It was a rainy day and we had some time to spend, so Nate and I visited the ECHO center while in town recently. It is a small museum that is geared towards children, but we enjoyed exploring the animal displays (lots of turtles!) and learning about Champy. I think it's fascinating that Champy predates the Loch Ness Monster, and is a beloved being in Vermont. Does it actually exist? What is it? Who knows? These are the types of questions that we pondered. We actually learned quite a lot, especially about the different species in Lake Champlain (eels!). I liked seeing the baby softshell turtles - so cute. It was also cool to see the sturgeon in the big tank. The second floor is a lot of interactive STEM stations, which were cool but it was a bit busy so we didn't spend a ton of time here, as we wanted to allow all the kids to check them out. Just want to note that the people at the front desk were super kind and friendly. There is a gift shop area which has some really cool souvenirs. I think this museum might be best for younger kids, but I still enjoyed it. I don't think I need to go back every time we're in Burlington, but glad we got to check it out. read more

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Rating: 3.5 Came to visit this aquarium/science museum at the lake champlain. Parkings available as well as street parking. It's a relatively small aquarium and has small gift shop at the entrance. There are 2 floors consist of small tanks of sea creatures and fishes and science interactive games. It was entertaining but we got through the entire place in 30-45min. Staffs were nice overall and friendly. As an adult we paid 23$ per person and i don't think that it was worth it as i've been to other aquariums that are much larger and offers much more things to see. I can see that it may be good for family and kids but will be a short trip and better to spend more time at the park right outside for walks or shopping at the church street market. read more

Great short day stop for families with toddlers through elementary kids. Lots of hands on exhibits and STEM stations with a sharp focus on preservation of the aquatic life on Lake Champlain. It's a very small museum/science center but you simply can't beat the views and location and it's a must stop for families with little kids visiting Burlington. Recommend a creemee from Marina up the top of the hill or a coffee from Skinny Pancake after and a stroll along the marina and pier. read more

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

Such a nice little aquarium and community science center! Joined a presentation about frogs and enjoyed seeing many native fish and amphibians in the exhibits. read more

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My family had such an amazing time at ECHO! The kids had so much fun with all the interactive activities and learning opportunities about our home, about our aquatic wildlife and about Champy our lake monster. It's so welcoming and the staff are so polite and friendly with their teaching moments! Not too badly priced for everything we could do! Definitely will be going back! read more

ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain - Museums Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

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It's a cool science and activity center for kids. They have 3 floors with lots of engineering and builder 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. read more

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Cool science museum for kids. Many hands-on activities for visitors to try out. They also science/revolution movies throughout the day. Adults: $20 Students & Seniors: $18 Children (ages 3-17): $16.50 Members: Free Children 2 and under: Free We were there in the afternoon and got to see the eel feeding. It's one eel in the tank and the staff put worms in. The staff gave a lecture about eel and answered questions. Exciting for kids but ok for me. Many sections including playground, water works, engineering and a small history section. read more

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You want to have an amazing Saturday with your family in Burlington - 100% recommend ECHO! Science and nature and everything in between fun for kids of all ages. As a new mom we are always looking for fun exhibits and museums. This fits the bill where you can have the children play in the area, look art eh fish, turtles and learn more about Lake Champlain and our beautiful ecosystem. The staff is super friendly and we had the opportunity to feed the sturgeons!!! It was SOOOOOO COOL!!! They look prehistoric and their skin is smooth! We can't wait to come back again soon! We loved it and shows offered! They even have a mini movie theatre! If you join and get the membership you have access to free museums worldwide!! 10/10 worth it! read more

It's time to update. This is my kids' favorite spot to visit, and it's been a lifesaver for cold months and rainy days. They finally redid the bottom lake area, and the end result is another delightful space. This is such a special spot in the area. My kids have built robots and played with pretend sand and redirected light through pretend fog and enjoyed interacting with water and play kitchens and rotating exhibits. We are on year two of an annual membership and it's worth every penny. Also, I'll add that if you're local and plan to visit more than 3-ish times a year, the membership is cheaper than paying out of pocket each time! read more

I didn't think I'd enjoy myself in a children's museum as much as my friend's young daughter would, but this is actually a nice museum! Who said that it's not for adults? Did I smile when I banged on the air drum to move the bead curtain? Yes I did. Did I watch the dripping water appear to slow down in midair? Yup. Did I play with her daughter to move the fake terrain around and make it rain in the valleys by moving my fingers apart? You betcha. Did I learn about steam devils with some amazement? Sure did. They also have a play area for the kiddies and I couldn't help but to walk around and check out the murals and paintings on the walls. They're so beautifully done and they show the beauty in diversity in Vermont. That, the animal tanks, and the Native exhibit kinda puts my hometown museum to shame I hate to admit. Definitely a good place to check out. read more

