org with inquiries on this event or other volunteer opportunities.
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, July 11
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, July 4
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(ENC) Bird Walk in Franklin Park
(From the ENC) Join the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and Nature Man Mike for a morning birdwatching walk in Franklin Park. A limited number of binoculars will be available to borrow during the event. People of all ages are welcome!
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
Crafting at the Pond w/ Crochet Lesson
Join us for a crafting session at the Jamaica Pond hosted by the Community Committee of FoJP! We welcome all crafters and their projects to stop by! For those that are looking to start something new, we will be teaching a small crochet project for those that are interested. We will also have materials available until supplies last!
This will be a great way to meet other community members while enjoying the beautiful view of the pond while we craft! (P.S. it may be windy by the Pond, so please keep that in mind for projects you may bring that may want to fly away!)
Click here to get free tickets on our Eventbrite.
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Stony Brook
Explore a fascinating industrial area at the geographic heart of Boston that includes 19th-century tannery and brewery buildings, the homes of early German settlers, and today’s Boston Beer Company, the brewers of Samuel Adams. In the 1970s, a coalition of community groups joined together to block construction of the Southwest Expressway through Jamaica Plain and other Boston neighborhoods. Today, the Southwest Corridor Park that runs through the Stony Brook neighborhood stands as a testament to the power of community activism.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide outside the T Stop.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, May 30
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Hyde Square
(From JPHS) Learn about 1840s Hyde Square when German and Irish immigrants transformed the neighborhood with their businesses, schools, and institutions. See how in the early 1960s, Hyde Square changed again when Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican immigrants transformed it into Boston’s first predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. This tour also takes us to the home of Maud Cuney Hare, a prominent music historian and one of only two black women students at the New England Conservatory of Music in 1890. You will also learn about the property currently housing the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center, which was once a site of the Perkins School for the Blind. The tour will also walk through the Sunnyside neighborhood, the site of homes built by philanthropist Robert Treat Paine from 1889 to 1899 as a “worker’s utopia” for working families.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, May 23
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
Conservation Committee
Join us for a meeting of the Conservation Committee of Friends of Jamaica Pond! The group focuses on 4 main topics: wildlife, trees, invasives, and water quality. We go to Jamaica Pond and Olmsted Park to learn together, we bring in outside experts, and we generate ideas for advocacy and volunteer work.
Join us to continue the work to protect the ecological health of Jamaica Pond and Olmsted Park!
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Sumner Hill
(From JPHS) TThis National Historic District includes one of the finest collections of Victorian houses in the area. The district includes the ancestral home of the Dole Pineapple Company founder and the homes of progressives who were active as abolitionists and women suffragists.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, May 16
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(ENC) Sparkle for the Park
(From the ENC) Sparkle for the Park: An Enchanted Evening reimagines the Conservancy’s iconic Party in the Park as an elegant evening reception. Taking place in an entirely new location—once home to one of the Olmsted brothers—in Milton, Massachusetts, you’ll enjoy immersive experiences, fine cuisine from local chefs, and lively entertainment from community artists.
Sparkle for the Park is an inclusive event welcoming all who cherish our city’s green spaces. In honor of tradition, hats are warmly encouraged—but entirely optional.
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
(JPHS) Walking Tour of Monument Square
(From JPHS) Tour a residential area that includes a National Historic District. View architecture that spans three centuries, the oldest community theater company in the United States, and an elegant 18th-century mansion that once served as the country’s first military hospital. Learn about the monument commemorating fallen Civil War soldiers from West Roxbury and about Pauline Agassiz Shaw, who established the class that became the model for continuous free kindergarten education. We will visit a house dating to 1716 that once served as a tavern, the Eliot School dating back to 1689, the home of the first woman to graduate from MIT, and the First Church Burial Ground.
All tours are free to the public and are offered on dates shown. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the starting location.
To learn more about the event, click here.
(Navigation Games) Free Orienteering Educator Training
(From Navigation Games) Navigation Games, a Cambridge-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has received grant funding from the Massachusetts Office of Recreation (MOOR) Inclusive and Accessible Outdoor Recreation Events Program to offer this training.
The trainings are designed for teachers and youth leaders interested in introducing beginner-level map navigation skills and orienteering to their schools, youth serving organizations, or outdoor programs. Participants will learn how to read simple maps, teach basic navigation concepts, and set up engaging, age-appropriate orienteering activities in different settings – from schoolyards to urban parks to forested areas. Participants will leave with ready-to-use activity ideas and plans, and the confidence to run an orienteering program on their own.
Navigation Games provides an age-appropriate, progressive orienteering curriculum that builds spatial awareness, map-reading, route planning, and life skills through experiential, active learning—while promoting physical activity and fitness.
To learn more or to register for the event, click here.
(ENC) Pedal the Necklace: Shattuck Visitor Center to Boston Common
(From the ENC) Bike the Emerald Necklace this spring with Pedal the Necklace, a three-part community ride series hosted by the Boston Cyclists Union, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, LivableStreets Alliance, and Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition.
