Saint Johnsbury: Art, History, and Nature

Saint Johnsbury can be explored through a range of specific interests: art, local history, the cosmos, butterflies, and landscape. The places and activities mentioned vary in form—from a library and gallery to exhibitions and guided tours to trails with scenic views. If you are planning a hotel stay, you can first decide which topics matter to you; this way, your search for a hotel in Saint Johnsbury can be tailored to the purpose of your trip.

Art and Local History

The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is a private, nonprofit public library and art gallery in Saint Johnsbury. The St. Johnsbury History and Heritage Center houses permanent and changing exhibitions on the history of Saint Johnsbury, including the people and industries that shaped the region. This makes it possible to distinguish between different cultural interests: the Athenaeum represents library and art gallery offerings, while the Heritage Center focuses on exhibitions about local history. If you want art and library culture, or the history of people and industries, to shape your stay, this distinction offers a concrete starting point.

The tour of Mount Pleasant Cemetery includes more than 70 short stories. This makes it different in format from the exhibitions at the History and Heritage Center: instead of choosing between permanent and changing exhibition topics, you can consider a tour featuring numerous short stories as its own activity. The difference lies in the format—exhibition or tour—and helps you assess the offerings by the kind of experience they provide.

Art, the Cosmos, and Events

The Lyman Spitzer Jr. Planetarium in Saint Johnsbury offers tours of the cosmos. Catamount Arts in Saint Johnsbury is a year-round center offering classes, productions, and public arts events. It also includes a regional advance ticket outlet, an event center, a gallery, and a movie theater; individual offerings vary. The comparison is clear: the planetarium focuses on tours covering a specific subject, while Catamount Arts encompasses a range of art and event formats. Since individual offerings vary, check the current program when planning a specific visit.

Nature and Trails

The Shippee Family Eye Care Butterfly House is affiliated with the Fairbanks Museum in Saint Johnsbury and features a living collection of native butterflies and their host plants. The butterflies and host plants together form the focus of this offering, adding a specific nature theme to the art- and history-related attractions.

The trail network in St. Johnsbury Town Forest offers views back toward town and along the Moose River. For those interested in the landscape, these views provide a different connection to the town than exhibitions do. The section of the Three Rivers Transportation Path & Lamoille Valley Rail Trail Phase 1A runs from the Three Rivers Bike Path on Mont Vernon Street to Chanel Drive, on the other side of Joe’s Pond in West Danville.

Discover more destinations: Waterford, Lyndon.

Return to the main travel overview: Caledonia.