Vermont Business Magazine Lake Champlain Maritime Museum announced today that they will remain free for all visitors for the 2022 season. The museum will be open from May 21–Oct. 16 with outside and indoor exhibits, summer camps and expeditions, historic replica boats, new public programs, and more.
The 2022 season at the museum is focused on continuing to bring communities, neighbors, and youth together. As the region continues to recover from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is a common human need to gather, celebrate, and learn from culture, history, and the natural environment.
Recognizing that there are common barriers to access for many people to visit museums or take advantage of these kinds of educational experiences, the museum is committed to removing these obstacles for all visitors.
“Lake Champlain, the history of the lake and the land, and the experience of being on the water belong to the people of Vermont, New York, and Quebec,” said executive director Susan Evans McClure. “By ensuring everyone can access that for free, we can focus on coming together to learn from the lake and our shared past to build a better future for our community and the lake.”
In 2022, museum visitors, local adults, and youth can access:
- Free admission: The museum will be free for all visitors and open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Outside, indoor, and online exhibits: In 2022 the museum will open a new exhibit, “The Clean Water Act at 50” which explores this groundbreaking legislation, its impact on Lake Champlain, and how individuals can keep Lake Champlain healthy today. In addition, the museum will refresh several favorite exhibits with new research, objects, and stories including: “Nebizun: Water is Life,” an exhibit curated by Vera Longtoe Sheehan and the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association which explores the Abenaki relationship to water as a fundamental element; the Hazelett Small Watercraft Center; and the 18th Century Blacksmithing Forge. Details on onsite and online exhibits are at www.lcmm.org/Museum
- Pay-What-You-Can Summer Camps and Expeditions: To ensure that all kids and teens have equal access to a great summer on Lake Champlain, all summer programs at the museum have a pay-what-you-can tuition model. Adventurous youth can join the museum to build their own kayak, learn about underwater archaeology, go on an overnight kayak or rowing expedition, and more. Families can browse and register for 2022 camps and expeditions at www.lcmm.org/Camps.
- Historic replica boats: The museum’s replica Revolutionary War gunboat Philadelphia II will be displayed “on the hard” on the museum grounds, and the replica canal schooner Lois McClure will be docked in North Harbor for the 2022 season for all to visit for free. This season marks the second to last season for the Schooner Lois McClure. In Oct. 2023, the replica will be retired. A new exhibit on canal history in the Champlain Valley is projected to open in 2024. The public is invited to visit the Lois and participate in a public archiving project that will inform the future exhibit at www.lcmm.org/Lois
- Adult Rowing Clubs: Each spring through fall, adults of all ages are invited to row on the lake with one of the museum’s three rowing clubs. Participants row in the museum’s fleet of pilot gigs, a traditional six-oared wooden rowing gig, which are all built right at the museum as part of the museum’s boat building education program for local students. Clubs range from beginner to advanced experience levels and meet once a week in the afternoon at the museum or in Burlington. Interested rowers can join for one row or for the whole season. Registration for the 2022 season opens in late March at www.lcmm.org/Adult-Rowing
The 2022 season featuring free admission and pay-what-you-can camps and expeditions is made possible with support from Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, Lake Champlain Basin Program, the museum’s members and donors, as well as local businesses.
The museum will be regularly sharing updates on exhibits and season events on their website and social media. Follow along and plan your 2022 visit: www.lcmm.org/Visit.
About Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
Founded in 1985 with the mission to preserve and share the cultural and natural heritage of the Lake Champlain region, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is building a healthy future and community for Lake Champlain. Through education, exhibits, historic boats, research, and collections, the Museum connects people to the region’s history, ecology, and archaeology and creates opportunities for hands-on learning that will last a lifetime. Year-round education programs serve more than 2,500 K-12 students, as well as hundreds of educators locally and nationally. For more information, visit www.lcmm.org.
VERGENNES, VT - Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
