Vermont museums & galleries serve interests from art to early technology

Vermont > State > Indoor Activities > Museums and Galleries

Vermont life and the work of its people are exhibited in historic homes, old grist mills, charming museums and galleries. Learn about the foundations of modern industry, 19th and 20th century folk and fine art, maritime history and the artifacts of daily life through Vermont's history. Norman Rockwell is highlighted in two locations, including a display of his work from his years living Arlington. There are even museums to skiing and fly fishing in VT. Browse the state’s museums on a tour of cozy B&Bs or mountain resorts.

Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium - Northeast Kingdom VT Travel and Tourism Association - Get NEKed

Vermont's Northeast Kingdom

Museums throughout the Northeast Kingdom celebrate history, natural world – and puppets!

Exciting adventures await in the Northeast Kingdom, home to breathtaking scenery and a hub for outdoor recreation, arts and culture and a growing foodie scene. Ski, snowshoe, bike or hike the region’s gorgeous woodland, lakefront and mountain trails. Spend an afternoon at a farmer’s market (do not leave without maple syrup), in the Museum of Everyday Life or in the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium. Catch a Circus Smirkus or Bread and Puppet performance or an outdoor concert. Go water skiing, fishing, swimming, kayaking or paddle boarding in a pristine lake, take a covered-bridge tour, visit a county fair, go golfing or check out the wide range of dining options, from farm-to-table restaurants to award-winning breweries and old-fashioned diners.

Springfield Art Gym - Your Place in Vermont - Okemo Valley

Okemo Valley - Your Place in Vermont

Learn about local history, explore enticing galleries while on your valley vacation

No vacation is complete without time spent browsing local galleries, museums and other cultural venues. The Okeno Valley region offers a wealth of places for visitors to explore, learn about local history and surround themselves with the beautiful creations of the area’s accomplished artists and artisans. At the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, the village of Plymouth Notch, where he grew up, has been preserved. At the Weston Historical Society & Museums, you’ll see how a water-powered grist mill was used. At the Billings Farm & Museum, you can explore a dairy farm and participate in hands-on activities. And art galleries feature everything from contemporary art to photography and children’s book illustrations. Also on display are crafts including pottery, pewter and glass objects and jewelry.

Montshire Museum of Science

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

This award-winning, hands-on museum offers more than 125 of exhibits indoors and out, relating to the natural and physical sciences, ecology, and technology. The building is located on 110-acres next to the Connecticut River, and the Museum’s outdoor environment is a large part of the visitor experience, including a network of walking trails and trailside exhibits. Two-acre Science Park features water exhibits from early May to mid-October. Food service is available in the Hughes Pavilion July and August.
Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, (closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day).
Admission: One day pass is $14 for adults and $11 for children age 2–17. Free for members and children under the age of 2. Two-day passes are available.

Vermont Marble Museum

62 Main Street Proctor, VT Phone:

The Vermont Marble Museum tells a unique story of the people and places that made up Vermont’s marble industry, linking historical, artistic and cultural traditions, and connecting the past with the present. Exhibits and displays include the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Hall of Presidents, and information about mineralogy, geology, immigrants and industrial history. There is an on-site sculptor, a theater and a museum gift shop.
Hours: Mid-May to late October, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Admission; Adults, $9; seniors, $7; children and teens, $4

Southern Vermont Natural History Museum

7599 Route 9 East West Marlboro, VT, 05344 Phone: 802-464-0048

Bring your curiosity about Vermont's native wildlife to this museum on Hogback Mountain. Six hundred specimens of hundreds of New England bird and mammal species are here for your perusal, along with minerals, wildflowers, live birds of prey. fish, and reptiles. You can do hiking and mountain biking next to the museum; access to state and national forests is nearby.
Hours: Open daily 10am - 4pm.
Admission: Adults $5, Seniors $3, Kids 5-12 $2, 4 and Under Free.

