Museum field trips

fieldtrips School groups and homeschool groups are welcome to visit the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier and its award-winning permanent exhibit, Freedom and Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories. This exhibit covers over 400 years of Vermont history. Students can explore an Abenaki wigwam, examine the impact of the railroad, and immerse themselves in a World War-II era living room.

Before a visit students and educators can view an online version of our permanent exhibit, Freedom and Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories at www.freedomandunity.org or preview a map of the exhibit (PDF).

Museum tours

fieldtrips At the museum, student groups can participate a guided tour or self-guided tour of Freedom and Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories free of charge. Most guided tours are 75 minutes long and include a choice of one of the following hands-on focus activities:

Abenaki Daily Life
Merinos to Mittens
Meaning in Morse Code

PDF with for more detailed descriptions of the focus activities.

Hands-on workshops

Hands-on workshops are also available for educational groups for a small fee. “You be the Historian,” geared toward students in grades 4 through 8, allows students to use the skills and tools of historians (researchers, curators, and archaeologists) to learn about the lives of a 19th-century Vermont farm family. This 60-minute program costs $2 per student. Some examples of additional hands-on workshops available for student groups include:

Town Meeting Day simulation
Back to the Land
Abenaki Oral Traditions

Vermont State House and Vermont Supreme Court

Many student groups combine their visit to the Vermont History Museum with a tour of the nearby Vermont State House or Vermont Supreme Court. For more information about these programs (PDF), please contact Vivien Fritz, the State House School Tours Coordinator, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (802) 828-1411.

Vermont Heritage Galleries

School groups and homeschool groups are also welcome to visit the special exhibits at the Vermont Heritage Galleries at the Vermont History Center in Barre. Current exhibits provide an in-depth examination of Vermonters in the Civil War and immigration and labor history in Barre. Guided tours and self-guided visits are available free of charge for educational groups with advance notice.

A special hands-on workshop is available in conjunction with the exhibit The Emergence of the Granite City: Barre 1880-1940. The workshop "Immigration and Industry in Vermont" uses maps, census records, and photographs to highlight changes to Barre as a result of the rapid growth of the granite industry. The 60-minute workshop is geared towards students in grades 6 through 12.

An introduction to primary sources available at the Leahy Library may also be included with a visit to the Vermont Heritage Galleries at the Vermont History Center.

Schedule a visit

Museum and gallery field trips must be scheduled in advance with a minimum of 10 participants required for guided tours and hands-on workshops. For more information about museum and gallery field trips or to schedule a visit to the Vermont History Museum or Vermont Heritage Galleries, please contact Victoria Hughes at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (802) 828-1413.

Vermont Historical Society