What to do in Brunswick, ME

Bowdoin College is a small liberal arts school with a beautiful campus. Founded in 1794 when Maine was still part of Massachusetts, the college has educated some of the greatest literary minds in American history. Stroll slowly along the leafy paths, passing chattering students. Closed to cars, the atmosphere is peaceful and allows a serene tour of the main attractions of the redbrick campus buildings.

The history of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art goes back to 1811, when James Bowdoin III endowed Bowdoin College and gave it his extensive art collection. The next year, the same collection went on display, making it one of the United States’ first art museums. Over the years, the collection outgrew its space and was moved into its beautiful neo-Renaissance building in 1894. Pause before entering to take a photo of one of the huge bronze lions flanking the entrance. Today, the museum has more than 20,000 paintings, sculptures and archaeological finds and forms one of the most important college museums in the country.

The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum is a celebration of the Far North and of two of the men who first helped explore it. The two Bowdoin alumni, Robert E. Peary and Donald MacMillan, were among the first to reach the North Pole in 1909 and 1916. Their expeditions inspired the selection of the polar bear as Bowdoin’s mascot. The museum is made up of thousands of artifacts and photographs brought back from their travels. Founded in 1967, the museum celebrates both these explorers as well as Bowdoin’s continuing commitment to Arctic studies. Take a moment in front of the centerpiece of the museum, a stuffed polar bear from 1915 that MacMillan captured in Greenland.

The Maine State Music Theatre is a beloved Pine Tree State institution popular with locals and tourists. It was founded by Vicki Crandall in 1959 in Pickard Theater, where the troupe still performs today. Originally a one-woman outfit, with Vicki coordinating everything, it has evolved into a mainstay of Maine’s theater scene. Today, the organization is a non-profit with an internship program training young actors and an award-winning troupe staffed by Broadway-caliber actors. Spend an evening with this community-minded organization and you will likely leave singing.

Step inside the Skolfield-Whittier House to feel as though you have stepped back in time. First built in the 1850s, the house is actually two separate dwellings, one for the Skolfields and one for the Whittiers, who each took a wing of the house. Closed up and donated to the local historical society in the 1980s, today the building is a must-see for history buffs and curious minds.