What's Happening at the Farm this Season?
May 13 - October 22, 2023
Day Visit
Shelburne Farms is open to you by donation and includes access to our trails and a visit to the Farm Barn. Don’t miss out on the Farm Store, either! Specifically, your day visit could include:
WALKING TRAILS
From their breathtaking views to their quiet spaces, our walking trails are the primary way to enjoy our extensive campus. More than 10 miles of trails meander through fields and forests, with popular destinations to the Farm Barn, lakeshore, Lone Tree Hill, and Flower Gardens.
FARM BARN FUN
To access the Farm Barn: Walk the ¾ mile Farm Barn trail or hop on our Tractor Shuttle, which runs daily from the Farm Store on the half hour, beginning May 13
- Children’s Farmyard Meet our farm full of animals–goats, sheep, cows, rabbits, and more–and learn about the role each of them plays on the farm and in our lives. Want to bring a school or camp group to the farmyard this season? Request a self-guided visit.
- Cheesemaking Watch our cheesemakers craft cheddar from the milk of our Brown Swiss cows. Starting May 13, you can also sample cheddar and Meet a Cheesemaker at 11AM each day to learn all you’ve ever wanted to know about making cheddar, straight from the source! Located in the main section of the Farm Barn
- Raptors in Residence: Come face to face with a live owl or hawk and learn the mysteries of live birds of prey. Offered with Outreach for Earth Stewardship. Saturdays, May 13–June 1 (Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays, June 20–Sept 2). 1:30PM. No registration. Located just in the woods near the trail entrance to Lone Tree Hill at the Children’s Farmyard.
- The Farm Cart will be open with a variety of farm-fresh lunch and snack options. We are still determining days and hours of operation.
FARM STORE
Take home a taste of Shelburne Farms, whether it’s our delicious cheddar, our new crop of maple syrup – or both! Fresh eggs and organic veggies from our farm, too, as well as great products grown or made by other Vermont farms that we love. Summer hours: 9:30AM - 5:30PM.
TOURS AT THE FARM
Depending on when you visit, one of these opportunities might fit into your day visit. Registration required.
Sun to Cheese Tours, daily, 2-4PM, $20/person. Join us on a behind-the-scenes tour to discover the art and science of cheesemaking. Watch the cheesemakers in our Farm Barn cheesemaking facility turn our raw milk into cheddar cheese. At a private cheese tasting, taste the flavors of the farm in a guided sampling of our cheddar. Then, visit the dairy, meet the cows that make the milk, and find out how we care for our landscape, pastures, and Brown Swiss herd.
House & Garden Tours, May through October, $15/person. May tours now online. A guided, in-depth walking tour of Shelburne Farms Inn’s main floor, bedrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors (as available), as well as the terraced flower gardens. Originally the Webbs' 19th-century country home, the house was restored and adapted for use as an Inn in 1987 as an integral part of the nonprofit, and an inspiring place to stay and learn. Discover how the Inn—on a National Historic Landmark property beside Lake Champlain—transitioned from a private home to a public use, all while retaining its historic character.
Shelburne Farms Inn
The Inn is open to overnight guests this season and we are excited to be opening our farm-to-table restaurant for public dining. Our dinner menus will focus even more on the 100+ varieties of fruit and vegetables grown in our Market Garden, as well as our own beef, lamb, cheddar cheese and maple syrup. New this year: online dining reservations! You can book up to 30 days in advance of your desired dining date.
Programs & Events
Check out all our upcoming events on our calendar, and keep an eye out for additional events that we’ll post as details are finalized. We’ve got opportunities for everyone! Are you an educator? Know an educator? Through our Institute for Sustainable Schools, we have lots of opportunities for teachers looking to strengthen their work in the areas of sustainability, climate education, farm to school, and more.
NOTE: New Website On the Way!
Starting May 18th, you’ll probably notice changes to shelburnefarms.org as we launch our website refresh with our new brand. Aside from a cosmetic lift, some menu items and listings will be moving around, but all your favorites will still be there in easy-to-find places!