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BURLINGTON
WATERFRONT

Burlington Waterfront

Did you know that a mere 220 years ago, if you were standing next to ECHO, you would have needed a boat? In 1790 there were just three houses and a crude log wharf perched on the water's edge. By the 1870s, Burlington was one of the world's busiest ports. Schooners, steamers, barges, and nearly 1,500 canal boats traversed the Lake each year. In fact, shipwrecks litter Lake Champlain's floor - making this one of the best wreck-diving areas in the nation.

Today, a stunning recreational Waterfront overlooks 13 miles of water, framed by the Adirondack mountains to our west. While these days you're more likely to spot a creemee than a peavey (that's the tool used by lumberjacks and ship-builders in the 1800s), stories of the way things were abound: Whether it was building the important 40-foot-tall breakwater, which still stands solid — 400 feet from the shore, or one of the ships lost in yesterday's storms.
 

Adirondack Vistas

From the second floor of ECHO, through our floor-to-ceiling windows, witness Lake Champlain at its widest point (13 miles) and see the grandeur of the Adirondack Mountains, which are part of the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States. These mountains thrust up from the Lake's edge and include 40 peaks — with Mount Marcy the highest at 5,344 feet. In summer, watch a working Waterfront - where seasonal ferries cross, local sailors launch, and day and overnight cruises load and unload. Venture outside on one of our decks, settle into our Adirondack chairs and soak it all in. Discover the time on on the precision sundial. In the winter, the drama of ice, wind and cold sculpt the landscape into fantastic shapes that twinkle in the low winter sun.
 

Shipwreck ROV

Grab the joystick and operate your own ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) to explore ECHO's Into the Lake exhibit. Find the General Butler shipwreck and peer into our largest aquarium, the 7,000-gallon Lake Tank. ROVs are used by scientists to assess deep water artifacts and environments. Practice your skills at operating our camera from a remote location. You never know what you will find!