8/10 
Mommy Approved Smiling Faces
250 Thompson’s Point Road
Portland, ME, 04102
Why you should visit the Chldren’s Museum & Theater of Maine
The kids were so happy to visit the Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine. The location is by the coast with spectacular views and natural lighting from inside the building. My kids loved every activity here. They are 7 and 5 and were captivated for over 2 hours while visiting the Portland Children’s Museum. I’m sure your kids would love to explore this museum and learn more about Maine too!
What to expect while visiting the CHILDREN’s Museum & Theater of Maine
The Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine offers children’s shows that run regularly. Sadly, we didn’t see one since our stay in Maine was short, but we were still happy to visit. I’m sure they are amazing.
Water play here is fantastic. There is a tall mechanical device that hoists balls up in the air and passes them on a conveyer belt around the room. It’s mesmerizing to watch the ball on its path. The kids can’t get enough of it.
There is an adjacent room with just soft balls and other structures that allow kids to move the balls along once placed in the structure. It’s so much fun to watch the balls wind throughout the room!
There are live salt and fresh water creatures here too. These include starfish sea anemones, horseshoe crabs, trout, wood frogs and painted turtles. Another observation area housed an active bee hive. We love seeing hives and watching the bees in action! They always have work to do and amaze us how they manage to accomplish such large tasks together.
Other rooms we enjoyed here are the dark room where the kids can enjoy shadow play and playing with colorful light objects to create art. The main floor has a kids Guinea pig area. It is a giant vertical maze allowing the kids to choose their own paths and navigate the climbing labyrinth of fun to slide back down or enjoy the view. My daughter made beautiful art work in the makers space area. The museum offers plenty of seating and books to cozy up and read as well as various cultural exhibits. The second floor was a blast offering hands-on play with a lobsterman’s boat and trap, a seafood kitchen, fire fighter truck with a pole and dress up uniform along with a wind spout in the padded play area.
- Weather : The weather doesn’t matter much as most of this location is inside. We visited on a day where there was snow and the kids didn’t play outside. They still had tons of fun.
- Parking and Admissions: FREE parking. The cost for entrance is $15 for adults and kids, FREE for babies 17 months and younger. Kid’s Theater shows at Maddy’s Theater cost extra and you can see their list of shows here.
- Location : This is a 3-floored Children’s museum with a theater, local Maine concepts such as pretend lobsterers, hands-on activities, small sea creatures with a touch tank, play areas indoors and outside, water play, makers space room, STEM activities and more. I must say the exterior rooms of this building are gorgeous providing natural light and vast views of the local area including the coast. Very impressive indeed!
- Hours :The current hours are: Wed 9am – 12pm, 1pm – 4pm But they can change at any time so check their website for the latest updates here.
- Duration : We spent two hours or so here but since we were in Portland such a short time and with other people, we had to leave earlier than we would have liked. We certainly could have stayed longer. There was a ton to do on their 3 floors.
- Tips and Recommendations : Currently, on-line reservations are required so be certain to book and plan ahead of time. Also masks are necessary.
Jewel : 👍🏼
Jamison : 👍🏼
If your kids tend to love Children’s Museums, the Providence Children’s Museum and the Niantic Children’s Museums are both worth visiting.
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