A must-visit for all ages! Highly recommend! Wish we had left more time for this. We were 6 adults…read morein our early 30's and 60's. The birds here are all unable to survive in the wild. Mostly outdoor exhibits with well maintained paths. Lots of shade. Enjoyed the very well done Raptor presentation appropriate for all ages. Plenty of room for families with younger kids to "frolic in nature" as one of the VINS inspirational signs shared. Beautiful grounds including a Canopy walk with optional Tower! Pleasant friendly staff. Picnic tables to bring your own food. Would love to go back next time we're in VT. Very reasonably priced Adoption program if looking for a gift. Nice souvenir shop. For a $2 off per ticket, pick up a VINS 5x9 card in racks showing local attractions.

I wish we lived closer to this institute because we would probably visit every weekend! The Vermont…read moreInstitute of Natural Science does praiseworthy work by rescuing aviaries and raptors from the side of highways, etc. These once injured birds are now thriving and the staff working here really care for the inhabitants. It is wonderful to see. It is worth the money to come visit! Kids love it and adults do too. Besides the beautiful rescue stories and gorgeous creatures living here, the nature walk and look out tower is another fun experience! There is a netted trampoline that is many feet up towards the back of the nature walk. It gives kids cool views of down below and is fun to prance on top of! The look out tower walk up is a great work out for the adults and the promising view up top is worth it. The gift store has some lovely treasures as well. I hope we can visit again soon!

It has been a long time but we have never given a review. We thought it was about time when we read…read moresome wonderful reviews in the recent newsletter. We stayed in 1995 when our son was 11 months old. He needed surgery very early in the morning so David's House was suggested to us. We were so grateful to have this place to stay. Everyone was kind, helpful and hospitable. The rooms were spacious and we were able to use the refrigerator for anything we needed. It is wonderful to know a warm and caring place like this exists when you have the need.

I've always loved come to David so if I like how old he did the rooms with different characters I…read morewould love coming back here again if I live close by

Cool spot to go for a easy hike. Because the area is so large, it was really peaceful even though…read moreit was busy (full parking lot) when we visited. The ranger working at the visitor center was very helpful, recommending different areas to go. She even pointed out some areas of the park that have blueberries and raspberries for picking. Turns out that there was quite a lot of berries. We were fairly early in the fall season so there were some good views, but I can imagine that it will be nice @ peak times. We didn't have data in most parts (Verizon & Tmobile) but the visitors center @ the front does have data outside.

My husband and I only visited to do a hike on their property, where they have 30+ miles of trails…read more The visitor center wasn't open at the time, so this review is just for the trails/general property, and also to comment on the very friendly and helpful staff we met on our way up. This place seems awesome and I love their mission - I'd go back if we were in the area again.

Bolton Landing, NY - my introduction to Up Yonda Farm came courtesy of the Lake George Winter…read moreCarnival, which included a naturalist-led snowshoe hike in its activity lineup. Although we didn't make the tour (sold out), we drove up anyway to see if we could rent snowshoes to hike the trails on our own. Fortunately, there were plenty of snowshoes to go around - including kids/toddler sizes! - despite the tour group before us which I was afraid would clear out the snowshoe racks. But that was not at all the case! Rick and Linda at the Center could not have been lovelier or more helpful. Rick walked us through the trail map, pointing out where the tour group had gone (who would've broken in the snow for us), and being mindful of the fact that we were hiking with a small child who may or may not have a meltdown somewhere along the way, and how far into the hike it is likely to happen, from experience. I pulled out AllTrails to help with navigation, and Rick told us he actually created the GPS tracks for the property in the app! There are 3 miles of hiking trails across the 73-acre property, well marked with blazes and easy to follow. The woods were so beautiful and serene in the fresh snow. My child enjoyed the StoryWalk on the Sugar Trail and had me read the story to him. In addition to the educational exhibits in the farmhouse welcome center & museum (including some cute turtles!), the Center offers a variety of environmental education programs throughout the year (birds, butterflies, wildlife, night sky, hikes, field guides, crafting, seasonal events, etc.). It is now maple sugaring season so you can learn about the process and visit the sugarhouse when it's open. In the summer, you can see the butterfly garden, picnic by the pond, and explore the grounds with vistas of Lake George. We loved our visit to Up Yonda Farm, and the snowshoe hike turned out to be the highlight of our weekend. What a magical experience for all seasons!

I recently visited Up Yonda Farm Environmental Education Center for their maple-making tour and…read moreabsolutely loved it! This was my first time visiting and it was such a fun experience. The snowy setting made it even more special. We walked along a path through the woods while learning about how maple syrup is made. It was really interesting to hear about the history of maple sugaring and see the progression of tools that have been used over time. One of my favorite parts was the tasting. At the very beginning we got to try raw maple sap, and later we tasted the syrup fresh after it had been made. It honestly changed my mind about maple syrup -- I used to not like it, but tasting it fresh made me appreciate it so much more. There is plenty of parking, and the bathrooms are right next to the parking lot. After parking, you walk up to the main house to check in. The tour starts off to the side of the house near a fire pit, which was a nice gathering spot. At the end of the tour they served French toast sticks with different maple syrups to try, which was delicious and a perfect way to finish the experience. Overall, this was such a fun family-friendly event. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique outdoor activity and a great way to learn about maple syrup!

Nice to find a company willing to pay my moving fees when i did not have on limited income…read moredisability.

What a great way to spend the afternoon! I went with my wife and Australian shepherd and we had a…read moreblast! This place is dog friendly which you rarely find in these types of places. The castle was so cool and has so many unique and rare antiques. The tour guides were so knowledgeable about the history, building techniques, and all of the antiques and art work in the castle. The castle has a beautiful marble deck outside over looking the green mountains and it was a perfect way to end out the tour. I would highly recommend stopping by if you're in the area!

Wilson's Castle is worth a visit. It's currently going through renovations which it needs. I will…read morehave to visit when the renovations are finished. Smaller than it looks. It is kinda spooky and is located in beautiful Vermont. I visited in October, went through a short tour and we were free to explore on our own. I would recommend