Inside the Amazing and Free Hudson Museum in Orono
The University of Maine’s Hudson Museum is a free museum showcasing a wide variety of temporary and permanent exhibits, and extensive collections of various artifacts and artworks through self-guided tours. It is a welcoming space for everyone who wants to view stunning artifacts and artworks from all over the world.
The Location
The Hudson Museum is located on the University of Maine, Orono campus, in the Collins Center for the Arts on the second floor. The museum is the main attraction of the Collin Center’s second floor, as the only place you can visit on the floor. The Hudson Museum is free to the public! See our list of other free museums in Maine for more budget-friendly places to explore, also.
Parking
Parking for the Hudson Museum is located in the Collins Center Parking lot, located across the street from the Collins Center. Parking for the museum is limited; however, if you are not able to secure a parking space, you can purchase a visitor’s pass from the University of Maine’s parking services and park in the parking lot.
The Collins Center Parking Lot is usually very busy, and an open space is rare during the school year; however, outside of the school year, plenty of parking spaces are available. If you visit during the University’s school year and are unable to find parking, you may be able to find a space in the Belgrade parking lot, which is right across the street from the Collins Center and Collins Center parking lot.
How to Get There
From the Collins Center parking lot, you are going to walk towards the building with the large glass front and the video board, which will be cycling through the different programs/events the Collins Center hosts. Once you get to the glass front, you are going to walk through a box office-style room and then walk through the interior set of doors.
Once you are officially out of the box office and in the Collins Center, you are going to want to take a left and walk towards the cafeteria on the first floor. Right before the cafeteria is a ramp leading up to the museum. If you are not sure you are heading in the right direction, as you go up the ramp, look out for the statues facing the cafeteria on the right.
Exhibits
The Hudson Museum offers a wide array of collections and exhibits. The museum showcases artifacts from around the world from all different regions and cultures, as well as historical artifacts from indigenous culture in Maine.
The Hudson Museum offered a hands-on interactive exhibit when we visited. The exhibit included a beautiful hand fan, as well as more beautiful jewelry and clothing.
The atmosphere of the Hudson Museum was very unique. The museum had windows around the entrance and exit, but a lot of the exhibits were in enough light to illuminate the artifacts, but not much more.
Tours at the Hudson Museum
The Hudson Museum also offered self-guided tours, which allowed us to be totally immersed in the culture and history being presented. The self-guided tour started as soon as you walked through the entrance. The area was very quiet, and near each exhibit was either a binder or a placard containing more information about what was in the exhibit.
Read more about the Hudson Museum in our directory or go straight to their website here.