Maine from A to Z
An Insider's Guide to Summer in the Pine Tree State
Maine presents summer visitors with so much to do it's almost hard to keep track of it all. From the sea to the mountains, the restaurants to the museums, the historic homes to the parks and preserves, the Pine Tree State has a little bit of everything. What follows are twenty-six (at least) things to do and places to see, the best of Maine from A to Z.A is for the Allagash
Almost forty years have passed since the Allagash Wilderness Waterway was established by the Maine legislature to protect the heralded river from which it takes its name. And the ninety-two-mile watercourse of river and lakes - Eagle and Clayton, Churchill and Chamberlain - remains one of the finest canoeing corridors in the country. The paddling is a pleasant mix of surging whitewater and placid flatwater, the camping remote, the scenery unrivaled. The Allagash presents canoeists with a variety of options - one can put in here and take out there, do part of it in three days or all of it in six - but it's always going to be a wild and challenging excursion through a region of the state that retains a scruffy wilderness character (even if timber-cutting pressure and hordes of canoes has kept it from being truly wild). Much like Baxter State Park, another great icon of Maine's natural heritage, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway is managed by the state, and it has campsites and rangers, but it's outside the usual state park system. Prospective paddlers can find information at the state's Web site - www.state.me.us/cgi-bin/doc/parks/find_one_name.pl?park_id=2 - and plan a trip on their own, provided they have some experience. Or they can track down one of the many guides who offer trips down the river. (A good place to do that is at www.maineguides.org.) However it's accomplished, a trip down the Allagash remains one of those things that should be done by every son or daughter of Maine.
B is for Bailey, Grace
Maine's passenger schooners have a lot to recommend them. If you like history, you won't get any closer to it than aboard one of these tall-masted ships, which seem to have sailed in straight from the past. If you're into the adventure craze, you'll appreciate the feel as you crash into booming waves and watch eagles overhead and whales leaping off the bow. If you just plain enjoy the Maine coast, well, these boats will give you a beautiful view of it for as many days as you like. Among them, the state's windjammers offer everything from afternoon sails to multiday cruises. The majority of the schooners in the Maine armada are headquartered in Rockland, Rockport, and Camden, but there are others in Bar Harbor and as far Down East as Eastport. Though the boats are individual as can be - some are venerable National Historic Landmarks, some built not so long ago specifically for the passenger trade - many of them belong to either the Maine Windjammer Association (800-807-9463; www.sailmainecoast.com) or Maine Windjammer Cruises (888-692-7245; www.mainewindjammercruises.com). So it's easy to get a lot of information about them and fast. Most have their own Web sites as well, so you can get an up-close look at these beauties and select among them for the amenities you most value. Some are known for their food, some for specialty cruises (like nature or lighthouse trips or races), and they all have differing routes. Many encourage you to help crew. And all will show you a good time.
C is for Clams
Though they sit below lobster in the food chain, clams hold a vaunted position in the seafood hierarchy of Maine - you can't have a real lobsterbake without them. And for some people the steamed clams that come before the main course of lobster and corn are the favored part of the traditional Down East shore dinner. They're also about the best fried food going. Mainers are crazy about clams, to the extent that some will head out into the mudflats to harvest some just for themselves. (The state allows you to take up to two pecks without a license just be sure you're digging in flats that are open.) The little bivalves have made legends out of certain seafood joints, and thankfully, they can be found the length of the coast. A few places that have been known to serve a good clam are: Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier (Kittery Point, 207-439-1030), where they're boiled; Susan's Fish and Chips (Morrill's Corner, Portland, 207-878-3240), winner of many a newspaper audience poll, where they're best fried; Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster (Main Street, South Freeport, 207-865-4888), where the steamers rival the fried clams; Five Islands Lobster Company (Five Islands Road, Georgetown, 207-371-2990), where you can get both fried clams and steamers as well as a view; the Sea Basket (Route 1, Wiscasset, 207-882-6581), where fried clams are the staple in a fried lunch; Lobsterman's Wharf (Route 96, East Boothbay Harbor, 207-633-3443), where the locals get theirs; the Lobster Pound (Route 1, Lincolnville Beach, 207-789-5550) where you'll have to arm-wrestle tourists to get some; Union River Lobster Pot (8 South Street, Ellsworth, 207-667-5077), which is around the corner from everything else and thus is a little quieter than some other places; and Beal's Lobster Pier (182 Clark Point Road, Southwest Harbor, 207-244-3202), where everything's good.
