What a treat! Highly recommend this spot to view an eclectic and vast assortment of items. Found…read morethis place on Reddit, and really didn't know what to expect. A perfect slightly-rainy day activity, but bring an umbrella. AAA and student discounts available. Open seasonally (check their website) but daily from 10am-5pm. We arrived at 10:30am and didn't leave until closing @ 5pm. They allow you to visit the following day if you show your receipt. We took our time, stopping by the cafe a couple times, only rushing a bit in the last 20 minutes, although we did not see the exhibitions in the shiny and new exhibition center near the entrance. Could definitely knock this place out in one day if you were efficient. Little shuttles available (think long, covered golf carts), running every ~15 minutes. Don't miss the Prentis and Stencil House tours (10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. 45 minutes) and Ticonderoga steamboat tours (11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. 45 minutes). The top floor of the Ticonderoga was closed off due to rain (potential slipping). Demonstrations at the blacksmith and printing house, which was a pleasant surprise (special thanks to Joe!). Plethora of impressive and comprehensive collections ranging from circus, carriage, taxidermy, furniture, dolls, paintings - really anything and everything!

We had visited here once before in 2006 and were happy to have a chance to return as we were…read morepassing through town this week. It was a rainy day which meant there were very few people here and we really enjoyed it being so uncrowded. The rain wasn't a problem at all as we had raincoats and umbrellas for traveling between buildings and we could leave our umbrellas near the door at each building so we didn't drip all over the floors. Staff were really knowledgeable and friendly as we explored all the buildings on the grounds. They don't dress as historical characters and do role playing here which is a huge plus for me. I much prefer how Shelburne just has knowledgeable staff available. They seem, overall, more geared towards adults than kids which is unique among similar history museums. We spent about 5 hours here and still didn't see everything and so this can definitely be a full day activity! Highlights are the restored ship the Ticonderoga and circus parade sculpture that is over 500 feet long and took over 25;years to complete, as well as the round barn and covered bridge. The exhibits in all of the buildings are so interesting and the general store and apothecary have so much detail ton look at, those exhibits alone are great for spending lots of time. We had a nice lunch in the cafe. The options are basic, but good. I had a chicken salad sandwich that had nice chunks of chicken, dried cranberries and cheese along with lettuce and tomato on hearty bread. Prices were reasonable. Definitely a great rainy day activity option!

I haven't actually been to the museum but I walked the trail behind the mill twice this spring so…read morefar! Lovely walk, not difficult and there is the river to enjoy the sound of rushing by. There are some interesting parts like waterfalls, rock steps, wooden bridges and an area with some artful graffiti. I haven't walked the whole way because of too much water (wet shoes) and darkness falling. Some day this summer I will when the days are long and the trails are dry!

Nice little trail system conveniently located on Route 15. The Snowflake Bentley exhibit is…read morecharming. The gift shop has a surprising variety of local art and hand-made items. Carefully curated with friendly service.

The Madisonian Museum of Industrial Design was founded in 2011 by architect David Sellers. It Is…read morelocated in an old barn/farmhouse that has been converted into a museum. Museum is open Friday, Saturday, 12-5 and Sunday 12-4. Or by appointment. This is the only museum in the country whose installation is 100% completely dedicated to industrial design...meaning mass produced. Most items in this collection were produced in the U.S.A. Between WWI - the 1960's. Pieces include designs by: Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies Van dr Rohe, Aaivar Alto, Norman Bel Geddes, just to name a few. some of the Highlights in the collection: sleds, musical instruments, chairs, vintage toys, bicycles, radios, "vintage" trains. The list goes on and on. It is located very close to Waitsfield's covered bridge. So after a museum tour drive or walk over and check out the historic covered bridge.

This place was a great find! After a few hours in the car with the kids they more than excited to…read morefind out this museum was hands-on. A great find, definitely stop in!

Went here with my parents as part of our Vermont Vacation on August 27th 2023. We walked in and…read morechecked out the exhibits at the front near where we parked. Then we went in and just missed the tour of the homestead. However, Tom, who was really nice, and knew alot about history, took us to the current tour of the house. There is an admission fee for the tour, and i was lucky enough that i was given a student discount because i look young for my age. I appreciate that. Also the staff was very nice, all of them. Tom took us through to the house and told us about Ethan Allen, even told us about those beautiful flowers that one can freshly cut from the garden. Tom took us to our tour in the house, where a woman took over. Very interesting and very educational. i also enjoy history, so that is a plus. After the tour, we cut fresh flowers that were beautiful and lasted our whole vermont trip! Then we went inside and watched the movie about Ethan Allen. in the movie area, there is also dress up, and one can try to weave like in the days of when Ethan Allen was living. didn't try it, but it is so cool. highly recommend for any history buff, and my favorite tour guide was Tom. He seems to know his stuff, which is great, plus admire his energy! Oh and restrooms were very clean. Was a bit confusing at first because there is 2 gender neutral bathrooms, and i did a double take to make sure that i wasn't in the wrong place. all good though, just a little confusing, as other places don't have gender neutral bathrooms.

We really enjoyed our visit today to the Ethan Allen Homestead. Was amazed with the garden that was…read moremaintained by the director Dan and his passion for nature and Fanny and Ethan Allen and crew. Noah was a great guide full of interesting facts. The tour was of the homestead and history of the Ethan Allen family and their home and Vermont history. We spent about 11/2 hours here. Only about 2 miles from the Echo Museum.

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.

Had a super time walking around Shelburne Farms' beautiful immense grounds and also perusing their…read moremarket store with its assortment of products straight from their working farm - from fresh cheese, meats and baked goods to furniture, wool yarns and sheep skins. The grounds go down to Lake Champlain, including where the adjacent Inn and Flower Garden are. Some of the walking paths criss-cross the maple syrup tapping lines. Fun to see and pet their cows plus the big Farm Barn, where the independent organic O Bread Bakery* and Beeken/Parsons furniture maker both operate. (* See separate review.) Although our visit was on an early December Sunday, there's apparently more going on from Spring on and over Summer. Would recommend stopping by Shelburne Farms any time, especially great for kids!

First time visitor to Vermont and we stopped here on our way to Burlington - and it was totally…read moreworth it! We spent half a day and could easily have spent the full day. Highly recommend the 1.5 hour around the Fields - very informative history about the area and property, gorgeous fields to traverse, a nice barn with animals at the end, and some delightful cheddar cheese made at the Farms. They also have a nice bakery (got fresh bread there for lunch to go with the cheddar) and syrups/jams/goods from local farms.

We haven't been here in probably 20 years since our daughter was much younger. It hasn't changed…read moremuch, but that's a positive. Wonderful, instructive exhibits about the lake and surrounding areas. Great stop for school age kids.

It's a cool science and activity center for kids. They have 3 floors with lots of engineering and…read morebuilder sections, lots of physics experiments and a small marketplace on the third floor. For additional price, they also sell tickets for 3D movies that are about 20 minutes long. The engineering arena in first floor is really huge and has lots of items for bunch of kids to play at the same time. The second floor is mostly empty, just an eel tank. On third of are all the experiments, a library and water play area. A lot of the parts were closed for renovation. We also saw a live eel feed demo, that was underwhelming. There were bunch of live activity also ran by the associates. Gift shop was nice. Parking is not free, need to pay with ParkMobile app/site, $3 an hour + fees. We spend about an hour 40 minutes in the center.

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!!