The Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium was founded in
1889 by St. Johnsbury industrialist Franklin Fairbanks. Fairbanks was
an avid collector and amateur naturalist, and his collection was housed
in the Richardsonian Romanesque style building that still serves as
the Museum's home today. The Museum's mission statement pretty much
says it all: to "...stimulate understanding of the natural and
human environments and their interrelationships, through programs, exhibits,
services, and collections."
The Museum takes up 18,000 square
feet of exhibits, containing some 160,000 objects from nature
and cultures around the world (including exhibit on northern New
England birds and wildlife, large mounted mammals and more). This
is also the site of Vermont's only public planetarium, the Douglas
B. Kitchel Center for the Study of the Northeast Kingdom and the
Fairbanks Archives Center.
The Museum is open year-round Monday through Saturday, 9-5 and
Sunday, 1-5. Planetarium shows are held every Saturday and Sunday
at 1:30. The price of admission is $5/adults, $4/seniors and $3/children
5-17, or $12 for an entire family. The Planetarium shows are $3.
Special group rates are also available… see their Website
for this or to get info on special programs, exhibits and more.
The Museum can be reached at 802-748-2372.
