Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium

Small but detailed museum full to the brim with interesting specimens. The building feels timeless; it’s ornate and warm in a way you don’t see very often in modern buildings. Staff was friendly and welcoming, and I found the price to be reasonable—though I admit, upon first seeing the size of the exhibition hall, I had my doubts about the value. Once I’d run out of time for the day and still had more than half the museum to explore, I felt that I definitely had my money’s worth. I’ll be back to see more another day!

The museum is amazing. There is so much to look at and learn I could get lost in there all day, myself. The planetarium was ok, nothing really special. The guy seemed to just speed through everything with a very bored type of feeling. I still plan on coming again.

Small but filled to the brim! Tons of interesting animals, fossils, and artifacts. The "learning" area for the kids was great too! Thermal camera, making circuits, flying cups, and lots more. Not to mention the planetarium and butterfly area. Lots to learn and lots to see! Definitely recommend!

The Fairbanks Museum is something you have to experience to fully appreciate. With that being said, it's a haven celebrating science, nature, and culture. The collection is priceless, from the carefully positioned birds of Vermont to the beautifully woven Abanaki baskets. There is obvious care and consideration put into every single piece displayed in this museum. I live in Burlington and don't mind taking the beautiful 1.5 hour drive to Saint Johnsbury just to see this museum. The wildflowers of Vermont display, the butterfly garden, and the planetarium are all parts of this museum worth enjoying and visiting. I hope this special place is celebrated for many more years to come. Definitely worth a visit!

This place is gorgeous. From the extensive collection of taxidermy, to the incredible architecture, to the fun and unexpected planetarium show, the Fairbanks is a gem. We went once and it surely wasn’t enough, can’t wait to go back and bring visitors with us. My toddler was a little antsy, but between the animals and the science area, my kid had a great time.

Thanks for being open on Labour Day. A remarkable building inside and out. We enjoyed our visit. It's an eclectic collection with many surprises, e.g., a Maori spear and an Egyptian sarcophagus! It's well laid out on two levels, the upper level being gallery style. The interactive displays looked good for kids. Entry fee is modest. Very good value museum. It will be interesting to see the new extension when it's completed. We'll be back.

A MUST visit. Great place to take the kids. Lots of interactive displays to entertain them for hours. The pieces in the original museum were very interesting. The highlight of the visit was the planetarium. The presentation was very compelling and the presenter was very enthusiastic and passionate.

It is worth the bucks if you are into science and history. It is great they also showcase different cultures from the east. The assistive device is helpful to get the story while walking and observing. The place is also calming to the eyes. We learned a lot on this trip. Carpark is on the side. Not much people in the afternoon.

Great museum and plantation! We absolutely love the displays and shows here - had lots of fun and learned a lot about local history and wildlife!

Visited here as a side trip while staying near Lake Willoughby. Although it is not a very large museum, my kids and I spent about 2.5 hours. Large selection of taxidermy. They have a nice section of interactive hands-on displays. We also visited the planetarium. The man that did the presentation was very entertaining.

The building is just as interesting as the many exhibits in this museum! We loved looking at and reading everything and our 3 year old had a blast in the kids science area.

Kids Adults and Elders alike delight at the collections of Colonial World Victorian Era style stuffed rare animals, unknown insects, and treasures raked in from around the Earth, even rare North American and Inuit Indiginious items and a small Egyptian mummy Sarcophagus were on display in summer of 2023.
We were astounded by the TWO polar bears and the new Dinosaur related exhibit, and the star maps Moon map and Physics ineractive Museum exhibits for kids of all ages were a busy area making a big hit for our visiting family.

Note: many of our VT public library branches have Fairbanks Museum membership cards that you can borrow to get your family of four in Free! Check to see if one near you has the pass!

Beautifully preserved natural history museum with some awe-inspiring items.
The entire place is a great exhibit showing the history of museums and taxidermy as well.

Wonderful experience. Great planetarium show. You could spend hours looking at the displays. Entire children's hands on exploring center.

The Fairbanks Museum far exceeded my expectations. The images of the museum don't do justice to the displays. There are many interesting areas of the museum and their collection is impressive. There is a hands on area for the kids and the planetarium show shouldn't be missed. The host of the show Bobby was entertaining and insightful. Overall my family had a terrific experience.

We really enjoyed our visit! Our toddler especially liked the interactive exhibits and the audio tour guide that you can enter exhibit numbers into for more information.

The building is gorgeous and worth seeing in person. They also have a couple of EV chargers available for EV drivers in their small parking area.

The kids loved it here. The planetarium was great. There were so many exhibits and things to check out, they could have spent...a whole day here.

Great little museum! Lots of fascinating exhibits that range from scientific to cultural. There's also a fun hands-on section for kids. Very affordable admission. It's worth a visit if you're in the area.

They pack a lot of information into that building, my daughter had a blast. Very interesting, very fun, and very interactive for the little ones

Visiting is a must when in the area. The staff was very friendly and happily willing to answer any question. Very cool and amazing collection!