Homeschool Discounts in Maine (2026) — Botanical Gardens, Ships & Free Arctic Museums

Maine's coast turns its biggest attractions into homeschool bargains. The state's marquee science and maritime venues — Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, the Owls Head Transportation Museum, and the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath — all run scheduled homeschool days or homeschool-eligible field-trip rates that drop well below the gate price, usually with a free chaperone. On Mount Desert Island near Acadia, the Oceanarium names homeschool groups outright at $5 a student against an $18 adult gate.

Inland and up the river, the value gets even better. The state-run Maine Wildlife Park in Gray runs Project WILD programs for homeschool groups, the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor books field trips at $10 a student, and Searsport's Penobscot Marine Museum holds recurring themed Homeschool Days for $5 a child (or $20 a family). Two of Maine's best museums cost nothing at all: Bowdoin's Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum gives free guided group tours, and the Maine State Museum in Augusta — free for homeschool groups — reopens from renovation on October 24, 2026.

Your Maine homeschool toolkit

Local resources worth bookmarking

Start here

Maine homeschool laws

Notice, recordkeeping & assessment rules — straight from the source.

Read Maine's requirements →

Check your local library

Free museum passes, classes, makerspaces & interlibrary loan — the cheapest field trips there are. Ask what they offer homeschoolers.

Find Maine libraries →

Always ask about homeschool rates

Many venues give 30–50% off (sometimes free) and never advertise it. Call ahead and ask for a homeschool, education, or co-op rate before you pay.

State parks & history

Free and cheap educational programming statewide — nature centers, historic sites, junior-ranger days.

State parks → · Maine history →

Free Maine homeschool printables

Print, pin & take along — no email needed

Free PDF worksheets to bring on any Maine field trip. Print as many copies as you like.

My Maine Study

A one-page state study your child fills in — capital, state symbols, flag, and a place to visit.

Download PDF →

Field trip scavenger hunt

A find-it checklist that works at any museum, park, or downtown outing. Reusable every trip.

Download PDF →

Nature journal

A draw-and-observe page for park, trail, and garden days — senses, sketches, and a leaf rubbing.

Download PDF →

Landmarks I want to see in Maine

A checklist to fill in — the parks and famous places in Maine you want to visit, with a box to tick off each one.

Download PDF →

See all our free printables →

Confirmed homeschool pricing

Published price on the venue's own homeschool page — most under $20 per child.

Offers

Homeschool Days

Spring & fall sessions

$25

per kid · adult $12

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Boothbay · 3–18 · Register online. Scheduled Homeschool Days run seasonally; homeschool groups also book any guided field-trip program at $25/student (extra adults $12, under 3 free).

New England's largest botanical garden runs scheduled Homeschool Days — hour-long guided programs like seed dissection, garden-detective hunts, and nature yoga — plus discounted homeschool field-trip programs across 300 tidal-shoreline acres of gardens, woodland trails, and the famous giant troll sculptures.

Regular admission: $28 adult / $12 child garden admission (online) — Guided homeschool program $25/student; Homeschool Day ticket covers a child plus a chaperone

Homeschool page at mainegardens.org →

Offers

Field Trips

Groups of 20+ · Tue & Thu programs

per kid

Maine Wildlife Park

Gray · K–6 · Education Visits are $8/person for groups of 20 or more, with one free chaperone per ten students. The keeper-led Project WILD program is a $50 add-on per program, Tuesdays and Thursdays in 30-minute blocks for 10–30 students. Book via mainewildlifepark@maine.gov.

This state-run park is home to 30 native Maine species — moose, bears, lynx, bald eagles. Homeschool groups of 20 or more get in at $8 a head, and wildlife keepers can add a hands-on Project WILD session on habitats, adaptations, and predator-prey relationships before students tour the park and its gardens.

Regular admission: $15 ages 11–64 / $10 ages 2–10 — Education visits $8/person at 20+ (vs $15/$10 gate); free chaperone per 10 students

Homeschool page at maine.gov →

Offers

Field Trips

By arrangement

$11

per kid

Maine Maritime Museum

Bath · PreK–12 · Groups of 15+ pay $11/student ($150 flat under 15); one free adult per 10 students. Kennebec River cruise programs run $22/student. Book via education@maritimeme.org.

On the country's only surviving wooden-shipbuilding yard, homeschool field trips pick their own adventure — lobstering and Gulf of Maine ecology, historic vessels, Wabanaki waterways, or a Kennebec River cruise — exploring the 20-acre campus and the full-size Wyoming schooner sculpture.

Regular admission: $22 adult / Free 17 & under — Homeschool field trips $11/student (groups of 15+); $150 flat for smaller groups

Homeschool page at mainemaritimemuseum.org →

Offers

Field Trips

May–Oct · Student groups

per kid

Mount Desert Oceanarium

Bar Harbor · All ages · All student groups, including homeschool: $5/student (minimum 10); one free chaperone per 8 kids, extra adults $5. Spring and fall groups are best served when the Oceanarium is closed to the public.

