Summer Of Love: A Journey Through the 1960s Exhibit Debuts at Hearthside

Typically at the Hearthside House Museum, guests are greeted by volunteers dressed in Victorian or Edwardian attire as they are welcomed to explore this 200-year old home and some of the many families who have lived there. This summer, though, the hands of time have landed on a much more recent history which is 1960-1969 so those volunteers may now be dressed in tie-dye shirts and bell bottoms for the newest exhibit, "Summer of Love: A Journey Through the 1960s." 

The summer-long exhibit, which is open on specific dates, will welcome guests on June 15, June 29th, July 13, July 20, August 17 and conclude on August 24.  All openings are self-guided tours between 1:00-4:00 pm. with last admission at 3 pm.  Guides dressed in 60s attire will be throughout the museum to provide additional information.  Two special events taking place are a 60s Dance on June 28 and a Classic Cars of the 60s car show on August 17.

 The last family residing at Hearthside lived there during this pivotal decade of historic change and would have experienced many of the subjects that are included in the exhibit.  The culture, the music, the history-making "sock it to me" sixties from the Camelot years of John F. Kennedy to the explosion of pop culture are featured in the exhibit. Visitors are invited to step inside the house to journey through each room over two floors, with each one having a different focus, to experience all things sixties. 

Some of the features from life during that time are collections from Woodstock, concert posters, Beatles, Vietnam, color television, New England sports, protests, foods, fashions, space exploration and the moon landing, modern conveniences, playtime, and Rhode Island events. 

Hearthside’s exhibit promises to be fun, informative, nostalgic, and impactful, no matter whether or not you grew up during this era.