Quantcast
 
 

Maine's museums for art, history, science, and children are a visit of discovery

Maine > State > Things to Do and See > Museums and Galleries

Maine has a wonderful variety of art galleries and museums that explore all manner of subjects, from art to traditional technologies (like lumbering) to history and science. Enrich your family vacation in Maine with a visit or two to the state's museums. 

Museums & Galleries in Maine
Dorr Museum of Natural History - Bar Harbor, ME
George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History

College of the Atlantic - 105 Eden Street Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 Phone: 207-288-2917

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: During the summer (mid-June to early September) Tuesday-Saturday, 10am - 5pm. Check website for hours during other times of the year.
Brick Store Museum - Kennebunk, ME
Brick Store Museum

117 Main Street Kennebunk, ME, 04043 Phone: 207-985-4802

Exhibits and collections include Artifacts and papers pertaining to the maritime heritage of the Kennebunks and items from the estates of renowned authors, Kenneth Roberts and Booth Tarkington. Highlights include quilts with secret pouches and handwritten inscriptions; a rare chest dating to 1685; a painting found floating at sea of a Kennebunkport ship captain; pieces salvaged from area shipwrecks; a Civil War drum for a real surprise; and the largest collection of World War I and II posters in Maine.
Hours: Open year round, Tuesday – Friday 10am - 5pm ; Saturday 10am - 4pm ; Sunday Noon - 4pm.
Washburn-Norlands Living History Center - Livermore, ME
Washburn-Norlands Living History Center

290 Norlands Road Livermore, ME, 04253 Phone: 207-897-4366

The Norlands Living History Center helps rural 19th century New England come to life. The center has six buildings depicting a crossroads community. There is a one-room schoolhouse, stone library, church and grand mansion built in 1867. Toys, clothing and personal items appear to tell the story of every day life in the Washburn Mansion. Norlands was the family home of the Washburns, one of the great American political dynasties. The 445-acre site, with five historic buildings, offers hands-on living history experiences in 19th century rural life for all ages. Please check website for season & hours, tour information & admission.
Wendell Gilley Museum of Bird Carving - Southwest Harbor, ME
Wendell Gilley Museum of Bird Carving

4 Herrick Road Southwest Harbor, ME, 04679 Phone: 207-244-7555

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: Open November-mid May, Fridays & Saturdays 10am – 4pm. Closed Nov. 24-25 and Dec. 19-Jan. 12, 2023. Summer 2023 Hours to be announced.
The Museum at Portland Head Light - Cape Elizabeth, ME
The Museum at Portland Head Light

1000 Shore Road Cape Elizabeth, ME, 04107 Phone: 207-799-2661

Situated along the spectacular shores of Fort Williams Park, the museum is contained within the former keeper’s quarters. The museum contains a number of lighthouse lenses and interpretative displays as well as a seasonal shop featuring lighthouse- and Maine-related gifts.
Hours: Open from Memorial Day thru mid-October, Mon-Fri 10am - 2pm and Weekends 10am - 4pm.
Stanley Museum - Kingfield, ME
Stanley Museum

School Street Kingfield, ME, 04947 Phone: 207-265-2729

The Stanley Museum is located in the Georgian-style Stanley School built in 1903. The museum commemorates the heritage of Stanley family and the famous Stanley Steamer automobile, which was invented by Francis Edgar Stanley and manufactured by him and his twin brother. They are often called the the Stanley twins, F.E. and F.O. Their sister is remembered for her photographs depicting rural American life in about 1900 in Maine. Visitors to the Stanley Museum see the steam cars, and an exhibit that demonstrates the power plant of the Stanley steam car. Also on display is a Mason Regulator engine on exhibit, which is used in the first Stanley cars. Check website for hours and admission.
Seashore Trolley Museum - Arundel, ME
Seashore Trolley Museum

195 Log Cabin Road Arundel, ME, 04046 Phone: 207-967-2800

This electric railway museum has a collection of more than 250 transit vehicles, most of them trolleys, from all over the United States, Canada, and other countries. Museum admission includes unlimited streetcar rides, access to the museum grounds and exhibit buildings, and use of picnic areas.
Hours: Open May-December 10, 9:30am - 4:30pm.
Wilson Museum - Castine, ME
Wilson Museum Complex

120 Perkins Street Castine, ME, 04421 Phone: 207-326-9247

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: Open Late May thru September, Weekdays 10am - 5pm, Weekends 2 - 5pm.
Fishermen's Museum at Pemaquid Point Lighthouse - New Harbor, ME - Photo Credit John Pyers
Fishermen’s Museum in the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

