Fodor's Expert Review Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium

This odd and deeply thrilling museum displays the eccentric collection of Franklin Fairbanks, who surely had one of the most inquisitive minds in American history. He built this magnificent barrel-vaulted gallery in 1889 to house the specimens of plants, animals, birds, and reptiles, and the collections of folk art and dolls—and a seemingly unending variety of beautifully mounted curios—he picked up around the world. The museum showcases over 175,000 items, but it's surprisingly easy to feast your eyes on everything here without getting a museum headache. The popular 45-seat planetarium is Vermont's only public planetarium, and there's also the Eye on the Sky Weather Gallery, home to live NPR weather broadcasts.