LC Bates Natural History Museum: Totally Unexpected and Fascinating

I love being surprised by a random stop, and the LC Bates Natural History Museum is just that: the most random stop on the Maine road trip up to Greenville from Portland. What I love about the LC Bates Natural History Museum is just how mysterious it is and how unexpected. When we’re out on road trips we usually have a pretty good idea of what we’ll see and do along the way but not every website or review accurately communicates what a place is like, hence why we were so delightfully surprised here.

We’ve got the full scoop on visiting the LC Bates Natural History Museum and how to add it to your Maine road trip. If you have any questions about visiting the museum or plotting out your stops along the way up to the Highlands and Moosehead Lake, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a fun time exploring Maine and finding more hidden gems like this one.

Highlights of Visiting the LC Bates Natural History Museum

You’ll never guess what makes the exhibits at the LC Bates Natural History Museum so interesting, so I’ll just tell you. The collections are VERY unique and it feels more like a museum of curiosities than a natural history museum. Whether it’s the Audubon taxidermy bird collection or the cases and cases of minerals, there are hardly any exhibits with written information.

As you go from room to room there are countless specimens and displays to look through, but of them very few have any information beyond a label. So, if you’re looking through the case of stuffed owl specimens you’ll see that they’re labeled, but there’s no information about the range of where the individual birds are found or how the pieces in the collection found their way to the museum. It’s very unusual.

There are some exhibit placards highlighting some very unique pieces, such as meteorites or if there’s a local story about a piece, but that’s not the norm. It’s fine though, and even makes it more interesting. Visiting so many museums when we travel, there’s a certain quality and standard messaging or information you get when you’re in a science establishment, but here at the LC Bates Natural History Museum it feels much more like a lab. It feels much like you’ve stepped into the pages of a turn of the century sci-fi novel. I love it.

Tips for the Bates Natural History Museum

If you’re planning on visiting the LC Bates Natural HIstory Museum for a deep learning experience, that’s not necessarily the set up. If you’re interested in visiting and observing all kinds of birds and mammals up close or if you want to sketch a fascinating place, this is the spot! Now, there is information available in the different rooms and there is staff onsite to answer questions, but still, that’s not what I took from visiting.

As you visit, after you’ve paid your small entrance fee, start in the Audubon bird exhibit. Here you’ll find hundreds of taxidermy birds from all around the Americas. Amazing. So cool. Next, move onto the mammal exhibit, which is in a sunken room off the hallway of presidential busts. Wander your way through and continue down another half-floor to the basement. There’s a slice of history here with antique equipment and photographs, but then as you continue you come to the mineral collection. Again, it’s not full of scientific information, but it’s awesome. There are so many mineral samples and it’s like a forgotten university lab waiting for you to experiment.

Make your way back upstairs and check out the unique artifact collections ranging from Wabanaki pieces (like you might find in the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor) to Central and South American indigenous pieces. And then you have historic furniture and decor features… but then you still have another room to the LC Bates Natural History Museum. The taxidermy fiesta ends with an impressive collection of preserved fish species and seashells. You can have just the most wonderful self-guided tour through a unique collection, and it’s just off the road when you’re driving up to the Highlands.

Being Prepared for the LC Bates Natural History Museum

The LC Bates Natural History Museum is located in an old building that was a part of the Good Will-Hinkley School for boys. The campus is interesting and is reminiscent of the army forts around the USA, like Fort William Henry Seward in Haines, Alaska or Fort Lawton in Seattle, Washington. You’re free to enjoy wandering the campus a bit, so bring a camera if you’re into photography and cool buildings.

Inside the LC Bates Natural History Museum you’re welcome to photograph everything as long as you’re not being intrusive to others’ experience. The lighting inside is dim and is such a mood, so enjoy the artistic photo opportunity.

If you’re here on a cool or cold day, be sure that you wear a coat when you come into the museum. It’s an old building and exudes its historic context all the way to the temperature, if you know what I mean. If you’re visiting the LC Bates Natural History Museum with anyone who uses a wheelchair or walker, they won’t be able to enjoy the exhibits unfortunately. There is a grand staircase to enter the building and then the museum is set on different levels with stairs between them. As long as visitors are okay with historic stairs, they’ll be able to check everything out.

Getting to Hinkley, Maine

If you’re driving from the Portland area or Kennebunkport, it’s about an hour and a half to Hinkley where you’ll find the LC Bates Natural History Museum. It’s off the highway from Portland to Greenville, about an hour and a half short of Monson. There is plenty of parking directly next to the museum and around the Good Will-Hinkley campus.

More Things to do in the Highlands of Maine

The Highlands of Maine stretch from Bangor and sprawl to the north and west following the rise of the Appalachians. There are lots of small towns and state parks, and some of the most beautiful sights in Maine. I know that most people think of coastal Maine and its lighthouses when they think of what they’ll see when they come for a visit, but the Highlands are really the playground of Mainers. This region is why Maine is called “Vacationland” and you’ll see why when you come for a visit.

And you cannot forget that the Highlands is an epic winter playground too, with destinations like Sunday River, Saddleback and Sugarloaf. In winter you’ve got downhill and Nordic skiing, and in summer it’s all about hiking and fishing. During fall this is where you come for leaf peeping and to look for moose and other Maine wildlife.

Here are some great ideas for ways to enjoy the Highlands of Maine.

Where to Stay in the Highlands

Depending on the season you’re visiting the Highlands, you will have different options for where to stay. If you’re planning on climbing Mount Katahdin or doing a portion of the Appalachian Trail, Millinocket is a great place to be based. For other Appalachian Trail launch points you can find fun places to stay in Eustace, the Carrabassett Valley, and Rangely. Another amazing summertime destination is Greenville and Moosehead Lake.

For skiing you can stay in Newry or Hanover (for Sunday River), Rangely or Phillips (for Saddleback), or Carrabassett Valley for Sugarloaf. You’ll find lots of cross country / Nordic skiing all over, but the Katahdin Area Trails are great for it!