3007 Bristol Road New Harbor, ME, 04554 Phone: 207-677-2494

The lighthouse was built in 1826 and marks the entrance to Muscongus Bay and John Bay. Today it is a major attraction in Maine and receives almost 100,000 visitors each year. The keeper’s house has been converted into the Fishermen's Museum. On display are items related to the local maritime history.
Hours: Open daily during park hours, 9am - 5pm. Free Admission
Ogunquit Museum of American Art - Ogunquit, ME
Ogunquit Museum of American Art

543 Shore Road Ogunquit, ME, 03907 Phone: 207-646-4909

This small, seasonal museum is devoted entirely to American art. Its permanent collection houses one of the largest collections of ceramic sculpture by Carl Walters; watercolors by Eliot O’Hara; oils by Henry Strater; drawings and sculpture by Isabella Howland. Its collection includes works by artists of the Ogunquit arts colony, including Edward Betts, Charles Woodbury, Hamilton Easter Field, and Robert Laurent. The museum is built with a large glass wall facing the coastline and ocean. The building has grown to 7,500 square feet since its founding in 1953.
Hours: Open daily from May to October, 10am - 5pm.
Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center Sunrise Rocklnd ME
Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center

16 Museum Street Rockland, ME, 04841 Phone: 207-596-6457

The stern beauty of Maine and the manifold ways it has been expressed by Maine-loving artists is the driving theme of the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, just steps away from the coastline that has inspired artists for centuries. The museum was opened in 1948 and it quickly acquired paintings by, among others, George Bellows, William Zorach, and Andrew Wyeth. These and others established Farnsworth’s main strength: landscapes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early purchases included Eastman Johnson’s American Farmer, George Inness’s In the White Mountains, and Winslow Homer’s New England Coast. From the start, the Farnsworth built a relationship with the Wyeth family of artists, including Andrew, N.C., and Jamie Wyeth. The museum’s holdings of contemporary art have been significantly expanded.
Maine's Paper & Hertage Museum - Livermore Falls, ME
Maine's Paper & Heritage Museum

22 Church Street Livermore Falls, ME, 04254 Phone: 207-592-1807

This museum preserves the history of the paper industry in Maine and in particular the cultural heritage of the towns and mills along the Androscoggin River. Through its interactive exhibits, visitors may experience life in a paper-making community. Check website for season & hours.
Outdoor View - Abbe Museum - Bar Harbor, ME
The Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor

26 Mount Desert Street - Route 3 Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 Phone: 207-288-3519

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. Open to the public from April thru October, check website for dates & hours.
Maine Forestry & Logging Museum - Bradley, ME
Maine Forest and Logging Museum

262 Government Road Bradley, ME, 04411 Phone: 207-974-6278

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 grounds are open year-round from sunrise to sunset. Buildings are not open to the public. Volunteers will be on-site Tuesdays keeping the grounds and can answer questions.
Cole Land Transportation Museum - Bangor, ME
Cole Land Transportation Museum

405 Perry Road Bangor, ME, 04401 Phone: 207-990-3600

Exhibits feature antique vehicles, including a display of military cars and trucks. There is also a covered bridge on the premises. Open seasonally from late April thru early November.
Bowdoin College Museum of Art - Brunswick, ME - Photo Credit Thomas Janzo
Bowdoin College Museum of Art

9400 College Station Brunswick, ME, 04011 Phone: 207-725-3275

Bowdoin College's collection of fine art features American and European classic work. Of particular interest, however are the exhibitions of works by Maine artists Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth.
Hours: Open Tues-Sat, 10 am - 5pm; Thursdays 10am - 8:30pm.; Sundays 1-5pm. Closed Mondays. Free Admission.
Patten Lumbermen's Museum - Patten, ME
Patten Lumberman's Museum

61 Shin Pond Road Patten, ME, 04765 Phone: 207-528-2650

The museum documents Maine logging history by preserving the logging heritage and accomplishments of early inhabitants of the state of Maine. Exhibits include some of Maine's most notable contributions to the early mechanization of logging, including the Lombard Steam Hauler, Lombard Gas Hauler, and the Peavey Cant Dog. Please consult website for hours & admission.
maine farm museum
Page Farm & Home Museum

University of Maine - 5787 Museum Barn Orono, ME, 04469 Phone: 207-581-4100

This museum is part of the University of Maine, and its mission is to describe industry, agriculture, economy, and lives of rural Maine farmers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Centerpiece of the property is the three-story, post and beam Maine Experiment Station barn, built in 1833. Also on the farm and museum property are the 1855 Chute Schoolhouse, the Winston E. Pullen Carriage House and the blacksmith shop. A garden containing herbs, flowers, and vegetables that were grown from 1865 to 1940 is on the property. The museum contains the state’s most important collection of farm technologies and artifacts of rural culture.
Hours: Open Weds - Saturday, 10am - 3pm.
Maine Lighthouse Museum - Rockland, ME
Maine Lighthouse Museum at the Maine Discovery Center

