Winter Lights - Shelburne Museum

A spectacular holiday tradition — Winter Lights!

Winter Lights at Shelburne Museum is a brilliant and beautiful display of colorful light installations with musical moments throughout the Museum’s campus. Winter Lights delights visitors of all ages with imaginatively and wondrously bedecked buildings and gardens. The 220-foot steamboat Ticonderoga floating in a sea of light is among the most impressively illuminated structures, the magical, other worldly Beach Woods, with its thousands of cascading firefly-like twinkling lights is a fan favorite, and you will find a charming model train installation in the Diamond Barn. Whether walking through campus or on a special drive around tour, Winter Lights is an experience not to miss and a holiday tradition that delights all ages.

Tickets

Online Advance Purchase

Walk-through regular tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children 3-17. Children under 3 are free. These are timed tickets, sold for specific time slots.

Anytime VIP tickets are $35 and are good on any one (1) Walk-through night without a reservation, even on nights when time slots are sold out online. Note: These tickets cannot be redeemed multiple times.

Drive-around tickets are $65 per personal vehicle and good only on specified drive-around evenings. Must be purchased online.

Sensory Friendly Winter Lights Program tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children 3-17. Children under 3 are free. Registration is through a separate platform. Please visit the Museum’s website calendar for December 1 and December 15 to buy tickets.

Same-day Purchase at Museum:

Walk-through regular tickets purchased at the door are $25 per adult and $12 per child. Children under 3 are free.

Drive-around tickets must be purchased in advance.

Group tickets: Please direct all Group ticket inquiries to winterlights@shelburnemuseum.org or 802.985.0833.

A D M I S S I O N

Walk-through: each member of a group (age 3+) must present a ticket at Admissions. Please bring a physical ticket for each member of the group or show digital tickets on a smartphone.

Drive-around: one (1) ticket must be presented for each vehicle. Please bring a physical ticket or show a digital ticket on a smartphone.

R E F U N D S A N D T R A N S F E R S

Tickets are nonrefundable and are not transferable to another date. You may transfer tickets via email to another person or group on the same date. Please note that once a ticket’s barcode has been scanned, it cannot be used by a different visitor/vehicle, or for re-entry to the grounds.

Only Drive-around tickets are valid on Drive-around nights. Anytime VIP Tickets and Guest Passes are valid only on Walk-through nights.

C A N C E L L A T I O N

Winter Lights happens in the snow, rain, and colder temperatures. In the rare event of cancellation due to extreme weather, ticketholders will be notified by email, and notifications will be issued over social media and local media. Tickets from the cancelled date are good at any subsequent date during the run of the event from 4:30–8:00 p.m. (with last entry at 7:00 p.m.) Tickets do not need to be rebooked.

Days, Dates, Times

Hours: 4:30–8:00 p.m. Last entry is at 7:00 p.m. Please note that the grounds close promptly at 8:00 p.m.

Dates: Friday, November 27, 2026 through Sunday, January 3, 2027. After Walk-through night concludes on January 3, there are six additional Drive-around (only) nights on January 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Walk–through evenings are generally Thursdays through Sundays from November 27 through January 3, plus additional evenings over the school break week from December 26 through January 3. Walk–through evening dates are as follows:

November: Nov. 27, 28, 29
December: 3, 4, 5, 6; 10, 11, 12, 13; 17,18,19, 20, 21, 22, 23; 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
January: 1, 2, 3

Drive–around
Hours: 4:30–8:00 p.m. Last entry is at 7:30 p.m.
evenings are as follows:

December 1,2; 8,9; 15,16
January: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Sensory Friendly Evenings:

November: Monday, Nov. 30

December: Monday, Dec. 14

See additional logistical information below.

Closed:

November 30 and December 14 are Sensory Friendly only.
December 24, 25;

Weathervane Cafe
is open Thursday-Sunday from 4:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and will be serving light snacks and hot chocolate provided by Lake Champlain Chocolates. Please note: the cafe is closed on Drive-around Evenings.

Museum Store:

Open from 1:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Thursdays – Sundays during Walk–through and Drive–around evenings. (See specific dates above.)
The Store at Diamond Barn hours: Open to ticketholders from 4:30-8:00 p.m. during Winter Lights Walk–through evenings. (See specific dates above.)

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE

Check back here soon for updates.

