What a beautiful gem! We were visiting the area on vacation, I love birds, so we stopped in. Lovely…read moremuseum with Wendell Gilley's carved birds, in addition to other artists' works--carvings and paintings. The staff was informative and helpful, they have classes that looked like fun! Really enjoyed our time there

This is a small museum dedicated to a local artist who made wood carvings of various birds. It also…read morehouses visiting exhibitions. The birds are an excellent way to get one in the mood for some hiking, but not a replacement for the actual hiking. Weather depending, it may be worth a stop. Admission is paid, and the place is only a couple of rooms. It's nice to get some local flavor in, but I would prioritize spending time outside.

This was incredible!! It's a book store but also has a bunch of art installations and interactive…read moreexhibits. My kids LOVED it! So much to do and learn. They said it was their highlight from our trip to Maine!

This place was AWESOME. It's a small store but they have utilized every single inch with a great…read morecurated arrangement of books, art supplies, and toys/puzzles/games. There are areas that are sorted by global region and then by prehistoric periods. They have interactive exhibits for kids (or adults) throughout all 3 floors of the store. 7-year-old would have been wild for this store and even as an adult saw so many cool books that I wanted. I managed to escape with only having purchased 2 books and a journal. The salesperson was very friendly and available if help was needed. Great selection of books, would much rather support an independent bookstore like this than a big box store or online retailer. Great value for being able to look through such a cool collection of books related to all things nature and science!

Fantastic collection of very early cars…read more I learned more about the differences in collection between restoration and preservation. The collection gave me an insight on the creativity of the early car builders. The kids sheets really engaged some of the visitors who might not have been so interested in cars. It drew them in.

Located on the quieter side of MDI, the place is a real find for vintage car enthusiasts. Many of…read morethe cars were either donated or came from private collections. The autos are in beautiful condition with many having been restored to their original likeness. The self guided tour takes about an hour. At the end of the tour, one of the employees gave my party and I a brief ride in a 1931 Model T which was just acquired by the Museum. The car has a 4 cylinder engine and provides about 80hp, and runs on a special 92 blended octane gasoline that has no alcohol in it. The stories and history behind these cars is amazing. Many of the styles were from manufacturers that were eventually bought out by other companies of the time, or went bankrupt.

They really packed this small museum w awesome displays. informative, entertaining. free parking…read more part of the college campus.

Free to the public. Great place to take kids to explore. Natural History Museum with lots of…read morewildlife to explore including bobcat, whale, beaver, fox, puffins, skunk, deers, and many more.

Bottom Line: A guilded age mansion that gives a glimpse into the history of Bar Harbor and the…read moreearly 1900s. La Rochelle is a large, historical home overlooking Frenchman Bay. While it was once the 41-room summer cottage for the Bowdoin family today it serves as the headquarters of the the Bar Harbor Historical Society. The mansion is also a wedding venue. If, when visiting La Rochelle you are hoping to feel like you are stepping into a time machine to 1903, you'll need a lot of imagination. The mansion has been the home to various families and it has served several purposes since it was the Bowdoin's summer cottage. So, the physical structure is original but very little else is. Also, a lot of the rooms are closed and serve as private offices or storage for the Bar Harbor Historical Society. But, as a bonus, there is a lot of Bar Harbor history and artifacts displayed throughout. What I found most interesting about La Rochelle was the Flower Room including the placement of it. I can recall visiting mansions with a designated area of the kitchen or butler's pantry for assembling flower arrangements but I can't recall one that had a dedicated Flower Room. I also thought it was interesting that the Flower Room was placed adjacent to the main foyer instead of closer to where the servants would be working. La Rochelle is a wonderful piece of Bar Harbor and American history and I am grateful that the Bar Harbor Historical Society was able to purchase La Rochelle to preserve it for future generations. I also appreciate the very kind volunteers that work at the mansion. La Rochelle is am impressive site from West Street but it looks even more impressive from water, or so I imagine. We did not get to see the house from that view but based on pictures, you can really see the elevation of the home and the many chimneys. Before leaving La Rochelle we visited the gift shop which is full of pretty things. I was eyeing up some puzzles but due to very limited space in my suitcase I just purchased a few greeting cards. Overall we had a nice visit to La Rochelle and we were glad to support the Bar Harbor Historical Society.

