The Lincoln Forum Symposium Dinner
Join us in May for the 2nd Annual Lincoln Forum Symposium at Hildene. The 3-day event takes place May 1-3, 2026, with the keynote session and award presentation scheduled for Saturday evening at Lincoln Hall, Hildene’s programs and celebrations center. Ken Burns—the nation’s most honored documentary filmmaker—will receive the coveted Lincoln Forum Film Award at the Saturday evening event.
The symposium begins with a kick-off dinner and program Friday evening at the Equinox Golf Resort and Spa, followed by a full day of speakers, panels, Hildene home tours, and archives tours at Lincoln Hall on Saturday, then concludes back at the Equinox Hotel on Sunday morning. Sunday’s program features a panel of direct descendants of former American Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, and Theodore Roosevelt.
The Lincoln Forum reports that interest in the symposium at Hildene has been "amazingly strong" and it has SOLD OUT. Please click the button below to join the waiting list.
Maple Month at Hildene
Sunday, March 22nd
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Come meet Sugar Bob, the legendary sugar-maker and entrepreneur behind Sugar Bob's Finest Kind. Join us in The Welcome Center at Hildene to sample sweet and savory maple specialties from Bob’s flagship store and cafe in nearby Chester, Vermont.
There is no admission charge for Museum Store access.
Image from Reilly Rose's film, Making Maple: A Short Documentary.
A Closer Look at Peggy Lincoln Beckwith
Sunday, March 29th
2:00 - 3:00 pm
Join us for a deep dive into the life of the last Lincoln to live at Hildene as we take a closer look at the exhibit, “A Lincoln Legacy: Remembering Peggy Lincoln Beckwith.” In celebration of Women's History Month, Exhibits and Collections Manager Gary Parzych will point out some highlights in the exhibit on the second floor of the Lincolns’ home and share more details of Peggy's extraordinary life at Hildene.
This program is free with admission and will take place in the exhibition room on the second floor of the Hildene home.
Call Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click the button below with any questions.
Sheep Shearing
Thursday, April 2nd
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Fred DePaul, with his 50 plus years of shearing experience, will be back to shear Hildene’s flock of Corriedale sheep. Join us in watching as the sheep become many pounds lighter after their beautiful, colored fleeces have been removed. You can even lend a hand with the skirting process which is the removal of dirty wool, stains, and vegetable matter from the fleece.
Pre-registration is not required. Members always visit for FREE, non-members pay admission, and everyone must check in at the Welcome Center to receive their admission stickers.
Call Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click the button below with any questions.
Mighty Microgreens
Sunday, April 12th
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Join gardener/educator Ann Ogden Hausslein in the beautiful educational greenhouse in the dene to learn how to grow your own highly nutritious microgreens and enjoy a salad of them while you’re at it! Participants will take home a starter kit.
$30 Members / $35 Non-members, which includes materials fee.
Registration required by Thursday, April 9th. Call Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click the button below to register.
Bird Walk
Saturday, April 11th
8:00 - 10:00 am
Join local birders to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks traverse uneven terrain on forest and meadow trails and around the main house. Meet at the Welcome Center parking lot.
April Bird Note: Horned Lark. As winter draws to a close and the fields are still baren, now is a good time to look for rusty brown Horned Larks running among the humps and grasses of a fallow field. They gather in nomadic, mixed flocks in winter feeding on leftover seeds and insects. You will not see them at your feeder. In breeding plumage, the male sports a black chest band, a curving black mask, and head stripes/feathers that extend to the back of the head (aka “horns”). The face and throat are either yellow or white. Females have similar head and breast patterns but are less crisply defined. Horned Larks migrate through Vermont to a more northern breeding area, although there is documented nesting in the Champlain Valley. Horned Larks were recorded visiting Hildene in November of 2020.
No registration is required. Call Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click the button if you have any questions.
Art from the Garden: Creating with Pressed Flowers with Ellie Roden
Sunday, April 19th
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Capture the beauty of the garden and turn it into lasting art in this hands-on workshop with pressed flower artist Ellie Roden. Participants will learn several techniques for successfully pressing flowers and foliage, including traditional methods and microwave flower pressing for quick and reliable results. After a demonstration, participants will create their own pressed flower pieces — perfect for cards, bookmarks, or framing. No experience is necessary.
$40 Members / $50 Non-members, which includes the materials fee.
Space is limited, registration required by Thursday, April 16th. Call Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click the button below to register.
Hildene Reads! Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment
Saturday, April 25th
7:00 - 10:00 am
Join local birders to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks traverse uneven terrain on forest and meadow trails and around the main house. Meet at the Welcome Center parking lot.
April Bird Note: The Rusty Blackbird. The Rusty Blackbird is another uncommon bird at Hildene. Unlike its better-known relative, the Red-winged Blackbird, the Rusty is all black with rust-colored feather edges after it loses its breeding plumage. It has yellow eyes. It is a tad larger than the Red-winged, but should not be confused with its much bigger look alike, the black, purple-headed Common Grackle. The Grackle also has yellow eyes, but it has a much longer tail and is much more common. Both species live near wetlands, marshes or bogs. Grackles are breeding birds at Hildene. The Rusty moves through southern Vermont during migration, breeding in the Northeast Kingdom area and further north.
No registration is required. Call Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click the button if you have any questions.
