Maine State Museum Reopens October 24 With Free Admission Through 2026

The Maine State Museum in Augusta will reopen on October 24, 2026, after a renovation that has kept it closed since June 2020, and admission will be free from reopening day through December 31, 2026. The museum’s visit page lists hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, with a Grand Reopening Celebration on the first day.

The museum sits at 230 State Street in Augusta, the state capital, in the building it shares with the Maine State Library and the Maine State Archives. If you are building a longer trip, our Maine itinerary can help you fit a stop in Augusta around the coast.

Free Admission for the First Ten Weeks

The museum says admission is free from October 24 through December 31, 2026. From 2027, it lists admission at $3 for adults, $2 for seniors 62 and older and $2 for youth aged 6 to 18. Children under 6, veterans and members get in free, and teachers, students and homeschool groups visiting as groups are always free.

The free period covers the first ten weeks after reopening, which makes late October through December the cheapest time to go, particularly for families paying for several people. The museum has not said anything about timed tickets or advance reservations for general admission, so plan on walking in during opening hours.

A Whale Gallery and New Exhibits

The museum says the reopened building adds more than 19,000 square feet of new exhibits, displays and gathering spaces. Its exhibits page lists four shows for 2026: Vector: A Whale’s Life in the Gulf of Maine, Maine Quilts: 250 Years of Comfort and Community, Beyond the Postcard: Stories of the Maine Experience, and the long running At Home in Maine.

The closure was longer than a typical gallery refresh. The museum says the 55 year old Cultural Building needed a down to the bones rebuilding to meet new building codes, improve energy efficiency, create a stable interior environment, upgrade technology and improve accessibility.

The whale gallery alone covers 4,130 square feet, and Beyond the Postcard greets visitors at the entrance. That exhibit will display the World Traveler signpost, a 1930s Oxford County sign pointing to Maine towns named after places abroad, beside a new Mapping Maine digital interactive. The museum calls the Lunder Education Center its first dedicated space for learning and play.

Radio station 94.9 HOM reports the whale gallery displays two humpback skeletons, including Vector, a 45 foot adult female, and that At Home in Maine has been refreshed with new interactive elements. The museum’s exhibits page does not say which of the new shows will be open on reopening day, so check it before a visit if one exhibit is the reason you are going.

Opening Day Celebration and Hours

The museum’s exhibits and events page lists the Grand Reopening Celebration on October 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., matching regular opening hours. The page does not yet give a program for the day, so check back closer to the date if you plan to go for the celebration itself rather than the exhibits.

Opening hours are fairly short, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the museum is closed on Mondays and state holidays. That rules out Monday stops on a long weekend and some holiday dates in November and December, so confirm the day before you drive. The visit page says free parking is available in lots around the museum.

Blaine House Tours and Visitor Guides

Its visit page also handles tours of the Blaine House, the governor’s residence, which must be scheduled at least a week in advance, with no walk ins. The page notes that a museum map and accessibility guide are coming soon.