Yes, you heard correctly. There is an Umbrella Cover Museum on Peak's Island. The only one in the world! Keep reading to learn more.
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| The ferry to Peaks Island from Portland, Maine |
Last summer we took a trip to Peaks Island in Casco Bay, Maine, population 2,000 year round residents. The ferry ride is about 3 miles from Portland, taking only about 20 minutes. This is a small island with two museums, the Fifth Maine Regiment Museum (Civil War), and the Umbrella Cover Museum. There is a large fort, Battery Steele (World War II), to explore near the beach.
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| The tiny Umbella Cover Museum |
The Umbrella Cover Museum on 62 Island Road is a seasonal fun stop on Peaks Island, open seasonally. It was founded by Nancy Hoffman in 1996. There are over 2,000 umbrella covers from over 71 countries on display. You know, what is an umbrella cover? They are those "sheaths" or "pockets" that you remove when you buy an umbrella and then immediately lose it because you can never get it back on? Well Nancy has kept all these unique items and created a display. She even wrote a book on umbrella covers (available at the gift shop) and won a Guinness Book of World Records achievement in 2012 when she had only 730 umbrella covers.
Don't miss this when you are on Peaks Island. It is a less than five minute walk from the ferry landing.
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| Cairn beach had hundreds of cairns |
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| Vincent exploring one of the "art carts" |
The best way to see Peaks Island is to rent an electric golf cart or a bicycle. There are at least two businesses renting golf carts near the ferry landing, and one is right in the driveway of the Umbrella Cover Museum. When we rented our cart we were given a map showing all the beaches, art galleries, museums, and unique sites. Along the way we passed many art carts and plant sales. We saw the fort twice on our two rounds around Peaks Island. There is not much to see and do, but the scenery and views of Casco Bay were fantastic. A few hours is all you need on this little island.
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| Getting on the ferry to return to the mainland |
For the truly curious:
Peaks Island website: https://peaksisland.info/
Peaks Island at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaks_Island
The Umbrella Cover Museum website: https://www.umbrellacovermuseum.org/ or email info@UmbrellaCoverMuseum.org
Umbrella Cover Museum at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella_Cover_Museum
Uncovered and Exposed: A Guide to the World's Only Umbrella Cover Museum, by Nancy 3. Hoffman, published in 2010.
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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Peaks Island and the Umbrella Cover Museum", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 5, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/11/peaks-island-and-umbrella-cover-museum.html: accessed [access date]).
