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 Castle is awesome. It's one of my favorite places to bring visitors to Vermont. I've…read moreprobably visited a dozen times and I look forward to my next visit.

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.

If you enjoy horse racing even a little bit or are interested in it, you should go here. Lots of…read morehistory and all the trophies are to be seen and read about here. This museum showcases horses, trainers, jockeys and events! Admission is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and I believe there is a discount for military. It's a very open and airy museum that has a flow but you can wander in and out of the rooms at your own pace and direction. They have a couple rooms that are "feature" (temporary) exhibits so if you've been in the past... chances are those rooms are different now. There is a short (30 minutes I think) movie that they show throughout the day. They will make an announcement and gather folks up and take you to the "theater room". There are benches along the walls to sit so you don't have to stand the whole time. There are stairs up and down ... but if you have mobility issues, they have lifts that you can use.

Our family are huge fans of horse racing which goes back generations. We've always wanted to check…read moreout this museum and glad we finally got to. Though we know a lot about its history, it was still good to see all the memorabilia and displays. I am giving them 4 stars just because I felt like they could have done a better job with the displays. Something seems to be missing. Still cool to visit.

Our 3 year old loved the museum! It was clean and well maintained. Staff were amazing and super…read morefriendly! Highly recommend!

This museum is so awesome for kids. It's small but has so many unique exhibits and is very hands…read moreon. I brought my two kids here and as usual was worried about what the baby, who is 1 year old, would want to do or try to get into since this is a museum. The very friendly woman at the desk was so encouraging of letting the baby explore and touch everything. This museum is very educational but kids can touch and play with everything. It's not one of those museums where you are constantly reminding your kids not to touch something. There are exhibits representing many different places and cultures, and the kids can play in all of them. There is a Central American kitchen with items stocked in the kitchen that would commonly be found in that region. There is a Japanese tea house, a Parisian cafe, a West African market (my personal favorite as there are so many fruits and vegetables that one wouldn't see here and cards describing what each plant is), a rainforest where you can learn about how chocolate is made and hold and smell a real cocoa pod. Such a cool place. If we lived closer, I'd take the kids every weekend. Still plan on going multiple times a year. It's just such a unique place.

My elderly mother recently moved to Fort Edward from New Jersey. We both love museums and American…read morehistory, so we went here one recent afternoon when my family and I were visiting her. It is well worth your time. It's not just one house, but a series of historic houses (a couple have been moved to this location from other locations in Fort Edward). There is a LOT of history here, and a docent will give you an hour-long guided tour for only a few dollars. Did you know that George Washington ate dinner there?! The grounds are really nice and the houses are fascinating, with a lot of comprehensive exhibits. The day that we visited, a very well-informed and enthusiastic college student (majoring in history) gave the tour. It was a pleasure talking with him! I highly recommend visiting the Old Fort House Museum!

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!

The tour guide was absolutely amazing. He kept making jokes and was keeping us entertained almost…read morethe entire time. It was Sir James. He did a phenomenal job and he showed us around, telling us how to take the best photos. I got to be a demonstration. A truck show was making sound the entire time but that did not stop him. He did an excellent job and overall the tour was amazing and the history was interesting and a bit unnerving but it kept me hooked.

History comes alive at Fort William Henry. It is a restored Colonial fortress of 1755-1757 French…read moreand Indian War era located at the strategic south end of Lake George, an important part of the water transportation system used by both Native Americans and the Europeans Visitors to the Fort have an opportunity to experience plenty of history: the long boiling tensions between global superpowers, the early days of a new nation and its impact on indigenous peoples, and the backdrop for one of American literature's great novels. Visitors can experience this living museum with guided tours, historical interpreters, musket and cannon fire demonstrations, and self-guided tours. In the fall, the Fort hosts Haunted History Tours featuring guided tours of spooky spots at the Fort and some great ghost stories. If you are a history buff, this is a must-do for you.

Such a great spot for kids!!! Everything is so unique and creative. Highly recommend!read more

Traveling to Vermont looks alot different from my 20s to now having a toddler in my 30s. I found…read moreWonderfeet online and after 3.5 hrs in car we arrived yesterday. $16 for adult and child over 1yr old. My daughter loved it! Was very interactive and allowed her time to play with all sorts of things!