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

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.

Amazing place, having been the home of our 30th President, the place where he was born, established…read morehis business, the place where he took the Oath of Office, and the place where he and several generations of his family have found their resting place. Perhaps it is a view of a time when our people looked at the Presidency with respect. And with the incumbent of the Oval Office viewing his office as a Public service and not as a personal source of enrichment at the expense of our people. No gilded bathrooms, no creepy ballrooms, no disrespect to our nation. Coolidge was perhaps not our greatest president but very much a a part of our history The estate is more a village than a presidential residence, considering the Coolidge family both lived and worked in the hamlet. Excellent and friendly visitor center.

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.

Stopped here after visiting Quechee Gorge nearby. This is an impressive musuem! I have been to a…read morebunch with my kids, and we could have spent quite a bit of time here. Inside, there are exhibits and events, with tons of hands on activities. My kids went right for the Bubble exhibit. The exhibits appealed to both the kids and adults in our group, from aquarium tanks to contraptions, puzzles and instructions on how to solve a Rubik's cube, to natural history and a live leaf cutter ant colony. The kids also had a blast creating a marble run in the "Tinkering Lab", a classroom full of supplies to get your imagination and creativity flowing. There is a large gift shop, filled with all kinds of goodies from toys to science kits. I love that the museum extends outside. There are trails, a summer cafe under a tent, water features, and more. This was a great way to spend the day, and if we lived locally, I would definitely get a membership so that we could come back.

Museum is a children's paradise that entertains the young and enchants the young at heart. However,…read moreas a mother with two special needs children, I do not recommend it. The hyperstimulation caused by some of the exhibits is far too stressful for them and there needs to be more ADA infrastructure for physically challenged children. For example, I could not take one of my children on the beautiful nature path because the gravel would have gotten lodged in their wheelchair. Also, some of the visitor services staff were quite short and impatient with us, because we were not aware and familiar with all their rules and policies. One of them actually yelled at my child for tapping repeatedly on the fish glass because it was 'annoying' them. My advice: do some research on the museum to see what kind of amenities, rules and policies they have in place before you go to decide if it's the right place to spend a family afternoon.

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.

This was a fun farm to visit. There was not an incredible amount to see overall, but we went during…read morethe baby animals festival, so there were a couple extra things to look at and some vendors as well. The museum was the highlight of the visit, with old farm equipment and interesting history throughout. There is also a small gift shop on site. I would recommend it more if you are interested in the museum side of things rather than the animals, since there is not a ton to do otherwise, but it is still a nice stop.

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.

We had an amazing day wandering around the maple trees and grounds. Friendly staff helped us to…read morecheese. Plenty available to buy in the gift shop!

We enjoyed our experience here yesterday. A good size parking lot, incredibly friendly staff…read more There's some animals on the farm, a short maple hike, getting to see where the maple syrup is actually made, and sampling cheese and syrup as well. We got to learn a lot about the history and the way the farm operates. Nice size gift shop as well! We liked our visit!

This place was not at all on my radar when I planned our trip. We had driven up to Windsor to see…read moreanother museum, and the lady who sold the tickets there talked to us about our plans and recommended this place as very worthwhile. So, after lunch, we crossed a semi-narrow wooden bridge and drove a mile or two to this site. You park in a small lot (there was a sign for overflow parking too) and either pay there (if a ranger is on duty) or proceed to the visitors' center (where you can also pay). Augustus Saint-Gaudens was an American sculptor in the late 1800s and into the very early 1900s. I was not specifically familiar with him, but his work and that of those who trained with him was featured on a lot of U.S. coins at the time. It seems like a lot of the older coinage (before the models used now) was related to him. He also designed the Shaw Memorial on Boston Commons (related to the 54th Massacusetts regiment of black troops - see the film 'Glory' for background). From the visitors' center, there are several other areas to see. The ground slopes down towards the Connecticut River in the distance. Facing that, there is a small gallery and courtyard featuring some sculptures to your right. There is also a large sculpture of Lincoln. As you proceed towards the river, there are some works housed in spaces bordered by high hedges (including a copy of the Shaw Memorial). These end at the border to Saint-Gauden's original house, which is sometimes open for tours. When we visited, the sign just said 'wait for docent to open the door'. We later learned that this only happens between 2 - 4 p.m., which would be helpful to add to the sign. A bit below that is the studio building, which has examples of the sculptor's work and exhibits on the process of creating some. Maybe 300 yards further down is a memorial (sort of a small Greek temple) where the Saint-Gaudens' ashes (and those of several family members) are buried. It was a pretty site especially if the weather is nice. The sculptures, especially those which are outdoors, make for good photos. They also offer periodic ranger-led tours. We tagged along for part of one, but had already seen some of the areas, so we broke off and continued on our own. If you are in this area and have any interest in sculpture, this is very worthwhile.

This was a pleasant visit that I took on my way back down from visiting the White Mountains. This…read morehistorical home was the home of and don't laugh at my explanation, a French guy who grew up in NYC. Augustus Saint-Gaudens died in 1907 and lived here for 7 years til he died. He was a sculpter and he created the gold coin called the Saint-Gaudens double eagle, a twenty-dollar gold coin, or double eagle. This is the only way I knew who he was because I have seen this coin referenced in books and online when I was young. The house is a nice pleasant stroll in the late 1800s early 1900!