Beachcombers’ Discovery Center at Pemaquid Beach is now open for its 22nd season, offering fun, interactive learning activities and interpretive displays for all ages.

The result of a partnership between Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust and the Town of Bristol’s Parks and Recreation department, the Discovery Center is located within the Pemaquid Beach Park pavilion.

A volunteer naturalist from Coastal Rivers staffs the center from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday from early June to the end of August.

Beachgoers can learn about the coast and marine life of Midcoast Maine through hands-on activities and visual displays, including a Wabanaki birch bark canoe and a fish tank. Coastal Rivers is also working to restore a pollinator garden next to the picnic table area just outside the discovery center. The garden features a selection of native plants chosen to attract pollinators.

In addition to displays and exhibits, Beachcombers’ Discovery Center offers weekly educational programs for all ages. On “Touch Tank Thursdays,” from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., visitors can explore a touch tank with a range of local marine life including lobsters, horseshoe crabs, sea stars, and many more.

Touch Tank Thursdays begin on July 3 and continue through August 21. If Pemaquid Beach is closed on any Thursday, the event will be rescheduled for Friday at the same time, dependent on volunteer availability. This program is made possible through a partnership with the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center.

To learn more about the Discovery Center and its offerings, visit www.coastalrivers.org/events/beachcombers-discovery-center

There is no charge to visit Beachcombers’ Discovery Center or take part in its programs, though entry to Pemaquid Beach Park requires an admission fee.

Bristol Parks and Recreation is a department of the Town of Bristol, responsible for the management of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park, Pemaquid Beach Park, Ellingwood Information Center, and a number of other properties including a swimming hole and boat launches. For more information, email bristolparks@tidewater.net or visit bristolmaine.org/parks-recreation.

Coastal Rivers is a non-profit, member-supported, nationally accredited land trust caring for the lands and waters of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid Region by conserving special places, protecting water quality, creating trails and public access, and deepening connections to nature through education programs. For more information, email info@coastalrivers.org or visit coastalrivers.org.