Whether you’re a daily cyclist or new to riding in the city, you’re invited to bike together in community. These relaxed 3–4 mile rides will follow bike paths and bike lanes through Boston and Brookline, with volunteer ride leaders, snacks, and water provided. Along the way, we’ll highlight the beauty of the Necklace and explore opportunities to strengthen bike and pedestrian connections across the park system.
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, May 9
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(Spontaneous Celebrations) Wake Up the Earth
(From Spontaneous Celebrations) The Wake Up the Earth Festival was born on land that was cleared for a highway. When the communities of Jamaica Plain and Roxbury started a grassroots movement with the South-West Corridor Coalition to stop Interstate 95 from cutting through their neighborhoods, they reclaimed that cleared earth and turned it into a farm, a festival, and a tradition now 48 years strong. Every first Saturday in May, thousands return to this space to dance, parade, create, and celebrate our neighborhood's history of activism, expression, and inclusion. Art is how we build and empower our community.
The event will take place at the following locations concurrently: 10:30AM @ Curtis Hall (Center Street Parade), 11:00AM @ Robert Lawsone Park (Egleston Street Parade), 12-6PM Southwest Corridor Park @ Stonybrook T Station.
For more information, click here.
(ENC) Pedal the Necklace: Jamaica Pond to Shattuck Visitor Center
(From the ENC) Bike the Emerald Necklace this spring with Pedal the Necklace, a three-part community ride series hosted by the Boston Cyclists Union, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, LivableStreets Alliance, and Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition.
Whether you’re a daily cyclist or new to riding in the city, you’re invited to bike together in community. These relaxed 3–4 mile rides will follow bike paths and bike lanes through Boston and Brookline, with volunteer ride leaders, snacks, and water provided. Along the way, we’ll highlight the beauty of the Necklace and explore opportunities to strengthen bike and pedestrian connections across the park system.
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, May 2
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(Friends of the BPRMU) Benefit for the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit
(From the FBPRMU) We cordially invite you to join us on April 30th at the Boston Athenaeum to celebrate a milestone moment in support of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit! We are about to begin making important improvements to the Park Rangers' facilities, and this transformation will be the most ambitious endeavor in our organization's history. With your generosity, together we can create lasting change.
This Milestone Event will run from 5:30 PM to 8 PM, and will include cocktails, hours d'oeuvres, and a silent auction. Members of the Park Rangers, and their mounts, will also be there to greet you at the start of the evening, for an opportunity to take photographs with the horses.
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
Olmsted's Birthday Celebration
Friends of Jamaica Pond is excited to host a community celebration at the pond in honor of Frederick Law Olmsted’s birthday on Sunday, April 26!
Family-friendly fun! Arts and Crafts! Boston Park Rangers Horses and Nature Center! Lawn-games! Opportunities to learn about local conservation efforts and connect with neighbors who love the pond!
As the visionary landscape architect behind Boston’s Emerald Necklace, Olmsted believed parks should be welcoming and accessible to all. We think he’d be proud to see Jamaica Pond continuing to bring people together today.
Come celebrate community, nature, and the legacy of Jamaica Pond! We will be outside in front of the Boathouse. Invite your friends by sharing using this Eventbrite link!
(CRWA) Run of the Charles
(From the CRWA) Every year since 1983, in partnership with Paddle Boston, Charles River Watershed Association hosts hundreds of kayakers, canoers, and stand-up paddle boarders for the beloved Run of the Charles.
Held on the last Sunday of April, racers choose between four courses (3-mile, 6-mile, 9-mile, or 14-mile relay) before joining the finish line festivities at the Finish Line RiverFest for food trucks, a beer garden, live music, and more!
To register or to learn more, click here.
(ENC) 2026 Muddy River Cleanup
(From the ENC) The Muddy River Cleanup is a part of the Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup, one of the largest Earth Day volunteer events in the nation, bringing together thousands of volunteers across the entire Charles River watershed. Each year, participants help remove litter and debris, beautify parks and riverbanks, and restore habitat for local wildlife.
By joining the Muddy River Cleanup, you become part of a regional effort that strengthens our shared green spaces, builds community, and inspires environmental stewardship. More than 3,000 volunteers take part annually along all 80 miles of the Charles River, motivated by a desire to give back while enjoying the river’s beauty and wildlife. Many return throughout the year to exercise, play, and reconnect with the river they helped care for.
To register or to learn more about the event, click here.
parkrun @ Jamaica Pond, Apr. 25
(From parkrun) To sign up or learn more, please visit their posting here. This event is usually rain or shine, but please check the site for updates!
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!
P.S. If you happen to stop by, you may be able to spot Frederick Law Olmsted himself (a.k.a our own Gerry Wright)!
(Spontaneous Celebrations) WUTE Workshop (Copy)
(From Spontaneous Celebrations) Wake Up The Earth Festival Art Workshops are most Friday nights at Spontaneous Celebrations art and community center leading up to the festival on May 2nd 2026. Spontaneous Celebrations hosts Friday night potlucks, art workshops, dance parties, and other events with the intention to strengthen and empower our neighborhoods. Bring a dish or treat to share, get to know your neighbors, create festival art, and be part of a 48 year tradition of creativity, activism, and community.
To learn more, click here.