Policies

Photography and video (for personal use only) are welcome.
The use of sleds, toboggans, etc. for transportation or recreation is prohibited.
Pets are not permitted on the Museum grounds. Service animals are welcome.
Shelburne Museum is a smoke-free and vape-free campus. Smoking and vaping are not permitted on Museum grounds.
The safety and well-being of our visitors and staff are of the utmost importance. To ensure a secure venue for all, the possession of firearms, fireworks, explosives, incendiary devices, knives, or weapons of any kind is prohibited on Shelburne Museum’s property.

What to Expect

Restrooms are available at Admissions, the Weathervane Café, and the Train Station. All restrooms are accessible and include infant changing tables. The restrooms at Admissions and the Weathervane Café are multi-stall women’s and men’s restrooms; the Train Station has two private, single-stall, all-gender restrooms.
Winter Lights is an outdoor experience. We advise visitors to dress comfortably for being outdoors and to wear footwear appropriate for uneven terrain and varied weather conditions.
The Winter Lights experience requires approximately one-half mile of walking. There are changes in elevation both up and down. We advise all visitors to wear appropriate footwear for the weather and the terrain.
The pathways are packed gravel that can be uneven. Museum staff work diligently to keep pathways plowed and salted, but please exercise caution as snow and ice can accumulate during the course of an evening.
Visiting with wheelchairs, strollers, or wagons? Please be aware that muddy, wet, icy, or snowy conditions can cause paths to become more challenging to navigate using wheels.
Several areas are accessible only through navigating inclines and declines. If you have concerns about changes in terrain, explore the Winter Lights map (which notes inclines and declines) in advance and or reach out to winterlights@shelburnemuseum.org or 802.985.0883.
Pathways are lit, but lower light levels exist in certain locations on the grounds.
Please be aware that certain installations across the ground include motion lights. If you have accessibility questions or concerns, please contact winterlights@shelburnemuseum.org or 802.985.0942.
Ground transportation is not available on Walk-through evenings. However, the Museum offers a Drive–around experience on select nights throughout Winter Lights. Please see dates above. Reservations are required. Tickets are $65 per personal vehicle and can be purchased through the Museum web site. See above for specific dates.
The Weathervane Café will be open during Walk-through evenings, serving beverages and snacks. See above for specific dates.
Alcohol: Visitors are not allowed to bring alcohol onto the grounds. Visitors should be prepared to show ID to purchase alcoholic beverages onsite. Alcohol purchased onsite is not permitted to leave the grounds.
Please contact Visitor Services at winterlights@shelburnemuseum.org or call 802.985.0942 for any specific accessibility accommodation requests.

Sensory Friendly Winter Lights

We offer two Sensory Friendly Winter Lights dates: November, Monday, November 30 and Monday, December 14.

Adults are $20, children 3-17 are $10, children under 3 are free. If cost is a hardship, please contact education@shelburnemuseum.org or 802.985.0924.

Join us for a gentle, less crowded, supported experience geared towards individuals with sensory needs. Each time slot will have a smaller number of tickets available, meaning you’ll have more space to explore and less dense crowds on the Museum grounds.

Sensory-Friendly elements include:

A social narrative
Know-Before-You-Go materials
Staffing by the Education Team who will greet you and provide assistance and guidance during the event
Encouragement to bring headphones, fidgets, and any support materials that you may need
Lights and sound are not adjusted, but are gentle and soft throughout the grounds

Advance registration is strongly recommended, so that we can share “Know Before You Go” materials and answer questions. Tickets for Sensory Friendly Winter Lights are managed through a different platform. Please visit the Museum’s website calendar to buy tickets.

Please reach out to us with any questions or concerns regarding accessibility needs by emailing education@shelburnemuseum.org or calling 802.985.0924.

Drive-Around Evenings

Happening select evenings throughout Winter Lights. 2025-26 drive-around evening dates are as follows:

November: 24, 25;
December: 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17;
January: 5, 6.

$65 per personal vehicle.

Entry times: 4:30-7:30 p.m. on the half-hour.

Visitors follow a lead car in their own vehicles, on a single loop through the light displays.

Each Drive-around loop lasts approximately 15 minutes.

For safety reasons, visitors must remain in their vehicles for the duration of the drive-around. The caravan will stop at key locations so that visitors can roll down their windows to enjoy the music and take pictures from the safety and comfort of their vehicles.

Upon arrival, please present your vehicle’s ticket to a staff member stationed in the circle in front of the Museum Store/Admissions building.

Accessibility

Have accessibility questions not covered by this document? Contact us in advance at winterlights@shelburnemusuem.org or 802.985.0924. Contacting us the day of your visit? Please call 802.985.0942.

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