Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT

A few weeks ago, my parents and I took a trip to Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT. I had heard a lot about the museum, but honestly I had no idea what to expect. I thought it would be your typical museum, a few rooms with things on display, kind of cool, worth an hour or two, you know what museums are like. We were a little shocked by the admission price of $20.00 per person, but we were already there so we just paid and went along with it. But, upon entering, it was clear why the admission price was so high. The "museum" was actually 39 buildings spread across the expansive museum grounds.

The museum grounds contain many historic buildings which have been relocated from their original place to the museum. They even have the Ticonderoga, a steamboat ferry which was transported in one piece by rail in the 1950's. Do watch the video about moving the ferry, which is shown in a small room as you enter the boat. It's just as interesting, if not more interesting than seeing the actual boat.

I look like a boat captain, right?

Another fun house to check out is the Apothecary which shows many old medicines and a general store. You really feel like you're stepping back in time 100 years.

We really enjoyed seeing the carriage house. An old barn was converted to hold all sorts of wagons and carriages. These were some interesting stage coaches, but they also had covered wagons and even a "school bus".

Here is a typical, one room school house. The wood stove reminds me a bit of my time in Georgia. And notice the flag, it's only got 26 stars, meaning it dates back to the 1830's. 

Another one of my favorites was the settler's house. This would have been a typical house for an early settler of Vermont. One large kitchen and one small bedroom.

Next time you find yourself in the Burlington, VT area, be sure to check out Shelburne Museum. Be sure to go early, because it does take a full day to see everything on the grounds. We arrived around noon and we didn't have time to see everything before they closed at 5:00pm. http://shelburnemuseum.org/