Founded in 1939, the Seashore Trolley Museum is touted as the world’s first and largest electric railway museum. Its national and international collection includes more than 250 transit vehicles, mostly streetcars, and virtually every major U.S. city that operated trolleys is represented. Much of this equipment is undercover in three exhibit car houses.
Choices
Included in the admission at the Seashore Trolley Museum is a streetcar ride over the 2 miles of rebuilt trackage. This ride, a treat for all the senses, is the best way to relive the trolley and interurban experience. If just riding isn’t enough, you can take advantage of the “Be a Motorman” program and actually operate a trolley. In the Visitors Center, you can view an exhibit chronicling the way trolleys changed life in Maine and their relevance to the contemporary world.
When to go
The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday from June 1 through Halloween and weekends in May. In early December, the museum opens for Kennebunkport’s Christmas Prelude, with rides and refreshments. There are a number of additional special events, such as Ice Cream Nights in July and August and Pumpkin Patch Trolley and Trolleyween in September and October.
Good to know
If you call or email ahead, museum volunteers are often available to take guests behind the scenes to view additional transit artifacts in storage car houses.
Worth doing
Kennebunkport and adjacent Kennebunk are resort towns with Atlantic beaches and old-world New England charm. There are antique shops, galleries, restaurants (lobster a specialty), and opportunities for whale watching and other sea-related activities.
Don’t miss
The restoration shop is open to the public. From elevated walkways, you can watch the painstaking work on the cars going forward
Getting there
The museum is located just a few miles from I-95 (the Maine Turnpike) off Exit 25. Amtrak’s Boston-Rockland Downeaster stops in Saco, about 8 miles away, where taxis and ride shares are available.
Location: 195 Log Cabin Road, Kennebunkport, ME
Phone: 207-967-2800
Website: trolleymuseum.org
E-mail: info@trolleymuseum.org