D is for Downeaster
The idea of linking Portland and Boston by passenger rail had its naysayers when the topic came up in the 1980s. Rail service died between the two cities in the fifties, and many people thought that with cars and buses, train travel didn't make much sense and wouldn't attract riders. Boy, did the Amtrak Downeaster shut them up when it made its debut in December of 2001. It was soon hauling 25,000 passengers a month, and it's never looked back. The train now makes four round-trip journeys every day, beginning at 6:20 in the morning and calling it a night at 1:30 a.m. The comfortable jaunt takes two-and-a-half hours, and it stops at Old Orchard Beach, Saco, and Wells before exiting the state. The appeals of traveling to Boston by train are many. Number one is that you don't have to drive in Boston. Number two, you don't have to park in Boston. Number three, you don't have to worry about people talking on cellphones and writing down messages while driving their SUVs at eighty miles per hour on screamingly busy Route 128. The $21 trip couldn't be any easier - the train's schedule is simple to find at www.thedowneaster.com, parking at the Portland Transportation Center is readily available and costs all of $2 a day, you can read or work on your way down, and you arrive at North Station with all of the city of Boston available to you. Some Mainers now make the trip just for the fun of riding on the train. Check the Web or call the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority at 207-780-1000 or Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL for more information.
E is for the Eastport Barracks Museum
Maine wears its age well. The state has a rich architectural heritage - and a whole lot of curb appeal. As the country goes, the Pine Tree State is a venerable place, and a large percentage of its housing stock predates the Second World War. All told Maine can claim hundreds of structures on the National Register of Historic Places - from Victorian downtown districts to Federal mansions to Italianate townhouses to Shingle-style cottages - making it an intriguing place to visit for anyone with even a passing interest in things architectural. The Maine Office of Tourism has put together a handy booklet of driving tours that will take you past most of the prominent architectural sites in the state. The "Maine Architecture Trail," as it's called, another in what's becoming a long line of self-guided "trails," explores six regions of Maine. Tours begin in the southwestern part of the state, putt through the midcoast, zip through the Down East counties (home of the unheralded Eastport Barracks Museum), head through the North Woods, and crisscross The County. Each highlights more than a dozen homes, communities, and museums, providing a bit of background and contact phone numbers where appropriate, along with pictures and interesting tidbits. The last page of the booklet features "sites not to miss" that didn't fit into any one of the driving routes on one side and a resource page listing contact information for most of the Maine organizations of interest to architecture buffs: Greater Portland Landmarks, Maine Archives and Museums, Maine Preservation, Maine Historic Preservation Commission, etc. It's a nicely done guide that provides just enough detail to whet one's appetite as well as useful tools to study the subject further. Copies can be acquired at chambers of commerce across the state or by request at the Maine Office of Tourism's Web site - www.visitmaine.com.
F is for Fort Williams
If you live in Portland and you have houseguests, chances are that you take them to Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth. Much of the best of the Portland area is right here - the old fort has history in its earthworks, abuts Portland Head Light, offers spectacular Casco Bay vistas, has wide-open greenspace to play in, and even has culture, too, occasionally playing host to the Portland Symphony Orchestra. There's a lot to like. And in that way Fort Williams is similar to the state's other public parks (as opposed to state parks), which tend to be more visitor-friendly than some you find elsewhere. In fact, Maine's public parks are among the nicest places in the state. On the Portland peninsula there's the Eastern Prom, popular for its Casco Bay panorama. South Portland's Spring Point, likewise, has a fancy prospect out to the Calendar Islands. In Bangor, there's Mount Hope Cemetery, a 254-acre beauty that attracts walkers and dog lovers, romantic couples, and Goth kids. Not to be confused with the Brunswick Mall (the town's village green), the Brunswick Town Common is a trail-looped, wooded park on the road to South Harpswell. Few folks visit this peaceful preserve a stone's throw from Bowdoin College, making for a quiet stroll amid the pines. Augusta's Capitol Park is a ten-acre green on the east side of State Street that slopes down from the State House to the slow-flowing Kennebec River. Often overlooked as a place to take in the sun, Capitol Park is family-friendly and a great spot to picnic after visiting the Maine State Museum, the State House, and the Blaine House. Belfast's City Park might have the best view of any of the state's municipal parks, overlooking Penobscot Bay and Islesboro with Blue Hill rising in the distance. Look around long enough when you're in any Maine community, and you'll find a pretty place to stroll.
