We here in Maine are not fancy people.

That’s why the definition of a museum in a Maine is a little different. Here some museums, of course, house fine art and historic artifacts. But others collect, preserve and display everything from beadwork and old telephones to ice harvesting tools and umbrella covers.

Some of these quirky collections are only open during the summer, so now is the time to check them out. Here’s a list to get you started.

International Cryptozoology Museum

490 Broadway, Bangor. cryptozoologymuseum.com

After being based in Portland for many years, this museum opened in a new Bangor space this summer. It’s dedicated to the study of hidden or unknown animals, and its collection includes sculptures of a Bigfoot, hair samples reportedly from the Abominable Snowman and a fiberglass model of a coelacanth, an ancient, 5-foot-long fish found off the coast of Africa in 1938.

L.C. Bates Museum

16 Prescott Drive, Fairfield. gwh.org/programs/lc-bates-museum 

This Central Maine museum features an eclectic collection of art, artifacts, Wabanaki baskets, minerals, fossils and local history. You can see Ernest Hemingway’s marlin, a platypus and dioramas of Maine wildlife. The museum was started by George Walter Hinckley, who founded the Good Will Hinckley School for underprivileged children in 1889, and was fascinated with natural history.

Mathews Museum of Maine Heritage

Fairgrounds Lane, Union. unionfair.org

This museum at the Union Fairgrounds is known for its large collection of Moxie memorabilia, celebrating the soft drink created by Dr. Augustin Thompson of Union in the 1880s. There are more than 1,000 Moxie-related items, including a 32-foot Moxie Bottle House, built in 1905. The museum has over 10,000 items total, including sleighs, tools, machinery toys and musical instruments. It’s open in July and August and of course, during the Union Fair, Aug. 5-9.

Maine Military Museum

50 Peary Terrace, South Portland. mainemilitarymuseum.org

This museum in the former Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 832 was created by Lee Humiston, an Air Force veteran with a passion for history who died in April at the age of 86. The museum’s stated mission is to teach the ideal of “service above self.” Exhibits and artifacts cover the spectrum of this country’s military history from the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan and Iraq. The collection includes muskets, M16 rifles, an airplane’s ejection seat and a full-scale replica of a POW’s cell in Vietnam.

Maine Mineral and Gem Museum

99 Main St., Bethel. mainemineralmuseum.org

This museum is home to the largest known pieces of the moon and Mars, and has an extensive collection of lunar meteorites. Opened in 2019, it also houses 38,000 superlative mineral specimens and some 300 high-quality gemstones found in Maine. The museum was founded by Larry Stifler and Mary McFadden, a Massachusetts couple who began coming to western Maine in the 1970s, became enamored with the area’s rich mineral mining history and began collecting all manner of rocks, from precious gems to fallen meteorites.

Museum of Beadwork

915 Forest Ave., Portland. www.museumofbeadwork.org

This museum opened in 2023, next to the Caravan of Beads store in Portland. The museum aims to elevate the art form while encouraging people to try it for the first time. The works displayed include moccasins, purses, buckles, sculptures, clothes and costumes, tapestry and jewelry.

Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum

10 Polar Loop, Brunswick. bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum

This museum on the Bowdoin College campus is dedicated to all things Arctic. It was named after explorers and Bowdoin alumni Robert E. Peary (class of 1877) and Donald B. MacMillan (class of 1898). Highlights include the Hubbard Sledge, one of five sledges said to have been with Peary at the North Pole, and a polar bear. Much of the collection came from MacMillan, including photographs and film of his time in the Arctic.

Rufus Porter Museum of Art & Ingenuity

112 Main St., Bridgton. rufusportermuseum.org

This museum was inspired by the life and ideas of Rufus Porter, an artist, musician, teacher and inventor who grew up in Bridgton. He founded Scientific American magazine in 1845 to encourage innovation in arts and sciences. He designed a revolving rifle cylinder, sold to Samuel Colt, that helped revolutionize the munitions industry.

Stanley Museum

40 School St., Kingfield. stanleymuseum.org

The Stanley family of Kingfield were a smart bunch. Brothers Francis Edgar and Freelan Oscar invented the Stanley Steamer automobile, sold in the early years of the 20th century. Their sister, Chansonetta Stanley Emmons, was a pioneering photographer and her daughter, Dorothy, was a painter. The museum features photographic equipment as well as several Stanley steam cars.

The Telephone Museum

166 Winkumpaugh Road, Ellsworth. thetelephonemuseum.org

Once upon a time, your phone calls didn’t just fly through space. It took telephone poles and switchboards and a whole lot of equipment and people to get a call from one phone to another. This museum was founded in 1984 and features real working telephones, hand-cranked phones and switchboards.

Thompson Ice House Museum

1864 Route 129, South Bristol. thompsonicehouse.com

Ice harvesting was important to Maine’s economy, and especially to rural farmers. At this museum, which includes an actual ice house, people learn about this long-ago skill through exhibits, tools and a video presentation. The Educational Museum portion of the property is open on Fridays and Saturdays in July and August. There is an annual ice harvest each winter at the musuem, with people invited to come and watch.

The Umbrella Cover Museum

62 Island Ave., Peaks Island. umbrellacovermuseum.org

Most people take the sleeve, or cover, off a new umbrella and throw it away, or lose it. Nancy 3. Hoffman decided they needed a home, so she started collecting and opened the museum 30 years ago. The covers are from all over the world, posted on the walls. Hoffman is known for giving personal tours and playing “Let a Smile be Your Umbrella” on her accordion.

Wendell Gilley Museum

4 Herrick Road, Southwest Harbor. wendellgilleymuseum.org

Make way for duck carvings. This museum has some 300 bird carvings by Gilley, made between 1931 and 1983. There’s a life-size king eider drake and a majestic eagle with wings spread in flight. Before gaining renown as a carver, he was best known around his hometown of Southwest Harbor as a master plumber.