All events at the Seal Cove Auto Museum unless otherwise indicated.

Tuesday, May 9
5pm - 7pm Opening Reception The Woodlawn Museum & Seal Cove Auto Museum are co-hosting this event for businesses in the tourism industry to celebrate the opening of a new season, to enjoy wine, hors d'oeuvres, and some social time with fellow tourism businesses before the season gets too crazy! More info...

Thursday, May 18
10am - 3pm DEMO DAY On the third Thursday of each month, one of the vehicles in the museum's collection will be fired up and demonstrated, or an invited guest will share their own automotive technology. Information and discussion about the vehicle or technology will be presented. Rides in antique autos, weather permitting.

June 10
9am - 12pm CARS & COFFEE An opportunity for proud drivers to show off their own special cars, and all auto enthusiasts to congregate to kick tires, peer under hoods, and enjoy coffee with their fellow car-lovers. All are welcome, with or without their own antique or vintage automobile. There will be autos of all sorts, something for everyone to enjoy and admire! Second Saturday of each month.

Wednesday, June 14
Time TBD History Happy Hour Join us to mingle with your friends, neighbors, and fellow beer enthusiasts and history buffs, to imbibe the local brew. This is a member-only event, free of charge, for members of the Seal Cove Auto Museum and MDI Historical Society and their guests. Not a member? Join today so you can partipate in History Happy Hour!

Thursday, June 15
10am - 3pm DEMO DAY: Hidden Gems of the Collection As a part of its June, July, August, and September Demonstration Dayss, the Seal Cove Auto Museum will be offering a series of curator led discussions featuring four "Hidden Gems of the Collection.” Highlighted vehicles will include the 1911 American Underslung, the 1908 Stanley Model K Semi-Racer, the 1910 Stoddard Dayton, and the 1905 Pierce Great Arrow. Visitors will learn about the car's manufacturer, provenance, and mechanical features during these up-close, photo-friendly events. Talks will be scheduled for 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM on each day. Rides in antique autos will be offered, weather permitting. More...

July 8
9am - 12pm CARS & COFFEE An opportunity for proud drivers to show off their own special cars, and all auto enthusiasts to congregate to kick tires, peer under hoods, and enjoy coffee with their fellow car-lovers. All are welcome, with or without their own antique or vintage automobile. There will be autos of all sorts, something for everyone to enjoy and admire! Second Saturday of each month.

Thursday, July 20
10am - 3pm DEMO DAY: Hidden Gems of the Collection As a part of its June, July, August, and September Demonstration Days, the Seal Cove Auto Museum will be offering a series of curator led discussions featuring four "Hidden Gems of the Collection.” Highlighted vehicles will include the 1911 American Underslung, the 1908 Stanley Model K Semi-Racer, the 1910 Stoddard Dayton, and the 1905 Pierce Great Arrow. Visitors will learn about the car's manufacturer, provenance, and mechanical features during these up-close, photo-friendly events. Talks will be scheduled for 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM on each day. Rides in antique autos will be offered, weather permitting. More...

Sunday, July 23 Murder Mystery Dinner

Join us for dinner among our collection of elegant antique cars, and help determine the killer when a murder occurs! Prizes awarded. Costumes encouraged but optional; character profiles available. Tickets $100 non-members, $75 members. More details to follow.

Saturday, August 12
9am - 12pm CARS & COFFEE An opportunity for proud drivers to show off their own special cars, and all auto enthusiasts to congregate to kick tires, peer under hoods, and enjoy coffee with their fellow car-lovers. All are welcome, with or without their own antique or vintage automobile. There will be autos of all sorts, something for everyone to enjoy and admire! Second Saturday of each month.

Tuesday, August 15 Annual Member Meeting

Learn about the past year's accomplishments and plans for the year to come. More details to follow.

Thursday, August 17
10am - 3pm DEMO DAY: Hidden Gems of the Collection As a part of its June, July, August, and September Demonstration Days, the Seal Cove Auto Museum will be offering a series of curator led discussions featuring four "Hidden Gems of the Collection.” Highlighted vehicles will include the 1911 American Underslung, the 1908 Stanley Model K Semi-Racer, the 1910 Stoddard Dayton, and the 1905 Pierce Great Arrow. Visitors will learn about the car's manufacturer, provenance, and mechanical features during these up-close, photo-friendly events. Talks will be scheduled for 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM on each day. Rides in antique autos will be offered, weather permitting. More...

Saturday, September 16
9am - 12pm CARS & COFFEE An opportunity for proud drivers to show off their own special cars, and all auto enthusiasts to congregate to kick tires, peer under hoods, and enjoy coffee with their fellow car-lovers. All are welcome, with or without their own antique or vintage automobile. There will be autos of all sorts, something for everyone to enjoy and admire! Second Saturday of each month (excepting September, on the third Saturday.)