G is for Grand Manan
No, it's not really in Maine, but Grand Manan might as well be. The island off the coast of Lubec is more like the real Maine than many places in the southern part of the state, a beautiful, rugged fishing island with cool architecture and a bevy of natural wonders. And like a lot of interesting places, it's easy to visit from the Pine Tree State. Mainers have come to appreciate the proximity - and downright Maineyness - of the Canadian Maritimes, as well as the fact that the cities of Quebec and Boston are right nearby. All are within an easy day's drive for most of the state's residents, and each offers Mainers something different. On Grand Manan, one can get a look at the old Maine, as the island has not changed as much as many communities Down East and still has the rough- and-tumble, undeveloped beauty to it that places like Camden had fifty years ago. Visitors leave via ferry from Blacks Harbour in New Brunswick, can camp or choose from a few B-and-Bs, and can find more information at 888-525-1655 or www.grandmanannb.com. Quebec, of course, offers Mainers a bit of European flair, in an attractive package. With the castlelike Chateau Frontenac and the old city, it's stunningly handsome in a historic sort of way, and it has all the amenities of a good city - with a French accent (www.bonjourquebec.com). And Boston, everybody knows Boston. It's Maine's big city, offering all the cosmopolitan cultural fare anyone north of the Piscataqua could want plus the Red Sox at Fenway Park. More information about visiting the city can be found at www.bostonusa.com.
H is for Hallowell
Maine has a few claims to fame when it comes to shopping. First is that it's home to mega-outfitter L.L. Bean. Second is that it is a bargain shopper's paradise with literally hundreds of outlet stores in Kittery and Freeport, and great homegrown discount chains like Reny's and Mardens. And finally, it's home to some of the nation's best antiquing. Mainers are famous for never throwing anything away, packing their big old barns with every manner of thing, and antique dealers are always turning up finds at fresh auction and estate sales. A real antique culture has grown up in the state, with dozens upon dozens of shops, huge shows, and auction houses entertaining big crowds. It's no wonder that one of the nation's best magazines about the "sport" is called Maine Antique Digest and it's published right here in Waldoboro. There are several towns with reputations as the places to shop for antiques, and at the top of the list - rightly or wrongly - is Hallowell, the handsome town on the Kennebec just below Augusta. More than a dozen shops line the streets here, most of them concentrated on a couple of blocks on Water Street, and some of them are quite good. Wells and Searsport are two of the other biggies, the former with several dozen shops, some of which are truly fine and many of which feature used books, and the latter with more of a funky, flea-markety vibe to them. Dealers hip to the Maine antique scene, though, spend a fair bit of time these days in the Wiscasset-Damariscotta region, where the stores are not quite as densely packed as they are in some of the well-known antiquing towns but are just as numerous (and of fine quality). Super serious antique collectors know that all they have to do is cruise Route 1 and they'll find themselves some antiques. A good source of information on antiquing in Maine is the Maine Antique Dealer's Association Web site - www.maineantiques.org - which lists its members' shops and breaks them down by specialty.
I is for Isle au Haut
Very few of the three million people who stream into Acadia each year - usually during the summer - ever make it out to the parcel of the national park on the small Penobscot Bay island of Isle au Haut. Those who miss this gem - you could call it the jewel of the "jewel of the national park system" - are truly missing out. Accessed by ferry from Stonington, Isle au Haut is a working community that is roughly half picturesque old lobstering town, all white-clapboards and dirt roads, and one-half national park. Everything that people seek out Acadia for - hiking, kayaking, camping, views, soaring mountains meeting crashing surf - can be found here but without the crowds. There is one campground on the island, Duck Harbor, where there are five highly prized lean-tos, which are usually reserved well in advance. Day trips are easily accomplished by simply hopping aboard the ferry at Stonington and motoring through the constellation of islands to land at Isle au Haut. The ferry stops both at the Town Landing and at a pier right next to the camping area at Duck Harbor, so you can customize your route based on your itinerary and preferences (it's a long walk to Duck Harbor, though, from the Town Landing). Many people bring bicycles to make the trip between village and park. There are no commercial establishments on Isle au Haut to speak of, save the town grocery and the Keeper's House, the state's only lighthouse B-and-B. The latter is an exceptional - if rustic, with limited lights and power - place to stay but be prepared to pay for it, as it's pricey (207-460-0257; www.keepershouse.com). But, like a visit to Isle au Haut itself, it's something you'll never forget. For more information on the island call 207-367-6516 or click to www.isleauhaut.com (ferry) and http://www.nps.gov/acad/planner/IAHinfo.htm (Acadia).
