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    Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum

    4.5 (6 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum Photos

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    One of the actual sleds used on the Peary expedition to the North Pole
    Chris H.

    This museum, on the Bowdoin College campus, is excellent and provides a close-up walkthrough of the history of the various Peary and MacMillan expeditions to attempt to reach the North Pole in the early 1900s. There are scores of authentic artifacts, pictures, film footage and major pieces of equipment from the expeditions (including a dog sledge that's about 10 feet long), along with excellent historical information about the explorers, the indigenous cultures with which they interacted, and the wildlife and weather conditions they encountered. Several of the more charismatic critters are taxidermied and look down upon you from above the display cases. Moreover, the museum features special exhibitions; the one I saw was on representation of birds in indigenous culture, spirituality and artwork, and it was quite fascinating. One particularly interesting part of the collection focused on Matthew Henson, an African-American member of the expeditions. They have a trading card of him! ("Trading card," you say? Yup...the Hassan Tobacco Company included trading cards of world famous explorers in cigarette packs in the early 1900s, much like baseball cards of the time.) The museum is small and easy to get through at whatever pace you choose; admission is free but a donation is appreciated, and there's a gift shop with some nifty little things.

    Spirit animal sculpture

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    Photo of David A.
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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Small, but very nice museum about arctic exploration.

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    12 years ago

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    Maine Maritime Museum - Museum front

    Maine Maritime Museum

    4.7(80 reviews)
    7.2 mi

    This is an excellent museum which highlights Bath's proud history of shipbuilding in Maine…read more Although the admission fee is high ($20 or $22), it helps to support the volunteers and activities of the museum. We only had 2 hours available, so we focused largely on the exhibits. The museum includes various buildings which highlight different aspect of shipbuilding from caulking, blacksmithing, and building skiffs (modern day boats used to travel on Maine's coastal waterways). We loved the exhibit on lobstering in Maine - with superb displays that showed why Maine's lobsters are prized worldwide (they have the best claw meat), and a colorful display of buoys and traps. Talking with volunteers about the art of woodcarving and building skiffs was very interesting. It was cool to see the flagpoles (representing the Wyoming schooner) and Bath Iron Works in the distance (a current shipyard for the U.S. Navy). Since we only had 2 hours available from 10am-12pm, we could not join the afternoon lighthouse cruises (which looked like fun). Overall, we enjoyed our visit to the Maine Maritime Museum! You'll learn a lot about Bath's proud history of shipbuilding and the tradition of lobstering in Maine.

    The Maine Maritime Museum is not only an excellent museum for highlighting the area's substantial…read morecontribution to maritime history, but their events are always first class. I have done cruises, taken classes, and attended dinners here, and each experience was such a treat! I know that I will NEVER again watch fireworks from shore when it was so much better to watch them from the water. I highly recommend becoming a Museum member, not just for the event discounts, but just to have access to the beautiful grounds. I have whiled away more than one afternoon, watching the beautiful Kennebec River and all the wildlife from the grassy shore. This Museum is so much more than a museum; it's a celebration of Bath's relationship with the sea. If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would!

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    Maine Maritime Museum - Our daily 1-hour cruises (mid-May-October) pass Bath Iron Works--a unique way to see America's Navy being built right from the water!

    Our daily 1-hour cruises (mid-May-October) pass Bath Iron Works--a unique way to see America's Navy being built right from the water!

    Maine Maritime Museum - Looking for nature on one of our daily cruises--rain or shine!

    Looking for nature on one of our daily cruises--rain or shine!

    Maine Maritime Museum

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    Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens - Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

    Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

    4.7(255 reviews)
    15.2 mi

    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.

    Always enjoy a botanical garden when visiting a new town. Coastal Maine did not disappoint…read more Purchased tickets on line as they were a little cheaper. Such a beautiful well maintained Garden. The map was very helpful and easy to follow. Such a wonderful place to bring your children. So many hands on items for them to play with. They also have several Trolls which are built by an artist. Many more trolls are located all over the country. Unfortunately, the weather was not great and it did end up raining. If I lived near by I would visit often.

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    Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens - Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

    Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

    Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens - Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

    Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

    Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens - Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

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    Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

    Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum - museums - Updated September 2026

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