Thursday, September 21
10am - 3pm DEMO DAY: Hidden Gems of the Collection As a part of its June, July, August, and September Demonstration Days, the Seal Cove Auto Museum will be offering a series of curator led discussions featuring four "Hidden Gems of the Collection.” Highlighted vehicles will include the 1911 American Underslung, the 1908 Stanley Model K Semi-Racer, the 1910 Stoddard Dayton, and the 1905 Pierce Great Arrow. Visitors will learn about the car's manufacturer, provenance, and mechanical features during these up-close, photo-friendly events. Talks will be scheduled for 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM on each day. Rides in antique autos will be offered, weather permitting. More...

Thursday, April 13
2pm - 4pm

PAST EVENTS

2017 Senior Mixer This event just for seniors will include a presentation on the Auto Wars: Then and Now exhibit, tours of the collection of Brass Era automobiles & motorcycles, and photo opportunities with select cars. Hors d'oeuvres will be provided by chefs from Birch Bay Retirement Village & Friends in Action. Transportation to the event may be available by calling Friends in Action at 664-6016. Admission is free and open to all seniors. RSVP by calling Susanne Hopkins at 288-8014 ext. 211. View flyer...

Saturday, March 4
7pm - 10pm Brass Club Speakeasy The Roaring Twenties comes to the Seal Cove Auto Museum! There will be 12-piece swing band, specialty drinks, prohibition era beers, a roulette wheel, blackjack tables, and aerialist acts. It’s sure to be the cat’s pajamas! Tickets $25 for members, $40 for nonmembers.
More information/purchase tickets...

Wednesday, Feb 15
6pm - 8pm
Coda Restaurant, Southwest Harbor History Happy Hour: Trivia Night Join us to mingle with your friends, neighbors, and fellow beer enthusiasts and history buffs, to imbibe the local brew and test your knowledge of Mount Desert Island and automotive history. This is a member event, free of charge, for members of the Seal Cove Auto Museum and MDI Historical Society and their guests. Not a member? Join today so you can participate in History Happy Hour!

Saturday, October 22
7pm - 10pm Moonlight Masquerade Join us for dessert, drinks, and dancing! As the season turns, it's time to let down your hair, celebrate, and reconnect with friends at the Museum's Masquerade Ball. Costume contest, live music by the Crown Vics, wine and beer included. Limited tickets available: $20 for members, $30 for nonmembers.

Thursday, October 13
4pm - 7pm
Somesville Museum & Gardens HISTORY HAPPY HOUR: HAUNTED HEARSE A members-only event
Antique hearses on display 4pm-5pm. Tour of gravestone art in the Somesville Cemetery, led by historian Jennifer Pictou, 5pm-6pm. Chili and hot toddies 6pm-7pm. This event is a part of the History Happy Hour event series, for members of the Seal Cove Auto Museum and the MDI Historical Society and their friends.

Saturday, October 8
9am - 12pm CARS & COFFEE An opportunity for proud drivers to show off their own special cars, and all auto enthusiasts to congregate to kick tires, peer under hoods, and enjoy coffee with their fellow car-lovers. All are welcome, with or without their own antique or vintage automobile. There will be autos of all sorts, something for everyone to enjoy and admire!

Saturday, September 24
8am - 1pm
Ellsworth, Maine ANNUAL AUTUMN GOLD CAR SHOW Hosted by the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce for the 33rd year running. The Museum will be exhibiting a brass festooned 1904 Searchmont. The Museum will also be awarding the first annual Seal Cove Auto Museum Director’s Choice Award. Free Admission.

Saturday, September 17
9am - 12pm CARS & COFFEE: Military Vehicles An opportunity for proud drivers to show off their own special cars, and all auto enthusiasts to congregate to kick tires, peer under hoods, and enjoy coffee with their fellow car-lovers. At the September gathering vehicles from the Coast Guard, National Guard, and other military vehicles will be on display for all to explore up close. All are welcome, with or without their own antique or vintage automobile. There will be autos of all sorts, something for everyone to enjoy and admire!

Friday, September 16
10:30am AMERICAN BUGATTI CLUB FALL MAINE RALLY "Pur Sang” is the term used to describe the pure-blooded automobiles of Ettore Bugatti. Bugatti cars were known for their design, and their many race victories. The American Bugatti Club’s Fall Rally will visit the Museum, with over twenty of these rare, beautiful, automobiles expected to grace the Museum’s lawn. On special loan for this occasion, the Museum will display a rare, electric powered 1928 Bugatti Baby, or Type 52, built as an exact half-model of the famous Type 35 Bugatti.

