I wasn't completely sure what to expect from the American Precision Museum, but given our technical…read morebackgrounds, it seemed likely to be interesting. It is a bit difficult to access their parking; the turn from the main road is pretty sharp. You park 'in back' but it wasn't clear if that included some spaces along the side or just in back. Parking is all on various gravel areas and was limited, but there were not a lot of other guests on the weekday morning that we visited. The museum is built into an old machine shop / manufacturing mill where they had a large water wheel in the basement powering overhead axels with belts, etc. So some of the exhibits were actually made in this building 150 years ago. The lady who sold the tickets (I think it was $8 or $10 apiece) was friendly and helpful. She also recommended another stop for our afternoon (the Saint-Gaudens Historic Site) which we liked. She cued up the short intro video for us after which we entered the main exhibit space and browsed. They provided a historical context for the museum, citing the area as the nineteenth century's rough analog to Silicon Valley. The work done in shops along the Connecticut River accelerated machining of parts and machine tools and trained apprentices that spread out across the U.S. They also had a lot of different machine / product examples and how they evolved into things one might be familiar with now. They went from mass producing gun-stocks to making parts for bicycles and typewriters. There were also examples of precision tools. Ultimately shops in the area also produced the expanded range of industrial machine/tools that produced smaller parts for various uses. We spent just over an hour here and felt it was a very worthwhile stop. Though we didn't bring any kids, I'd think that those over 8 might find some of the exhibits interesting.

Lovely little museum tucked away. I went because my nerdy dd wanted to learn about 19th century…read moremanufacturing - but I stayed because it was so interesting. I had no idea that Vermont was the cradle of major innovation in manufacturing. The exhibits actually make it interesting, even to non-engineering types like me. Needless to say, my daughter was completely fascinated.

It is very evocative of 19th century life on a rural farm; I wouldn't last a week as a yeoman. I…read moreespecially enjoyed the "indoor outhouse" that our prior president used. Wonder how he would feel about the gold plated ones our current occupant of the White House uses. Admission is cheap cheap cheap by NY standards and there is one weekend at the beginning of the season that is free in all VT state parks and most attractions.

I had to come out of my way to get here, and yes it is out of the way. It's amazing that a 20th…read morecentury president came out of such a humble place. On Google maps, I saw it was a small town, but basically the entire town is Calvin Coolidge Town. Yes it's only like 8 buildings and the church functions on its own and the cheese shop rents, but still. As a presidential house connoisseur, this is really a top experience because of the extent of the buildings and the authenticity and preservation of the objects. And unlike any other presidential house, this also doubles as the site a president was sworn into office. There is a thorough exhibit hall where you buy tickets, watch a movie, and see all about Coolidge's presidency with some interesting artifacts and interactive audio elements. They also have the lamp which lit the inauguration in here, and it's a pretty sweet lamp. The video introduction to Coolidge was really engaging and well-made, and one of the top videos I've seen at a historic site as well. Tours start at the general store (which is also cool, take a look before), go through the 2 barns that house antique cars and farming equipment, next to his birth house, to across the street to his later boyhood home. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and really painted Coolidge as a hard worker from a young age and how his dad, a hater of the telephone, was a public notary and personally swore him in at 2:47 am one fateful night. Coolidge should get more attention. Painting his story from the death of his mother to the death of his sister, to the death of his son really painted a picture of a figure outside of politics, and having all the buildings as they were at the time, on a quiet forested part of Vermont, was a really interesting way to spend the day. Definitely a 5/5 and worth a few hours on site. Keep cool and keep Coolidge.

Excellent museum with things for kids of all ages and adults to do. We did a handful of things but…read morewe were there during the school winter break. By the time we got there 15 minutes after opening the museum was packed and we had to wait in a long line to get in. From there the museum continued to get more and more busy. Our kids couldn't get to exhibits and it was just a constant sea of people so didn't stay as long as we'd have liked. Maybe next time.

Science, steam museum. Lots of hands-on activities for different age groups. Due to weather, we did…read morenot do anything outdoors and they close certain areas when it is snowing. We stayed two hours but longer is possible. If you can make the track up to the observation deck the view is worth it. It was a good break from the snow and cold to entertain young children for a few hours. The fog room and bubbles were our favorite!!

This place does not have the victorian mansion, it is across this place but they share parking…read morespace with the farm. Tours are set at times depending on the crowd and sells ticket on the spot. A good half day to fully be involve but a day worth of trip if you are going to read every description. A good place for a family visit. Lots of awards and family history.

We visited Billings Farm because it kept coming up as a must-see stop on our New England road trip…read more I don't like leaving negative reviews, but with 4 teenage kids, the experience was very underwhelming. The highlight was definitely the baby calves, so be sure to time your visit since that area is only open during certain hours. You can only pet two of the milk cows in the barn, and beyond that there were a few horses, pigs, sheep, and chickens. It felt more like a large petting zoo than a destination worth the admission price. For our family of six, it cost over $100 to visit, which didn't feel like a good value. We have very similar farms in California that are either free or only a few dollars to enter. If you have very young children, it might be worth a visit, but for adults or families with older kids, I wouldn't recommend it.

