The VINS Nature Center campus is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. Here are some details to help you enjoy your visit:

• Accessible parking is available at the main entrance. The elevation change from our Welcome Center to the Hawkfly and main exhibits is a 5% grade. There is additional accessible parking in our staff-only parking area that eliminates the elevation change. Guests still need to check in at the Welcome Center to access this parking.
• All main exhibits are ADA-accessible: the Bird Enclosures, Artist Exhibition, Songbird Aviary, Birds are Dinosaurs, Forest Exhibit, and the Beaver Lodge for Young Explorers. 
• Our Live Bird Programs are held in the Hawkfly in warmer months, and the Neale Pavilion in colder months, both of which are ADA-accessible.
• Forest Canopy Walk is ADA-accessible, allowing visitors of all abilities and ages to experience the outdoors and get eye level with the treetops. You are able to get around the main level of the canopy walk, which is 50ft. above ground at its highest point. Note that the Treehouse, Eagle’s and Owl’s Nest platforms are not wheelchair or stroller accessible. The top of the treehouse is 99 steps above the main part of the Canopy Walk.
• The McKnight Trail is also ADA-accessible. This out-and-back trail is ⅓ mile long and leads to a beautiful platform in the forest, down by the Ottaqueechee River. Note that the trail is not flat; it does go down a small hill to the platform, and then you ascend again to get back up to the main exhibit area. The elevation change is approximately 37ft over the course of 1,652ft. The trail is made of one section of hard pack and another of Geopave permeable gravel pavers. 
• The path to the Adventure Playscape is accessible. However, the Playscape itself has a substrate of wood chips and is not accessible, and we don’t currently have any wheelchair-accessible play features.
• We have 4 ADA-accessible restrooms: two individual all-gender restrooms adjacent to the Nature Store, and two bathrooms with ADA push buttons by the Hawkfly with multiple stalls.
• If you book a Private Experience, that will be held in an ADA-accessible location. Please let us know when you book if you need any specific accommodations.
• All of our rentable spaces are also ADA-accessible: the August Pavilion, Neale Pavilion, Sustainable Room and Outdoor Classroom.

The VINS Nature Center does not allow pets beyond the admissions area. Pets are permitted only in the parking lot and must be on a leash. Please pickup after your pet. Pets should not be left in a vehicle if the air temperature is above 70°F. If an animal is found without adequate care, barking incessantly, acting in an aggressive manner, or showing other signs of stress, the visitor will be contacted by staff and may be asked to leave. Trained service animals will be admitted to the VINS Nature Center.*

*Due to the lack of physical barriers between Aviary birds and guests, Service Animals are not permitted inside the Songbird Aviary.

By purchasing or reserving tickets to visit the VINS Nature Center, you grant VINS the right to capture and use photographs and/or video recordings of you and your party during your visit. These images may be used in promotional materials, including but not limited to, social media, websites, publications, and advertisements, without compensation or further notice.

If you do not wish to have images of you or your minor children used by VINS, please notify a staff member upon arrival. You may be asked to wear a designated sticker or take other steps to opt out. VINS will make reasonable efforts to honor these requests but cannot guarantee exclusion from all background or crowd images.

VINS is committed to offering quality environmental education experiences, regardless of financial ability. Because we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy the wonders of our Nature Center, we offer reduced admission to VT and NH residents.

• Medicaid Card
  Present your VT or NH Medicaid card to receive $5 admission. (For the cardholder only).
• EBT Card
  Show your valid VT or NH EBT card to receive admission for $5 per person for up to two adults and two youth in your household. Children 3 and under are free. (P-EBT cards are not part of this discount program).
• Library VINS Membership Card
  Present your library’s VINS Membership card at entry to purchase tickets for up to four people at $10 each.

The Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation is open to receive injured birds from 8:00am – 4:00pm daily. Please call to alert staff that you are bringing an injured bird at 802.359.5000 x212 or after hours x510.