The Knox Museum is a true historical gem, not only for the small town of Thomaston, but for the…read moreentire state of Maine. The museum does an OUTSTANDING job of preserving the memory and legacy of founding father Henry Knox whom - to be frank - I was not familiar with at all (other than the one name drop he receives in the Hamilton musical). General Knox was born in 1750. In 1775, General George Washington chose Knox as his Chief of Artillery. He spent most of the Revolutionary War by Washington's side and following the war, he was chosen to be the first Secretary of War. Knox's Revolutionary War accomplishments include leading the expedition to transfer sixty tons of captured British cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, directing Washington's famous Delaware River crossing, and taking charge of the placement of the artillery at Yorktown. In 1795, Knox retired to a large tract of land, located in what is now Thomaston, Maine which his wife had inherited from her mother. On this land, they built an elaborate nineteen-room mansion and named it "Montpelier". The original Montpelier was torn down in 1871, but an exact replica was pain-stakenly built in its place in 1929 by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The Montpelier Museum now houses many of the objects Knox kept in the original mansion that was donated by his descendants (including Marie Antoinnete's book case which is a whole wild story I'd never heard of before but is worth googling). A really interesting find and amazing legacy that Genera Knox has left behind in coastal Maine. If y'all ever find yourself up there I recommend making a visit! The museum and tour were a highlight of our most recent Maine trip.

It is so delightful to talk to volunteers who are so dedicated to their work. The Knox Museum is a…read morebeautiful building that was lovingly reconstructed and refurnished through tireless work by the volunteers, trustees and donations. We attended the annual Christmas Gala to see the decorations, which were beautiful, but the real fun was learning the stories of the building and its occupants from such enthusiastic volunteers. It was a lovely evening and we will certainly return again.

This gem is filled with Maine treasures historical through "modern times"! So many interesting…read moreartifacts, nature/animals etc... to enjoy! My daughter & I have enjoyed it many times! Great spot to bring out of state friends & family on a rainy day!

You decide to visit Maine in the winter. Great. But it should be no surprise that there are not a…read morewhole heck of a lot of things to do when everything is covered in snow. Problem solved with the Maine State Museum. It does not look from the outside that this might be a hidden gem, but it certainly was. From the old train to the operational mill tucked through several floors inside, you really get a sense of how things were working back in the day. Overall, the museum is not the fanciest around and might be a little dated, but if you take the time to read the displays and walk the whole museum, you will come away being glad you made the stop.

This village has a little of everything that everyone can enjoy! From different exhibits of…read moretransportations like the vintage vehicles, train rides, and feeding goats! Thursday- Sunday Shannon's unshelled has her food truck available to those who want to stay in the village as a great accommodations for all. (Even though her restaurant is 4mins down the street in case those newbies that would like a good bite to eat) My family and I enjoy coming here and are now pass holders! We look forward in creating many memories here!

The Boothbay Railway Village and museum is put together and maintained with a lot of love both for…read moretrains but also for the history of the area. Staffed with folks who will talk your ear off for hours but are also respectful of your time, you can see so much from train memorabilia to a huge collection of antique cars and trucks. Make sure to ride on the steam locomotive and explore all the buildings. There's also a nice antique store and gift shop on the grounds.

Definitely not as shiny as the children's museum in Portland, but my daughter (4.5yo) loves this…read moremuseum. She really likes the dress up clothes. It's a fun place to play for a couple of hours and reasonably priced.

Small place with well set up rooms and many activities to try out and play with. The staff was…read morewarm, friendly and entertaining. Came with three children under 7. We will be back!

We loved this gem of a small museum, with Wyeths and a special exhibit of his wife's work and other…read moreearly American art and some classics. Worth a stop when in Maine.

I assumed this museum was going to be pretty limited, but I was impressed with the variety of…read moreartworks on display. It's more than just the Wyeths; they have classic European artists and early American art. I loved getting to learn more about the local indigenous tribes and see the work of local artists whom I wouldn't otherwise get to see. Some of the art was even a bit risque, which was great to see at a small art museum. Highly recommend taking an hour or so to get lost in the Farnsworth.

