Stunning Exhibits At Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum

Stunning Exhibits at Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum

Tucked within the Bowdoin College campus in Brunswick, Maine, is a museum dedicated to the Arctic. We visited the museum on a Saturday shortly after it opened up in the morning. It might be a small museum (only 2 exhibits) but the educational materials, activities, and information in the exhibits were all very well-thought out.

In addition to this museum, there is also the Bowdoin College Museum of Art – both of these have free admission and are open to the public. There’s free parking nearby that is also walking distance to downtown Brunswick.

Arctic Museum Brunswick Entrance Building 1 — *The outside entrance to the Arctic Museum – the main doors are down the sidewalk on the left.*

Upon walking into the building, we entered a lobby area with seating, a small gift shop, and bathrooms. There were learning materials about the Arctic Museum and a basket full of pins for free, as apparently they come out with multiple pin designs throughout the year that you can collect.

The actual museum is split between 2 floors, with the upper level having a balcony that looks out onto the lower level.

Arctic Museum Brunswick — *There were thoughtful touch exhibits spread throughout the museum.*

The Upper Floor and Balcony

We started our journey at that upper balcony where you could also see a lineup of arctic animals, including a polar bear, arctic fox, and a giant walrus looking right at you. Next to this balcony was also a real narwhal horn in a display case. You could touch the horn through the case and feel the spirals in it – definitely a thoughtful idea to allow touching the horn.

The exhibit on the upper floor featured textiles in different patterns, many of them with animals. There were some key areas for children to feel and touch some of the fabrics here, too (but also noting that all the other fabrics were not for touching, even though they were well within grasping range).

Arctic Museum Brusnwick Exhibit Room — *The first exhibit in the arctic museum had cool lighting from above and interesting items to learn about.*

The First-Floor Exhibit

The exhibit on this floor chronicled everyday home and survival items that Inuit people have built and engineered to help in the Arctic climate. There were examples of sleds, boats, and snow goggles on display with information to help explain the uses.

You could see the animals up above you on this floor, too, so there was plenty to look at and spend some time just taking it all in. We had fun seeing all of the items and just enjoying the atmosphere of the balcony overlook and the nicely done lighting that made you feel like there were some northern lights happening right in this arctic museum.

Wrapping Up the Visit

In addition to the fun collectibles we found in the lobby, there were also handouts of educational information and scavenger hunts to go along with the exhibits. In the corner, we found a table with an activity where you could sew a pattern with some yarn, connecting the learning to the fabric exhibits in the museum.

All in all, this is a great quick stop for a museum – there were a good assortment of unique hands-on activities for children and there were plenty of explanations and stories to read for adults looking to experience a piece of Arctic culture.

See more about the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum in our directory, or go straight to their website here.