MAINE - Acadia/Bar Harbor/Down East

The museum focuses on the history of Bangor and the surrounding area.

Built in 1770, this tavern was a rendezvous point for local patriots during the American Revolution. Exhibits focus on the history of the area through the 18th and 19th centuries. The Tavern is a fine example of the design and technology of the time and is furnished much as it was it was when America was in its infancy.

Exhibits feature antique vehicles, including a display of military cars and trucks. There is also a covered bridge on the premises. Cost: Adults, $6; seniors age 62 and older, $4; children under age 19, free

The museum investigates, interprets and displays the natural world of Maine. The museum showcases dioramas that portray native species in natural and human-altered environments. The museum is housed in the original headquarters of Acadia National Park. Cost: Adults, $3.50; seniors, $2.50; teens, $1.50; children over age 3, $1.

The museum's permanent collections include pre-Hispanic Mexican and Central American materials and materials from the Native American cultures of the Northwest Coast, the Plains, the Southwest, the local Penobscot, South America and the Arctic, as well as artifacts from Oceania, Asia, and Africa. Museum offers guided tours, story hours, and films, and a Just for Kids program. Cost: Free.

The museum is dedicated to keeping alive the forest history of long ago for the present day citizens of Maine. The centerpiece of the museum is Leonard's Mills, a reconstructed logging and mill community of the 1790s. Programs feature volunteers in period dress demonstrating traditional skills and crafts. Events include living history days and summer programs. Group tours can be scheduled. Cost: Fee charged only for special events.

The Abbe offers innovative exhibitions and programs on Maine’s Native American heritage. In recent years, the Abbe has grown from a small but lovely trailside museum to an exciting contemporary museum in the heart of downtown Bar Harbor. From spring through fall, the Abbe’s historic trailside museum at Sieur de Monts Spring continues to offer visitors a step back in time to early 20th century presentations of the Native American archaeology of Maine. Cost: Adults, $2; children age 6-15, $1; free to Native Americans; Includes $2 off admission at the Abbe downtown

The Abbe offers innovative exhibitions and programs on Maine’s Native American heritage. In recent years, the Abbe has grown from a small but lovely trailside museum to an exciting contemporary museum in the heart of downtown Bar Harbor. At the Abbe’s new downtown museum, visitors find dynamic and stimulating exhibitions and activities interspersed with spaces for quiet reflection. The history and cultures of Maine’s Native people, the Wabanaki, are showcased through changing exhibitions, special events, teacher workshops, archaeology field schools and craft workshops for children and adults. Cost: Adults, $6; children ages 6-15, $2; free to Native Americans; includes admission to both museum locations

Eastport was a prominent town during the Colonial era, and an overview of the town's history since then is chronicled at this museum.

Founded in 1981, the museum is the major showcase for the work of world-renowned bird carver Wendell Gilley, a Southwest Harbor native who was one of the two or three recognized pioneers of this indigenous American art form. Cost: Adults, $5; children age 5-12, $2.

Museum consists of the Wilson Museum, with rocks and minerals, prehistoric artifacts from North and South America, dioramas of early human periods, early weapons and firearms, ship models, 19th-century carpenters tools, farm and household equipment, reconstructed 1805 kitchen and Victorian parlor, archival material related to Castine history; the John Perkins House; Blacksmith Shop; and Hearse House. Admission is free, except for the John Perkins House, where there are guided tours.