Calendar

This new exhibit explores the dynamic life and memory of the last member of the Lincoln family to live at Hildene. In addition to seeing many of Peggy’s personal belongings, visitors will delight in a collection of oral histories gathered over the years featuring many entertaining and illuminating stories. For more information, contact Jesse Keel, Collections & Exhibits Manager at jesse@hildene.org

Looking for a fun way to nurture your child’s appreciation for the natural world? Check out one of our Exploration Backpacks which contain all the essential tools for hands-on discovery. Suggested for ages 5 to 10, the adventure is intended to take between 1- 2 hours. Packs can be checked out from The Museum Store: $5 with admission. Questions? Pease contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or stephanie@hildene.org.

Fridays from 9:00 to 10:00am

Please join us in front of the Welcome Center every Friday, meet other Members and get your steps in on our 12 miles of walking trails. These brisk walks average 2 miles and are approximately 1 hour long. Registration is not required. Questions: Please contact Nan@hildene.org or call (802) 367-7994. 

Sundays, 1:00-3:00 pm, through Oct 22

Join farm manager-educators Ann and Kim for a wagon ride exploration of Hildene Farm. Learn about diverse natural and cultivated ecosystems and sustainable farming. Swing by the greenhouse, hayfields, orchard, wetland overlook, compost facility, apiary, animal barn (including alpaca, Randall cattle, pigs, sheep, rabbits and chickens), and vegetable and flower gardens. Preregistration required at least 48 hours in advance.  $60 for a family/group (up to 4 people); $10 for each additional person, up to 12 maximum (14, if mostly children).  Contact stephanie@hildene.org or call 802-367-7960

Saturdays, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, through Oct 28

ECO AmeriCorps member Rose West will guide participants on a different exploratory walk every week, focusing on in-the-field species identification of local flora and fauna and their ecological connections to our landscape. $5/person with admission;  Members free. Registration is strongly encouraged, but not required.  Contact stephanie@hildene.org or call (802) 367-7980 (Hildene.org). 

Saturday, 8:00 to 9:30 am At Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home. Free

The Northern Flicker is a woodpecker preferring to forage for grubs and ants in open fields and lawns, rather than in trees and behind bark. As the most migratory of the nine species of woodpeckers in Vermont, groups of flickers are frequently noticed during the fall as they take flight displaying their conspicuous white rump patch. The yellow-shafted form (yellow under the wings) with black bib and spotted breast is found in the east while the red-shafted is common in western states. 

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 run along forest and meadow trails and around the main house. For more information, contact stephanie@hildene.org or call 802-367-7960

Saturday, 8:00 to 9:30 am At Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home. Free

During November, we see the tail end of migration in Vermont. Hawks, geese and ducks are most noticeable and sparrows—White-throated, White-crowned and Song—are catching a last meal under the feeders. Most of the warblers, flycatchers, and vireos are gone, but the small kinglets can still be seen feeding in the trees and shrubs for a last insect morsel.

The Golden-Crowned and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets are distinguished by their fast, wing flapping, flitty foraging behavior, often hanging upside down on a leaf or branch. Both are greenish yellow above with wing bars, but the face patterns are different. Ruby-crowns sport a simple eye-ring. The male’s ruby crown is usually only seen during mating season. Golden-crowns have a bold black and white face pattern with a golden topknot. Their flitting, foraging behavior will draw attention to this migrant during any season. Because these birds are little energy balls, they can survive our colder fall days.  

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 run along forest and meadow trails and around the main house. For more information, contact stephanie@hildene.org or call 802-367-7960

Decorated throughout the month to evoke Christmas Eve 1912—one of a handful of years that the Lincoln Family spent in residence at their Vermont home. Details to come. For more information, contact stephanie@hildene.org or call 802-367-7960

Sunday, 1:00 to 3:00pm 

Gather in the greenhouse and learn to felt ornaments using roving from Hildene’s flock of Corriedale sheep with farm manager Kim Pinsonneault. Handmade ornaments make lovely gifts as well as cheerful decorations on holiday packages. $35 members, $40 non-members, which includes materials fee. Limited to 15 participants. Preregistration required by Thursday, November 30:  stephanie@hildene.org or call 802-367-7960.

Thursday, 7:00 to 8:30pm, via Zoom. Free

Join Hildene staff to discuss Jon Meacham’s masterpiece And Then There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle  Free. Register at  stephanie@hildene.org  or call 802-367-7960

“... deeply researched ... The author provides in-depth analysis of Lincoln’s career as president and on how his thoughts on the issues of slavery and the status of African Americans changed during the course of the war, right up to the Union victory ... While there are countless books on Lincoln, one of the most studied and written-about figures in history, Meacham’s latest will undoubtedly become one of the most widely read and consulted ... An essential, eminently readable volume for anyone interested in Lincoln and his era.”  -KIRKUS

Register at stephanie@hildene.org or call 802-367-7960.

Saturday, 9:00 to 10:30 am, At Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home. Free 

In 2000, Vermont was the only state in the contiguous US without nesting Bald Eagles. Thus, in 2004, four Vermont federal and state wildlife organizations and Central VT Public Service began raising and releasing young birds in the Champlain Valley. Since then, there has been annual monitoring of Bald Eagles in Vermont. During 2023, there were 38 known nests monitored producing 48 fledglings. 

This summer, Arlington, VT hosted Bennington County’s second nest record for the Bald Eagle. One eaglet was observed about ready to leave the nest in early June.  Unfortunately, a week later the chick was motionless in the nest—although an adult kept vigil nearby. Avian flu? As with many birds, Bald Eagles are site-faithful. It is hoped they will be back next year. Bald Eagles are here year-round, especially when waters such as the Battenkill do not freeze. No matter where you are, any sighting of a Bald Eagle is cause for celebration!

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 run along forest and meadow trails and around the main house. For more information, contact stephanie@hildene.org or call 802-367-7960