Birds of Vermont Museum

900 Sherman Hollow Road Huntington, VT, 05462 Phone: 802-434-2167

Exhibits feature carvings of over 450 species of birds, including an archaeopteryx and other extinct and endangered species. There is a wild bird observation area, as well as nature trails, carving demonstrations and a gift shop.
Hours: Summer (May-Oct.) Weds-Sun 10am - 4pm, Mon-Tues by appointment. Winter (Nov.-Apr.) By appointment only.
Admission: Adults $7; Seniors $6; Ages 3-17 $3.50. Members always free. Please call for group rates.

Shelburne Museum

U.S. Route 7 - P.O. Box 10 Shelburne, VT, 05482 Phone: 802-985-3346

This super-cool museum on the edge of Lake Champlain is filled with unusual attractions that are sure to entertain every person in the family. Kids and parents will love the authentic paddlewheel steamboat Ticonderoga, which was a workhourse of passenger and cargo transportation on the lake for decades in the 19th century. Shelburne Museum is one of the nation’s most eclectic museums of art, Americana, and design, displaying 150,000 objects on 45 acres in 25 historic New England buildings. There's even a lighthouse. A full day of family fun waits here.
Hours: Open Tues-Sun May 15 through late October, 10am - 5pm.
Museum Admission: Adults $25, Ages 13-17 $14, Ages 5-12 $12, Under 5 Free. Discounts available for VT residents, students, seniors, Museum or AAA members, and active military.

ECHO Leahy Center at Lake Champlain - Burlington, VT

ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain

1 College Street Burlington, VT, 05401 Phone: 802-864-1848

Discover 60 species of fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and reptiles, over 100 hands-on experiences, traveling exhibits, and the Awesome Forces Theater. Live animal feedings. The 2.2-acre site also includes the Lake Champlain Navy Memorial, Eclectic Gift Shop, and seasonal café.
Hours: Year-round, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Admission: Adults over age 18, $12.50; seniors over age 60 and students, $10.50; children age 3-17, $9.50.

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

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

Four acres of exhibits, shipwrecks nautical archaeology, 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.
Hours: Late May to mid-October, Daily 10am - 4pm. Admission is free.

Old Stone House Museum

109 Old Stone House Road Brownington, VT, 05860 Phone: 802-754-2022

The Old Stone House, built as a school dormitory in 1834-36, now houses 25 rooms of exhibits focusing on 19th century life in northern Vermont. The collection includes furniture, textiles, photographs, pottery, folk and fine art, and many of the tools and utensils of daily life.
Hours: Open mid-May thru mid-October, Wednesday-Sunday 11am - 4pm. Closed Monday & Tuesday.
Admission: Adults $10, Seniors & Students with ID $8, Ages 5-17 $5, Under 5 Free

Vermont Folklife Center

88 Main Street Middlebury, VT, 05753 Phone: 802-388-4964

The Vermont Folklife Center preserves and presents the folk arts and cultural traditions of Vermont through exhibits, media, publication and educational projects. The center has made preservation of the spoken word the core of its endeavors, and its archive now comprises more than 3,800 taped interviews, which have been transcribed and electronically indexed. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Information; http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/

Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium

1302 Main Street St. Johnsbury, VT, 05819 Phone: 802-748-2372

Natural science collection of 160,000 objects housed in a landmark Victorian building. The historical collections contain examples of 19th-century agricultural, industrial, and household life. The natural history collection houses New England mammals and birds, rocks and minerals, shells, butterflies, insects, bird nests and egg sets, and hummingbirds. Exhibits on astronomy and rural history.
Hours: Open Year-round, Daily 10am - 5pm. Call for planetarium show times.
Admission: Members always free with your card; Adults $12; Seniors & Children 5-17 $8, Under 4 Free. Planetarium shows are $7 for non-members.