Thursday, September 15
10am - 3pm DEMO DAY: The New & Renewed On the third Thursday of each month, one of the vehicles in the museum's collection will be fired up and demonstrated, or an invited guest will share their own automotive technology. Information and discussion about the vehicle or technology will be presented. Featured this month will be cars newly added to the museum's collection this year, the 1916 Abbot-Detroit and the 1915 Detroit Electric. The Museum will fire up the Abbott Detroit for the first time, and give rides in the Detroit Electric, weather permitting.

Wednesday, September 14
1:30pm Classic Car Club of America CARavan The Museum will welcome a visit from the Classic Car Club of America, New England Region’s CARavan. Over 100 classic cars will be visiting Mount Desert Island that day, arriving at the museum in the afternoon. Rides in the Museum's 1921 Mercer Sporting will be offered, weather permitting.

Saturday & Sunday, September 10-11
10am - 5pm NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE & REMEMBRANCE Visitors to the Museum on Saturday September 10, and Sunday September 11, 2016 will receive free admission if they leave a donation for the Westside Food Pantry, in honor of the National Day of Service and Remembrance. The Westside Food Pantry does not accept donations of food, but rather works with a voucher system, which keeps costs down and allows families more freedom to select the food they need and will use. Vouchers are available to Southwest Harbor, Mount Desert, and Tremont residents, and can be used at three grocery stores in those communities.
More info...

Saturday, September 10
8am - 2pm
Front Street, Bangor, Maine WHEELS ON THE WATERFRONT The Seal Cove Auto Museum will be exhibiting its 1904 Knox Tudor Surrey at the Wheels on the Waterfront Bangor car show. Join us on the Bangor Waterfront for one of Maine's largest car shows showcasing over 400 classic cars in over 40 different classes! Free admission for spectators. Rain or shine.

Friday, September 2
6pm - 8pm FROM DEVIL WAGONS TO MUD LARKS:
The Great Catskills Automobile Endurance Run of 1903 On October 7, 1903 the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers staged their first American automobile endurance test with 34 competing cars from 17 American makers, along with two pilot cars. 125 people rode in the cars, including one woman. Robert Selkowitz, Director & Project Coordinator at Historic Automobile Endurance Runs, will present on this event of heroic motoring and driving for good roads. Wine and cheese reception to be followed by the presentation.

Thursday, August 18
10am - 3pm DEMO DAY: Steam & Electric Cars Learn about the role of steam and electric cars in the earliest days of car manufacturing, while exploring possibilities for these cars in the future. Rides in the museum’s steam and electric cars will be offered, weather permitting.

Saturday, August 13
9am - 12pm CARS & COFFEE: Mid-Maine Sports Car Club An opportunity for proud drivers to show off their own special cars, and all auto enthusiasts to congregate to kick tires, peer under hoods, and enjoy coffee with their fellow car-lovers. Attending the August gathering will be special guests from the Mid-Maine Sports Car Club. All are welcome, with or without their own antique or vintage automobile. There will be autos of all sorts, something for everyone to enjoy and admire!

Sunday, August 7
6pm -9pm Murder at the Museum: A Murder Mystery Picnic

One hundred years ago, after a bitter war of words between summer “rusticators” and year round residents, cars were finally allowed across MDI. But what if this war had become violent? The 3rd annual Rusticator Picnic takes a turn toward the macabre when a murder is committed. Join us for a picnic dinner and rides in antique cars, and help solve the mystery!

Prizes awarded to those who determine the killer. Costumes encouraged but optional; character profiles available. Tickets $100 non-members, $75 members (includes drinks, dinner, music, games, rides.)

To purchase tickets or for more info: (207) 244-9242 or raney@sealcoveautomuseum.org
View event webpage

Thursday, July 21
10am - 3pm KIDS DAY: Pedal Cars & Remote Controlled Vehicles Bring your pedal car to the museum and view the pedal cars belonging to the museum and others. Or, if radio-controlled vehicles are more your speed, bring your radio-controlled car, plane, or drone to the museum to demonstrate to other enthusiasts. There will additionally be games, toy car races, educational activities, and photos in period clothing for the kids. Rides in antique autos will be offered, weather permitting. Free admissions for kids 12 and under.

Saturday, July 9
9am - 12pm CARS & COFFEE An opportunity for proud drivers to show off their own special cars, and all auto enthusiasts to congregate to kick tires, peer under hoods, and enjoy coffee with their fellow car-lovers. All are welcome, with or without their own antique or vintage automobile. There will be autos of all sorts, something for everyone to enjoy and admire!

