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Homeschool Discounts in Maine

Big-ticket Maine museums and attractions with homeschool discount days — typically 30–50% off for kids, sometimes free.

Updated June 2026 · 11 confirmed programs · 0 call-to-confirm

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 in late 2026.

Confirmed homeschool pricing

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

Recurring
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: $25 adult / $9 child garden admission (online) — Guided homeschool program $25/student; Homeschool Day ticket covers a child plus a chaperone
Homeschool page at mainegardens.org →
Recurring
Tue & Thu
Project WILD programs
$10
per kid

Maine Wildlife Park

Gray · K–6 · Education Visits for groups of 10+ students; Project WILD sessions run Tuesday and Thursday in 30-minute blocks. Book via mainewildlifepark@maine.gov.

This state-run park is home to 30 native Maine species — moose, bears, lynx, bald eagles. Its wildlife keepers lead hands-on Project WILD education programs for homeschool groups on habitats, adaptations, and predator-prey relationships, then turn students loose to tour the park and its gardens.

Regular admission: $15 ages 11–64 / $10 ages 2–10 — Wildlife-keeper-led Project WILD programs for homeschool groups of 10+
Homeschool page at maine.gov →
When
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 →
Recurring
May–Oct
Student groups
$5
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 →
Year-round
Year-round
Field trips & In-Reach STEM
$6
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 →
When
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 →
Recurring
Homeschool Days
Through the school year
$5
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 →
When
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 →
Year-round
Free
Guided tours 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 →
When
Reopens late 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 — confirm the reopening (planned for late 2026) before visiting.

Maine's official state museum offers free admission and free homeschool programming exploring the state's people, innovations, and environment, from Ice Age fossils to a working water-powered mill. It is closed for renovation and scheduled to reopen in late 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 →
When
Field trips
By reservation, Jun–Oct
$5
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 →

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 under 5
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 MuseumSmall admission fee (price not posted online — check site)
  • 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 6
  • 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 Rockland residents
  • Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA)$10 / $8 students & seniors / Free under 18 / Free First Fridays
  • 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$25 adults online ($29 gate) / $9 children 3–17 online / Free under 3
  • 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 gallery admission
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 Museum$3 adults / $2 youth 6–18 / Free under 6 / Family max $10 (school & homeschool groups free)
See all Augusta attractions →

See all 86 Maine attractions on the directory →