• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Southern Maine on the Cheap

Deals and discounts in Southern Maine

  • Free
    & Cheap
  • Frugal
    Living
  • Food
    & Drink
  • Entertainment
    & the Arts
  • Family
    & Kids
  • Museums &
    Attractions
  • Shopping
    Bargains
  • Sports
    & Recreation
  • Home
  • Welcome
  • Southern Maine Map
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • More Cheap Cities
← Museums for All in Southern Maine
Maine Holidays When Things Are Closed →

Participating Blue Star Museums in Maine

POSTED BY
Leah Ingram

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families. It is in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America.

The Blue Star Museums program offers free entry to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve. Finally, there are dozens of museums nationwide that participate in Blue Star Museums.

When is the Blue Star Museums program active

Each year, the Blue Star Museums program is activated on Armed Forces Day and then pauses on Labor Day. Armed Forces Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday in May.

Blue Star Museums free admission

There are six cultural attractions in Southern Maine that participate in the Blue Star Museums free admission program. Here they are listed in alphabetical order by location.

Bridgton

Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity


The Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity promotes and preserves the life and legacy of Rufus Porter, a recognized folk artist. However, he was so much more than a painter.

On the one hand, Porter was also an inventor and musician. On the other hand, he was a founding publisher, editor and writer for Scientific American, still in publication today.

Bridgton, Maine, was where he spent his childhood.

Kennebunk

Brick Store Museum
In addition to offering military families free admission through Blue Star Museums, there are two other times during the year when everyone can enjoy free admission at the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk.

One, museum admission is free every Tuesday for everyone June through December.

Two, Friday Art Nights! are held on select Fridays from June through September.

Finally, the Museum is open for free from 5:00pm to 7:00pm for visitors to explore exhibitions after-hours and enjoy an art activity (for all ages!).

Kennbunkport

Seashore Trolley Museum

Sheldon Cooper from TV’s “The Big Bang Theory” would be in heaven at the Seashore Trolley Museum. This popular Kennebunkport attraction is entirely about trains.

seashore trolley museum participates blue star museums

The Seashore Trolley Museum season lines up nicely with Blue Star Museums’ schedule. It will reopen in May, a few weeks before Armed Forces Day.

From there it is open on weekends in May. Then, from June 1 through October 30, the Seashore Trolley Museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays. As you know the Blue Star Museums free admission expires on Labor Day.

Ogunquit

The Ogunquit Museum of Art is open seasonally, from mid-April through mid-November. During that time, the museum is open daily, 10 am to 5 pm.

Portland

Maine Historical Society

Founded in 1822, the Maine Historical Society is the third oldest state historical society in the United States. Located in downtown Portland, the Maine Historical Society includes the Wadsworth–Longfellow House (it was the writer’s childhood home) and Longfellow Garden as well as, the museum, store, the Brown Research Library and the Maine Memory Network, a digital museum.

Portland Museum of Art

The Portland Museum of Art is one of a handful of museums in Southern Maine that participates in Blue Star Museums. It also offers other opportunities throughout the year for patrons to enjoy free admission.

York

Old York Historical Society

The Old York Historical Society buildings reopen for the season each May. It sits on the grounds of one of the earliest English settlements in the country. Eventually, York became the seat of government for the Province of Maine and thrived as a center of maritime commerce.

Map of Blue Star Museums

If you’d like to check out all the participating Blue Star Museums in Maine or throughout the United States, please use this link to the Blue Star Museums map.

Finally, there are plenty of other military travel discounts out there. If you have some to share, please let us know.

Free and Cheap Things To Do in Southern Maine

Here are FREE and cheap things to do in Southern Maine in the coming week.

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

Posted by Leah Ingram on April 3, 2025 | Updated April 3, 2025 Filed Under: Free & Cheap · Museums & Attractions

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe Free!

Enter your email address below to receive updates whenever Southern Maine on the Cheap shares new content.

Recent Posts

  • Free Flags for Memorial Day May 21, 2025
  • Ogunquit Trolley in Maine May 20, 2025
  • Free Planet Fitness Summer Membership for Teens in Maine May 20, 2025
  • Drive-In Movie Theaters in Southern Maine May 19, 2025
  • Regal Summer Movie Express in Maine and NH May 19, 2025
  • Live Nation Concert Week in Portland Maine May 18, 2025

© 2025 Southern Maine Living on the Cheap. Living On The Cheap® and On the Cheap® are registered trademarks owned by Living On The Cheap Inc. Site design by Five J's Design.
All the stories on our site are protected by copyright and any unauthorized copying is strictly prohibited. Plus, it is just not nice.