One Park Drive Rockland, ME, 04841 Phone: 207-594-3301

The Maine Lighthouse Museum is the home of the largest collection of Fresnel lighthouse lenses and the most important landmark collection of lighthouse artifacts and Coast Guard memorabilia in the United States. A few years back, the museum merged its collection with that of the former Museum of Lighthouse History of Wells (now closed). The two collections are now on display and marvelously compliment each other. Visit the museum gift shop and find lighthouse models and miniatures, replicas, clothing, gifts, art, toys, memorabilia, and exclusive regional favorites.
Hours: Open Thursday–Saturday, 10am – 4pm.
Maine Discovery Museum - Bangor, ME
Maine Discovery Museum

74 Main Street Bangor, ME, 04401 Phone: 207-262-7200

This museum, in the heart of Bangor, is filled with interesting and educational things to do with kids at all age levels. Seven permanent exhibits invite children to explore nature, geography, children's literature, music, art, science and anatomy. Among the exhibits are: Nature Trails, to explore Maine's ecosystem along a 20-foot waterway; TradeWinds, a new exhibit about Maine's global connections to Brazil, Japan, and Italy; Booktown, a village where every doorway leads into the pages of a Maine children's literary classic; Sounds Abound, exploring the world of music in a sound studio.
Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am - 4:30pm, closed Mondays. Open Sunday by special appointment only. Check website for admission.
Zillman Art Museum - University of Maine - Bangor, ME
Zillman Art Museum

University of Maine - 40 Harlow Street Bangor, ME, 04938 Phone: 207-581-3300

The Zilman Art Museum at the University of Maine demonstrates modern and contemporary art in a variety of styles and media. The museum makes a point of featuring artists from Maine, including Berenice Abbott, Marsden Hartley, Winslow Homer, John Marin, Carl Sprinchorn, and Andrew Wyeth. Please consult the website for a list of past, current and upcoming exhibitions.
Hours: Open Tuesday thru Saturday, 10am - 5pm.
Maine Maritime Museum - Bath, ME
Maine Maritime Museum

243 Washington Street Bath, ME, 04530 Phone: 207-443-1316

From the beginning of the Civil War to the turn of the century, Bath was the one of the nation's most important seaports and ship-building cities. The Maine Maritime Museum tells the story of Maine’s ship and boat building history with multiple rooms of exhibits, all contained beside a 19th century shipyard on the Kennebec River.
Hours: Open daily, 9:30am - 5pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Days.
Owls Head Transportation Museum - Owls Head, ME
Owls Head Transportation Museum

117 Museum Street Owls Head, ME, 04854 Phone: 207-594-4418

Visitors will enjoy exhibits featuring a collection of early air and ground vehicles. Trace the history of the bicycle and the horse-drawn carriage. Many of the vehicles are in operating condition and are demonstrated on the museum grounds. Hours: Year-round, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m
Abbe Museum at Sieur de Monts Spring - Bar Harbor, ME
The Abbe Museum at Sieur de Monts Spring

Acadia National Park - Sieus de Monts Road Entrance Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 Phone: 207-288-3519

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. Note: The Museum at Sieur de Monts is currently closed for renovation. Please check the website and social media for further information.
Fifth Maine Regiment Museum - Peaks Island, ME
Fifth Maine Regiment Museum

45 Seashore Avenue Peak's Island, ME, 04108 Phone: 207-766-3330

Exhibits commemorate the Civil War, and in particular the contribution of Maine citizens to the war effort.
Hours: Memorial Day-July 1, weekends, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; July 1-Labor Day, week-days, 1 to 5 p.m. and weekends, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Labor Day-Columbus Day, weekends, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Portland-Museum-of-Art-exterior-at-night-credit-Corey-Templeton-and-Portland-Museum-of-Art
Portland Museum of Art

7 Congress Square Portland, ME, 04101 Phone: 207-775-6148

The museum's collection of more than 15,000 objects is housed in three historic buildings showcasing three centuries of art and architecture. Displaying work by Winslow Homer, Marsden Hartley, Rockwell Kent, Louise Nevelson, and Andrew and N.C. Wyeth, as well as European masters Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre-August Renoir, and Pablo Picasso.
Hours: Open Weds/Thurs/Sat/Sundays, 10am to 6pm and Fridays 10am to 8pm. Free Admission Fridays from 4-8pm!