At the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, we are committed to becoming as accessible as possible to all of our guests. This is an always on-going and evolving process, and it is not without difficulty as we have to balance environmental preservation (we are located on public park land), the integrity of our historic structures, and our financial and institutional capabilities. We are always welcome for suggestions for improvement and assistance in achieving this goal of being able to fully serve ALL of our guests. If you communicate with us how we can best serve you, we will make it our priority.

Please email ethanallenhomestead@gmail.com with any accessibility questions or requests not covered in the information below.

Museum Areas:

Parking Lot

Our parking lot is packed dirt and gravel and can get muddy. There are two marked handicap parking spots on either side of the entrance, and a low-grade stone ramp up to the main museum building from the parking lot.

The Museum (aka The Barn)

The main museum building is a barn built c.1930s and is fully accessible via wheelchair. The doors are not automatic, but our volunteer staff are happy to assist. For our guests with mobility issues, we have one wheelchair for complimentary guest use. Just ask our volunteer front desk staff for assistance.

Path to the historic Allen House

The path from the main museum building to the historic Allen House is dirt and packed gravel. It is approximately 150 yards long. For guests with difficulty walking long distances, an assistive device such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair is recommended. We have one wheelchair for complimentary guest use; just ask the front desk staff to borrow it.
Guests often require assistance moving their assistive devices down this path. Our volunteer staff are happy to assist.

Entrance to the historic Allen House

There is a metal ramp with hand rails leading up to the riverside door of the Allen House. This is the best route for wheelchairs, walkers, and those who have difficulty walking up four consecutive steps.
This house was built 1785, and it shows in the widths of the doorways. We are unable to widen the entrance doorways without compromising the physical and historic integrity of the structure. The doorway width does not accommodate many modern wheelchairs, though narrower (often older) wheelchairs fit just fine. We have one wheelchair for complimentary guest use that is narrow enough to fit through all the doorways; just ask the front desk staff to borrow it.
Once in the house, there are two seats in each room that guests can sit on during the tour, but most guests have to stand for the duration of the tour.

Inside the historic Allen House

The Allen House is set up in an architectural design indigenous to the 1780s. As such, the interior is cramped, the doors narrow, and there are doorjambs that run the bottom of each doorway. Assistance may be required in this case, and as always our staff and volunteers are happy to help.

Exterior of the historic Allen House

There are ramps up to the windows and alongside the house. These allow visitors to view the entire first floor of the house through the windows. The windows are open on all days that are not very rainy. Guests who cannot access the interior of the house can view the house in this way, and can even follow along the entirety of a guided tour in this fashion.

Homestead Trails

There are approximately three miles of walking trails through the almost 300 acres of the Ethan Allen Homestead Park. The trails are designated “easy”, but are not fully accessible for mobility. The trails are maintained by the site owners, the Winooski Valley Park District. Please email info@wvpd.org for more information about trail accessibility.

Visual or Hearing Impaired

Certain objects in the Allen House may be handled. Our Guides are more than willing to describe and let people handle these reproductions.

Our Guides are not fully trained in ASL, but text versions of our tours may be obtained prior to your tour.

We are always willing to working with anyone assisting guests with visual or hearing impairments.