Maine Maritime Museum

Maine Maritime Museum Review

No trip to Bath is complete without a visit to this cluster of buildings that once made up the historic Percy & Small Shipyard. Plan on at least half a day—tickets are good for two days during any seven-day period because there's so much to see at this museum, which examines the world of shipbuilding and is the only way to tour Bath Iron Works (May to mid-Oct.) From mid-June through Columbus Day, five nature and lighthouse boat tours cruise the scenic Kennebec River—one takes in 10 lights. The 142-foot Grand Banks fishing schooner Sherman Zwicker docks here during the same period and is included in the admission; others ships come for a time. Inside the main museum building, exhibits use ship models, paintings, photographs, and historical artifacts to tell the maritime history of the region. Also during the peak season, hour-long tours of the shipyard show how these massive wooden ships were built. In the boat shop, you can watch boatbuilders wield their tools. A separate historic building houses a fascinating lobstering exhibit. It's worth coming here just to watch the 18-minute video on lobstering written and narrated by E. B. White. Changing exhibits cover everything from fishing to maritime art to war. A gift shop and bookstore are on the premises, and you can grab a bite to eat in the café or bring a picnic to eat on the grounds. Kids ages five and younger get in free.