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Lower Level
Shipyard |
First Floor | Explore Floor |
Located in the lower level of the Museum, Coco's is a great location for a break before or after venturing to the rest of our exhibits. A diner replica, Coco's is where kids prepare pretend sodas, shakes and assorted foods. The service is always great at Coco's.
Located in lower level area of the Museum, our Dress-Up Theater and play stage are where many a fairy tale has come to life. Our stage is loaded with props, and our costume chest is filled with imaginative dress-up clothes for boys and girls. There's even a sound and light booth for young directors!
Take money out of a real ATM! Our special Children's Museum of Maine Funny Money will buy your groceries at Hank's Market, pay for gas at the Car Shop, and buy lunch at Coco's Diner!
Remind kids about the importance of being kind to pets by encouraging them to explore our Animal Hospital. Kids can pick their favorite animal and perform an exam. There's no better feeling than knowing you've helped a four-legged friend feel better. And who knows, maybe your child will be inspired and want to learn about becoming a vet?
Got your overalls? The farmer in every child (and occasional parent) comes to life as our visitors milk our replica, life-size cow, crank the egg conveyor and pump water from our well. No farm's complete without its orchard, and we have ours. Our apple tree is a great place for kids to test their counting skills. If there was ever the perfect place to sing Old McDonald with your child, this is it!
The shelves at Hank's Market are lined with the necessities of home. At Hank's, kids make all of the grocery choices (rest assured, we've haven't stocked Pop-Tarts for years). Before you shop, be sure to stop at our ATM and press a few keys to get some cash for the groceries. Then head over to the register for checkout - kids can work the register themselves or maybe meet a new friend who's waiting there to ring-up the goodies.
For a children's museum in Maine to not have a lobster boat would be unforgivable. We deliver big time with our own replica lobster boat. Climb aboard, haul in the traps and navigate your way back to Portland Harbor. This is a great spot to talk with kids about Maine's working waterfronts and the state's fishing heritage.
Race car kids will love our auto repair garage. The wrenches and screw drivers are tethered to the engine block so they'll be sure to find the right tool for the job. While someone's tightening the bolts, someone else can be hard at work pumping the gas. Be sure to stop by our ATM so you can pay the attendant.
Stop by our 25-foot fire truck and become fire chief for a day. Try on some gear, climb into the driver's seat and race to the scene -don't forget to turn on our authentic fire engine lights! Sliding down our brass fire station pole is a big hit at this exhibit. This is also great place to reinforce the importance of fire safety.
Tree Climb
Our Toddler Park is a soft play area reserved for kids under three years old. It's located right in the heart of the Museum's main floor, offering guests what is arguably the best view in the house. Grown-ups can take a seat on one of our padded benches and watch the kids explore and interact. Our Toddler Park is a safe and secure environment.
Have a Ball! is in the Big Gallery through the middle of May.
This exhibit is full of "outdoor" adventures! Try out our kid-sized rock wall, float a boat all the way down Cascade Stream, and pack one of our back packs with the day's provisions and set up camp. Explore basic survival tips with kids while using your imagination in the woods!
Families can explore and read together in this cozy, quiet space tucked away on the Explore Floor. The Nook is filled with books in English, Braille, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Farsi and Somali.
Tree to Timber shows kids the process of sustainable forestry. There's an interactive video game and real Eastern White Pine tree trunks. At the sawmill you can crank a conveyor belt that draws in rough pieces of wood and returns finished pieces of pine. In the Treehouse you can use the finished pieces of pine to build your own home in large scale, Lincoln-Log style building.
It's the only kid-powered space shuttle in Portland. Our space shuttle replica comes complete with astronaut uniforms and a life-size cock pit equipped with all the switches. Kids choose the flight plan - blast-off, orbit or re-entry. This is a great place to talk with kids about protecting our planet and the universe. Our mini-planetarium is also located inside the shuttle.
The intertidal zone of the ocean comes alive at the Tidepool Touch Tank! On any given day, a myriad of inhabitants collected from Casco Bay is visible to onlookers. Sea stars, anxious for a tasty meal, are often spotted in deadly embraces with blue mussels. A sea cucumber lingers with outstretched tentacles positioned for catching detritus. Resident hermit crabs busy themselves with frequent investigations of vacant snail shell homes. Sea urchins use their suction cups to camouflage amidst blades of seaweed. Several times per day, the cover of this enchanted tank habitat is lifted so museum visitors can feel the varied textures of these marine creatures and learn about their amazing adaptations.
Explore the busy lives of bees at our observation hive. Learn the bee dance, look for the queen, and get an up-close view of worker bees buzzing into the hive with pollen. Open seasonally.
Learn about the connections that Maine families have to countries around the world; share your own family story, and experience games and traditions from around the globe!
Ahoy Matey! It's anchors aweigh as you climb aboard our 40-foot pirate ship and raise the sails. You'll fast earn your sea legs as you climb into the crows nest to look for land, navigate with charts, haul fish up in a net, and swab the deck.
Music Garden