TW Wood Gallery and Arts Center

46 Barre Street Montpelier, VT, 05602 Phone: 802-249-5352

The gallery maintains a continuous display of the paintings of Thomas Waterman Wood. The gallery shares a building with the Monteverdi Music School and the River Rock School. Exhibitions displaying the work of regional contemporary artists and craftsmen. Hurs: Tuesday-Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Information: www.twwoodgallery.org

Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History

1 Park Street Middlebury, VT, 05753 Phone: 802-388-2117

One of Vermont's premier collections of furniture, art, textiles, tools and other artifacts displayed in an 1829 brick Federal style marble merchant's home. Extensive archival collections in the Stewart-Swift Research Center. Changing art and history exhibits in the Cerf gallery. Museum Shop, gardens, public programs and special events year round. Hours are Spring, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Summer and Fall schedule also includes Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Admission fee is charged. Information: www.henrysheldonmuseum.org/

New England Maple Museum

4578 US Route 7 Pittsford, VT, 05763 Phone: 802-483-9414

Visitors to this museum will learn all about the manufacture of Vermont maple syrup. Exhibits include demonstrations of sap collecting, candy-making, and syrup making. A slide show and tastings are included, and a gift shop is open on the premises.
Hours: late May -October 31, daily, 9-5 p.m.; November 1-December 23, daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; January and February, closed; mid-March-late May, daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

American Precision Museum

196 Main Street Windsor, VT, 05089 Phone: 802-674-5781

The foundations of modern industry started here in Windsor VT. Tracing back more than 200 years, you enter the original Robbins & Lawrence Armory where the American System of Manufacturing was developed and remains in practice. You’re standing where interchangeable parts came into play; where the union army was supplied by round the clock production of rifles, carbines and pistols, and where after the war, industry turned its attentions to the production of consumer goods. Discover the largest collection of historically significant machine tools in the nation where employing precision metal and wood cutting machines and establishing high standards of accuracy made mass production possible. Educational programs and activities for all ages abound including the Machine Tool Hall of Fame.

Brattleboro Museum and Art Center

10 Vernon Street Brattleboro, VT, 05301 Phone: 802-257-0124

Brattleboro Museum & Art Center is a small, on-collecting museum housed in a historic train station. Compelling new exhibits by regional and internationally acclaimed artists are shown each season. Admission is pay-as-you-wish, but the museum does humbly ask for a $5-10 donation per visitor.
Hours: Wednesday thru Sunday, 10am - 4pm. Closed Monday & Tuesday.

Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum

One South Main Street at The Perkins Building, Stowe, VT, 05672 Phone: 802-253-9911

This museum contains exhibits that focus on the history of skiing in Vermont. Information: www.vtssm.org

Hours: Thursday - Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

Admission: Free, with a suggested donation of $5 per person.

Norman Rockwell Exhibition

Route 7A and Sugar Shack Lane Arlington, VT, 05250 Phone: 802-375-6747

Display of Norman Rockwell’s artistry, featuring work he did while living in Arlington from 1939 to 1953. There are Saturday Evening Post covers, illustrations, prints, and gift shop in the former 19th-century church. In mid-May there is an annual reunion of the townspeople who posed as Rockwell’s models. Admission: $1. Hours: Call for hours of operation

Vermont Historical Society Museum

109 State Street Montpelier, VT, 05602 Phone: 802-828-2291

Headquarters of the state historical society, the museum offers exhibits and programs revolving around Vermont's history and historical figures.
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $5; seniors, students, children, $3; families, $12.
Information: www.vermonthistory.org

Morse Farm Sugarhouse and Museum

Main Street East Montpelier, VT, 05651 Phone: 802-223-2740

Visitors are welcome to tours the sugar house and taste the maple, at no charge. Film and other displays in a theater in a real woodshed, nature trail, country store, and museum of Vermont farm life. Throughout the grounds are carved folklife characters created by Burr Morse.

