The Maine Discovery Museum, located in
Bangor, Maine
Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121).
Modern Bangor ...
, is Maine's largest
children's museum
Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feat ...
and the largest located north of
Boston, Massachusetts.
It opened in 2001 in the converted Freese's Building
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
following several years of planning and fundraising. Maine Discovery Museum is a member of the
Association of Children's Museums
The Association of Children's Museums (ACM) is a Washington, D.C.–based organization that represents more than 300 children's museums in 23 countries throughout the world. The association began in 1962 as the American Association of Youth Museum ...
.
History
In 1996,
Sean Faircloth
Sean Faircloth (born May 23, 1960) is an American writer and politician from Maine, he served as the State Senator for Bangor, Maine, as Mayor until November 2016 and as of 2017 he is serving as a Bangor City Councilor. He is also an attorney a ...
had the idea for the Maine Discovery Museum and led the project through completion of a $4.5 million facility in 2001.
[Bangor Daily News Special Supplement January 18, 2001] Then-Congressman
John Baldacci said that Maine Discovery Museum “restored the heart” to downtown Bangor.
[Bangor Daily News, February 12, 2001.] At that time, the Maine Discovery Museum was the largest children's museum outside
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
.
MDM boosts three floors of interactive exhibits, including its newest addition NANO, a permanent exhibit donated by NISE Network. NANO is an interactive exhibition of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. Hands-on exhibits present the basics of
nanoscience and engineering, introduce some real-world applications, and explore the societal and ethical implications of this new technology.
MDM was selected by the NISE Network to receive this donated exhibit valued at $50,000 in recognition of their work to educate in the field of science.
Celebrating ten years in the community, the Maine Discovery Museum was named Nonprofit of the Year in 2012 by the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce.
Also in 2012, MDM was chosen as the Grand Marshal of the city's historic
Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...
Parade and celebration and also launched its Capital Campaign.
MDM is also a member of
Bangor Arts, a group that strives to support the arts and cultural scene in the Bangor region.
Let's Move!
Maine Discovery Museum is a "
Let's Move!" institution, partnering with the
First Lady
First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...
's initiative to figh
t childhood obesity. In early 2012, the museum opted to remove all traditional vending and dining options in the museum and replace them with
vending machines offering natural and organic snacks, juices and soda as well as gluten and dairy free foods and vegan options. The change was made to kick off a new healthy kids initiative. Many exhibits within the museum focus on both gross motor and fine motor movements.
Fundraising
The largest and longest running fundraising effort of the museum is its Annual Auction held in the fall. Artists from across the state and beyond donate works to be auctioned at the auction banquet.
First Floor
* Reptile Room: includes reptiles such as Ball Python, Bearded Dragon, Crested Geckos, Leopard Geckos and more
* Nature Trails: includes in-door river and nature trails, life size explorable beaver dam, and a two story tree house
* Gift Shop
* Front Desk
Second Floor
* Booktown: includes the Good Night Moon room for reading children’s stories, vintage motorcycle and Vespa, puppet show, and play farm
* Tradewinds: includes play kitchen, instruments, world floor map, play cargo ship with cargo and crane
* two Party Rooms
* Snack Room
Third Floor
* Sun, Earth, Universe: includes build your own rocket-ship, learn and read about space, uncode secret messages using UV, Magnets and more
* Artscape: includes design a Light-Bright display, build structures from PBC pipe, and paper making
* Pet Vet: includes stuffed animals Pedro, Digger, and Tab.E.Cat, a play vets office with doctors desk, exam table, and veterinary equipment this is also part of the “Doctors Office” exhibit , and home for stuffed animals after their care
* Dino Dig: includes dig and identify fossils, read and learn about dinosaurs, find/hatch dinosaur eggs, and discover what dinosaurs ate
* Doctors Office: includes a play doctors office where one can be a patient or doctor this is also part of the “Pet Vet” exhibit, explorable human body parts that you can walk through, and bug set of teeth with toothbrush to clean them
References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{Cite web , url= http://bangornews.com/news/t/city.aspx?articleid=162057&zoneid=176 , title=New Exhibit, Renovations Commence at Maine Discovery Museum , accessdate=2008-04-10 , date=2008-03-25 , author=Dawn Gagnon , work=Bangor Daily News {{Dead link, date=October 2010, bot=H3llBot]
[{{Cite web , url= http://www.magic-city-news.com/Melody_Schubert_28/Families_Cure_The_Winter_Time_Blues_In_Maine_3145_printer3145.shtml , title=Families Cure the Winter Time Blues in Maine , accessdate=2008-04-10 , date=2005-02-19 , author=Melody Schubert , work=Magic City Morning Star]
[{{Cite web , url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ME&p_theme=me&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ECF24D0E83C59AB&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM , title=Lots to Discover at Bangor Museum , accessdate=2008-04-10 , date=2001-05-27 , work= Maine Sunday Telegram]
[{{cite web , url=http://www.bangorregion.com/feed.php?num=6&news_id=132&feed_id=45 , title=Nonprofit of the Year in 2012 , publisher=Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce , access-date=2012-10-02 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123165058/http://www.bangorregion.com/feed.php?num=6&news_id=132&feed_id=45 , archive-date=2016-01-23 , url-status=dead ]
*
Children's museums in Maine
Museums established in 2001
Museums in Penobscot County, Maine
2001 establishments in Maine
Educational buildings in Bangor, Maine
Tourist attractions in Bangor, Maine