Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium

About

The Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, founded in 1891 by Franklin Fairbanks of the Fairbanks Scale Company, is a Victorian-era natural history museum in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Housed in a stunning Romanesque Revival building of Richardson granite, the museum retains much of its original 19th-century atmosphere while offering modern exhibits, a live butterfly house, and a working planetarium. The museum's collections center on natural history: thousands of bird specimens, North American mammals, an internationally significant insect collection, minerals, and geological specimens fill the building's galleries. The signature "Bug Art" exhibition uses insects and natural materials to create intricate mosaic portraits, drawing visitors young and old. Seasonal wildflower programs connect the museum's collections to the surrounding landscape of northern Vermont. The Fairbanks Planetarium offers astronomy shows and supports the museum's nationally recognized Eye on the Sky weather program — a public meteorological service broadcasting detailed forecasts for the St. Johnsbury region and broadcasting regionally. Weather literacy and climate change education are woven into the museum's educational identity, reflecting the region's deep relationship with its northern climate. The museum's education programs include a robust homeschool series, the Balch Nature School, Nature Buddies early childhood nature exploration, and EarthWalk outdoor programming. Summer camps, lifelong learning programs, and professional development for educators round out a full educational calendar. The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm.

Subject Areas

Best For