Today we are excited to announce our 2022 Season dates and share the great news that the Museum will remain free for all visitors for 2022 and for the future! The museum will be open from May 21–October 16 with outside and indoor exhibits, summer camps and expeditions, historic replica boats, new programs, and more.
The 2022 season here at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is focused on continuing to bring YOU, our communities, neighbors, and youth together to connect and learn. As the region continues to recover from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, there is a need for our community to gather, celebrate, and learn from our culture, history, and natural environment. Recognizing that there are common barriers to access for many people to visit museums and take advantage of our educational experiences, our team unanimously agreed that we will remove these obstacles for all our audiences.
We believe that 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. 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, you will be able to 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. from May 21 to October 16, 2022.
- Outside, indoor, and online exhibits: In 2022, we 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, our team and partners are refreshing 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 are on a pay-what-you-can tuition model. Adventurous youth can join us right here at 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 replica Revolutionary War gunboat Philadelphia II will be displayed “on the hard” on the museum grounds, and the replica canal schooner Lois McClure will docked here 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 will open by April at www.lcmm.org/Adult-Rowing
The 2022 season featuring free admission and pay-what-you-can camps and expeditions are made possible with support from Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, Lake Champlain Basin Program, and the museum’s members and donors.
We will be regularly sharing updates on exhibits and season events on right here on our website and social media. We can’t wait to see you here at the Museum this year, plan your visit today! www.lcmm.org/Visit.