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This is about the day we went to a children's museum...without kids... and had a really great time! Between us, we are well over 100 years old - hey, don't judge, we indulge our inner children, and you should too, every once in a while. We were visiting Vermont and found ourselves by a park/marina on a beautiful day. We saw the building housing a museum and went inside to take a tour. The rep at the desk charged the entry fee, after asking if it was "just two adults", which I thought was odd, but ok, maybe they do things differently in Vermont - like asking if you want a receipt, which they do everywhere, including grocery stores. We didn't have a lot of time before they closed, so we asked her for advice about where to start. She immediately had a thought about how to see the museum in the right order to see the coolest things first and everything else before they closed. Right after we started touring the displays, it dawned on me that each area is geared for kids - uh oh. She appeared a moment later and I told her that I just figured out why she asked if it was just 2 adults. This is a KID'S museum! We told her we were having fun anyway, and she said she had a feeling that we would because we seemed like fun, and she was glad. She said some people come with kids, but they don't get into the experience and she thinks they're dead inside. We laughed at that, and then grabbed hands before entering the exhibit where you use your breath to makes big chimes ring. The museum had thought-provoking exhibits that helped sort out self-perceptions and the world around us. It had fun interactive exhibits - one reminded me of Silly Sand that I played with as a kid. Everyone can learn while we play. I took too-many-pictures of turtles, played the drums, simulated rain erosion, wrote notes to myself, my husband and the world, and generally had a great time. Here's a bonus that we adults really appreciated - there is a deck off the upper floor that overlooks the bay, and if you go there, you too might see the statue that we didn't see on the ground because this building blocked our view. We took pics of the statue and pics of us with the bay in the background. One of those pics became THE pic of our trip to Vermont. You never know where you'll find joy - now that I know how much fun we can have at children's museums, I'll want to check them out. Hey, maybe this'll be our thing, wherever we go we'll check them out. SUPER huge thanks to the wonderful person who welcomed us, rang us up, and checked in on us during our tour. You made our day! read more

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Went here for a good indoor activity with kids on a warm day. The price to get in is on the upper end of what we're interested in paying, but based off of how many people were working there, I can kind of see why. It was a very science forward childrens museum with mild aquarium vibes and lots of activities. We very much enjoyed the water room and the Lego racetrack. The Rube Goldberg room was also a hit. Overall fun time for kids and parents/grandparents. read more

Amazing aquarium, loved the engineering exhibits. Although the gift shop was a little expensive (to be expected with it being a museum).

Good place to take children to learn about science and that kind of stuff is about how to sum up this museum in Burlington. It won't take a long time to get around for most. The ECHO Leahy Center is where to go if wanting to check out geological and lake stuff. Maybe geared more for children to be honest. You can still have fun as an adult though. Among the best things about this museum is it's next to the lake of course. It's as expected, because it has lots of biological exhibits. There's quite a few fish in here. On the first floor is an exhibition area. This has special live shows. Also there's the area with the tanks filled with fish. There's also other critters like tree frogs and more. Across is a room about inventions like bicycles. Upstairs has exhibits about things like the weather. Learn about the water in the lake and more. There's also a replication of lake steam. For sure it's great for teaching children about science and anything. It's open daily in the mornings and afternoons mostly. There's quite a lot to see in this small space so give yourself enough time to see whatever. read more

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Good for kids, but some displays did not work (Rube Goldberg) which spoiled the fun. Very small, be sure to check programs as exhibits are small, won't take a lot of time to see. I did like the lake aquarium read more

Ok, I did some research before coming to Burlington and saw that ECHO was a big attraction, according to the internets, so I put it in the back of my mind for an activity to do if it was too cold or raining or something like that. Well, after a walk along the park, we were feeling an ice cream and noticed that the truck selling said ice cream was supporting the center. Even though it was already 345pm, and they close at 5, we decided to come in and check the place out. We were worried about having enough time to check the whole place out but we shouldn't have been. It's a super small place but for what it lacks in size, it makes up for in interactive exhibits and meaningful displays. I would honestly say that this place is more meant for children. I would categorize it as a children's museum. However, my boyfriend and I have no problem being children again so we definitely made the most of it. There are many an animal here to represent the natural fauna of the lake and I loved that. There was a lot about conservation and I also appreciated that. I can see why it may seem a bit underwhelming to people who are used to the bigger science museums that cater to all ages but if you have an open mind and a young heart, you'll love this place. read more

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Awesome science center located right on the waterfront, with a focus on the science of Lake Champlain. Ticket prices were reasonable (adults $20 kids $16) and the exhibits were very engaging for the kids. This was a great "rainy day" activity for our trip to Burlington and well worth a visit! read more

