Billings Farm & Museum is a popular attraction in Woodstock, Vermont. I had the privilege of visiting this lovely establishment in the late May of 2018 and found it to be a really sweet and memorable experience, certainly worth reminiscing about during this seemingly endless winter of the pandemic.
Adult admission to Billings Farm & Museum is $16.00 per person, with discounts available for seniors, students, and children. It’s open on a very seasonal basis, with weekends open in the late fall and winter, closing in March, and then opening daily from April through October. Considering the the farm aspect of this attraction, the activities available change significantly throughout the seasons.
Border collies and their handlers. 
A brand new baby calf. 
Sheep shearing business.
My husband and I visited in the heart of the spring season and I would absolutely recommend that others enjoy their visit at this delightfully green time of year. We had the opportunity to see a fascinating demonstration of some adorable border collies herding sheep, which really helped me to understand why this dog breed always tends to be on the top of the “smartest dog breed” lists you might see online. We witnessed a demonstration of sheep shearing, which I appreciated as someone who wears a lot of sweaters. And the best part of all about visiting in the spring was that super cute baby animals were everywhere – in particular, we saw lots of sweet little lambs and a calf that had just been born a day or two previously. While the spring was a great time, Billings Farm & Museum offers plenty of other special activities and events throughout the year, such as holiday celebrations for Halloween, Christmas, and Thanksgiving as well as a Maple Celebration week in February, an Antique Tractor Day in August, and more.
As you can probably tell from the very apt name, Billings Farm & Museum is not only a farm; it’s a museum as well. In fact, I would say it involves two museums, as there is a more contained 1890s farmhouse exhibit as well as a larger and more general “farm life” exhibit. The farmhouse is a really neat recreation that brings you back in time well through the use of intricate details, such as the cans in the pantry or the photos displayed in each room. The farm life exhibit has a more educational vibe – it displays and describes various aspects of life on a Vermont farm from about a hundred years go, from what the schoolhouse was like to ice harvesting. Both areas are immersive and informative.
Ice harvesting. 
Some cooking in the 1890 farmhouse. 
Old school education.
Though the museums were fun, my favorite part of our visit was definitely getting to see all the animals, particularly the border collies. That demonstration was special to me, knowing I was interested in getting a herding type dog of my own in the future (which eventually urned out to be my sweet corgi, Fiddle). Aside from the dogs (who I believe are special springtime visitors), the Billings Farm is also home to jersey cows, goats, sheep, horses, pigs, oxen, chicken, and goats. Another highlight for me personally, was the dairy bar right outside the farm house, where visitors can purchase and enjoy some Vermont-made ice cream as well as some Billings-made cheeses (I tried the former and hope to return to try the latter). Dairy bars are always highlights for me, to be fair.
It’s all about that dairy. 
Sweet young lambs. 
Where all that great dairy begins…
Throughout our trip, I noticed lots of families children having a wonderful time and thought that this would be a great place to bring one of my future classes on a trip, as it would involve hands-on experience with animals, a lot of time outdoors, and plenty of learning about science and history.
Lucky for educators everywhere, Billings Farm & Museum offers school field trip experiences, as well as many other programs for kids in school or camp. Currently, they offer virtual field trips due to safety concerns during the pandemic.
Billings Farm & Museum has been open during the pandemic (though they will be closed throughout this coming March as usual), with the intention of keeping things as safe as possible through requiring social distancing, mask-wearing, and frequent hand-washing and sanitizing (they have provided sanitizing stations throughout the grounds).
This is a special place that really embodies a lot of what Vermont is all about, as well as what it has been all about throughout history.
Freshly Vermont rating: five out of five stars. ★★★★★