Let’s Take A Tour Around Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
Information courtesy of National Park Service
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is the only national park to focus on conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America. Opened in June 1998, Vermont’s first national park preserves and interprets the historic Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller property.
The Park is named for George Perkins Marsh, one of the nation’s first global environmental thinkers, who grew up on the property, and for Frederick Billings, an early conservationist who established a progressive dairy farm and professionally managed forest on the former Marsh farm. Frederick Billings’s granddaughter, Mary French Rockefeller, and her husband, conservationist Laurance S. Rockefeller, sustained Billings’s mindful practices in forestry and farming on the property over the latter half of the 20th century. In 1983, they established the Billings Farm & Museum to continue the farm’s working dairy and to interpret rural Vermont life and agricultural history.
The park was created in 1992, when the Rockefellers gifted the estate’s residential and forest lands to the people of the United States. Today, the Park interprets the history of conservation with tours of the mansion and the surrounding 550-acre forest.
ACTIVITIES:
Begin your visit at the Visitor Center of the Billings Farm & Museum (next to the shared parking lot). There a Ranger can orient you to the property, tell you about special NPS programs offered that day, make a Mansion & Gardens tour reservation (fee), and see “A Place in the Land” - orientation film for both the park and the farm (fee charged by the Billings Farm & Museum if not on Mansion & Garden tour).
Other activities at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park include; bird watching, hiking, horseback riding, nature walks, snowshoeing, wildlife viewing, and cross country skiing.
PLAN YOUR VISIT:
Operating Hours & Seasons - The park is open to the public daily for tours from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Memorial Day weekend through October 31rst. The 20 miles of historic Carriage Roads & Trails are open year round. The Billings Farm & Museum is open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, April 30th - October 31st.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Public parking for persons with disabilities is available at the Billings Farm & Museum parking area. For visitors taking guided tours, a special pass may be obtained in order to park within close proximity of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion. The first and second floor of the Mansion is accessible by placing a temporary wheelchair ramp to the rear entrance door (done by park staff) and there is an elevator inside the Mansion for access to the second floor.
WEATHER AND CLIMATE:
Spring, summer, and fall seasons are temperate. The winter season is cold with periodic snow.
Getting There - By Plane - Burlington, VT, Manchester, NH, and Logan Airport (Boston, MA) are the three closest major airports.
By Car - From Interstate 89, take Exit 1 Woodstock/Quechee. Turn left onto Route 4 and follow for approximately 10 miles into Woodstock. Follow Rte. 12 North - 1/2 mile out of town.
By Public Transportation - There is bus and train service to White River Junction, VT (about 15 miles away). Taxi service is available from White River Junction, VT.
Getting Around - Park at the Billings Farm & Museum parking lot (shared with park visitors). You can begin your visit at the Billings Farm Visitor Center (Park Rangers stationed here for park visitor information) or follow the signs and walking path back across Route 12 to the Mansion drive entrance and follow it up to the NPS Carriage Barn Visitor Center.
VISITOR CENTERS:
1. National Park Service Carriage Barn Visitor Center
Open
Open From Memorial Day weekend to October 31 10AM to 5PM
Phone
(802) 457-3368 x22
Location
West side of Route 12. Park at the Billings Farm & Museum parking area (shared by the park), and follow the marked pathway back across Rte 12.
Closures
The NPS Carriage Barn Visitor Center is closed between November 1 and the Friday prior to the start of Memorial Day weekend each year. The Mt. Tom Carriage Roads and Trails are available spring, summer, and fall for hiking. In winter with snow cover, the Woodstock Ski Touring Center grooms the carriage roads for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Contact the Ski Touring Center, Vt. 106 in Woodstock or at 802-457-6674, for trail passes and more information.
Exhibits
See the new exhibit “Conservation Stewardship - People Taking Care of Places”.
Available Facilities
Visitor information desk and exhibits are currently available. A Book sales area available.
2. Billings Farm & Museum Visitor Center
Open
Open From April 30 to October 31 10AM to 5PM
Thanksgiving Weekend, December Weekends and December 24-January 1, excluding Christmas Day 10AM to 4PM
Sleigh Ride Weekends: Martin Luther King and Presidents’ Day weekends 10AM to 3PM
Phone
(802) 457-2355
Location
Adjacent to the parking area of the Billings Farm & Museum (parking area shared by park).
Special Programs
“A Place in the Land”, an Academy Award nominee film is shown hourly in the Museum’s 100-seat theater and serves as an orientation film for both the park and the Billings Farm & Museum.
Available Facilities
Visitor information, exhibits, audiovisual programs, and a gift shop are currently available. Visitors can purchase admission to the Billings Farm & Museum, and get information on Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion and garden tours, and other activities available throughout the park.
ACTIVITY FEES:
1. Mansion & Garden Tour Fee
Fees - The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion and gardens are by guided tour only. Adults: $6.00 and Children(under 16): $3.00
2. Billings Farm & Museum
Fees - Adults: $9.50; Over 65: $8.50; Students(13-17): $7.50; 5-12 yrs: $5.00; 3-4 yrs: $2.50; Billings Farm & Museum members: Free (VISA/MC credit cards accepted)
** A National Park Pass - An annual pass providing admission to any national park charging an entrance fee. This $50 pass is good for one full year from the date of purchase.
More Resources: (visit these websites)
Woodstock, VT Chamber of Commerce
Vermont Attractions Association
