Places To Go
What can you learn about Vermont history by visiting museums and historic places?
Vermont History Museum, Montpelier
Explore 350 years of Vermont history in the exhibit Freedom & Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories. Highlights of the exhibit include an Abenaki wigwam, a telegraph in the train station, and music in the World War II era living room.
Explore More
- Freedom & Unity Exhibit Virtual Tour
- Field Trip Information
- Read about The Last Catamount in Vermont
- Watch This Place in History Pavilion Building
Vermont State House, Montpelier
Visit the state Capitol building and see where Vermont's laws are made. The building has been restored to how it looked in the mid to late 1800s.
Explore More
- Vermont State House Virtual Tour
- Field Trip Information
- Read about The Vermont State House (PDF)
- Watch This Place in History Montpelier State House Dome
Local Historical Societies, Statewide
Vermont has over 190 local historical societies that help preserve Vermont history. Your local historians can help you learn more about your community. Many of the local historical societies are run by volunteers. Call ahead to learn about their collections and to find out when the society is open.
Explore More
- Local Historical Societies and Museums Directory
- Some are featured in This Place in History videos
African American Heritage Trail, Statewide
Visit the many historic sites and markers along the Vermont African American Heritage Trail.
- African American Heritage Trail
- Watch This Place in History Early Black Settlers
- Watch This Place in History Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Ethan Allen
- Watch This Place in History The Great Convention in Ferrisburgh
- Watch This Place in History Martin Henry Freeman
American Precision Museum, Windsor
The museum highlights the history of technology and innovation in an historic factory building while making connections with 21st century careers.
Explore More
- Field Trip Information
- Read about Dave Russell: A Life of Work in Precision Valley (PDF)
- Watch This Place in History Precision Valley
Bennington Battle Monument, Bennington
Visit the tallest man-made structure in the state and learn about the 1777 Battle of Bennington.
Explore More
- Museum Information
- Read The Battle of Bennington and Its Monument (PDF)
- Watch This Place in History Bennington Battle Monument
Bennington Museum, Bennington
Learn about the history and culture of the Southern Vermont region through changing and permanent exhibits, including art and history.
Explore More
- Field Trip Information
- Museum Collections Online
- Watch This Place in History Bennington Museum
Billings Farm and Museum, Woodstock
Learn about the history of dairy farming in Vermont by visiting the restored 1890 Farm Manager's house and meeting the herd of Jersey cows.
Explore More
- 1890 Farm Manager's House Virtual Tour
- Field Trip Information
- Read Thanksgiving in Woodstock, 1890 (PDF)
Chimney Point State Historic Site, Addison
Visit this museum located in a historic tavern to learn about the history of Abenaki people and French settlers in the Champlain Valley.
Explore More
- Museum Information
- Read Chimney Point: Where Cultures Meet (PDF)
- Watch This Place in History Native Americans in the Champlain Valley
Clemmons Family Farm, Charlotte
This historic African-American owned farm preserves and celebrates Black arts, culture and farming in Vermont.
Explore More
- Education Information
- Watch This Place in History Clemmons Family Farm
Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, Burlington
The museum includes the restored home of Ethan and Fanny Allen.
Explore More
- Field Trip Information
- Read about The Ethan Allen Homestead (PDF)
- Watch This Place in History Ethan Allen Park
Henry Sheldon Museum, Middlebury
Explore the collections of the museum started by Henry Sheldon to learn about Addison County and beyond in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Explore More
- Museum Virtual Tour
- Museum Information
- Read Henry Sheldon's Museum (PDF)
Heritage Winooski Mill Museum, Winooski
Located in the Champlain Mill, this museum celebrates the history of mill workers and the textile mills at Winooski Falls.
Explore More
- Field Trip Information
- Watch This Place in History Winooski Mills
- Look at photographs of Winooski mill workers by Lewis Hine
Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, Manchester
Learn about the descendants of President Abraham Lincoln and the values of the family who built this home in Vermont. Visit the Pullman railroad car, part of the African-American Heritage Trail.
Explore More
- Field Trip Information
- Read The Lincoln Family Home in Vermont (PDF)
- Watch This Place in History Hildene
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Vergennes
Learn about the history, archaeology and ecology of Lake Champlain.
Explore More
- Field Trip Information
- Read General Butler: The Man and the Boat (PDF)
Mount Independence State Historic Site, Orwell
Mount Independence is the site of a Revolutionary War fortress located across Lake Champlain from Fort Ticonderoga. Visit the museum to see artifacts left behind by the Continental and British Armies in 1776 and 1777 and to hear the soldiers tell their stories. Explore the history outdoors by hiking the trails around this important archaeological site.
Explore More
- Museum Information
- Read Mount Independence (PDF)
- Also visit Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site
Norwich Historical Society, Norwich
Learn about the history of Norwich and the community from early settlement to today.
Explore More
- Museum Virtual Tour
- Education Information
Old Constitution House State Historic Site, Windsor
See the building where the first Vermont Constitution was adopted in 1777. The museum has exhibits about the history of the Vermont Constitution and the building which was an old tavern.
Explore More
Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village, Brownington
This museum tells the story of Alexander Twilight, an African-American educator and the builder of the stone Athenian Hall. The building also houses exhibits about the history of Orleans County.
Explore More
- Museum Virtual Tour
- Museum Information
- Read Alexander Twilight and the Old Stone House Museum (PDF)
- Watch This Place in History Alexander Twilight
President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, Plymouth
Considered the best preserved presidential birthplace in the nation, Plymouth Notch includes the homes of Calvin Coolidge’s family and neighbors, general store, church, cheese factory and 1924 Summer White House office. The Coolidge Museum & Education Center has exhibits about Coolidge’s life and times, a museum store and classroom.
Explore More
- Museum Information
- Field Trip Information
- Calvin Coolidge
Rokeby Museum, Ferrisburgh
Visit the home of the Robinson family and learn about farming and abolition. Hear the stories of Simon and Jesse in the exhibit Free & Safe: The Underground Railroad in Vermont.
Explore More
- Free & Safe Virtual Tour
- Field Trip Information
- Read The Road to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in Vermont (PDF)
- Watch This Place in History Rokeby Museum
Saint Albans Museum, St. Albans
Explore the fascinating history of St. Albans including the history of the St. Albans Raid, the railroad in Vermont, and life in the city.
Explore More
- Museum Virtual Tour
- Field Trip Information
- Watch This Place in History St. Albans Raid
- Watch This Place in History Central Vermont Railway
Shelburne Museum, Shelburne
Shelburne Museum is one of the finest, most diverse, and unconventional museums of art and Americana. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in a remarkable setting of 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds.
Explore More
- Field Trip Information
- Read Electra Webb's Museum (PDF)
Vermont Granite Museum, Barre
Learn about the history of Vermont's granite industry and the science of granite.
Explore More