L.C. Bates Museum, Good Will-Hinckley

Let your imagination run wild as we invent fantastic new creatures by combining parts of existing animals in the museum — using colored pencils, of course! This fun activity helps kids think about adaptations and the “creativity” we observe in some animals’ naturally selected traits. Can you invent a chimera stranger than the duck-billed platypus? […]

Come learn about some of the techniques used by NASA scientists to explore and understand our universe, through a series of fun and informative hands-on activities including Stomp Rockets, Mars Rover Game, Discovering Distant Planets, Moon Craters,and more! Plus, discover the construction and principles behind a working refractor telescope with the Galileoscope! Admission: $4 for […]

Fox Skulls, painting by Nancy Glassman Transitions, the summer 2024 art exhibit will open with a reception for artists on Saturday, May 11, from 4:00 to 6:00. Come meet the artists, tour the exhibition, and enjoy refreshments provided by the Colby Arts and Humanities. The exhibit, which includes the work of over 20 Maine artists, […]

Look at mammals from around the world and their skulls, feet, and teeth to learn how they are adapted to live in different habitats. Look at their hoofs and feet to learn about how they are adapted to help mammals. Find mammals that run fast and some that can climb a tree. Make a mammal […]

Explore the best ways to care for your personal or museum collections. Come join this free workshop at the L.C. Bates Museum at Good Will-Hinckley. This collections care and storage workshop will provide training on how to better care for your historic objects or family treasures. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, this […]

Historic Image of the L.C. Bates Museum As part of Jane’s Walk, take a walking tour of the museum’s architecture and the GWH campus near the museum including buildings, the winding road and pond behind the museum. We will talk about the Maine architect William Miller of Lewiston, who designed the museum and 4 other […]

Learn about the upcoming April 8 solar eclipse and why eclipses happen. Try exploring solar NISE solar kits and experiments. Admission: $4 for adults, $1 for children.

On this guided tour, we will highlight some of the endangered, threatened and extinct species found in the museum’s collection. We also, happily, get to talk about some species that have made remarkable recoveries thanks to recent conservation efforts! Admission: $4 for adults, $1 for children.

Join us for a fun and educational tour of the museum’s Wabanaki basket collection, including fine examples of Penobscot and Passamaquoddy craftsmanship. Learn more about some of the natural materials and techniques for making the baskets. Admission: $4 for adults, $1 for children.

Take a guided tour of the museum’s Maine bird dioramas painted by Charles Hubbard. Learn to identify the birds in the dioramas and where they are found. See how Hubbard’s background paintings in the dioramas show us the birds common habitats. Make a small bird diorama. Admission: $4 for adults, $1 for children.

When winter comes to Maine, many birds migrate south but some stay and tough it out! We will discuss some of these hardy birds, and the special adaptations and behaviors they use to survive until spring returns. Admission: $4 for adults, $1 for children.

Join us to tour the bird gallery to look at bird adaptations and then find a bird or two you would like to draw. Make a colorful watercolor or drawing to take home. Admission: $4 for adults, $1 for children.

Take a trip through history and explore some of the popular games kids played a hundred years ago! Roll a hoop, play a proper Victorian game called Graces, try a ring toss, write on a slate board, and more. Make a craft to take home. Admission: $4 for adults, $1 for children.

Use solar beads to learn about the light from the sun and make a cloud to see how it effects sunlight. Do NISE Earth and Space experiments to discover the effects of a vacuum and how shadows are formed. Admission: $4 for adults, $1 for children.

Conservator Ron Harvey will present a free workshop on object conservation. He will cover preservation techniques and be available to answer participants' conservation questions. The workshop is made possible by support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Please call or email the museum to register.

Conservator Ron Harvey will present a free workshop on object conservation. Harvey will cover preservation techniques and be able to answer participants conservation questions. The workshop is made possible by support from the Institute of Museum and Library services. Please call or email the museum to register.

Maine is a land of magnificent waterways, drawing visitors from all over for world-class fishing. Some birds love to fish, too! From osprey to heron, learn about the special adaptations and behaviors these birds use to catch their dinner. Admission: $4 for adults, $1 for children.