How to Spend a Day in Bath, Maine

Located along the Kennebec River and nearby Maine’s coastline is the town of Bath. It became a shipbuilding hub in the 18th century and it’s welcoming community is home to many of the workers at Bath Iron Works.

We spent a day in the town of Bath, visiting the Maine Maritime Museum and the downtown area.

Maine Maritime Museum

Along with historic architecture, the charming town of Bath has a rich maritime history. It’s also known as the “city of ships.” Along the banks of the Kennebec River is the Maine Maritime Museum, which was founded in 1962. The museum features indoor exhibits as well as outdoor galleries. We spent time inside the museum, where we learned about the changing sounds of the Maine coast, the traditions of Maine camps, and the Fresnel lens of the lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth.  Maine is famous for its picturesque lighthouses!

After perusing through the exhibits, we went on the early afternoon Bath Iron Works tour.

Bath Iron Works tour

The Bath Iron Works tour begins inside the museum, where the guide greets guests and gives an overview of the tour. Then visitors are guided to another building, where they watch a short video about the history of Bath Iron Works.

Afterwards, guests get on a trolley for a drive past Bath Iron Works and through downtown Bath. The town’s history can be seen by the architecture among the buildings along with the charming locally owned shops and restaurants in the downtown area.

Then, we boarded the Merrymeeting for a narrated cruise. We passed a few of Maine’s iconic light houses, learning about their significance. And we were also able to see several seals in the water as well as bald eagles in the trees along the riverfront.

Then, we got an up close look at several naval destroyers. One was completed and several others were in the finishing stages of being built.

Once we departed the cruise, we walked through the shipyard area to a building featuring a lobster exhibit. It was interesting to find out about the history of Lobstering and the Maine coast. Did you know there is currently a 2 year waiting list for a lobstering license in Maine?

Afterwards, we drove to downtown Bath to enjoy a late lunch at OysTHERs. Here we enjoyed riverfront dining outside on their patio area. The crab sliders were delicious!

Portland is about an hour from Bath, and Freeport is about 40 minutes from Bath. There are a number of inns, bed & breakfasts and hotels in those cities.

For more places in Maine, see information on Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Freeport, and Portland.

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