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 Museums
The world of art is alive in Johnny Appleseed territory. If you’re looking for a chance to experience the culture and art of the Shakers and American Indians of New England, as well as the one-time farmhouse of the famous Alcott family and later utopian commune, Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, located just off Rte. 2, is your destination of choice. Not only is Fruitlands one of the first "outdoor museums" in America, with its breathtaking vistas and walking trails, and outdoor summer concerts at dusk, but it also offers the visitor a rare look into the life of the Alcotts with their Transcendentalist vision, the Shakers, utopians, artists and Native peoples. Four galleries are home to collections of Native American art and artifacts, the Hudson River School landscapes, a Shaker collection, and a gallery of American vernacular portraits. Dine in the tearoom and shop the Gift Shop of this most American of museums.
Twenty-five miles down the Johnny Appleseed Trail of Rte. 2 lies another world, the Fitchburg Art Museum, located in Fitchburg on Merriam Parkway. Fourteen galleries house a rich collection of American and European painting, prints, drawings, ceramics and decorative arts a, as well as Greek, Roman, Asian and pre-Columbian antiquities. Exhibitions of works from other museums and private collections, as well as from both emerging and established contemporary artists make this treasured institution a must-see!
From local studios and a gallery halfway around the world, the art on display in Johnny Appleseed Country offers something of interest for everyone.
At the Museum of Russian Icons in downtown Clinton, one can view a great collection of Icons. Icons are religious images painted with brightly colored paints on wood and metal. Lankton, whose Nypro plastics factory is nearby, began collecting icons years ago, and the collection grew to significant proportions. He now shares the opportunity to see the icons — which were banned in Russia during the Soviet era — in a refurbished industrial building across from the town common in Clinton.
Also in Fitchburg, visit the Top Fun Aviation Toy Museum. Here, both children and adults, are encouraged to consider aviation-related careers, access role models and educational materials that will help encourage them to pursue careers in aviation and utilize the museum’s collection and facilities to foster learning, creativity, and confidence along with a knowledge of how aircraft fly. The museum has a library conveying accurate knowledge about aviation as well as hands-on activities that will help increase the understanding of aviation and its economic importance. The toys function as illustrations of history and culture and how people have viewed aviation through history.
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