Maine Wildlife Park

Top choice in Inland Maine


Not quite a zoo but a great place to view native Maine wildlife, this park is a bucolic reserve with picnic tables, short walking trails and animal enclosures. Residing here are various animals (30 species, including bears, moose, lynx, eagles, cougars and a beaver) that can't be released back into the wild because they were injured, orphaned, or raised in captivity.

If you have kids along, be sure to bring quarters so you can purchase animal feed from gumball-style feed containers to give to some of the animals (including bears). Avid photographers can buy a photo pass ($50 per hour), which gives free guided access inside the animal enclosures for close-up pics.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Inland Maine attractions

1. Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village

4.22 MILES

The Shakers, a Protestant religious sect named for their habit of ecstatic spiritual dancing, once inhabited communities up and down the East Coast. They…

2. Maine State Building

6.96 MILES

Built with Maine granite and hardwoods, this architecturally striking building houses a collection of photos, artwork and other memorabilia relating to…

3. Poland Spring

7.12 MILES

The settlement of Poland Spring is famous for its mineral water, which is now sold throughout the USA. From the mid-19th century, Poland Spring was a…

4. Bradbury Mountain State Park

8.28 MILES

There are several miles of forested hiking trails here, including an easy 10-minute hike to a 485ft summit. It yields a spectacular view all the way to…

5. Desert of Maine

10.41 MILES

William Tuttle came to Freeport in 1797 to farm potatoes, but his deadly combination of clear-cutting and overgrazing caused enough erosion to expose the…

6. Sebago Lake State Park

11.49 MILES

This 1500-acre park is a popular and scenic place to swim, picnic and camp on the way to Portland. Sebago Lake is Maine’s second-largest lake, at 45 sq…

7. Eartha

12.13 MILES

Geography boffins shouldn't miss a visit to the Garmin company – its lofty office atrium is home to a giant rotating globe named Eartha. Eartha has a…

8. Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park

14.5 MILES

Just outside Freeport, this park has 5 miles of easy hiking trails, including a scenic shoreline walk that skirts Casco Bay. To reach the park, take Bow…