A lovingly curated small museum that celebrates the rich history of this midcoast Maine town.read more

It's a little building by the side of the road but it is only open in the afternoons and we got…read morethere too early and didn't want to wait around. It's in an old school house and reputedly has some very interesting bits and pieces about the history of the township. It has its own parking lot but gets a bit muddy if it rains, so it doesn't look very wheelchair accessible to me.

We just held my fathers celebration of life at the museum this weekend and the staff couldn't have…read morebeen more professional. We held it in the children's area which have interactive items for the kids and a lot of the adults too. The tables, chairs, audio etc were all set up and ready to go early. Our caterer Taco Joe was also all set up filling the museum with an amazing aroma. My dad was a member of the museum and would have been thrilled to have his life remembered here

Wow!!! This is a must-visit if you are a car enthusiast! I grew up going to car shows, but I have…read morenever seen anything like this! There are more cars than I had imagined, and they are all very pristine. I did not expect to see bicycles and buggies as well, plus airplanes. I think there was even more that we didn't see because there was a car auction going on. $20 is a great price. This would've been 35 or $40 in Georgia. The history was amazing! We were there for over an hour but could easily spend 2+ hours there.

A great little gem on the coast of Maine. It was worth the long drive we took to get there but if…read moreyou are headed up the coast, you should make sure to stop. They have quite a number of buildings with exhibits in each and docents to help you along the way. They've done an extremely nice job with their presentation and items. And if you like boats, they have lots of boats and boat history! For me, having grown up in New England with family that goes back several hundred years, looking at some of the antique furniture was like looking at my childhood home :)

Local gem. Historic buildings. Fun to take the kids. You can spend hours or you can take a quick…read morekid friendly trip. It is a nonprofit in a small town and being from DC I didn't mind paying admission for a smaller museum. Kids can interact with some of the exhibits. They also offer kid friendly programs. Make sure to visit the historic church First Congregation on the property. It was a nice day and kids could also use the pond to steer remote control boats. Great stop in a charming town.

We spent a night in Boothbay and arrived earlier than we could check in, so brought our 3 kids to…read morethe aquarium. For the size of the aquarium, we were really pleased. It is just one room plus a second room with some activities. The staff was really knowledgeable and gave a great informational talk about lobsters. The touch tank was pretty cool and there were some cool interactive exhibits our kids enjoyed. The second room was a bit sparse but had some coloring activities that we enjoyed. Being right on the water, we took extra time to have lunch at a picnic table and enjoy the view.

Not an aquarium. I've seen more fish in my dentist's office…read more This was WAY better prior to its "renovation". There are 4 tanks of fish and a "touch tank." There is a "learning lab" with some shark things and crafts. This will entertain your kids (age 6 and under) for an hour at most. Not worth it for adults or anyone who has grown up on a coast. VERY small parking lot. Very disappointed

We came to see the trolls! We made a night away of coming to the Botanical Gardens to see five of…read moreThomas Dambo's troll installations and stayed to appreciate everything else. The Trolls: there are 5 trolls on an easy path on the outskirts of the Gardens. If all you want to do is see the trolls, an able bodied person could manage in about an hour. If you're slower or need assistance, it would take longer. There is a shuttle for those who want/need it to get down to the trolls farther out. There's a ton more to do than just see the trolls though. Everything else: There's a bunch of stops throughout the Gardens that kept our 3 kids (8, 11, 12) occupied. We spent a lot of time building fairy gardens, enjoying the view at the dock, and we walked out to the Guardian of the Seeds installation. The grounds themselves are meticulously maintained and it would be beautiful to walk around any day.

We loved visiting this garden and were delighted that we could use our AHS reciprocal membership…read morehere. The trolls were certainly the highlight, enormous in scale and wonderfully set up as a scavenger hunt activity for both adults and the kids. The children's field guide was also an excellent way to keep the littles excited and searching. We loved all the wooded paths and thoughtful and well curated immersive areas from the sensory garden to the area with music inspired by the local outdoors. The children's garden is also well put together, themed after local books and with an interactive activity each, which was such a neat idea. We only wished that the maps were a bit clearer (ie they differed even better the children's map and the main one, one did not list names of the trolls, etc). We spent 2.5 hours here on our way between Bar Harbor and Portland and wished we had more time and lived closer!