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Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical ParkA view of Mount Ascutney and its neighboring rolling hills from a tree-lined autumn meadow. NPS Photo.
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Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
Things To Do
 
Visitors linger in the sun in front of the beige three-story renovated barn, whose steepled dormers point toward the blue sky. NPS Photo.
Jim Westphalen
The Carriage Barn also houses offices for park staff and other National Park Service programs.

Visit the Carriage Barn
Built in 1895 and rehabilitated in 1999, the Carriage Barn serves as the national park's visitor center. Features include:

- People Taking Care of Places, an exhibit on conservation history
- Visitor reading library
- Self-guided maps and activity brochures for those with limited time
- Bookstore

Visit with park rangers, schedule a tour, learn about hiking opportunities, or just relax and read a book! Open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Memorial Day weekend (late May) to October 31.


 
A stylized and brightly-colored sketch of the three-story brick mansion. A large Norway Spruce stands to the right of the Mansion. NPS.
Graphic by Eastern National
Take advantage of a ranger-led tour to see the inside of this 19th-century Queen Anne mansion.

Guided Mansion Tours
Ranger-guided tours of the historic Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion and gardens are offered daily, on the hour from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, from Memorial Day weekend (late May) to October 31, 2006. Click here for fee and reservation information. This hour-long tour explores the history of conservation, the stewardship ethic of the Marsh, Billings, and Rockefeller families, and community-based conservation in a more modern context. In addition to original furnishings and personal items, the mansion displays works of art that include some of America's finest landscape paintings, highlighting the influence painting and photography had on the conservation movement.


 
A ranger speaks with a group of people on a sloping green lawn, lit by the waning afternoon light of a fall day.
NPS Photo

Special Programs
Special tours and events are held throughout the season. Click here for all schedule and fee information. Conservation through the Artist's Eye showcases paintings that tell the story of conservation history and land stewardship in America. On Causes and Consequences: The Civil War Home Front in Woodstock, Vermont, you'll see places associated with the Underground Railroad, abolition meetings, the town's free African-American community, and Woodstock's pivotal role in Vermont's war effort. Other tours include The Formal Garden and Beyond, A Walk with the Billings Women, and Hidden Spaces, Unique Places.


 
Autumn scene of deciduous and evergreen trees perfectly reflected in the still water of the Pogue. Photo by Nora Mitchell.
Nora Mitchell
Stillness prevails at The Pogue, a mountain pond.

Take a Walk (or a Snowshoe) in the Woods
Walk through one of Vermont's most beautiful landscapes, under the shade of sugar maples and 400-year-old hemlocks, along winding woodland carriage roads and trails. On the gentle slopes of Mount Tom you will find mountain pastures, a mysteriously-named pond, and spectacular views of nearby hills and valleys.


 
Eight people kneel on or stand next to a wooden boardwalk in the forest, discussing good ways to manage trails. NPS Photo.
NPS Photo
You're not alone! There are resources to help.

Working Woodlands Series
These free public programs, sponsored by Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, the US Forest Service, and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, provide landowners and resource professionals with useful tools and techniques for forest stewardship. For more information, please call 802-457-3368 ext 22.

LOGO: Share the Experience: Official Federal Recreation Lands PHOTO CONTEST
Share the Experience
Official Federal Recreation Lands PHOTO CONTEST
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The warm golden tones of wooden bowls, spoons, and goblets contrast with the dark brown tablecloth on which they are sitting. NPS Photo.
Visiting in the Fall?
Join us for Forest Festival! Woodworking demonstrations, wagon rides, children's programs, and more.
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A park ranger stands at a wooden table helping two children with their Junior Ranger activity books. Photo by Jon Olender/Rutland Herald.
Activities for Kids
Spend time with a park ranger and explore the park!
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The white steeple of a church is visible through the treetops. Photo by Ed Sharron.
Our Community
See what our neighbors have to offer...
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Autumn leaves, lit by the sun, carpet an uphill stretch of a carriage road. NPS Photo.  

Did You Know?
45 miles of carriage roads, an early 20th century gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., weave around the granite mountains and valleys of Acadia NP. 14 miles of carriage roads, built in the 1880s by Frederick Billings, traverse the gentle slopes and historic woodlands of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP.

Last Updated: September 05, 2008 at 14:38 EST