I start a fair number of descriptions of places we’ve been with words to the effect of, “we didn’t really know what to expect here…” There is good reason why I feel I need to point out when I don’t know what to expect: I usually do know more or less exactly what to expect, because I’m a compulsive researcher. I spend many, many winter hours pouring over websites, blogs, YouTube videos, and TripAdvisor reviews in preparation for our summer trips.
I very much enjoy this process, and it comes with a lot of advantages (some things have to be planned pretty carefully in advance or you just don’t get to do them). But every once in awhile we go somewhere that I haven’t managed to learn every detail about in advance, either because the website is non-existent or not very thorough, or because it’s more obscure and harder to find first hand accounts about, or–as with the Shelburne Museum, a few miles outside of Burlington, VT–because it’s just really hard to adequately explain. You just have to see it.
And so even I, compulsive planner, manage to experience the delight of the unexpected gem from time to time.
So what is it? Well, founder Electra Havemeyer Webb described the museum as a “collection of collections.” Wikipedia goes with “a museum of art, design, and Americana.” I guess my fear, when we were planning to visit, was that it would essentially be just another art museum…which is great and all, but requires careful planning for how to keep Abe happy while the older, more art-appreciative kids, explore.
Photo above not withstanding, I needn’t have worried. There are plenty of art galleries (surprisingly impressive ones for a museum tucked away in a corner of rural Vermont), but there’s SO MUCH MORE, and enough variety and whimsy to satisfy pretty much any visitor, even the 8 year old ones.
Carousel? check. Trains? they’ve got those, too. Enormous and surreal collection of decoys? yes. Circus building with carousel horses and multiple intricately constructed model circuses? yes, also that.
You might think THIS is a lot of decoys, but there was room after room full of them!
We were impressed, charmed, and not at all bored enough that we came back two days in a row to make sure we saw as much as possible (tickets are good for two consecutive days, so that’s helpful). Admission is $25/adult, but there are quite a few discounts offered (and remember that second day!), including a $65 family pass good for 2 adults and accompanying children. They’re also a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum network, and we were able to get in for free that way.
I can’t possibly talk about everything there is to do at the Shelburne Museum, so I’m going to give you our top 7 things not to miss there instead.
Carousel and Circus Building
Rides on the vintage carousel are free! And the circus building is chock full of whimsy and keeps going and going for far longer than you’re expecting:
Incidentally, I should say that the interpretive signs for all the exhibits at the Shelburne are immensely readable compared to most museum signs.
Printing Shop
It was cool to see all the different old printing equipment and get demonstrations of some of it, but I think mostly I really liked the fun alphabet posters they printed out on them.
Train Stuff
Normally you can tour an old railroad car, but we couldn’t when we went because Covid ruins everything. But we did love exploring the train station with its recreated waiting rooms and stationmaster’s office.
Steamboat Ticonderoga
You can tour this retired steamboat and also watch a fascinating video about how they got it to the site from Lake Champlain, two miles away. And then you can roll down the hills right outside if you’d like.
Gardens
There are very pretty gardens all over!
Electra Havemeyer Webb Memorial Building
This part is pretty much an art museum, but it’s housed in a building that replicates 6 rooms from Webb’s New York apartment, and it’s got a really impressive collection of impressionist art. I believe they offered a scavenger hunt for younger visitors, too.
Tour of Prentis and Stencil Houses
Most of the museum is self-guided, but I believe these two houses are only accessible via guided tour. We enjoyed getting an overview of the history of colonial architecture, particularly since (see name of blog), we live in a colonial style house ourselves
So definitely give yourself as much time as possible here; one good itinerary might be a full day at the Shelburne Museum and then a half day the next day followed by a half day at nearby Shelburne Farms (which I’m just about to talk more about!)
Shelburne Farms
We visited this big working farm in a beautiful setting one day with Dave’s parents. My understanding is that in non-Covid times they have a fuller schedule of activities, demonstrations, and that kind of thing, but when we were there we were able to check out the walking trails, meet some farm animals, and take home some stuff from the farm store. There’s an inn and restaurant on site as well. Admission is free.
We walked from the welcome center over to the farmyard and barn, where we met the friendliest goats ever.
There was supposed to be cheesemaking going on, only I think our timing was off. Anyway, sometimes you can see cheesemaking, which you can buy back at the store. There’s also a bakery at the barn, and we got some yummy cookies.
Then we did some more walking behind the farmyard, up to some great views of the lake:
Gus sat in front of a wall looking serious:
And then we stumbled across this “Storywalk” where you read a book as you walk along the trail (only I think we accidentally did it backwards, if I remember right):
So all in all a really lovely place to spend some time; can easily be done in a couple of hours or half a day, but there are enough trails there to make for a longer outing as well.
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