On Thomas Bay near Acadia, this hands-on aquarium names homeschool groups outright at $5 a student. Kids meet rare blue and orange Maine lobsters, climb aboard a 29-foot lobster boat, explore 2,000 gallons of Gulf of Maine tanks, and dig into a 650-gallon touch pool.

Regular admission: $18 adult / $15 child — Homeschool groups named outright: $5/student vs an $18 gate

Homeschool page at theoceanarium.org →

Offers

Field Trips

Year-round · & In-Reach STEM

per kid

Owls Head Transportation Museum

Owls Head · PreK–12 · Field trips $6/person; In-Reach one-hour STEM programs are designed for homeschool groups (up to 40). Free STEM Saturdays come with admission. Book via education@ohtm.org.

A world-class collection of pioneer-era aircraft, automobiles, and engines kept in running order, paired with a hands-on Science & Industry Center. Homeschool field trips run $6 a person, and In-Reach STEM programs — robotics, parachutes-and-physics, airplane launchers — are built for homeschool groups.

Regular admission: $17 adult / $7 child 3–10 — Field trips $6/person incl. admission, Science Center & STEM demos

Homeschool page at owlshead.org →

Offers

Field Trips

By reservation · Tue–Sun, groups of 10+

$10

per kid

Maine Discovery Museum

Bangor · Early childhood–elementary · Field trips $10/student (minimum 10 children); teachers and chaperones free, one adult per 5 kids. Add a Science Around ME program for $75 per 25 students.

The largest children's museum north of Boston, with three floors of interactive STEM and culture exhibits. Homeschool, school, and recreation groups book field trips at $10 a student, with optional add-on Science Around ME programs that tie directly to Maine science and industry.

Regular admission: $14 general admission — Field trips $10/student; teachers and chaperones free

Homeschool page at mainediscoverymuseum.org →

Offers

Homeschool Days

Through the school year

per kid · adult $5

Penobscot Marine Museum

Searsport · All ages · Registration required; $5/person or $20/family. Recurring themed Homeschool Days (sea captains, 1800s communication, and more) with crafts and a Set Sail demonstration, then free time to explore.

Maine's oldest maritime museum runs recurring themed Homeschool Days across a campus of historic Searsport sea-captain buildings — hands-on visits with crafts and a Set Sail demonstration — for $5 a person or $20 a family, with time to explore the village campus independently afterward.

Regular admission: Themed Homeschool Days; $20/family cap — $5/person or $20/family — about a third of regular family admission

Homeschool page at penobscotmarinemuseum.org →

Offers

Group Visits

Wed–Fri timeslots

$10

per kid

Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine

Portland · PreK–elementary · School and recreation groups of 15+ get 50% off the $20 gate ($10/person); add a 20–30 minute educator program for $2/attendee. Book via bookings@kitetails.org.

On Portland's Thompson's Point, three floors of hands-on exhibits, a Maine watershed aquarium, indoor-outdoor climbers, and the nation's oldest children's theatre. Homeschool and recreation groups of 15+ visit at half price, with optional educator-led natural-science and theatre programs.

Regular admission: $20 gate — School and recreation groups of 15+: 50% off ($10/person)

Homeschool page at kitetails.org →

Offers

Free Admission

by request

Free

per kid

Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum

Brunswick · All ages · Free guided group tours for school and homeschool groups; book at least three weeks ahead via pmam@bowdoin.edu. Tours can be tailored to your curriculum.

The only U.S. museum devoted entirely to Arctic studies, at Bowdoin College, offers free guided group tours that homeschool families can tailor to their curriculum. Galleries hold Peary and MacMillan expedition gear, Inuit art, and polar natural-history specimens — and admission is always free.

Regular admission: Always free — Free guided group tours; book three weeks ahead

Homeschool page at bowdoin.edu →

Offers

Free Admission

Reopens Oct 24, 2026 · Closed for renovation

Free

per kid

Maine State Museum

Augusta · All ages · Free admission and no-fee homeschool programming for groups (one chaperone per 10 students). The museum is closed for a major renovation and reopens in phases starting October 24, 2026.

Maine’s official state museum offers free admission and free homeschool programming exploring the state’s people, innovations, events, and environment, from Ice Age fossils to a working water-powered mill. It is closed for renovation and reopens October 24, 2026 — a free, deep-dive Maine history stop once it returns.

Regular admission: Free for homeschool groups — Free admission and no-fee homeschool programming

Homeschool page at mainestatemuseum.org →

Offers

Field Trips

By reservation

per kid

Maine Historical Society

Portland · K–12 · On-campus field trips run $5/student (~60 min) by reservation; MHS works directly with homeschooling groups. Book via education@mainehistory.org.

In downtown Portland, the Maine Historical Society pairs museum galleries and the Brown research library with the 1786 Wadsworth-Longfellow House — childhood home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Homeschool groups book hour-long $5-a-student field trips, plus free virtual programs and downloadable lesson plans.

