Family and kids trails take you to maritime museum, historic farm, & more

Billings Farm & Museum

Route 12N and River Road Woodstock, VT 05091 Phone: 802-457-2355

Billings Farm & Museum is a gateway for parents and kids to Vermont’s rural heritage. Children may explore the working dairy farm; the 1890 Farm House; and the farm life exhibits. Many family-oriented activities. Learn about sheep herding; take a wagon ride; help make butter and ice cream.

Bragg Farm Sugar House and Gift Shop

Route 14 North East Montpelier, VT 05651 Phone: 800-376-5757

See where the maple syrup comes from and learn how it is made. Among the farm’s offerings are educational tours and a 20-minute video ; a maple walking trail; maple syrup taste testing; a large collection of old sugar-making tools; beautiful mountain views; and a gift shop.

Cabot Creamery

1 Home Farm Way Montpelier, VT 05602 Phone: 888-792-2268

At the creamery’s Visitors Center, kids and families can take a factory tour and watch cheesemakers at work. There are plenty of free samples, and the building is surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in world.

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

4472 Basin Harbor Road Vergennes, VT 05491 Phone: 802-475-2022

Open: May 22-October 31, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Four acres of exhibits, shipwrecks nautical archaology, antique boats and more. Explore the vibrant history of the Champlain Valley through its military, commercial and regional periods. Climb aboard the 54' replica gunboat Philadelphia II. Twelve exhibit buildings, collections, working forge, boat building courses and workshops, replica gunboat, shipwrecks, nautical archaeology center, antique boats, boat livery, visitor center and museum store, field study, outreach, summer programs. Cost: Adults,$10; seniors, $9; students age 5-17, $5.

Montshire Museum of Science

One Montshire Road Norwich, VT 05055 Phone: 802-649-2200

Open: Year-round, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Day

This hands-on museum offers dozens of exhibits relating to the natural and physical sciences, ecology, and technology. The building is located on a 110-acre site near the Connecticut River, and the museum’s outdoor environment is a large part of the visitor experience. Science Park is a two-acre exhibit area in a park-like setting. Also outside is a network of easy-to-moderate walking trails for visitors of all ages and fitness levels. Cost: Adults, $9; children age 3 to 17, $7.

Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks

1168 County Road Montpelier, VT 05602 Phone: 800-242-2740

Free sugar house tours and tasting, multimedia displays in a real woodshed theater, a nature trail, country store, and whimsical carved folklife characters created by Burr Morse. Open daily year-round.

Rock of Ages Quarry and Manufacturing

558 Graniteville Road Graniteville, VT 05654 Phone: 866-748-6877

Learn about quarrying and try it for yourself. The Cut-In-Stone Activity Center offers hands-on activities for children and adults. Sandblast-a-souvenir allows kids to create a memento of their visit. Other activities include geology explorations and learning the hand signals of the quarry derrickman. Check for seasonal changes in programs.

Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences Nature Center

Route 4 (near Quechee Gorge) Quechee, VT 05059 Phone: 802-FLY-5000

Some recent activities of the center that will thrill kids and adults include “Meet the Raptor” for a close-up view of these majestic birds; “Winged Wonders,” a lesson in flight mechanics; “Enter the Gorge Hike,” for a guided walk into the canyon; and “The Secret Lives of Frogs.” Many offerings are seasonal, so call ahead for scheduling.

Vermont Marble Museum

52 Main St. Proctor, VT 05765 Phone: 802-459-2300 / 1-800-427-

All things marble lie behind the monstrous stone entrance to this museum. A film, “The Legacy of Marble,” describes the marble-cutting industry. The Geology Room features a hands-on exhibit for adults and children, explaining the geological history and evolution of Earth. A short walkway takes visitors to the Sutherland Falls Quarry, where picnicking is encouraged.

Vermont Toy and Train Museum

Route 4 Quechee, VT 05059 Phone: 800-438-5565

Part of Quechee Gorge Village specialty shops, the museum features hundreds of toys from the 1950s through today, along with antique dolls and trains. Children and parents can enjoy three large model railroads in miniaturized mountain settings. Outside, a small train ride circles the grounds.

Vermont Wildflower Farm

Route 7 Charlotte, VT 05445 Phone: 802-425-3641

This six-acre farm is home to more than 354 species of wildflowers, ferns, and shrubs. An extensive network of trails meanders over meadows, fields, and woodlands full of wildflowers, common and obscure. A retail store offers nature-based gifts, candy, jams, syrups, teas, and Vermont handcrafted items. Open daily April 1 to October 31.