Visit the Montshire

Hours

The Montshire is open seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Years Day. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission Fees

Adults $9; children 3 to 17 $7. Members and children under 3 are admitted free.

Parking is free.

Directions

The Montshire Museum of Science is located off exit 13, I-91 in Norwich, Vt., five miles north of White River Junction, Vt. The Museum is directly across the Connecticut River from Hanover, N.H., home of Dartmouth College. Below are detailed driving directions. We also have a map for your convenience.

From the North on I-91: Driving south on I-91, take exit 13 (Norwich). At the end of the exit 13 ramp, turn left at the traffic signal onto route 10A. After one mile, take a right turn onto Montshire Road. Take your first left hand turn onto the Montshire Museum driveway.

From the North on I-89: Driving south on I-89, take exit to I-91 North in White River Jct. Drive north on I-91 to exit 13 (Norwich). At the end of the exit 13 ramp, take the immediate right turn onto Montshire Road. Take your first left hand turn onto the Montshire Museum driveway.

From the South on I-91: Driving north on I-91, take exit 13 (Norwich). Take an immediate right turn off the exit 13 ramp and onto Montshire Road. Take your first left hand turn onto the Montshire Museum driveway.

From the South on I-89: Driving north on I-89, cross the Connecticut River into Vermont. Take the first exit onto I-91 North. Drive five miles north to exit 13 (Norwich). Take an immediate right turn off the exit 13 ramp and onto Montshire Road. Take your first left hand turn onto the Montshire Museum driveway.

Montshire by Public Transport

Taking the bus to the Montshire is convenient, energy efficient—and free. Advance Transit buses stop at Montshire Road each weekday (except major holidays) with regular stops in Norwich and various points in Hanover. You can view a timetable and list of free bus connections from other parts of the Upper Valley online. Advance Transit riders should plan for a five-minute walk from the bus stop to the Museum entrance.

Exhibits and Trails

Visitors will find dozens of hands-on exhibits on natural and physical sciences, ecology, and technology. Outside the Museum are several walking trails, exhibits and observation areas to enjoy. During warmer months, picnic tables are available for eating outside. Except for the tower, bridge, and trails, Montshire's exhibit spaces are handicapped accessible.

Daily Programs The Montshire Museum's theater now features ViewSpace, a program that shows the very latest images, movies, and animations from the Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA observatories. Programming is updated regularly and instantaneously via our Internet connection. A ten-minute orientation film on the Montshire Museum and the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge is shown in our theater each day at noon and 3 p.m. Other short films relating to Museum exhibits may also be shown at various times. Members of the Montshire's professional education staff and volunteer ''Explainers'' are present in our galleries every day to interpret Museum exhibits and lead hands-on science activities and demonstrations. A kiosk near the admission desk identifies the schedule of special programs each day. To find out about today's activities, call the Museum at 802-649-2200 after 9:30 a.m.

Accessibility

First floor exhibit spaces and bathrooms are entirely wheelchair accessible. Second floor exhibit spaces can be reached by elevator. Several walking trails on the Quinn Nature Preserve are also wheelchair accessible. The observation tower, pedestrian bridge and some walking trails cannot be reached via wheelchair. Audio tours of Museum exhibits are available through hand-held transmitters available at the reception desk. An audio tour of selected Museum exhibits can also be borrowed at the reception desk—it provides additional commentary and interpretation for many of the Museum's exhibits.

Rent the Museum

The Montshire Museum is the perfect venue for your special event. Two stories of intriguing hands-on exhibits are housed under a vaulted cathedral ceiling creates a setting that manages to exude both grandeur and intimacy. The Montshire offers a spacious, carpeted Community Room that can accommodate meetings or catered functions, with an adjacent kitchen and restrooms.

Gift Shop

The Montshire Museum is home to the best collection of science and nature-related gifts in the Upper Valley including books and nature guides, puzzles, games, science kits, stuffed toys, and much more. Montshire Museum members receive a 10% discount on shop purchases throughout the year. The Museum's Gift Shop is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Customs and Courtesies

No pets except guide dogs are permitted in the building or on the trails. As trails and outdoor exhibits are integral parts of the visitor experience at the Montshire, we ask that all people using the trails to check in at the admissions desk and pay the admission fee. All indoor and outdoor exhibit areas at the Museum are smoke free zones.

Your Montshire Visit

The average visit to the Montshire Museum is three hours, though many visitors "make a day of it" by bringing a picnic lunch or dinner. Particularly in warmer months, when water exhibits in Science Park are flowing (April 30-October 9, 2007), people of all ages will find plenty to see and do at the Museum. Over 100 acres of walking trails beckon with intriguing exhibits and vistas of the Connecticut River Valley.

Our neighborhood is full of other outstanding museums, attractions and historical sites within a few minutes' drive of the Montshire. See our Things to Do, Places to Go page for a few suggestions on how to spend a day, a wekend, or an extended vacation in The Upper Connecticut Valley region.

Contact Montshire

Phone 802-649-2200 / Fax 802-649-3637 / By e-mail montshire@montshire.org