The Ralph Waldo Emerson House on Cambridge Turnpike is where the philosopher, essayist, and poet lived from 1835 until his death in 1882, and where the intellectual movement known as Transcendentalism found its practical home. The house is a National Historic Landmark, run by Emerson's descendants until the mid-20th century and now operated as a museum with many of the family's original furnishings in place.
Guided tours of the house show Emerson's study (a reconstruction — the original furnishings are in the nearby Concord Museum), his library, and the domestic spaces where one of the 19th century's most influential intellectual circles gathered. The tours are informative about both Emerson's ideas and the daily life of a prominent New England household in the mid-1800s. Hours are limited (typically Thursday through Sunday afternoons, May through October); check the schedule before visiting. The Concord Museum across the road holds the original study furnishings and provides useful additional context.