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Plan Your Visit

The Montshire is open for outdoor adventures and explorations! We’re open Wednesday through Sunday, 10am - 4pm, offering an exciting outdoor experience that includes David Goudy Science Park, daily programs for families, and two new features — the special exhibition Prehistoric Giants and the forest play area, The Play Grove . Miles of nature trails offer you spectacular views of the river!

We have designed your visit to prioritize health and safety, as well as joyful science learning! While many of our indoor exhibits remain closed, we are slowly reopening individual exhibitions including Discovering the Natural World and Life in Local Waters. Our galleries will fully reopen on October 7, 2020. Please review the changes to our hours, admission, ticketing process, and visitor policies. Pre-registration is required for each visit.What’s New at the Montshire

New Days and Hours

The Montshire will be open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10am to 4pm.

We are closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Special Admission Rate

To celebrate our reopening, a promotional rate of $14 for adults and $11 for children will be available through October 4, 2020.

Members and children under the age of 2 can enjoy the Museum for free.

Advanced Ticketing Process

We are implementing a timed ticketing system to ensure that our visitors can safely maintain social distancing.

All visitors, including members, are required to pre-register. Tickets must be reserved in advance for a morning arrival (10am–1pm) or afternoon arrival (1–4pm). You may arrive at any time during the session you have chosen, and you may stay as long as you wish until the Museum closes at 4pm.

You may purchase or reserve your tickets on this website up to three days prior to your visit.

Instructions for Purchasing or Reserving Tickets

1	Enter your name and contact information.
2	Choose a date to visit, and a time frame in which to arrive.
3	Enter the total number of visitors in your party, including children under age 2. The form will adjust the pricing as you answer each of the questions.
4	Check the appropriate box(es) to tell us who is visiting.
5	If you are a member, enter your group size (as allowed by your membership), and your membership ID number (found on your membership card and emailed to you on June 22, 2020).
6	If you are not a member, tell us if and how many children are visiting with you so that the pricing can be adjusted.
7	Carefully review the Visitor Guidelines, and check the box to verify that you have read and agree to the Guidelines.
8	Enter your payment information and submit the form. You will receive confirmation by email.

What will you discover when you visit the Montshire?

Explore the Montshire's outdoor exhibits and trails

What to Expect When You Visit

We are eager to see our visitors again, but we want to ensure the health and safety of everyone at the Museum. We ask that visitors respectfully follow our new policies.

Visitors should not enter the Montshire building or grounds if they are unwell or showing any symptoms of illness.

Vermont has unique quarantine rules for out-of-state visitors. Please review Vermont’s guidelines on cross state travel. Currently, visitors from all adjacent New Hampshire counties are welcome.

Face Coverings and Masks

To minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread, we require that visitors over the age of three wear a face covering or mask when inside the building. Face coverings and masks are highly encouraged outside and we ask that you wear them when interacting with Museum staff or other visitors.

Practice Healthy Hand Hygiene

Hand hygiene is crucial in mitigating the spread of infection. We ask that all visitors wash their hands or use hand sanitizer upon entry. We have upgraded our restrooms with touchless features and have increased the availability of hand-washing and hand-sanitizing stations throughout our building and grounds.

Maintain Social Distance

Social distancing has proven to be an effective measure in decreasing the risk of infection. We are limiting one visitor group per exhibit and ask that visitor groups stay together (all children must stay with adults at all times). We are also maintaining one-way directional traffic in the building and in some outdoor spaces

Limit Contact with Surfaces

Personal items must be kept with visitors at all times. The coat room will be closed. Eating and drinking are not permitted inside the Museum building.

Group Visits

We are pleased to welcome groups of 9-20 visitors this summer, but our process has changed. Please note the following guidelines.

One contact person must call ahead to make a reservation: 802-649-2200, and then reconfirm by phone three days in advance. Upon confirmation, the Montshire will take your payment and review the visitor guidelines.

Groups of 20 or fewer are welcome under your reservation.
At least one adult for every four children is required (1:4 adult/child ratio).
Visitors must navigate the museum in these small “family sized” sub-groups, which will begin their visit in different exhibit areas.
Two entry times are available: 11am or 2pm (one group per entry time).
A Montshire Explainer will meet your group in front of the Museum for a welcome and orientation.
Summer pricing affords all visitors a discount; a separate discount for groups is not available.