The virtual tour will be followed by a walking segment to view various types of stone utilized in Boston's building construction. The walking segment starts by touching on the glacial geology of Boston as seen on the horizon from the Harborwalk, and discussing the mile of ice which covered the area 20,000 years ago.

We'll then walk over to the Greenway above the Big Dig. Here, there are beautiful examples of hand-carved Quincy granite blocks and more recent saw-cut Chelmsford granite, highlighting the changes in granite types and shaping technologies used through time.

This is a free event, but you need to register. We'll add a registration link in late April.

This free, public event is open to community members of all backgrounds and ages. The afternoon includes a talk by Curator Ron Grim and other speakers, as well as:

• educational activities for students and kids
• interactive tech demonstrations, and
• tours of the exhibit and our gallery.

Refreshments will be provided courtesy of the Boston Maps Society.

The route meanders through the Back Bay east of Dartmouth Street. During the tour, we'll celebrate historic landmarks such as:

• the old Museum of Natural History (now Restoration Hardware)
• Trinity Church (where Charlie and family were congregants)
• the Taj Hotel (originally the Ritz), where Charlie had dinner most evenings, and
• we'll end at the park pavilion on the Common that Charlie designed in the mid 1910s when he was on the board of the City's Parks Commission.

Heritage tourism is certainly part of this tour — the Gibson House is a stop on the Literary Trail of Greater Boston.

Please note: There's a pre-tour lemonade reception in the museum's courtyard at 2 p.m. The tour starts at 2:30 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m. on the Boston Common.

Designing new construction within a historic district doesn't have to be a minefield of process. Nor does it need to mimic the style of a district’s period of significance.

A longtime Boston Landmark commissioner and the South End Landmark District Commission staff preservationist will take you on a walking tour of the South End Landmark District, using it as a case study for new construction in a historic district, explaining what makes a building a "South End building," and demonstrating through many examples how new construction — even contemporary new construction — can best express itself as a "district" building.

Please note: wear comfortable walking shoes. There are no hills or steps during the tour, which will take place rain or shine.

The morning will begin with a light brunch, coffee, and tea followed by a talk that will walk you through the process of researching the history and occupants of a building.

Sources for research materials will be presented. A break-out workshop will end the morning and you will have the opportunity to work with our researchers and ask questions about your building and the progress you have made.

Stony Brook includes 19th-century tannery and brewery buildings, the homes of early German settlers, and today’s Boston Beer Company, the brewers of Samuel Adams.

In the 1970s, a coalition of community groups joined together to block construction of the Southwest Expressway through Jamaica Plain and other Boston neighborhoods. Today, the Southwest Corridor Park that runs through the Stony Brook neighborhood stands as a testament to the power of community activism.

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Please note: the tour will be canceled in the case of heavy rain.

Join the Chinese Historical Society of New England (CHSNE) on our Chinatown History Tours, a 90-minute walking tour exploring the history of Chinatown and tracking the changes the community has undergone over the decades.

This event will be a 90-minute outdoor walking tour and will cover a lot of ground. Please dress appropriately and wear comfortable shoes. CHSNE reserves the right to cancel and refund the tour in the case of extreme weather conditions.

The Chestnut Hill Reservoir was designed to be much more than a place to hold Boston's water supply. Take a walk beside it with landscape historian and Brighton-Allston Historical Society board member Jennifer Wilton and look for clues to its past landscape from original pictures and plans and the pieces that still survive.

Please note: this walk will occur rain or shine.

Come see this rarely opened landmark. You can climb the tower for fantastic views of the entire City and hear about its history.