About Umbrella Cover Museum
Most people lose an umbrella cover within minutes of buying an umbrella. Nancy 3. Hoffman did the opposite. She began saving the sleeves, discovered that other people had drawers full of them too, and eventually opened an entire museum dedicated to one of the least important objects ever manufactured.
The Umbrella Cover Museum occupies a small space on Peaks Island, a ferry ride from Portland. Its collection grew from a handful of forgotten covers into thousands from around the world. They range from plain nylon sleeves to decorative, branded, handmade, unusual, and geographically specific examples. The point is not that umbrella covers are secretly valuable. The museum openly celebrates the mundane and treats an object designed to be ignored as worthy of absurdly intense attention.
A visit is closer to a performance than a silent walk through glass cases. Founder and curator Nancy 3. Hoffman has been known to guide visitors through the collection, explain favorite specimens, hand out prizes and surprises, and perform the museum’s umbrella-themed song on accordion. The institution has also earned Guinness recognition for its collection, giving the tiny attraction a wonderfully disproportionate amount of official seriousness.
The museum is seasonal and requires a ferry trip to Peaks Island. Its official site currently says it is closed for the 2026 season and plans to reopen May 29, 2027. Anyone planning a visit should check the museum’s site first for current dates and hours. Even while closed, it remains a perfect Oddity Almanac specimen: an international collection built around the little fabric tube almost everyone else throws in a drawer and forgets.