We recently checked out the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor, Maine and while I wasn’t sure what to expect, it did not disappoint! We drove up one Sunday afternoon after the girls’ swim class planning to catch a few hours of play time through the afternoon. It was about a 2 hour drive for us which is a decent drive from Southern Maine, but we love our little road trips so it doesn’t phase us.
The Maine Discovery Museum is an interactive children’s museum located at 74 Main Street. As the largest children’s museum in Maine and the largest north of Boston, it offers three floors of engaging exhibits designed to spark curiosity and learning in children of all ages.
Accessibility at the Maine Discovery Museum
One thing we really appreciated during our visit was how thoughtful the Maine Discovery Museum is when it comes to accessibility. The museum is wheelchair and stroller accessible, with elevators to all three floors and wide walkways throughout the exhibits. We also noticed plenty of seating areas and quiet corners for when little ones need a break. As a parent, I love when a space is welcoming for all families — and this museum clearly puts in the effort to make sure every child can explore, play, and feel included.
Nature Trails & Reptile Room (1st Floor):
While the two-story treehouse was closed during our visit, the girls could have played in the water table all day long. Water play is a huge hit for kids of all ages and this table was large enough for a good amount of kids to play at one time. We visited on a quiet Sunday afternoon so they had the water table almost completely to theirselves which they loved.
Another big hit was the Reptile Room — they got to peek at real reptiles, including a friendly bearded dragon and a snake. The staff was amazing at answering any and all questions they had.
Booktown & Imaginative Play (2nd Floor):
The second floor felt like walking into the pages of a storybook. There was a Goodnight Moon room that made my nostalgic heart happy, and the pretend grocery store and farm setup were huge hits. The kids took turns being farmers, cashiers, and cooks in the pretend kitchen. I think we spent nearly an hour just in this one area.
Booktown is a literacy-themed play space with a Good Night Moon room for young toddlers, a puppet theater, a play farm, and so much more. For us adults, it was a pretty nostalgic space as it featured some great books from our childhood (Charlotte’s Web was a favorite of mine so I enjoyed this space).
The girls, however, didn’t quite understand the literary connections. I think this would have been a more fun space if it was geared more toward books that are more common for kids these days (Pete the Cat, Elephant and Piggy, even Magic Tree House!), but they loved every room regardless. To them, they were just fun themed play spaces.
Space + Science (3rd Floor):
On the third floor, our oldest was totally into the space exploration area — she explored all the science experiments and played with coding puzzles, while our youngest gravitated toward the doctor’s office exhibit where stuffed animals got full check-ups. I loved how every floor had a mix of STEM and creative play.
The 3rd floor also had a Dino Dig area for digging and identifying fossils, learning about dinosaurs, and discovering dinosaur eggs. My youngest loves dinosaurs so she was very excited when we got to this space. They both spent a solid 20 minutes digging for fossils. This is a great space for younger children
Hours, Admission, and Parking Info
The Maine Discovery Museum is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am to 5pm. On Sundays, they are open for My Day to Play from 10am to noon and then open to the general public from 12-5pm. Going on a Sunday afternoon, the museum was pretty empty and we often had spaces completely to ourselves which was really fun.
Admission is $14 a person with children under 2 FREE (members are also free). Totally worth it for the amount of time we spent there (and the nap the kids took on the drive home!).
We found parking to be a bit difficult, but this was also due to the fact that the main garage directly behind the museum was closed the day we visited. I’m not sure if this is typical or if it was just a coincidence, but street parking was a bit tough. We recommend having a back up plan for parking in case you run into this issue as well.
Final Thoughts
This museum is such a fun mix of learning and play, and it felt very intentionally designed to meet kids where they’re at developmentally — something I always appreciate as a parent (and former educator). The staff were kind, the exhibits were clean and well-maintained, and the entire space encouraged curiosity and exploration. We definitely recommend planning for at least 2 hours of play so your kids have time to fully explore and immerse themselves in every play area.
If you’re ever in the Bangor area — or planning a Maine road trip — definitely add the Maine Discovery Museum to your itinerary. It’s the kind of place you could visit again and again and discover something new each time.
