Baby animals in the spring and paths through sunflowers in August. Horse-drawn sleigh rides when winter cooperates. Billings Farm & Museum Local favorite: Billings Farm & Museum gives you a pretty good excuse to return to Woodstock throughout the year, even if you’ve already checked it off your Vermont list.
Just outside the village, this working dairy farm combines time with animals and a look at Vermont farm life in the late 1800s. You can spend part of your visit in the barns, then step inside the historic farmhouse and find yourself thinking about how much work went into something as ordinary as making dinner.
I love an outing where you can follow your curiosity a little. At Billings, I’d start by checking the day’s schedule, then leave enough time to wander. The animals may be the first thing you want to see, but give the house and museum their share of the afternoon, too.
Start With the Farm Animals
Billings Farm is a working Jersey dairy farm, so the animals are part of its daily operation. Along with the cows, you can visit sheep and goats, see the chickens and meet the farm’s draft animals. Daily programming offers opportunities to learn more about their care and how the farm works.
For a visit with kids, I’d let their questions set the pace. It’s easy to walk through a barn, look at the animals and move on, but talking with the staff gives everyone more to notice. Ask before touching an animal, follow the guidance in each area and leave the feeding to the people who know their diets.
You don’t need children along to enjoy this part. I’m perfectly capable of letting a visit with farm animals take up more of an afternoon than planned.
Step Inside the Historic Farmhouse
The restored 1890 Farm Manager’s House deserves a stop, particularly if you enjoy seeing how people lived. It served as the home of farm manager George Aitken and his family, but it also contained his business office and a creamery, with an ice house adjoining it.
What surprised me in reading about the house is how advanced it was for its time. Hot running water, central heat and an indoor bathroom were among its conveniences. Frederick Billings wanted a progressive dairy operation, and the house reflected that ambition.
I’m always drawn to the practical rooms in historic homes. Kitchens tell you so much about an ordinary day, from how meals were prepared to the effort required to keep everyone fed. Here, the cast-iron woodstove was central to the kitchen and also supplied hot water. Interpreters can answer questions, and seasonal programming sometimes includes cooking demonstrations.
The Farm Life Exhibits add more context, while the Visitor Center’s Upon This Land exhibition explores the people and history connected to Billings Farm. It’s worth allowing time for both rather than treating the museum as something to squeeze in on your way out.
Put Baby Animal Weekend on Your Spring Calendar
If you need help choosing a season, baby animals make a fairly convincing argument for spring.
Billings Farm’s annual Baby Farm Animal Celebration is a weekend devoted to its youngest arrivals, with visiting animals from other farms joining the festivities. The 2026 event included calves and goat kids, along with piglets, lambs and Angora rabbits. There were also wagon rides and family activities.
This is an event to watch for on the calendar rather than assume will happen on the same weekend every year. The 2026 celebration took place April 25-26; check for the next announced dates before planning around it.
I’d give yourself plenty of time that day. A baby animal weekend doesn’t seem like an outing that benefits from a tightly managed schedule.
Walk Through the Sunflower House in Summer
In late summer, the Sunflower House gives you another reason to visit. You can follow winding paths through planted “rooms” and “hallways,” with blooms around you instead of looking at a field from its edge.
The 2026 planting included more than fifty sunflower varieties, ranging from small flowers to stalks reaching about fourteen feet tall. Peak bloom was expected from mid-August into early September, depending on the weather, and access was included with general admission.
That’s the timing I’d keep in mind for a summer sunflower stroll, but always check the farm’s bloom updates before heading over. Flowers have their own schedule, and a date on your calendar won’t persuade them otherwise.
Leave time for the surrounding gardens, too. Then, if the seasonal Farmhouse Scoop Shop is open, ice cream seems like a sensible next stop.
Come Back for a Winter Sleigh Ride
A horse-drawn sleigh ride through a snowy Vermont farm is an outing I’d happily plan a winter day around. At Billings, though, snow and ground conditions have the final say.
The farm offers horse-drawn rides on selected dates, including during seasonal events. Its Winter Celebration brings holiday decorations into the historic farmhouse, with interpreters sharing nineteenth-century traditions and activities around the property. Sleigh or wagon rides are offered on select days, weather permitting.
Private sleigh rides are another option. The farm currently lists thirty-minute private rides from December through March, with advance registration required. A wagon is substituted when there isn’t enough snow for a sleigh. Check the current price and arrangements directly before booking.
I’d dress for sitting outdoors, which always feels colder than walking around. Warm boots and an extra layer will do more for your enjoyment than looking particularly coordinated in your photos.
What to Know Before You Go
- Location: 69 Old River Road, Woodstock, Vermont, about half a mile north of the village off Route 12.
- Hours: Seasonal. Summer and fall generally have daily hours; winter operates on weekends and selected additional dates. Check the calendar for your visit.
- Admission: Published summer/fall 2026 rates are $23 for adults, $19 for seniors 65+, $16 for students 16+, and $14 for children ages 3–15. Children under 3 are free. Confirm pricing for your dates.
- Parking: Free parking beside the Visitor Center, with an overflow lot across the street.
- Budget tip: Ask your local library about a Billings Farm pass. Eligible SNAP/EBT visitors can receive reduced admission.
- How long to allow: About three hours, with extra time for special events.
- Tickets: General admission usually doesn’t require a reservation. Private rides and certain programs need separate arrangements.
- Sunflowers: Aim for late summer and check bloom updates. The Sunflower House is seasonal.
- Sleigh rides: Offered on selected dates and dependent on conditions. Confirm availability and any additional charges before arriving.
- Food: Bring a picnic or check seasonal food options on-site.
- Accessibility: The Visitor Center, Heifer Barns and Farm Life Exhibits are accessible. The historic house has limitations, and outdoor gravel paths can be uneven.
- Pets: Leave pets at home; service animals are permitted.
- Nearby national park: Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is a separate attraction. National park passes do not cover Billings Farm admission.
- Contact: billingsfarm.org | 802-457-2355.
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