marsh - billings - rockefeller national historical park

I have visited the Park many times in the past.. It is very educational for kids brought up in the cities.

Fascinating house once owned by the Rockefellers. Definitely worth a visti. It's run by the National Park Service which always does a great job.

We hiked from the Woodstock Inn up the switchbacks to a lovely overlook then on to the Pogue (pond). We then looped back down the gravel roads/ski trails to Billings Farm and back to town. Great day hike!

Great wide open carriage trails in a lovely wooded setting. A pretty steep hike up the mountain, but many offshoots that don't go up as steeply. Dog friendly if the dogs are on leash

My wife and I just returned from a 10-day vacation in Vermont (our first trip). We were fortunate to tour the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller national historic park. Included was a tour of the farm, a visit to the farm museum, and a tour of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller mansion. The tour was very well done, with a lot of history concerning how the three me were linked in history. They were all some of the first to understand that the Vermont old-growth forest was being decimated. Billings (Billings Montana is named for him) understood and trained others to realize that farming could make money, not just for basic subsintence. The mansion was very interesting in that there were items from the 1800's as well as 1960 as the Rockefellers lived there (e.g. casette tape recorders on the desk, etc., almost like they had just left the house!)

I loved learning about the history of the area and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller families. Our tour guide did a great job and the surroundings are beautiful.

We had a very nice 2 1/2 hour hike through the beautiful fall foliage at the park. Our guide was very knowledgable and fun. This is not a difficult hike for someone older or young children.

Found out information that I previously did not know. Tried to read Marsh's book, not an easy read. Wish I was as rich so I could help the environment and humanity also

Our time was limited in Woodside so after visiting the town, we were advised to visit the Mansion. At the National Park across the Billings Farm. It was an interesting tour by the ranger and the film was very well done. The tours, given on the hour, were limited to about 12 guests so it would be wise to make reservations ahead of time. Well worth the time!

take mountain road up to top of mt tom for view of entire village of woodstock. take the precipice trail down.

We spent a lovely fall afternoon touring this working farm, watching a great short movie about its history and strolling the grounds. A great kept park, with the tour of the Mansion the peak of our visit. We enjoyed every minute of our visit here. Probably not on the top ten of National parks it is a little hidden gem in the beauty of Vermont. A must visit for those on a leaf-peeping tour of New England

Great tour of the mansion by the Woodstock ranger with the French accent. The film about Woodstock and its people and philanthropists was a Academy nominee. A must see. The Billings farm is a productive, working farm. Did not have time to walk on the parks trails. Beautiful autumn colors.

On Oct 9 I visited the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. I had the pleasure of taking a 2 hour hike up Mt. Tom with a NPS guide. The scenery was beautiful, the walk pleasant and once the official tour was done a few of us continued to hike up the mountain to a vantage point where we could look down on the town of Woodstock, VT so my walk took about 3 hours. I am not someone who does a lot of hiking and we had all ages in the group from children to someone who was likely at least in his 70's, all of us looked as if we were not "hikers" so unless you have joint issues and trouble navigating hills and uneven ground it is a hike almost everyone can do. We heard the amazing story of how the 3 families had preserved the land through the decades and then donated it to the NPS to preserve. There are various trails and you are free to walk without a guide, taking a shorter route if you prefer. At the visitor center at the farm, be sure to watch the free film which tells you about the history of the land and the people who owned it. There is a beautiful mansion but we did not take the guided tour of the mansion (there is a charge to see the mansion and you can only go in with a guided tour, not on your own) but did walk around the grounds of the mansion. If you have time that would be a good thing to include in your visit.

My wife and I went here recently while staying in Woodstock for a few days. We skipped the farm but wanted to see and learn about the Mansion. I would recommend watching the movie at the information center across the street before the mansion tour. It's only about 10 minutes long and free to watch. It will make the mansion tour even more enjoyable. Learn about remarkable men who did remarkable things and see a fabulous home.

We took this tour as a part of the Forest/Woodworking Festival in Woodstock. We took the wagon ride through the park led by Jack and Jerry, two Percheron working horses. The park ranger who accompanied us was well informed and eager to answer our questions. It was very interesting to hear the history of the Marsh, Billings and Rockefeller families and the conservation efforts they made over the last century. The grounds were pristine and the craftsmen at the visitors center were eager to explain the processes they were using. This was one of the highlights of our trip and I highly recommend stopping here if you are in the area.