Southern VT Arts Center - Manchester, VT

Southern Vermont Arts Center

930 SVAC Drive Manchester, VT, 05254 Phone: 802-362-1405

The Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum, is a secure repository and display space for the Arts Center’s permanent collection, now over 900 pieces, of 19th and 20th century works, including the world’s largest collection of works by Luigi Lucioni, and a venue in which to host major national and international traveling exhibitions.
Admission: Adults $10, Students and Seniors $5, Kids 10 and under Free. - Hours Tuesday-Sunday 10am - 5pm; Closed Mondays

American Museum of Fly Fishing

4070 Main Street - US Route 7A Manchester, VT, 05254 Phone: 802-362-3300

The American Museum of Fly Fishing, home to the world’s largest collection of angling art and angling-related items, brings the history of fly fishing alive for anglers and others. The museum contains an impressive exhibit gallery space, a library and reading room, a museum store, and other resources. The exhibit’s opening section contains an illustrated timeline, which takes the visitor from Aelian’s comments on fly fishing in 200 A.D. to the sport today.
Hours: June to October: Tuesday-Sunday 10am - 4pm ; November to May: Tuesday-Saturday 10am - 4pm.
Admission: Adults $5; Children 5-14 $3.

Black River Academy Museum

14 High Street Ludlow, VT, 05149 Phone: 802-228-5050

The three-story academy building, which once housed the Academy (Calvin Coolidge's alma mater), is now a historical museum for the town of Ludlow. There are academy memorabilia, 19th-century furnishings, costumes, tools, farm implements, a Finnish exhibit, Coolidge memorabilia, and a textile school offering courses in weaving, spinning and quilt making. Hours: June-Columbus Day, Tuesday–Saturday, 1–4 p.m.; winter hours by appointment. Information: www.bramvt.org/

St. Albans Historical Museum - St. Albans, VT

Saint Albans Museum

9 Church Street St. Albans, VT, 05478 Phone: 802-527-7933

The museum building is the former Franklin County Grammar School. The three-story Renaissance revival style structure was completed in 1861 and was used for public education until 1969. Museum features a military room, railroad room, civil war exhibit, and local exhibits.
2022 Hours: Open May 18 - October 15, Wednesdays & Fridays 11am - 4pm, Saturdays 10am - 2pm.

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum

1171 Main Street St. Johnsbury, VT, 05819 Phone: 802-748-8291

The 1873 St. Johnsbury Athenaeum was built in French Second Empire and it is one of the few public libraries named a National Historic Landmark. The collection includes Albert Bierstadt’s colossal The Domes of the Yosemite; many works of the Hudson River School by artists like Asher B. Durand, Sanford Gifford, James and William Hart, and Samuel Colman. Forty-five thousand finely bound books are part of the offerings. The interior charms visitors with Arts and Crafts-style details and ornate balconies.
Hours: Open year-round, Mon-Fri 10am - 5pm, Saturday 10am - 3pm, Closed Sundays. Admission: $5 for indviduals, $10 for families, Free for town residents.

Adams Old Stone Grist Mill

Mill Street Under-the-Hill Bellows Falls, VT, 05101 Phone: 802-376-6789

This historic museum features 19th century milling equipment, farm tools and machinery. The structure houses much of its original equipment, including all the grain elevators and storage bins. Implements from the Vermont Farm Machinery Company are also stored in the building, as well as household articles, antique signs, and hand tools used by various craftsmen that were there when the business closed in the early 1960s, and the original sleigh for the Mill, as well as the family sleigh, all belonging to the Adams Family. The mill is maintained by the Bellows Falls Historical Society, who also operates a museum and education center at 31 Westminster Street.
Hours: Museum is open Saturdays from 1-3pm. The Grist Mill is currently closed to the public for major restoration work until spring 2022.

Chaffee Center for the Visual Arts

16 South Main Street (Route 7) Rutland, VT, 05701 Phone: 802-775-0356

The Chaffee Art Center represents more than 200 artists working in virtually every medium from painting, sculpture, and photography to ceramics, printmaking, and fine furniture. Housed in a Victorian mansion. A gift shop is open on the premises. Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, noon-5 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday Information: www.chaffeeartcenter.org

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