Please note: This class was added to the catalog in error. Please see Brookline's Historic Beacon Street Walking Tour.Did you know a river runs through Brookline Village? The Muddy River, an important part of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace—a chain of connected parks—winds from Boston Common to Franklin Park. Often hidden by stone walls, overgrowth, and city streets, this overlooked waterway has recently gained new attention through a major restoration project. Follow the river’s path from Brookline Village to the Charles River in Back Bay, visiting the Dutch House, Longwood, the Landmark Center, and the Fens, with its rose garden, memorials, and victory gardens. The walk ends at Charlesgate, where the river disappears beneath the city on its way to the Charles.

Go back in time to the 1850s, when Brookline’s Beacon Street was still a narrow country road. By 1890, Frederick Law Olmsted had transformed it into a grand boulevard lined with apartment blocks, stores, and one of the nation’s first electric trolley lines. Join us for a two-mile stroll from Cleveland Circle to Audubon Circle as we explore the street’s history, architecture, and evolution. Discover hidden paths, historic buildings, trolley-era landmarks, and how zoning, politics, and changing values shaped Beacon Street over the years.