Open House: Free Historic Tour in Waltham

• Story by Alison Bauter (Patch Staff)

WALTHAM, MA - Historic New England is hosting free open houses around the region this Saturday.

"From Maine to Rhode Island, learn about the people who lived in stone-enders, urban mansions, rural estates, and working farms during free guided tours at Historic New England’s house museums," HNE's site says.

For the social media-inclined, tag photos with #HistoricNewEngland on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

All tours are first-come, first-served, Historic New England notes. It will host an open house at Waltham's Lyman Estate at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.

According to Historic New England, shipping merchant Theodore Lyman commissioned the Federal-style house from venerable architect Samuel McIntire in 1793. It became a warm-weather getaway for four generations of the Lyman family.

The home now serves as a venue for weddings, meetings and private parties.

"The Lyman Estate, also known as "the Vale," is one of the finest examples in the United States of a country estate following the principles of eighteenth-century English naturalistic design," HNE's site says.

You can find the full list of open houses from Historic New England here.

>> Photo of the Lyman Estate via Historic New England