Maine Discovery Museum

The Maine Discovery Museum in
Bangor, Maine is the biggest children's museum that can be found
north of Boston, opening in 2001 in a converted department
store, after years of fundraising and planning. Even though the
museum had more than expected visitors the first year, it has
continued to have financial problems. It was able to acquire
help from the state, but the city has decided not to fund it
anymore. The museum's home is going through its first important
restoration since opening; although its mainstays are still the
two story tree house, a big music department that is filled with
various instruments from different cultures and a life-size
model beaver dam. The discovery museum is like many of the newer
children attractions like this offering outstanding learning
opportunities coupled with interactive fun exhibits that
encourage children to learn in new and innovative ways. All the
exhibits have been geared to provoke thought and learning,
regardless of visitors abilities or socioeconomic backgrounds
incorporating the various parts of Maine into a world scope that
helps children learn more about the similar aspects and the
differences. Exhibits include seven permanent interactive
exhibits the encourage your children to partake in the marvelous
worlds of music, anatomy, nature, art, geography, science and
children's literature. They are nature trails that allow
children to explore the state's ecosystem by walking along a 20
foot waterway, as well as send a boat down the river and make
hydropower, and climb to the top of a two story tree house that
offers you a beautiful bird's eye view of the surrounding areas,
and uncover wetland creatures in Turtle Alley. Next up is the
Tradewinds that is one of the newer displays that showcases
Maine's global connections, with a more concentrated focus on
Italy, Japan and Brazil, finding out the differences and
similarities that exist in their cultures, customs,
transportation, geography, communication and commerce. Booktown
is a walk down a village that contains doors that will lead you
into the pages of a Maine children's literary classic, like
being the librarian in Miss Rumphius' library, get your picture
taken with you on the back of Wilbur the pig in Charlotte's Web
or become the skipper on the Tidley-Idley. Sounds abound helps
your child discover the world of music in a awesome sound studio
filled with electronic equipment like video recorders where you
can act out silly themes and get them recorded, use a karaoke
machine to help you sing your favorite song; or even listen to
Twinkle, Twinkly Little Star in various musical styles. Body
journey allows your children to enter into a huge head that
highlights various bodily functions like flossing huge teeth,
watch an enormous heart beating, or even walking along the
intestinal tract inside the intestine. You can visit a doctor's
office that lets you become the doctor, taking care of the
babies or checking out real x-rays. Artscape offers children the
most amazing opportunity to learn about art and the many
utensils that are at your disposal, inside a real art studio,
where you will learn about kinetic art, sculpture, patterns,
colors, luminous designs; and try you hand at an exciting
pendulum drawing board that lets you push it and watch the
magical patterns appear as it swings back and forth. And the
final adventure is Mission: Discovery with numerous hands-on
displays that look at gravity, robotics, acceleration and
astronomy, and freezing your shadow, check out a moon rock and
race balls down their tracks and so much more.
Pine Hill Golf Club
The
Pine Hill Golf Club in Brewer, Maine is a 9 hole golf course
scattered among the hills and woods that offer a great game with
2934 yards and a par 36 to help you keep your game exciting and
fresh. Metal spikes are allowed at this course, it helps the
grass get aerated, a driving range is also located here, with
rental carts and rental clubs for you to enjoy a game without
having to cart your clubs all over on vacation, especially is
you fly and they charge for everything. A golf pro is available
to help with lessons, tips, secrets or just to help you improve
your swing, all on a public golf course that rolls up and down
like the terrain does in Maine. Trying to add a little more
challenge and excitement, the greens are kept close cropped
since they already are small and fast, with a course that is
heavily bunkered and tightly wooded. The fairways are bluegrass
and the greens are bentgrass, but there aren't any water hazards
to worry about, although the bunkers and trees are enough to
keep you swinging straight and true, even though the holes are
never just straight shots. They built the course to make it one
of the most exciting and challenging courses around, even though
they didn't have room for 18 holes. There is a putting green, to
help prepare you as well as a chipping area. So, when you travel
to the Bangor-Brewer area in Maine, be sure to check out Pine
Hills, and they do have pines all over the hills, sweet scented
pines that will keep you sniffing the air all day long.