A Visit To The International Cryptozoology Museum- Portland, ME

cryptozoologyOver the summer, we took a road trip to Maine where we tried 15 lobster rolls during our 10 day trip!

Besides eating lots of lobster rolls, we also visited quite a few lighthouses, ate lots of whoopie pies and visited Acadia National Park.

Museums weren’t high on our list of places to visit but there was one that stood out. With some spare time while in Portland, we decided to stop by the International Cryptozoology Museum!

Some of you are probably thinking, crypto- what? I thought the same thing too at first. When I came across the museum on Atlas Obscura, I placed it high on my list of things to do while in Maine.

Cool Fact: This is the only cryptozoology museum in the world!

According to Merriam- Webster, Cryptozoology is, “the study of and search for animals and especially legendary animals (such as Sasquatch) usually in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence.”

Whether or not you believe in some of the creatures (known as cryptids) which fall under this category, it sounded like a fun and very different kind of attraction to check out during our trip.

Before we entered, we read the rules.
a sign on a wallSadly, no photos are allowed except for in the entrance/ gift shop with the Creature from the Black Lagoon and at one other area in the museum.a man and boy posing for a pictureWe wandered around the museum, which takes up two narrow floors of a warehouse-like building. During the time, we learned about creatures like Bigfoot, coelacanth, the abominable snowman, Feejee Mermaid, chupacabra and more!

I loved the museum. It was fun reading about this creatures which many believe to either exist or have existed. I guess, you be the judge!

We visited the museum on Theo’s fourth-birthday. He was curious but a bit nervous and scared looking at some of the exhibits. The museum was a better fit for my eight-year old Lucas. He enjoyed checking out the bizarre species on display.

a group of people standing in a room with a group of stuffed animalsAt the back of the second floor, there was one other area where photos were allowed. We took a couple to not miss out on any of the display!

The creatures include the orange pendek (a short hairy being from Malaysian folklore), Sasquatch and a tall skeleton. a group of figurines on a shelfI turned around and snapped one other photo (don’t tell). It’s very hard to read, but the framed print is the Santa Claus Family Tree!

The International Cryptozoology Museum is located at 4 Thompson’s Point Road in
Portland, Maine.

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