MAINE - Acadia/Bar Harbor/Down East

The museum focuses on the history of Bangor and the surrounding area. Hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: Adults, $5; seniors, $3; children under age 12, free

Exhibits feature antique vehicles, including a display of military cars and trucks. There is also a covered bridge on the premises. Hours: May 1-November 11, daily, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Admission: Adults, $7; seniors age 62 and older, $5; children under age 19, free. Information: www.colemuseum.org/

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. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: By donation. Information: http://bit.ly/WgQ002.

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.
Hours: The Museum is open daily from April through October for self-guided tours; the nature trails are open year round.
Cost: Fee charged only for special events.
Information: www.leonardsmills.com.

The Abbe offers innovative exhibitions and programs on Maine’s Native American heritage. 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. Woodland setting with paths and trails running through it. Hours: Late May through mid October, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost: Adults, $3; children age 6-15, $1; free to Native Americans. Information: http://www.abbemuseum.org.

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. Hours: Summer hours are late May through early November, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; winter hours are Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; closed in January. Cost: Adults, $6; children ages 6-15, $2; free to Native Americans; includes admission to both museum locations. Information: www.abbemuseum.org/

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. Hours: June through October,Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; May, November, and December, Friday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Cost: Adults, $5; children age 5-12, $2. Information: www.wendellgilleymuseum.org.

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. Hours: May 27-September 30, weekdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 2-5 p.m. Admission: Free. Information: www.wilsonmuseum.org.