A summer Sunday in July was the perfect time to visit Hildene. The land where Abraham Lincoln’s son spent time with his children and grandchildren has a quiet magic to it; it was best enjoyed outside the stresses of the school year. Since pets are not permitted, I visited with my husband while young corgi Fiddle hung out in his designated area at home.
Admission to Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home is a bit heftier than nearby attractions in the Shires of Vermont, at $23.00 per adult, though tickets are much cheaper ($7.00) for children or for adult guests returning for a second consecutive day. However, the peaceful verdant beauty of this land’s 400+ acres combined with the historical context and the many, many adorable goats makes the experience more than worth it, in my opinion.
Upon our entrance to Hildene, we checked in at the Welcome Center, where we were given stickers which we foolishly stuck on our clothes. (They fell off within the hour, so we returned and kept the second set safe in my bag!) We were told it was a great time to visit the Goat Dairy and, since you never have to tell me the word “dairy” twice, we headed through sun-dappled and exquisitely-maintained wooded trails to this area. The Goat Dairy was everything we could ask for, with Nubian goats of all age groups ready for pets and brushes.
Peaceful path… 
One cutie! 
Cutie #2!
While we chose to walk everywhere, I should note that there is an option to have a tram to take you from various points of interest on the land to others – we witnessed many guests appreciating this service!
After our walk to the goats, we had many more places to check out within Hildene: we stopped for a picnic lunch (my husband had been helpfully carrying sandwiches and water around in a backpack for the morning), we visited the Dene Farm (one farm was just not enough!) to check out sheep and alpaca, we witnessed plants in growth at the greenhouse, and we walked along further trails, including a lovely wetlands trail that was set up with a boardwalk.
Everywhere I looked, all I saw involved gorgeous shades of green. I distinctly remember telling my husband, “A day like this is exactly what is so wonderful about Vermont.” I took about ten thousand photos and breathed in the clean air, feeling waves of gratitude for the opportunity to be there in that moment, among so much natural beauty. There was no trail we didn’t enjoy, but the most memorable were the wetlands trail and the “maple trail” where you could see maple syrup moving along through tubes attached to trees.
After a few miles of trail loveliness and filling up on food, we went to see the big attraction itself: the “home” part of the “Lincoln Family Home”. When we arrived, a staff member gave us some background information on the car out front (it was used by Robert Todd Lincoln’s daughter Jessie when she visited) as well as the home itself. We learned about how Robert purchased this home as more of a “vacation cottage” (it was small compared to what he was used to) and how much time his children and grandchildren enjoyed there. Though we experienced the self-guided tour, we still managed to learn quite a lot through reading the information on display in each and every room.
After exploring the interior of the home, we also got to take in the delightfully-designed gardens, with the formal and kitchen gardens being equally lovely. I easily took another ten thousand photos while exploring both floral landscapes. I also took note that a plethora of bees and butterflies were present – Hildene is truly a pollination haven.
Bees were plentiful at the estate. 
The formal gardens had fancy hedges. 
The kitchen gardens contained sweet and simple paths.
After so many adventures, it was about time to head home. I could not leave without one more visit to the welcome center, though – all sorts of things I love were for sale, including artisanal cheese, candles, and candy. Despite all the wondrous items, I managed to control myself by only purchasing a few goat milk caramels for $5. One of those chewy blocks of sweetness was the perfect treat for the ride home after an idyllic, truly Vermont-ish day.
Hildene has a wide variety of things to see and do and is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to in Vermont.
Freshly Vermont rating: five out of five stars! ★★★★★