Lots of interesting information. It's a self guide tour. Plenty of time to walk around. Beautiful…read moreinterior. Was having a great time till we went into the gift shop and the first 3 sentences from the gift shop cashier was political. Such a bumer to end on a sour note. The subject was illegal immigrants.....I'm Hispanic.

What a wonderful little museum…read more I have been wanting to come here for a long time and finally got the chance when I was in Acadia for the Night Sky Fest. I would recommend anyone who has the opportunity to come by...tickets are $8 per adult; no student discounts available, but there is a BOGO deal on the website. There's the gift shop on the right and a small snippet of the museum on the left that are free to browse through when you enter the building. Going through the museum, I got a really different sense of the exhibits than I would have any other museum. It felt local, homegrown in some ways, and really community focused. It's a museum that feels like it's working with its community members to guide how they tell their story, but doesn't feel like the information comes from a heart of hatred, despair, or resentment. It feels like the stories are told from those in the community who know what it's like to share their stories with those they care about and in that way, it makes the museum different. It's a museum about "us" rather than "them", often a narrative and POV we see in history books, told by historians and teachers, and explained on a plaque in other museums. There were a couple of exhibitions, including drawings and comments from children from various tribes, a beautiful acorn shaped atrium at the back, open for reflection on the circle of life, and the latest exhibition on root clubs (something I'd never heard of) and the commentary on tourist root clubs and various cultural uses of them. The lower level features a children's play area and, unlike other museums, the number of 'artifacts' from archaeological digs is few in number, but feels chosen with intention. You can see beautiful canoes and hear contemporary and traditional music, and overall feel that you were able to support this museum and the work they do. It's a small museum and can take less than 1 hour if you are speedy, but we took about 1.5 to 2 hours on a slow tour.

Meh. Not worth the $10…read more It's small and underwhelming. I guess I guess I gave it an extra star on account of the fact that it's cool they support the local native Americans. But to go just for that isn't the best idea. They need to put more on display for the price. It should be two dollars to get in. That's all.

This is a great Museum. If you ever wonder what Champlain was thinking of when he described MDI on…read morehis Maps... It was Granite. At this museum you can learn everything about this mineral resource.

This museum is remarkable, all because of Steve Haynes. He has an extensive workshop and also…read moreoffers tours for whoever shows up at no cost (donations accepted). We got a private 1 hour tour of his historical collection of memorobilia *and* we got to actually split some granite ourselves. Very interactive, and we got some polished stones to take home. This tour was absolutely the highlight of my 4 year old son's trip (mine also). There is a whole setup for school groups, so there is a lot here for kids to see and do. We so enjoyed talking with Steve, he answered all our questions. His extensive collection of photos and his knowledge of the history of Maine's granite industry is fascinating. This is a *must do* for anyone nearby, and be sure to leave a generous donation.

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.

Loved visiting here. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. We loved the tank with sea stars and…read morehorseshoe crabs.

Absolutely LOVED visiting here…read more Alex our tour guide in the Aquarium center did a phenomenal job! She was informative and gave us a private tour showing us all the animals. I learned that there is a very rare cotton candy lobster and an orange and blue colored ones too! They have a 10 year old female named "Big Mama" and she is going to give birth to a thousand eggs! There is a small one year old lobster and a 5 year old. I learned so much about about the aquatic animals and got to touch slugs, starfish, sea cucumbers and more! Highly recommend supporting educational institutions like this! Enjoy this lovely place while visiting Acadia Bational Park!