On Saturday we planned to go to Augusta and do some swimsuit shopping for the kids, and maybe go to the high school cheerleading championships that were being held at the Civic Center. The shopping went well, but afterwards we found out that it cost $7 per person to go see the cheerleaders, and that was a little too much for us.
Instead, for $2 each (and the kids were free) we visited the Maine State Museum!
Mama estimates that she has been here over 100 times (her father worked in this building for 40 years as the State Librarian), and the kids have been here plenty of times too, but this was only Mom's second visit.
Mama really loves the "Made in Maine" display, as you can see below.
This museum is full of lots of great stuff. The kids like to go through in a whirlwind sprint, so we didn't get a lot of good photos, but there was a lot to see. We started out in the animal dioramas....(this one has a beaver lodge in it)....
...and this one has a chipmunk underground (which the girls thought was real).
There is a great gem display (Kate particularly likes the pink one, of course)....
....and a cool shipbuilding exhibit, which used to be a big industry in Maine.
Check out the neat fisherman overhead! The girls thought that some of these fake people were real, and they were a little bit afraid to get too close.
This is Mama's favorite--it's an old wood sailboat called the "Imp".
There is also lots of restored machinery to look at, from the days of logging and heavy industry in Maine.
You gotta love any sign that tells you that it's okay to toot.
It's amazing how many different types of food grow naturally in Maine!
And lots of different types of fish, too. Kate thought the swordfish was really cool....
...while Emily really liked this giant lobster.
We had a good time at the museum on Saturday, and we definitely recommend it to anybody who is thinking about visiting Augusta!
Wow -- MSM is really spiffed up since I was a kid (although some of those displays look VERY familiar!).
ReplyDeleteI spent MANY a Saturday at the state museum as a kid! What is great about it, is that when you are little, it is hard to get sick of the exhibits. My favorite was the old-school home exhibits with the dressmaker, shoemaker, metal smith, and the big loom room on the way to the cars and boats!
ReplyDeleteYes, there are some new features to the MSM but some of it is getting tired. Like the diorama section. Animals looking a little ragged. My VERY favorite is the little Friendship sloop, the "Imp", in the boat/car area.
ReplyDelete