Really lovely center, and we quickly understood why this place is so highly recommended for young children. We appreciated there were two play areas for toddlers - both on the first and second floor - with a large variety of activities including building blocks, water play, a toddler cafe and grocery store, and more. That said, it's a bit pricey to visit. We knew that we were catching them on the last day before renovations began, and that most of the animals had been removed (save a few turtles), but I wish that was accounted for in the ticket price as that did take away from the experience. Note all the bathrooms have changing tables and even a toddler potty. Another nice perk is that your ticket provides all day access. I can imagine locals spending an entire day here on a rainy or cold day. read more

Nice children's museum on Lake Champlain. Our 2 toddlers had a blast here. It was a little busy on the weekend but still enjoyable. There is a large interactive play area with an indoor slide, water activities, and hand on experiences. The kids could of stayed in this area all day. They have a small movie theater that plays nature films. We saw the dinosaur one. It was in 3D. They have paid parking. Admission: Adults $18. Children up to 2 are free. Give yourself a few hours to enjoy. read more

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This place was absolutely Spectacular from the moment we walked in. Overlooking the Thousand Islands and Lake Champlain this Children's Museum is truly one of a kind. I was especially impressed with the cleanliness and the interactive stem program that they appear to have. As we were visiting this particular location in Burlington I couldn't help but compare it to our home Children's Museum. They had phenomenal staff, Interactive exhibits, reptile amphibian fish exhibits, and everything was fun yet informative. The museum itself is not too large not too small so you don't feel overwhelmed or as if you've missed anything in particular. I was especially impressed with their resource room which allowed children to explore deeper into the habitats surrounding them. I would highly recommend anyone with younger children to join this particular Museum or visit if you're in the area. read more

This is a lovely little jewel of a children's museum/aquarium, but like Maya C below, I believe it's perfectly good for adults too. I banged on the air drum to move the bead curtain too, and played with the lighthouse/fog display, and tilted the sail of my tiny sailboat to play tacking duels, and all that good stuff. Moreover, my wife set up a fun thing where we arrived two hours before the place opened to help staffers feed the turtles, and it was a very informative experience. Part of that was getting free admission back in later in the day, of which we took advantage. I must admit that this would be an outstanding place for children (and I'm closer to 100 than I am to 10); there are loads of interactive displays, as well as areas for toddlers, nursing areas, and the like. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. It's not a LARGE place, and adults can be done in 45 minutes or less, but that's alright! We look to be back. read more

First off, this place is not for adults and kids over 11. It's not cheap to get in and I was expecting more for the ticket price. There are a couple of good interactive exhibitions, but the rest is pretty lame. Some fish tanks and lots of turtles. There is a nice outside balcony overlooking the lake Champlain. They even charge extra if you want to watch one of the 3D movies. This place could be so much better. Overall, disappointed. read more

We rented out the full echo center for our welcome party this past weekend. It was great for everyone! The kids and the adults loved the exhibits. This is also the best lake view of any venue in Burlington. We took great pictures on the outside patio and the upper balcony. I highly recommend hosting an event here! read more

This little science museum packs an outsized punch!! Although a fraction of the size of our hometown favorites -- we're a hop and a skip away from NYC's American Museum of Natural History, a short drive from the Liberty Science Center in NJ -- ECHO Leahy has no trouble holding its own. To our happy surprise, ECHO Leahy even offers reciprocal entry to LSC members. There's a strong focus on hands-on exhibits, which do a great job of engaging everyone from toddlers to ten-year-olds. On our visit, the young man staffing the engineering lab on the third floor was funny, patient, and smart, an excellent educator who grounded a hands-on engineering challenge (build a zip line for turtles!) in scientific method / engineering process. Our six-year old enjoyed for a good half hour; our ten-year old would've spent the entire day in that room tinkering. There is a brief, but very interesting section on indigenous nations who lived in the area prior to European settlement, including explanations of how different types of native trees were used for different purposes. There are fun exhibits featuring animals native to -- as well as invasive of -- Lake Champlain; exhibits about weather conditions often seen on Lake Champlain; exhibits on sound; water and imaginative play areas for very young children; a hands-on exhibit about different kinds of transportation, etc... There's no cafeteria on site, though the (excellent!) gift shop / front desk sells a good variety of high-quality, locally-made, pre-packaged snacks and there's a small eating area towards the front. You'll want two to four hours to really give this museum its proper due, so plan accordingly. The views of Lake Champlain from the third floor decks: priceless. read more

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We stopped in town to walk on Main Street and then decided to come down to the lake. We stumbled upon ECHO and decided to go in and check it out. We were with our two teenage daughters and each enjoyed some elements of the museum. Great space with lots of activities for the younger crew. read more

ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain - Museums Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

Excellent science museum. Kids had a great time. Good for 2 hours probably. Ages 1-teen.

