Recent Press Releases

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Emerald Necklace Conservancy Announces a Series of Free Park Tours

Starts June 5
Sundays, 1 - 2:30pm and Tuesdays, 6 - 7:00pm
Emerald Necklace Conservancy, 125 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115

Boston, MA - May 31, 2011 - The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is pleased to announce a series of regularly scheduled guided summer walks through the Back Bay Fens on Sunday afternoons and Tuesday evenings this spring and summer. The tours are free and open to the public and start and end at the Emerald Necklace Visitor and Volunteer Center at 125 The Fenway. No registration required.

"The History, Gardens and Changing Landscape of the Back Bay Fens Tour" Sundays, 1:00 -2:30 pm | Starts June 5, 2011

On Sundays from 1 to 2:30 pm Emerald Necklace Conservancy docents will lead an interpretive tour entitled "The History, Gardens and Changing Landscape of the Back Bay Fens." The tour traces the evolution of the area from what a city engineer in the 1870's called "the foulest marsh and muddy flats to be found anywhere in Massachusetts," to the tranquil parkland of today.

Starting at the Visitor Center located at 125 The Fenway, participants will embark on a leisurely excursion that will take them along the Muddy River, through the fragrant Kelleher Rose Garden and the historic Fenway Victory Gardens. Along the way, they will learn how the park developed under the guiding philosophies of celebrated landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Highlights include stops at hidden treasures such as the Japanese Bell and the rustic Agassiz Bridge, made of Roxbury puddingstone.

"A Summer Stroll through the Gardens of the Fens"
Tuesdays, 6:00-7:00 pm | Starts June 7, 2011 through September 1, 2011

Those in the mood for a more informal tour are encouraged to come out for "A Summer Stroll through the Gardens of the Fens" tour. Held every Tuesday during the spring and summer from 6 to 7:00 pm, the evening stroll will highlight the beauty of the gardens during the summer months. The walk features a behind-the-scenes look at volunteers pruning and weeding the Kelleher Rose Garden as part of the Conservancy's Tuesday's with Roses program and then continue on through the Fenway Victory Gardens. The guided walk begins at the Emerald Necklace Visitor Center at 125 The Fenway.