A very interesting museum where you can see the works of local and not so local artists. The museum…read moreis not so large where you get overwhelmed with the volume of pieces. We enjoyed our visit and were able to see some interesting interpretations.

A gem - building, exhibits, and view! An easy must-see!…read more We went on a rainy day - aunty with niece (high school) & nephew (elementary school) - and were able to park right in front of the building, which we found no problem. I just became a member at $45 so admission was free for me, $8 total for them. What a deal! The building is a gem - an old train station and the lobby makes for a welcoming, spacious, and beautiful place to see art. The ticket office is preserved and is the art room for kids and the young at heart. The woman who greeted us - an intern from Marlboro College - was super helpful as well as enthusiastic about the exhibits. We were all enthralled with the Red Grooms exhibit - his art (which is playful & joyful) plays off the white, airy space well. We only had 60-90 minutes but we could have sat on that NY bus all day. The rest of the space - off the main lobby - is less exciting (lower ceilings, nothing reminiscent of an old train station) but the art was well done, especially the Mallory Lake pastels. I just moved from the Bay Area to Western Massachusetts and am thrilled that this place exists. Note the individual membership currently includes a discount to Marlboro's music series.

Free. Originally built as a tavern in 1797, the Farrar-Mansur House is now operated as a historic…read morehouse museum by the Weston Historical Society. The collection includes 18th and 19th century decorative arts and furnishings. The very friendly and knowledgeable host/tour guide was full of facts & details about both families who loved here. How cooking was done on wood fires in the fireplace. Learn about how so many "modern household conveniences" from back in the day were designed and constructed to serve a practical purpose from the materials at hand. The paintings on the walls of the drawing room were gorgeous. Depicted scenes of live in that era as well as infamous locals. The ball room up stairs was most impressive! Maintained solely by volunteers from Weston.

The home is immaculate, so well manicured, cared for, and lovingly maintained. Absolutely beautiful…read moreand nostalgic in a good way. The farm is a must visit. We enjoyed the sheep, chickens, bunnies. The staff was wonderful and very informative. Highly recommend a visit here.

Cool museum, I did the one hour tour and really enjoyed the history; it was engaging and…read moreeducational. There's a lot to see on the property, one could easily spend 4 hours here.

I'm a cheese head…read more So when my friend was making our itinerary for a trip to VT, I was really excited to try this place! Weather got a little hariy getting there with the slushy roads, but we made it! It's pretty remote location with no street lights, so if driving in the dark look for the signs to get there and trust your GPS. There's a large parking lot across from the entrance to the little store/shop. The shop is actually the owners old family home I belive. We arrived pretty much at closing time, but we were still welcomed warmly. We got a cheese & maple syrup tasting which was yum and informative, and the staff member that did it was really nice, I forgot her name, but see photo below. One of the cheeses has won a cheese competition, very cool. We also got to meet the owner, but she was busy getting Christmas orders together. I perused all of the cheeses I wanted and settled on 4. We got to try 2 out of the 4 from the cheese sampling. The nice lady that checked me out even gave me some nice to-go samples as well. The smoked cheese was my fav, and the sage. But I enjoyed them all. I was able to easily fly home to TX with them due to the cold weather of the season. After the tasting, we got to peruse the store. They have so much other stuff to buy in additon to cheese and maple, tons of knick-knacks and gifts and merch. We didn't get to explore the farm after since it was pitch black when we left, too bad. Enjoy!

Some years ago I tried the maple syrup from Sugarbush Farms and never looked back. No other syrup…read morecompares and I always go out of my way to visit anytime I'm anywhere in the greater New England area! Sadly this year I didn't get to visit New England - but lucky for me Sugarbush ships nationwide!! So I tried it out and ordered some of their syrup and my fave cheeses. Ordering online via their website was super easy. I ordered my fave dark variety of their maple syrup and 4 cheeses: horseradish cheddar, jalapeño cheddar, sharp cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Their horseradish cheddar is my absolute fave - a wonderful kick of the spicy horseradish blends so well with their rich cheddar. I really love the jalapeño cheddar too - packed full of flavor with just the right amount of kick - not overwhelming but enough to taste it. The other two were great as well - you can definitely tell their cheeses are made fresh on site - flavors are just next level compared to industrial-manufactured cheeses from the grocery store chains. And the maple syrup is also in a league of its own - nothing mass-manufactured from any grocery chain holds a candle to the rich, complex flavors and velvety texture. The syrups also last quite a long time so I'm able to keep my stocks full yearly! Since I was ordering cheese with a long way to travel, and it was still quite warm in parts of the US, their website suggested adding one of their insulated shipping boxes for an extra fee of $8. I didn't want to risk ruining my cheese so I did and all arrived in excellent condition! They pack it in extra insulated styrofoam with ice packs. So it's definitely worth it imo. Next year I'll be in Maine in October so I'll definitely be planning an extra day or two to pop over to Sugarbush on my way back out haha!! See yall next fall!