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The Montshire Museum of Science is an interactive science center in Norwich, Vermont, with more than 150 hands-on exhibits relating to the natural and physical sciences, ecology, and technology. Outdoors, visitors can explore nature trails and exhibits on wind, water, and sound in David Goudy Science Park. Visiting exhibitions, educational programs, and special events are offered throughout the year.
NORWICH, VT – Explore the wooded trails at the Montshire Museum of Science and you’ll discover new experiences in the making within its award-winning Healing Forest. The Healing Forest is the Museum’s innovative initiative to advance community mental health and wellbeing by connecting visitors with the healing power of nature. The hallmark of the Healing Forest is a new collection of immersive outdoor exhibits purposefully designed to support mindfulness, sensory exploration, full-body movement, and self-expression.
The Montshire is committed to ensuring as much of the Museum experience–indoors and out–can be enjoyed by all. To that end, a years-long partnership with the Upper Valley Trails Alliance has yielded widened and resurfaced walking paths in the trail system under the railroad tunnel, (a short walk from Science Park), from the Meadow Loop Trail to the first segment of the River Loop Trail that parallels the Connecticut River shoreline until it curves deeper into the forest. The path has been re-graded and resurfaced with new crushed and compressed stone and hard pack, making it traversable for wheelchairs, strollers, and walkers. The final loop will be completed next year, and will include additional regrading, switchbacks, and elevated boardwalks.
In Fall 2024 Timber Tumble was built, a whimsical outdoor sound bathing exhibition that invites people into the woods to interact with a series of wood ball runs, switchbacks, spirals, and raceways built from natural and found materials sourced from the property. The interactive sculptures all have a gentle auditory component–the sound of wood on wood, wood on stone, or tinkling bells struck by rolling wooden balls. Under the forest canopy, Timber Tumble is a temporary salve to the overstimulated mind.
The Wind Phone opened in Summer 2025. Located in a peaceful hemlock grove on the Blood Brook Trail, it is a destination for reflection and remembrance. Designed and built by undergraduate students at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, it offers a quiet opportunity to have symbolic one-way conversations with loved ones who have passed.
In the Spring of 2026, high school students from Kimball Union Academy joined Montshire staff to prepare an area of the forest floor to be the site of a new Forest Labyrinth by pulling a massive stand of non-native glossy buckthorn plants. The Forest Labyrinth will invite walking meditation, a practice used for centuries the world over as a way to quiet the mind, enhance creativity, and foster a sense of peace. As opposed to mazes, labyrinths use classical design and predictable routes. Walking through a labyrinth combines controlled physical movement with focused intention, inviting visitors to experience positive physical and mental health benefits, such as reduced stress and anxiety and enhanced mind-body connection. Montshire’s Forest Labyrinth will be completed in late fall.
Most recently, kinetic sculptures by artist Lyman Whitaker (represented by Maine Art Hill) have been installed in the Quinn Nature Preserve along the Meadow Loop. Appreciated for their meditative qualities, the rhythmic, mesmerizing movement of kinetic sculptures, which are set into soothing motion by the wind, act as a hypnotic focal point and can facilitate concentration, mindfulness, and relaxation. The sculptures are made of copper and stainless steel and are designed to withstand all weather conditions.
The Montshire received a generous challenge gift from the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation inspiring dozens of matching contributions ranging from $10 to $50,000. With just $20,000 left to raise by the end of September, to unlock the full $150,000 matching pledge, please consider supporting our goal for additional elevated experiences for all visitors in the Healing Forest. Every gift to the Healing Forest will be matched dollar for dollar through September 30, 2026. To make a donation, visit montshire.org/support.
More immersive experiences in the Healing Forest are planned through 2027.
Montshire’s nature trails in the Healing Forest are sponsored in part by Novo Nordisk.
About the Montshire Museum of Science
Named “Best Museum” in the 2026 Times Argus Best of the Best Awards, and 2025 Valley News Reader’s Choice Awards, the Montshire Museum of Science’s mission is to forge and empower a community of lifelong learners through engagement with science.
Located in beautiful Norwich, VT, the Montshire Museum of Science is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Daily admission is $21 for adults and $18 for children ages 2-17. The Museum is free for members and children under the age of two. Memberships are available. Visit montshire.org or call 802-649-2200 for more information.
The Montshire Museum of Science is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is supported by admission, membership, grants, and charitable contributions.