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 half a day at the museum, which examines the world of shipbuilding and is the only way to tour the Bath Iron Works. In summer, boat tours cruise the scenic Kennebec River. A particular favorite is the lighthouse tour that covers the area of the Kennebec from Bath down to Fort Popham at the mouth of the river. A number of impressive ships, including the 142-foot Grand Banks fishing schooner Sherman Zwicker, are on display in summer. Inside the main museum building, exhibits use ship models, paintings, photographs, and historical artifacts to tell the maritime history of the region. From May to November, hour-long tours of the shipyard show how these massive wooden ships were built. You can watch boatbuilders wield their tools in the boat shop. 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. 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 4 and younger get in free.