Regular admission: $5/student field trips; house tours seasonal — Homeschool field trips $5/student; free virtual programs

Homeschool page at mainehistory.org →

When everything’s free

Big-ticket museums with a recurring free-admission day — open to everyone, no homeschool sign-up needed.

Year-round

7 museums

FREE

Admission days

Free-for-all guide

Free museum days across Maine

Portland · Rockland · Brunswick · Waterville · Bangor · Orono

No group minimums and no booking forms — just show up on the right day. From free weeknights and weekend days to resident-free museums, these are the recurring free-admission days at Maine’s major museums, each verified on the museum’s own site.

Why it’s here: the cheapest field trip there is — no per-kid ticket and no reservation.

See all Maine free museum days →

Gear up for your field trip

A few inexpensive things that turn a museum or nature day into a richer lesson — favorites from homeschooling families.

Kids' field journal

Sketch and note what they see at each stop

Shop on Amazon →

Compact binoculars for kids

Zoos, nature centers, living-history farms

Shop on Amazon →

Bug viewer & magnifier

Turn any nature trail into a science lesson

Shop on Amazon →

Kids' sketchbook

Art-museum and outdoor sketching days

Shop on Amazon →

Scavenger hunt cards

Keep little ones engaged on long visits

Shop on Amazon →

Junior ranger activity book

Pairs with park and museum trips

Shop on Amazon →

Homeschool resources we love

Homeschool curriculum Science experiment kits Kids' art supplies Educational workbooks

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Plus more free and cheap educational outings in Maine

Already on DiscoverCheapUS — free and low-cost Maine attractions homeschool families plan whole field-trip days around.

Portland

7 free or cheap

Portland Museum of ArtFree Fridays 4–8pm / $20 adults, $18 seniors & students
Portland Head Light & Fort Williams ParkFree park (museum $2 adults, $1 children, under 6 free)
Old Port Historic DistrictFree
Portland Observatory$10 adults, $5 kids 6-16, kids under 6 free
Bug Light ParkFree
First Friday Art WalkFree
Wadsworth-Longfellow House$18 adults / $12 students / Free 5 & under

See all Portland attractions →

Camden

2 free or cheap

Camden Amphitheatre & Harbor ParkFree
Rockport Marine Park & Andre the Seal StatueFree

See all Camden attractions →

Bangor

4 free or cheap

Zillman Art MuseumFree
Mount Hope CemeteryFree
Cole Land Transportation Museum$14 adults / $12 seniors, military, first responders / Free under 19
Hudson Museum at UMaine (Orono)Free

See all Bangor attractions →

Bar Harbor

6 free or cheap

Acadia National Park$20 per person on foot or bike / $35 per private vehicle / Free under 16
Sieur de Monts Spring & Wild Gardens of AcadiaIncluded with park entry
Abbe Museum$18 adults / $10 ages 5–17
Museum in the Streets (Self-Guided Walking Tour)Free
Bar Harbor Historical Society at La Rochelle$20 adults / $18 seniors / $15 youth (7-12) / Free under 7
St. Saviour's Episcopal Church (Tiffany Windows)Free

See all Bar Harbor attractions →

Rockland

5 free or cheap

Rockland Breakwater LighthouseFree
Farnsworth Art Museum$20 adults / $10 students / Free 16 & under / Free First Fridays & Rockland residents
Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA)$10 / $8 students & seniors / Free under 18 / Free for Rockland residents
Maine Lighthouse Museum$14 adults / $10 seniors / $8 military / Free 12 & under with an adult
Owls Head Transportation Museum$17 adults / $14 seniors / $11 youth 11–17 / $7 children 3–10 / Free under 3

See all Rockland attractions →

Boothbay Harbor

4 free or cheap

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens$28 adults online ($32 gate) / $12 kids 3–17
Oak Point Farm (Boothbay Region Land Trust)Free
Museum in the Streets Walking TourFree
Boothbay Region Historical SocietyFree (donations welcome)

See all Boothbay Harbor attractions →

Bath

2 free or cheap

Maine Maritime Museum$22 adults / $20 seniors / Free 17 & under through 2026
Chocolate Church Arts CenterFree

See all Bath attractions →

Brunswick

3 free or cheap

Bowdoin College Museum of ArtFree
Peary-MacMillan Arctic MuseumFree
Pejepscot History CenterFree (house-museum tours ticketed)

See all Brunswick attractions →

Augusta

5 free or cheap

Maine State HouseFree
Blaine House (Governor’s Residence)Free (by appointment)
Viles ArboretumFree
Old Fort Western$15 adults / $10 students / $8 children 5–14 / Free under 5 / Family up to 5 $35
Maine State MuseumClosed until Oct 24, 2026 (was $3 adults)

See all Augusta attractions →

See all 86 Maine attractions on the directory →