Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium
Where
1302 Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT
Visit Website
| 802-748-2372
| info@fairbanksmuseum.org
Details
Ages: All Ages
Cost: Adults $17 | Sr & children 5-17 $15 | Under 5 free | Planetariaum presentation $8 | Family membership (museum & planetarium) $100
Parking: Yes
Founded in 1889 by St. Johnsbury industrialist Franklin Fairbanks, the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium is one of the largest museums of natural history in New England. Today, the Museum's mission remains in harmony with the vision of Franklin Fairbanks: to "...inspire an appreciation and responsibility for our place in the natural world."
Collections Estimates total 175, 000 in the following categories:
Natural Science 75, 000 (including mounted birds, mammals, reptiles, and fish; insects; nests and eggs; shells; fossils; rocks; minerals; herbarium)
Historical 95, 000 (including tools, toys, over 2, 500 dolls, political memorabilia, textiles, weapons, 55, 000 archival photographs and documents.
Ethnological 5, 000 (including Oceania, the Near East, Africa, Egypt, Japan, and native North America)
The Exploration Station is a kid-friendly favorite, packed with interactive games, puzzles, and STEM activities.
In the summer, don’t miss the Butterfly House, where families can walk among native butterflies and learn about their life cycles in a magical, immersive space.
The Lyman Spitzer Jr. Planetarium features awe-inspiring shows that take kids on a journey through space, from stars and planets to weather and constellations—perfect for sparking curiosity about science and astronomy.
The Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is located on 3.0 acres in the heart of St. Johnsbury's Main Street Historical District. The Museum Main building's 21, 500 square feet contains three floors of exhibits, the planetarium, the Northern New England Weather Center, a lecture room, a classroom/laboratory, administrative offices, and the Museum Shop.
Reviews
- August 22, 2013"Honestly the only thing my children enjoy here is the giant globe and the play groups they have here once a month. They have a new nature preschool and have open house once a month. That is great fun and we try to go when they have it. The other part is great if you're an adult but children lose interest fast."- Dadoftheyear1
- June 14, 2012"We live close to this museum, although it's not for young children there is still plenty to do there. I have brought some of the special needs children I work with here and they have loved it. They just did an update to the planetarium so I'm excited to see what it looks like now!"- Vtmomma13
- May 25, 2011"We drove a few hours to go to the museum and after searching their website first I think I went in a little disappointed. You definitely cannot spend the day there and although I thought there were a lot of really interesting artifacts, my young children (5 and 2) really only enjoyed a few. The balcony exhibits are really not little kid friendly- I had to hold my children so they could see what were in the cases- and on a cool May day it was so very hot. My favorite exhibit was the Omni Globe- my kids really enjoyed that too!! While I do believe this museum is a must-see Vermont attraction I think it is most suitable for an adult or older child."- mommasboys
- April 13, 2010"We visited the Fairbanks Museum with our 3-year-old and our in-laws. There are some really interesting exhibits. My daughter really liked the taxidermy animals and the weather station where there were some great hands-on activities. It was a little hard for her to contain herself, so it might be better to take older children? My husband and I really enjoyed it and I know my in-laws did as well. It was interesting to learn more about the local history of the area. I'm looking forward to going back again and spending more time at each exhibit. I would like to visit the planetarium too, we didn't get a chance to see it our first time through."- Hannah B