2 Best Sights in Western Lakes and Mountains, Maine

Moon rocks, Maine mineralogy, and western Maine's mineral and gem mining legacy converge at this interactive 15,000-square-foot museum—unexpected in a town of Bethel's size. Opened in 2019 and founded by philanthropists, the handsome structure (two Main Street buildings were joined) is surrounded by garden beds with large rocks, some resembling modern sculpture and all placarded with interesting facts about their origins, etc. Inside, 19 exhibits are spread about four galleries on two floors. Kids love the simulated mining blast, part of an exhibit on gem discoveries and mica and feldspar mining in the Bethel area. When the "Space Rocks” gallery darkens, a 3D film beams about, making it look as if a meteorite shower has blown up the walls, revealing Bethel. The windowless space displays more moon meteorites than the world's other natural history museums combined. This museum's collection includes the biggest chunk of Mars on earth, weighing 32 pounds; 6,000 meteorites from the moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt; and nearly 38,000 mineral specimens, some 15,000 of them Maine-mined. A replica of a shuttered Maine mineral store, once a tourist hot spot, showcases prized specimens. In the "Hall of Gems" (and the gift shop!), Maine's famed pink and “watermelon” tourmaline and other gems bedazzle.

The museum showcases the life and work of Austrian physician, scientist, and writer Wilhelm Reich (1897–1957), who believed that all living matter and the atmosphere contain a force called orgone energy. The hilltop Orgone Energy Observatory exhibits biographical materials, inventions, and equipment used in his experiments, whose results were disputed by the Food and Drug Administration and other government agencies. Stone faces the exterior of the boxy 1949 structure, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A mid-century gem inside and out, Reich's second-floor study, library, and laboratory look as they did in his day, with original sleek modern furniture. The observatory deck has magnificent countryside views. In July and August, the museum presents engaging nature programs; trails lace the largely forested 175-acre property, known as Orgonon, which has a waterside vacation rental cottage. Reich's tomb sits next to one of his inventions, a cloud accumulator.