Fisher Museum

Since 1941, the Fisher Museum has been free and open to the public, offering information on forest ecology, landscape history, and land conservation and management.

Museum Hours

Monday - Friday
Year-round
9am - 4pm

Saturday - Sunday
Open seasonally (through Nov. 10, 2024)
12pm - 4pm

Or by special arrangement
Call (978) 724-3302

The Fisher Museum is closed on Harvard University holidays (see https://hr.harvard.edu/holiday-calendar).

Recreational trails are open to the public daily, year-round.

Questions? Email HFoutreach@fas.harvard.edu or call 978-724-3302.

Ongoing Exhibits

The Fisher Museum's primary exhibit is 23 internationally acclaimed models (dioramas), the first seven of which depict 230 years of landscape change in central New England, beginning with European colonization in 1700. The remaining dioramas portray 20th-century forest management techniques and a series of conservation challenges including erosion and fire.

Additional displays now bring the story up to modern times, begin to address the harmful erasure of Indigenous people in our land narratives (this work is ongoing in partnership with the Nipmuc tribe), and include a brief overview of current Harvard Forest research.

Learn more about a new 2-year grant to the Museum in 2024 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to center Indigenous perspectives in the museum.

New displays in 2022 include:

A new panorama honoring Nipmuc land stewardship and collaboration

New displays in 2020 included:

A digital "modern diorama" constructed via high-tech LIDAR scans of Harvard Forest research sites, created by Peter Boucher in the Schaaf Lab at the University of Massachusetts--Boston.
Footage of the dioramas being built by the Guernsey and Pitman studio in the 1930s.

A family-friendly scavenger hunt is available to encourage viewers to take a closer look at the highly detailed dioramas.

Exhibit Resources

Browse a 1936 booklet describing the dioramas' construction.
Read more about the story in the dioramas.
Download high-resolution images of the dioramas.
Watch a video about the history of the Harvard Forest or read the transcript.
Explore a multimedia project by HF Artist in Residence Roberto Mighty, called First Contact, portraying the 17th-century clash between Nipmuc people and the Europeans who colonized their homeland.

Trails

Maps in the Museum introduce visitors to the Forest's extensive system of trails - open 365 days a year - that provide additional opportunities for learning.

Accessibility

The Harvard Forest welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact us at hfvisit@fas.harvard.edu in advance of your visit. Please note that accessible parking and a universal access ramp are available at the rear of the building.