I ended up here on a random weekend trip to vermont. I wanted to eat at a spot right down the road so I figured I'd check out this nature center while waiting. I can't say enough good things about this center. It has fun activities for children of all ages and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. My 9 year old had a blast and wanted to stay for a long time. There are a lot of stem type activities which are so good for kids minds. The view from the top floor is amazing and there is a gorgeous outdoor area you can just stand on and relax. I would absolutely go back again with my son. read more

My kids loved it here! All of the activities kept them busy for hours. It was cold in early April so it was great to have this center to keep kids busy. read more

This is a smaller science/kids museum, but I thought it was really nicely done. (Of course it helps that we visited for the cost of parking, thanks to our ASTC membership.) They have a lot of the standard kids museum things including dramatic play areas (kitchen, vet, etc), water play areas, climbing toys and simple science exhibits, as well as some tanks with animals from the local area. The thing that stood out the most to me is that they have these little robots that read colors from special markers, so kids can program the robots by drawing patterns. Of course for little kids this requires a lot of involvement from an adult, and they have staff there to help the kids do it. I haven't really seen that kind of hands-on thing with so much staff involvement even at much larger children's museums. My 4 year old had a really great time here. read more

My kids' favorite place to visit while in Vermont. They have so much fun and are old enough to ask to go now. Mom and dad love it because it offers hours of entertainment. It's also commendable the amount of conservation they do and how much they do to educate our youth about conversation and protecting wildlife. We usually begin our day with a visit to the cafe located on the first floor in the back. They offer healthy meal and snack options and coffee to get your day started. There's usually an exhibit or a craft table outside the cafe that will entertain the kids a bit. Then we make our way to the aquarium section. It's not grand by any means, but there's still plenty to see and a sunken ship for kids to run under. Upstairs is the majority of the exhibits that include reptiles, a preschool room, a water play area, frog land, some sensory tables and whatever special exhibit for that time period. We can spend a good two hours by then before we make our way down to the gift shop. They have some irresistible toys that aren't just junk, including cute t-shirts. My favorite is a $5 frog that has gotten more play than some pricy dolls. Parking is $10 in their lot if not a member. read more

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Great interactive children museum. I went there child free and I still had a great time there. The workers there are friendly and knowledgeable. They answered any questions I had. read more

Great experience for my grandchildren lots to do friendly staff we visit every year from Ft. Lauderdale I enjoy it as do my grandkids ages 5-17. read more

My boyfriend and I went here on a whim because it was a hot summer day and we had little to do. While it took us under an hour to walk around the whole place (because of our age, not lack of stuff to see), we were pleasantly surprised. Lots of fun interactive stations and for a small place, there were many animals to see and learn about. It all felt very clean, engaging, fun and inviting. read more

My boys (10 & 12) spent an entire day here. Lots of great interactive displays, science educational experiences, friendly staff and local information (we learned all about "Champ"!). Highly recommend. read more

We had a wonderful experience visiting ECHO. We are from the DC area, so I'd consider ourselves museum snobs (sorry!) and this was one of the funnest and hand-on museums he has ever been to. Every turn we made, there was something for him to touch, see, or do. I wish we would have had more time to spend there, will definitely plan for it next time! read more

This is a WONDERFUL aquarium for the size! We were impressed! It offered quite an education on Lake Champlain! Sugar Bear left the aquarium and began a quest for Champ (or at least, a Champ shirt). Champ, for those not familiar, is the Lake Champlain monster. The restaurant in the aquarium was also educational. There was so much information about recycling, eating seasonally, and composting! There were also 4 trash cans: one for compost, one for plastic and paper, one for metal, and one for basic trash. VERY COOL! I love that Vermont is on the forefront of the Green Movement! Terrific aquarium! We'll be back on our next visit! read more

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So much fun and just big enough to not take all day, but provide a couple hours of exploring. Our toddler really enjoyed it. I'm sure older kids will enjoy it as well. Views of the lake were also an added bonus. read more

This place is either empty or so overcrowded you can barely move. It's not worth the full cost of admission. But it's a great cause and a good place for kids to learn and explore. It's a cute diversion that can keep your kids busy for a couple hours +/- My son loves coming here, but it can be no fun and quite frustrating for a parent. People can be rude and I've had some unpleasant experiences here. If you go, choose a time when there are likely to be fewer people here or you will be getting jostled around while listening to children screaming. read more

My partner loves science/ecology/fish and I thought this would be a great date. It was not. This place is not even for children. Really lacks aquatic life and information... to be frank it lacks everything. Not worth $30. More for creating memories with children- like "oh I took you somewhere" not "you learned something that time". read more

ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain - Museums Near Me - Burlington, Vermont