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Lunder Education Center
(Coming in 2026!)
The Maine State Museum invites children of all ages to explore its first space dedicated to learning, curiosity, and play. Throughout the center, visitors can view displays of objects and natural specimens that are designed to inspire curiosity and encourage deeper exploration. Hands-on activities and interactives enhance learning and add to the fun! Come by for a visit and see what it’s like to be a phone operator, a bird watcher, or an underwater archaeologist.
Birds Everywhere!
Soar high into the world of birds! How do they fly? How do these feathered engineers make their nests? Why do birds fascinate us? With over 35 bird specimens on display and drawers of eggs, nests, skulls, and other related objects, many secrets of the bird world will be revealed!
1779-1979: An Underwater Dig
Dive down into the cold, murky waters of the lower Penobscot River and join the team excavating the ship, Defence. This Revolutionary War privateer sank in 1779 near Castine, Maine, during a battle with British forces. Examine the real artifacts and learn what it takes to be an archaeologist.
A White Pine Forest
The White Pine Forest is designed for young museum visitors to play, imagine, and explore. Crawl through a tree trunk into the forest, where an assortment of birds, animals, insects, and amphibians live and are waiting to be discovered. This space is dedicated to museum visitors age 4-8 and their adults.
Crank It Up!
People in Bryant Pond, Maine, were the last in America to use a hand-crank telephone system. Discover the history of the Bryant Pond Telephone Company, learn what it was like to have a switchboard in your living room, and understand how a hand-crank phone operated. Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a switchboard operator? Give our game a try and see how you fare!
Go behind the scenes of the Lunder Education Center’s White Pine Tree
