Things to Do in St. Johnsbury, Vermont
The best things to do in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, are the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum’s art gallery and Stephen Huneck’s Dog Mountain. St. Johnsbury is a town of 7,364 people, the seat of Caledonia County and the largest town in the Northeast Kingdom.
Thaddeus Fairbanks invented the platform scale here in 1830, and his family’s scale fortune paid for the town’s museum, library and academy. By the 1940s St. Johnsbury was home to three companies that were each the largest of their kind in the world, including Fairbanks Scales and a maple candy maker.
Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium
Franklin Fairbanks gave this Richardsonian Romanesque museum to the town in 1891, and his natural history collection is still the biggest in northern New England. It holds the Lyman Spitzer Jr. Planetarium, the only public planetarium in Vermont. Don’t miss John Hampson’s Bug Art, mosaics made from 6,300 to more than 13,500 insects each.
★ Good to know Plan on about two hours; it’s open daily but closes for a few weeks in early January, and planetarium shows are an extra ticket.
St. Johnsbury Athenaeum
Horace Fairbanks built this Second Empire library in 1871 and added an art gallery in 1873. It’s the only National Historic Landmark in the Northeast Kingdom. The skylit, black walnut gallery holds about 100 works. Albert Bierstadt’s 10-by-15-foot Domes of the Yosemite dominates the room, alongside Hudson River School painters like Asher Durand and Jasper Cropsey.
★ Good to know It’s closed on Sundays, and the gallery charges a small admission while the library is free.
Dog Mountain and the Stephen Huneck Gallery
Artist Stephen Huneck created this 150-acre hilltop for dogs and the people who love them. Dogs can run off leash on the trails and swim in the ponds. The Dog Chapel’s walls are covered with photos and notes left for pets, and a farmhouse gallery shows Huneck’s woodcuts and carvings.
★ Good to know It’s free, the grounds are always open, and Dog Parties happen several times a year.
Lamoille Valley Rail Trail
St. Johnsbury is the eastern trailhead of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, billed as New England’s longest rail trail at about 95 miles. It follows an old rail line west through Danville, Walden and Hardwick toward Lake Champlain. Joe’s Pond in West Danville makes a good turnaround for a day ride.
★ Good to know Start at the Welcome Center in the old railway station, which has restrooms and free Wi-Fi.
Main Street and Railroad Street historic districts
Four rail lines once met in St. Johnsbury, and the town’s grand 1800s buildings show it. Main Street and Railroad Street are both National Register historic districts. The town has more National Register listings than anywhere else in the Northeast Kingdom. The Athenaeum, the Fairbanks Museum and St. Johnsbury Academy, founded in 1842, all sit along Main Street.
★ Good to know Walk from the Athenaeum at 1171 Main Street up to the museum at 1302 Main Street; it’s a short stroll.
Also in town
Maple Grove Farms, founded in 1915 and the country’s largest packer of pure maple syrup, runs a sugar house museum and gift shop in town. Dog Mountain also hosts the Levitt AMP music series in summer.
What is St. Johnsbury, Vermont, known for?
The Fairbanks family and their scales. Thaddeus Fairbanks invented the platform scale here in 1830, and the family funded the Fairbanks Museum, the Athenaeum and St. Johnsbury Academy.
Is Dog Mountain free?
Yes. Dog Mountain is free and open to the public, and dogs can go off leash on its trails and swim in its ponds.
Is there a planetarium in St. Johnsbury?
Yes. The Lyman Spitzer Jr. Planetarium inside the Fairbanks Museum is the only public planetarium in Vermont, with several shows a day.
What other Vermont towns are worth a trip from St. Johnsbury?
Montpelier, the state capital, is west on Route 2. For more, see our small towns in Vermont.
Where to find them
- Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium 1302 Main St., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 Website Directions
- St. Johnsbury Athenaeum 1171 Main St., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 Website Directions
- Dog Mountain and the Stephen Huneck Gallery St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 Website Directions
- Lamoille Valley Rail Trail St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 Website Directions
- Main Street and Railroad Street historic districts Main St., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 Website Directions
Plan your trip: for events and current visitor info in St. Johnsbury, see Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce →
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Where to stay in St. Johnsbury
Keep exploring
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