Took a drive up to Bethel yesterday to the Gem and Mineral Museum. Wow. I didn’t expect it to be as great as it was. The historical aspect of the gem mining in Maine, the gorgeous displays of tourmaline, amethyst and topaz, both in raw and polished forms, and the surprising floor with the largest collection of meteorites in the world really surprised and impressed me. We were also lucky that the founder of the museum, Dr. Larry Stiffler, was there and gave us a tour of the meteorites and the history of their acquisition and importance. Definitely worth a visit.
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MadameLeota_ t1_jdi9r2y wrote
I had the same reaction when we went there! I was expecting some tiny little place that looked more like “someone’s hobby” rather than a legit museum. The place is fantastic, and the collection is massive! That room of drawers next to the gift shop - SO fun to go through.
Shotgunsamurai42 t1_jdj6lkk wrote
That's great to hear! My Dad was involved with the museum and I believe they had some of his cuts there. We went as a family once and its quite the impressive display.
seeclick8 OP t1_jdj6rjx wrote
Wow that’s great. Yes it is quite the impressive display and a lovely museum. The minerals are amazingly beautiful and it is so cool to see them in their raw state with the crystalline geometric forms. Must have been so exciting to find these pockets.
planningcalendar t1_jdke4dy wrote
There's a specimen my grandfather found our family has on loan there. It's a neat place. I went when the tourmaline jewelry was there, but it may be out touring
MoreGull t1_jdkd5a4 wrote
I went a year ago and had a rare opportunity to hold a piece of the Moon and Mars. They said they don't bring them out very often. I still feel so lucky.
Great musuem.
planningcalendar t1_jdkdv9p wrote
They brought them out on Halloween and set up a telescope to look at the moon. It was way cool.
MoreGull t1_jdkeoh0 wrote
Sweet! You get to touch them?
planningcalendar t1_jdkhpz9 wrote
We did that night! I was a little awestruck being a cusp boomer who watched the whole moon landing thing. I was a bit more impressed than I thought I'd be.
thebeezneez33 t1_jdlt083 wrote
I have a great picture of my son and I both holding the meteorites from a few years ago. Was super cool!!!
VegUltraGirl t1_jdj45yj wrote
Yes! That place is such a gem…pun intended.
acfox13 t1_jdjdgdu wrote
Added to the list! Sounds awesome!
GRADIUSIC_CYBER t1_jdjdtrg wrote
there's a huge section of the natural history museum at Harvard dedicated to New England gems, very interesting.
thathighwhitekid t1_jdjm7mi wrote
There’s a room for minerals and gems in the museum of science too
Smart_Operation7072 t1_jdjpvfv wrote
The museum is amazing. And if you visit Bethel, there are great lunch spots to try out— especially LeMu.
SilverSlither t1_jdjqxgm wrote
Anything else in the area to go see? It's about 2.5hrs from home so I'd love to see anything else around there in one trip.
UltimateNarwhal t1_jdjtv05 wrote
Skiing at Sunday River if that's your thing
Grafton Notch 15-20 minutes up the road has some good hiking and some waterfalls that are pretty
ceebossy t1_jdm1202 wrote
Gemini Cafe is an amazing bakery in the area. Incredible pastries and bagel sandwiches
jwalker98 t1_jdmxlfs wrote
It's no joke. This is a Smithsonian quality museum. Check out bethelmaine.com for more things to do in the area. A lot of people don't realize how sought after Western Maine minerals are globally.
119juniper t1_jdnnntg wrote
I had no idea about this place. Thanks! Adding it to my list.
Cosmoplasma t1_jdoi1zj wrote
I can't say enough good things about that place. I've been a member since it opened. It's a great addition to Bethel.
Cutlasss t1_jdjzpwu wrote
Didn't know about this place. Got a link?
hateboss t1_jdk203u wrote
Not trying to be the "just Google it guy" but... Just Google it. It's vastly quicker than sending a reddit telegram and waiting for a response. I typed in "mineral and gem mu-" and it immediately auto completed to https://mainemineralmuseum.org/.
But hey, jokes on me because you fooled me into doing it for you anyway... Dang it.
Cutlasss t1_jdk9yax wrote
Without the actual name, I got a page of different hits than that.
[deleted] t1_jdipst1 wrote
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seeclick8 OP t1_jdiq2ko wrote
I don’t know
clickinforchickens t1_jdi7fbs wrote
There are so many hidden gems in Maine (pun intended) (: the Dorr Museum of Natural History in Bar Harbor is small but with some really beautiful taxidermy/dioramas and articulated skeletons. highly recommend if you're into visiting small museums!