There are so many offbeat, and surprisingly cool things to do on Maine’s Phippsburg Peninsula, including the towns of Brunswick and Bath Maine, this area should be overrun with tourists. But, blissfully, even in the midst of Maine’s summer season, it’s not.
We’re amazed to report that on this lesser-known mid-Maine coast peninsula, you can find large swaths of soft sand on gorgeous public beaches without surrendering your personal space, learn about the East Coast’s boat-building history, and peruse art in uncrowded museums, three hours closer to NYC than Bar Harbor/Acadia.
Maine was a shipbuilding powerhouse and still is, which is why the phenomenal Maine Maritime Museum is located in Bath on the Phippsburg Peninsula. Bath is still home to mega-boat-builder, Bath Iron Works, where the majority of U.S. Navy Destroyers are built.
Bath is just 10 minutes from one of the best college art museums in the country – Bowdoin Museum of Art. It’s 20 minutes from an authentic waterfront Family Resort, Sebasco Harbor Resort on Maine’s lesser-traveled Phippsburg Peninsula on Casco Bay.
So, gear up for a great getaway full of American History, Art, and Recreation on this often-overlooked portion of Coastal Maine.
Looking for more weekend getaway ideas? Check out our list of romantic getaways in the Northeast. And if you’re looking within Maine borders, we’ve got a slew of ideas in our Best Romantic Getaways in ME.
Things to Do in Brunswick and the Phippsburg Peninsula Maine
VISIT: Bowdoin Museum of Art, Brunswick
Enter through a glass cube into the wonderfully eclectic Bowdin Museum of Art: filled with everything from Assyrian cuneiforms to avant-garde video installations. This is a vibrant place, endowed in 1794 by James Bowdoin III, whose 1811 bequest established the earliest collegiate collection of European paintings, drawings, and prints in America.
The murals in the soaring, Walker Art Building’s rotunda, are “designed to inspire.” James Bowdoin considered “art as the high point of Western Civilization.” This enticing institution certainly is a high point among college museums, and very much worth visiting.
VISIT: Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, Brunswick
Most visitors come to Bowdoin College for the Art Museum, never realizing that this is here. But as eclectic museums go, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum is tops. This museum celebrates the indomitable spirit of world exploration at the dawn of the 20th century – specifically Arctic expeditions conducted by Robert Peary (class of 1877) and Donald MacMillan (class of 1898).
In 2023 the Arctic Museum moved into a stunning new building that now features one permanent gallery “At Home in the North” focusing on life in the Arctic historically and today. Here, you’ll also find exhibits about Peary and MacMillan’s trips to the Arctic.
Peary, Matthew Henson, and four Inughts reached the North Pole in 1909 – the first humans to reach the North Pole and record it. Although MacMillan was on that expedition in a support capacity, he did not make it to the North Pole. But he continued to work in the Arctic until 1954, collaborating with scientists and northern residents. Check website for hours/dates open, free to enter.
TOUR: Maine Maritime Museum, Bath
The Maine Maritime Museum complex offers a compelling look at how boats were designed, made, and launched before computers and electronics.
It makes perfect sense that this museum is located on the Kennebec River property of Percy and Small Shipyard – known for constructing the best multi-masted Schooners in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
Most astounding is the contemporary white sculpture that outlines the dimensions of the Schooner Wyoming. The largest sailing vessel in the USA, it was constructed on-site in 1909.
The artistic interpretation of the Wyoming – 50 ft. wide, 40 ft. tall and 329 feet long to exactly full-scale – takes up most of the property. Its bowsprit juts out more than halfway across the street.
Multi-Building Self Guided Tour
Though the museum property includes multiple buildings, start in the Visitor’s Center galleries, which provide an overview of the industry here. Northeast waterways were the key to wealth. In early days, Mainers made their living exporting lumber, fish, sardines, whales, granite, other stones, and later, coal.
Companies here traded these goods with merchants in the south – bringing up cotton to be processed in New England mills.
Maine forests thick with trees were ready resources for boat building. Bath, nicknamed the “City of Ships,” was home to 26 independent shipyards between 1820 and 1890.
Commerce attracted visitors. Steamer tourist boats, built like 5-star hotels, plied the waters.
It’s easy to take a self-guided tour of the property: Walkways steer you from one building to another. Or better yet – join a guided tour to get a terrific overview of the many components, steps, exactitude, brawn, and engineering prowess required to build these great ships. You’ll finally learn about the fate of the Wyoming, which I will not divulge here.
Afterwards, stop into the Mill Shop, where you’ll hear sounds of sawing and shouts. From there, step into the Donnell House, which belonged to the shipyard owners. Before leaving, don’t miss a miniaturized reenactment of the way these behemoths were launched, and a colorful new exhibit about the Maine lobster industry.
PHOTO OP/SHOP: Downtown Bath on the Phippsburg Peninsula
Stand on the corner of Front and Centre Streets for a great picture, then peruse the shops and restaurants of a lively, restored downtown within sight of the imposing Bath Iron Works.
DRIVE: Phippsburg Peninsula
Get off of Route 1 for the less trod Maine experience. You’ll find the Sebasco Harbor Resort (below, under Where To Stay) at its easternmost point about 11 miles from Bath, and lots of things to do:
HIKE: Bates Morse Mountain Conservation Area
It’s a four-mile round trip hike to the summit and down to the beach at the Bates Morse Mountain Conservation Area. Not many outsiders know about it, and residents would like to keep it that way. There are 31 miles of public hiking trails on the Phippsburg Peninsula, most owned by the Land Trust.
CAMP/RUSTIC BEACH: Hermit Island, Head Beach
This hidden gem – the Hermit Island Campground – is one of the most popular places to pitch your tent in Maine. Sites sell out quickly on January 1st when reservations open up. Tent camping only. Small seafood shack on the property.
SWIM: Popham Beach State Park
Although thousands of people come to Popham Beach State Park to swim, on a hot summer day the place feels practically barren. That’s because the soft sand extends three miles at the mouth of the Kennebec River, and there’s plenty of room for all. A local and Maine favorite, many tourists don’t even know about it, making a visit here all the more delicious.
STOP: Fort Popham State Historic Site
Built in 1861 during the Civil War to protect the shipyards and shipbuilders in Bath, Fort Popham, at the entrance to the Kennebec River was never completed. For now, it’s fun to wander around the well-marked ruins.
Where to Eat on Phippsburg Peninsula, Maine
EAT: Ledges at Sebasco Harbor Resort
Relatively reasonably priced “Flavors of Maine” cuisine (read: great Lobster, Scallops, Atlantic Salmon), and sunset views to beat the band.
EAT: Spinney’s Restaurant – Popham Beach Phippsburg
Real casual. Real Maine. Spinney’s.
Where to Stay on Phippsburg Peninsula
STAY: Sebasco Harbor Resort
So many of these “family resorts” on the Maine Coast have floundered or faded. But not Sebasco Harbor Resort, which has managed to maintain a multi-generational, friendly, laid-back, ice cream days, rec-center-nights vibe even after “going corporate” in 2022.
