Woodstock —
Fees collected at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller fund the park’s visitor services and deferred maintenance projects.
An hourlong introductory tour, including the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller mansion, currently costs $8 for adults and $4 for seniors over 62 and national park pass holders. The tour is free for children ages 15 and younger.
The same costs have applied to one- to two-hour tours of other buildings or historic areas, according to a news release from the park.
This year, the park offered 30-minute tours of the mansion alone on a pilot basis. The tours were offered free of charge, as staff experimented with them, with the intention that if they proved worthwhile, they would carry a fee in the future, the release said. Access to the park grounds and trails is free.
Under the proposed fee structure, visitors could attend a tour of their choice for $8 for adults and $4 for seniors and pass holders, and attend a second, different tour of their choosing within a week for an additional $2. The tours would remain free for children ages 15 and under.
The new structure is designed to allow visitors to choose the tour most appropriate to their interests and timeline, while encouraging them to further explore the site by taking a second tour at a lower rate, the release said. A market survey indicates the new fee structure “would be commensurate with nearby heritage tourism sites and similar National Park Service sites.”
It would go into effect next year when the park opens for the summer.
The change would not affect the cost of the America the Beautiful or annual interagency passes or senior passes, the release said. Military passes and access passes, for people with disabilities, would continue to be free.
Public comments may be mailed to the park superintendent, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, 54 Elm St., Woodstock, Vt. 05091; emailed to mabi_superintendent@nps.gov, or posted on the park’s Facebook page. Comments will be accepted through Oct. 13.
— Staff report