Prices may be rising on everything from groceries to health insurance, but some fun things are still free — or close to it. Here, we offer up a guide to a bundle of Maine experiences that are all $10 or less, including some that call for an investment of nothing but (a good) time.
ART & MUSEUMS
Portland Museum of Art
7 Congress Square, Portland. portlandmuseum.org.
Admission is free all the time for anyone 21 and under to the state’s biggest art museum. Admission is also free to everyone from 4-8 p.m. on Fridays, as well as all day every third Thursday of the month.
Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum
10 Polar Loop (Bowdoin College campus), Brunswick. bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum.
Free admission. The museum is dedicated to all things arctic, and is named after explorer and Bowdoin graduates Robert E. Peary and Donald B. MacMillan. The museum’s collection feature more than 41,000 objects, photographs and films.
Bates College Museum of Art
Bates College, 75 Russell St., Lewiston. bates.edu/museum.
Free admission. The museum’s mission is serve as a laboratory for thought-provoking exhibitions, art productions, critical discussion and scholarship.
Bowdoin College Museum of Art
Bowdoin College, 245 Maine St., Brunswick. bowdoin.edu/art-museum.
Free admission. The museum’s collection features more than 30,000 objects created over the course of 5,000 years by global artists.
Brick Store Museum
117 Main St., Kennebunk. brickstoremuseum.org.
Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for kids 10-16 and free for under 10. Housed in a former brick dry goods store, the Brick Store Museum tells the story of Kennebunk through history and the arts.
Colby Museum of Art
Colby College, 5600 Mayflower Drive and the Greene Block + Studios, 93 Main St, Waterville. museum.colby.edu.
Free admission. The mission of the Colby Museum of Art is to provide access to meaningful engagement with, and joyful connection through art.
Maine Jewish Museum
267 Congress St., Portland. mainejewishmuseum.org.
Free admission (donations appreciated). The Maine Jewish Museum is housed in the Etz Chaim Synagogue. It hosts rotating exhibits every eight weeks that feature Jewish-connected and Maine-connected artists. The museum also has a permanent exhibit of Jack Montgomery’s photos of Holocaust survivors who settled in Maine.
Maine Military Museum and Learning Center
50 Peary Terrace, South Portland. mainemilitarymuseum.org.
Free admission. The museum is home to a vast collection of artifacts covering all branches of the armed forces.
University of New England Art Gallery
716 Stevens Ave., Portland and at the Ketchum Library, 11 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford. library.edu.une/art-galleries.
Free admission to both galleries. Both galleries mount about three exhibitions per academic year in a variety of media, with a range of themes.
MOVIES
Entertainment Luxury Cinemas
33 Clarks Pond Parkway, South Portland. entertainmentcinemas.com.
All films are $10 all the time.
Portland Museum of Art
7 Congress Square, Portland. portlandmuseum.org/films.
Tickets are $10, $7 for students and $6 for Friday matinees for all films.
Space
538 Congress St., Portland. space538.org.
Films are a big part of the event programming at Space. Tickets to all showings are $10.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
International Cryptozoology Museum
32 Resurgam Place, Portland. cryptozoologymuseum.com.
Admission is $10, $5 for 12 and under, free for babies in arms/strollers. Cryptozoology is the study of hidden or unknown animals. The mission of the International Cryptozoology Museum is to educate, inform and share cryptozoological evidence, artifacts, replicas and popular culture items. The Bangor location on 490 Broadway is due to open early in 2026.
Portland Freedom Trail
13 downtown Portland spots.
Free, self-guided walking tours of the Portland Freedom Trail features 13 sites that were all important to the Black experience in Maine, along with the national anti-slavery movement. Stops include Abyssinian Meeting House, Mariner’s Church and the Elias and Elizabeth Widgery Thomas Home.
Southworth Planetarium
University of Southern Maine, 70 Falmouth St., Portland. usm.maine.edu/southworth-planetarium.
Tickets to shows are $8 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and kids. The planetarium presents 360-degree dome shows and star tours. It’s one of the most fascinating experiences you can enjoy in Maine.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Sledding at Pineland Farms
15 Farm View Drive, New Gloucester. pinelandfarms.org.
From dawn until dusk, sledding on the giant groomed hill is always free. Bring your own sled.
Toboggan chute at Camden Snow Bowl
29 Barnestown Road, Camden. camdensnowbowl.com.
The cost is $10 an hour to experience the thrill of riding down the wooden Jack Williams Toboggan Chute. Toboggans for up to four people are provided. The chute will open for the season in February, immediately following the U.S. National Toboggan Championships that runs Feb. 6-8.
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