Exhibitions
Wayland’s stories, told through the objects, photographs, and memories in our collection. Exhibitions at the Grout-Heard House are free and open to all ages.
On view now
Out Until Dark
September – November 2026
Before the whistle blew at six, Wayland’s kids were gone all day: on frozen ponds, at the town beach, and up on two wheels until dark. Step into the games we played, and ask yourself: what did you play?
In October, the exhibit also features a one-month pop-up on Robert Hawkins.
Visit: Tuesday & Thursday 9:30am–12pm, Sunday 10am–2pm, or by appointment. Free, all ages welcome.
Parking, accessibility, and everything else you need to know
The Home Team: a year of Wayland sports
Everyone has a story here. The Home Team explores Wayland’s sports history through the lens of community: who built it, who was left out, and what sport has made possible across generations. From frozen ponds and rope tows to Title IX, adaptive sports, and the coaches who shaped lives, the exhibition asks what our games reveal about who we are, who we were, and who we want to be.
The exhibition and its programs unfold across four seasons at the museum and at satellite displays, developed with community partners.
Out Until Dark
September – November
Nostalgia, outdoor play, and the joy of sport across generations.
No I in Team
December – February
Belonging, courage, and community stories. Opens at our Holiday Open House.
The People Who Made It Possible
March – May
A tribute to the coaches, mentors, and behind-the-scenes builders of Wayland sports culture.
Your Home Team
June – August
A community portrait built from archives, responses, memories, and drawings collected across the year.
Have a Wayland sports story? Photographs, objects, or memories connected to sport in Wayland are welcome. Email info@waylandmuseum.org. We want to hear from you.
Coming up
In Tune
How Wayland shaped American sound, from Lydia Maria Child’s “Over the River and Through the Wood” (1844) to Vaughn Monroe, the Rowan Brothers, Aerosmith’s epic Wayland High School concert, Tom Scholz of Boston, Sammy Adams, Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never), and Amar Bose.
The Grass-Ground River: Land, Labor, and the Long View
Celebrating 175 years of Walden by taking the long view, this exhibition connects environmental stewardship with the long history of the Musketaquid, the “Grass-ground River.”
Wayland and the Written Word
A celebration of the town’s literary life, marking the 200th anniversary of Lydia Maria Child’s The Frugal Housewife and the 15th anniversary of Marina Keegan’s The Opposite of Loneliness, through the books, language, and legacies of those who have written from and about Wayland.
Townies & Transplants: Who’s From Here, Anyway?
Everyone was new here once. As Boston marks 400 years, this exhibition follows Wayland’s waves of arrival and asks: how long do you have to live here to be from here?
Past exhibitions
Echoes of Liberty
A call-and-response exhibition with Arts Wayland, shown at the Arts Wayland Gallery in May and at the museum in June and July.
Fabulous Fashion
Colorful pieces from the museum’s collection.
Wish You Were Here
A postcard exhibition presented in conjunction with a talk by local postcard collector Kathy Alpert of Postmark Press.
Red, White & ‘I Do’
Wedding dresses with a twist, celebrating love, weddings, and bridal fashion over the centuries, and marking Rev250.