Bread and Puppet Museum

Not paying attention to simple things like the day of the week can lead to unexpected but fun experiences! :-D  Our intention was to visit the museum but the parking lot was filled so we followed a dirt road down to grass meadow where we found a stage and lots of people. It was Sunday and time for the weekly Domestic Resurrection Circus and Pageant!

The Bread and Puppet Theater was started in New York city 58 years ago by Elka and Peter Schumann and their friends. The Schumann's moved it to the farm in Vermont in 1974. The performances tackle complex social and political issues often with a humorous twist. Over the years thousands of paper-maché puppets have been created for the performances and are now stored in an old barn that serves as a museum. There's also an indoor performance stage called the Dirt-Floor Cathedral that has masks and paintings on the ceiling and walls.

If you want to visit the museum I recommend going on any other day but Sunday so that you can park in one of the lots close to the barn. We walked/rolling up the hill along a dirt road then through a field to see the museum before the performance started - a long and difficult trek.

If you want to go to a performance arrive early and find a spot on the flat section of the meadow. The hillside makes a natural amphitheater to spread a blanket and the level land at the top (where we watched the performance) is good too. Wear a hat or bring an umbrella for shade.

Access to both the performance area and the museum is not very good. The people directing traffic will send you to a spot close to the stage if you request it. Navigating over bumpy and uneven grassy ground to get to the seating area is still necessary. Access to the museum is in the rear of the barn and house through the wood shed. There's a parking lot near there but no directions indicating that this is the lot to park in for the accessible entrance. A ramp in the wood shed gallery leads into the rest of the museum. The museum floor is uneven with high thresholds. Wheelchair users may need assistance to access both the performance area and the museum.

 

The second floor is accessed by stairs only and has many more puppets.

There's room for any size RV in the meadow. Large RVs should be parked in the parking area on the opposite side of the street from the museum. Smaller RVs can be parked in the lot close to the accessible entrance. Museum  44.68414, -72.17792