Wednesday, June 29
5pm - 7pm Auto Wars Exhibit Celebration Help us celebrate the new exhibit Auto Wars: Then & Now - forever changing the nature of Mount Desert Island. This exhibit explores the impact of community decisions on the physical, cultural, and economic landscape through a choose-your-own-adventure exhibit.

Sunday, June 19
10am - 5pm Father's Day Celebration Free admission for dads all day! Rides in antique autos offered, weather permitting.

Thursday, June 16
10am - 3pm DEMO DAY: Got Gas? Investigating Fuels Observe alternative fuels in action - see biofuel being made, acetylene power the carbide headlamps of a brass era vehicle, and more. Rides in antique autos will be offered, weather permitting.

Saturday, June 11
9am - 12pm CARS & COFFEE: Acadia Region Corvette Club An opportunity for proud drivers to show off their own special cars, and all auto enthusiasts to congregate to kick tires, peer under hoods, and enjoy coffee with their fellow car-lovers. Attending the June gathering will be special guests from the Acadia Region Corvette Club. All are welcome, with or without their own antique or vintage automobile. There will be autos of all sorts, something for everyone to enjoy and admire!

Thursday, May 19
10am - 3pm DEMO DAY: Brass Era Weigh-In Ever wonder what some of the huge hundred-year old vehicles in our collection weigh? Find out at this vehicle weighing demonstration, during which the Maine State Police will explain the requirements for commercial vehicle weight limits and weight verifications, and then demonstrate their equipment with some of our cars. Guess the weights and win prizes! Rides in antique autos will be offered, weather permitting.

Sunday, May 8
10am - 5pm Mother's Day Celebration Free admission for moms all day! Rides in antique autos offered, weather permitting.

Saturday, May 7
6pm - 7:30pm Lecture: Edsel Ford and his Secret Project, the Custom Luxus Cabiolet

Mr. Matt Anderson, Curator of Transportation at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, will speak of the life and times of Edsel Ford, and his relationship with his father Henry. Included in the talk will be discussion of the Luxus that Edsel custom built, the very car now on display at the Auto Museum (on loan from the collection of Chris & Kathleen Koch.)

Matt Anderson is the John and Horace Dodge Curator of Transportation at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. In that post, he oversees the development, care and interpretation of the museum's collection of more than 250 automobiles. Matt also oversees the museum's collection of railroad locomotives and rolling stock, as well as aircraft. He has previously worked at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland; the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana; and the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul, Minnesota.

View the flyer...

Tuesday, May 3 - Friday, May 6 Hosting National NAAM Conference The National Association of Automobile Museums (NAAM) is a professional center of excellence for automobile museums and affiliated organizations that supports, educates and encourages members to operate according to professional standards of the museum industry. The Seal Cove Auto Museum is hosting NAAM's annual conference, bringing together automotive and museum professionals from across the country for professional development and networking opportunities.

Sunday, May 1
4pm - 6pm Auto Wars Exhibit Opening Help us celebrate the opening of a new season and a new exhibit Auto Wars: Then & Now - forever changing the nature of Mount Desert Island. This exhibit explores the impact of community decisions on the physical, cultural, and economic landscape through a choose-your-own-adventure exhibit.

Saturday, April 9
10am - 2pm Lego Day Come play with us! Kids of all ages are invited to come and be inspired by the unique collection of the earliest cars and motorcycles, and then create their own automobile inspiration with the museum's Lego® brand blocks. View the flyer...

Thursday, March 17
8pm-10pm History Happy Hour - Film PerformaNce Edition

A members-only event.
Join us at Reel Pizza for a Barn Arts Collective performance accompanying the showing of the 1940s sci-fi film Dr. Cyclops. Having fully rewritten the script and score, the Barn Arts Collective will perform live in front of the screen while the film plays. It will combine cinema, comedy, music, and theater, making for an entirely unique film and live theater experience. Pizza and drinks will be available for purchase during the movie.
Tickets $10/person.

More details... buy tickets online...

This event is a part of the History Happy Hour event series, for members of the Seal Cove Auto Museum and the MDI Historical Society and their friends. Held three times each year, they are a way for members to gather and enjoy fun and interesting programming on historical topics.Not a member? Express your love of local history by becoming a member of both the MDI Historical Society and the Seal Cove Auto Museum at a special dual membership rate of $50. Sign up now!

Saturday, February 7, 2016
7pm-10pm Speakeasy The Roaring Twenties comes to the Seal Cove Auto Museum! There will be 12-piece swing band, a specialty cocktail created just for this event, prohibition era beers, blackjack tables, and even a performance by a belly dancer. It’s sure to be the cat’s pajamas!
More details & tickets...