Shelburne Museum is renowned for its collection of American folk art and quilts. The Museum is also home to holdings of decorative arts, design, decoys, and carriages. The paintings collection includes  French Impressionists as well as over 400 18th - 20th century American works.

The 39 galleries, historic houses, and community buildings that house the Museum’s collections are themselves a collection spanning 300 years of architecture. They include houses, barns, a lighthouse, a schoolhouse, a jailhouse, a general store, and the National Historic Landmark steamboat Ticonderoga.