Vermont's State House - Bring your camera! Rebuilt in 1859 after an earlier version burned, the State House was modeled after the temple of Theseus in Greece and is topped by a gold leaf dome. On a bright sunny day, you can catch the brilliance in your lens. After 140 years, the Vermont State House still commands the landscape of Montpelier, the smallest capital city in America. The House and Senate chambers are the oldest legislative chambers in their original condition anywhere in the country. The main lobby's marble floor exhibits white tiles from Danby, Vermont, and black tiles from Isle La Motte on Lake Champlain. Look closely to see fossils embedded in many black tiles. The Representatives Chamber hosts a plaster lotus blossom in the center of the ceiling, weighing approximately 500 pounds. From its center hangs the original bronze and gilt chandelier, one of America’s most important surviving gas fixtures. It includes allegorical figures of Commerce, Prudence, Eloquence, and Science, alternating with four copies of Hiram Powers’ famous Greek Slave. The Senate Chamber combines Renaissance and Rococo Revival furnishings with the elliptically-shaped classical architecture to create a tone of elegance. The elaborate hand-carved rostrum, with Vermont’s coat of arms at its center, is lit by gas lamps symbolizing the muses of Inspiration and Meditation.

Vermont Historical Society Museum - A replica of the 1876 Pavilion Hotel, the museum skillfully traces various aspects of Vermont history through pictures, artifacts and exhibits.

Norman Rockwell Museum - This chronological display of more than 2,500 magazine covers, advertisements, calendars, and other published works shows Rockwell's development as an illustrator, and links his work to the political, economic, and cultural history of the United States. This collection commemorates his Vermont years and the entire span and diversity of his career (1911-1978).

Old Constitution House - Not a part of the original 13 colonies, Vermonters debated, they devised and adopted their constitution in this building and became a free and independent republic on July 8, 1777. Modeled after Benjamin Franklin’s constitution for Pennsylvania, the Vermont Constitution contains a plan of government and declaration of rights. The Vermonter’s constitution was significant in that it was the first in America to prohibit slavery, the first to establish universal manhood suffrage, without the requirements of property ownership or specific income for voting rights, and the first to establish a system of public schools. This historic site contains an intriguing collection of antiques, documents, tools, tableware, toys, and cooking utensils.

New England Maple Museum - A visit to the New England Maple Museum is as intriguing as it is educational. The history of maple sugaring is brought to life in over 100 feet of murals. The museum has the most complete collection of sugaring artifacts in existence from an ancient block of wood with a sap-collecting gash made by American Indians to modern plastic pipeline. Real evaporators simulate the syrup-making process. A slide show chronicles the maple sugaring process on a Vermont family farm. View a live demonstration of maple candy-making and the construction of a wooden sap bucket. Then SAMPLE various grades of maple syrups and mouth-watering Vermont specialty foods in our tasting room. Buy your favorite--the ultimate gift from Vermont!

American Precision Museum - Visit this home of the Machine Tool Hall of Fame, which honors those who have made significant contributions to precision manufacturing. Spanning the history of machine tool development from 1765 to the present, the Hall of Fame includes the largest collection of historic precision machine tools in the nation. For example, gun-making machines were retooled to make sewing machines, including the Edwin Clark double bobbin machine. The collection contains a fine example of this rare machine, along with a Windsor sewing machine. Many of the earliest sewing machines in the collection are extremely simple and entirely functional. Later machines, built after the mechanical technology was well developed, are more beautifully crafted. Painted trim, mother-of-pearl inlays, and manufacturers' medallions decorate the machines.

Montshire Museum - Challenge your senses at Montshire, a hands-on museum with dozens of exciting exhibits, relating to the natural and physical sciences, ecology, and technology. The building itself has been designed as an exhibit, with color-coded ventilation and heating systems, a see-through elevator hoistway, and exposed timber trusses demonstrating construction techniques. Explore the network of easy-to-moderate walking trails surrounding the museum’s 110-acre site near the Connecticut River.