Guided Tours: When the Kennedy family donated the house at 83 Beals to the National Park Service as a "gift to the American people,"the president's mother hoped that future generations would be able to visit and "get a better appreciation of the history of this wonderful country." Today visitors can experience Mrs. Kennedy's recreation of these early years on two kinds of house tours.

RANGER-LED HOUSE TOURS: National Park Service rangers lead small groups back in time through the principal rooms of the birthplace, where Mrs. Kennedy personally assembled and arranged a collection of household furnishings, photographs, and significant mementos. Highlights of the collection include the bed in which John F. Kennedy was born in his parents' second-floor room, the bassinette that cradled him during his first nights in the nursery, the silver porringer bearing his initials, and the piano on which he later took lessons. Guided tours last approximately 30 minutes and depart on the hour from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Ranger-led tours are capped at nine individuals. Tickets are free and available on a first come, first served basis.

SELF-GUIDED TOURS: Visitors can view the principal rooms of the house at their own pace, following an audio tour in which Mrs. Kennedy shares her personal reminiscences of family life at 83 Beals Street when "life was so much simpler." The narrative-available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese-describes many of the objects that became nostalgic symbols of times past, including a baby bonnet embroidered with Irish shamrocks and an icebox in the kitchen. Mrs. Kennedy's voice evokes a different age, when the aroma of Boston baked beans, slowly simmering in the coal-burning range, summoned the Kennedy children from their play in the yard to supper. Self-guided tours are available Wednesday through Sunday, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and by special arrangement. Please contact the site for more information. You can also use your cell phone to access Mrs. Kennedy's audio tour of the house by dialing 617-992-9172. 

Neighborhood tours: Visitors can enjoy self-guided and ranger-led tours of the neighborhood where Rose and Joseph Kennedy began their life together and joined their early hopes and ambitions to the promise of the vibrant and growing community in Brookline's Coolidge Corner. For 10 years, these neighborhood streets linked the daily life of Jack Kennedy to those of neighbors, friends and schoolmates. Neighborhood tours guide the visitor through much of the Kennedy-era streetscape and in the footsteps of a young boy whose future course would lead to the White House. Brochures for the self-guided walking tour are available at the park's Visitor Center.

JOIN US FOR A RANGER-LED NEIGHBORHOOD TOUR!
Neighborhood tours are are 30-45 minutes in length and offered Thursday-Sunday at 1:00 PM, staffing and weather permitting. Tours travel over uneven sidewalk pavement and involve crossing neighborhood streets. Caution is advised. In the case of inclement weather, please call 617-566-7937 to confirm.