J is for Jordan Pond
Shortly after the Civil War, the Jordan Pond House in Bar Harbor began serving meals. The distinctive farmhouse and the pretty pond out back, with its views of the bonbon-shaped Bubbles, was named for the Jordan family who built the place and farmed there. And the house, with its huge fireplaces and birch-bark dining rooms, proved to be quite a draw as early tourists found their way to Bar Harbor. Tea and popovers at the Jordan Pond House became an Acadia tradition, which, thanks to the purchase and gift of the property by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and by some hardworking contemporary locals, remains to this day. A visit to Acadia National Park just isn't the same without a stopover for a popover at Jordan Pond House. Today the house, with its restaurant and gift shop, is a modern version of the early house, which burned in 1979. Popovers now come as part of an afternoon tea served on the lawn overlooking the Bubbles, and as an appetizer for the full lunch and dinner menus, which are heavy on the seafood but include chicken salad sandwiches and garden salads as well as grilled Maine salmon, crab cakes, and lobster. Reservations are a good idea (207-276-3316), but if you don't have them, you can put your name on a list and then explore the grounds, which you should leave time for anyway. There are lawns to wander, carriage paths around the pond, and trails up the nearby peaks. Click to www.jordanpond.com for more information.
K is for Katahdin
Mention Katahdin in the Moosehead Lake area, and there will be some confusion. Locals won't know whether you're talking about the state's highest mountain, which can be seen from certain elevated points in the area, or about the steamer Katahdin, a historic vessel that gives tours of the state's largest lake. Part of the nice little Moosehead Marine Museum, the Kate is a 110-foot, 1914 steamer that was built at Bath Iron Works and once hauled supplies around the lake. She was one of fifty steamers to work Moosehead in the heyday of steam travel and was one of the last to quit, tugging log booms as late as the seventies. She's since been designated a National Historic Landmark, and she's been restored to a passenger vessel, now cruising up and down the lake Tuesday through Sunday from Memorial Day into foliage season. Her rotating schedule takes her on either a six-hour trip to Mount Kineo (Wednesdays), the steeply faced peak that rises over the lake, or on a three-hour trip to Sugar Island (the rest of the week), the largest of its isles. The shorter excursions are $30, the longer ones a bargain at $35. The cruises are narrated, and you learn a bit about the history of Moosehead, one of the legendary lakes of the North Woods. If that weren't entertaining enough, the Kate also offers specialty cruises - sunset, murder mystery, fireworks, and foliage - on occasion. Find out more by calling 207-695-2716 or visiting www.katahdincruises.com.
L is for Lighthouses
It's no great surprise that the Maine quarter has the image of a lighthouse on it. People everywhere associate the iconic beacons with the coast of Maine, and well they should - there are dozens upon dozens of them along its length. There are simply too many of them to mention here - look up Maine lighthouses online and the information will overwhelm you - but several shouldn't be missed by anyone interested in the tall towers. These include: Cape Neddick Light, or the Nubble, in York (207-363-7608), which is one of Maine's most famous sentinels and yet ironically is inaccessible. You can get a good look from the mainland, though, and there's a visitor's center with information. Portland Head Light is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world, and like the Nubble, has a nice museum onsite. Thirty-two-foot Pemaquid Light in Bristol is famous for attracting crowds during storms, as it sits on a bold headland and feels the full force of squalls (207-677-2494). This is also the light that is on the Maine quarter. Monhegan Light impresses as much for its locale - high atop a hill on the stunning island - as it does for its forty-seven-foot, gray self (207-596-7003). Rockland Breakwater Light, similarly, is a fairly average lighthouse - it's less than twenty feet high - but it is set at the end of a dramatic, mile-long breakwater that slices through Rockland Harbor and is well worth a visit for that reason alone. Bass Harbor Head Light is another oft-photographed beauty, rising high up on a cliff in Bass Harbor on the "quiet side" of Mount Desert Island. And finally, West Quoddy Light, the state's only candy striper, which lords it over another lofty promontory way Down East in Lubec. True lighthouse lovers would be foolish to come to Maine and not check out the Lighthouse Depot on Route 1 in Wells, which features three floors of lighthouse-abilia, with everything from books to gifts to ornaments to maps to models. Find them at 800-758-1444 or at www.lighthousedepot.com.
M is for Monhegan
There is no place in Maine quite like Monhegan Island. Some people like to say that it offers everything people like about the Pine Tree State in microcosm - it has the smashing shores, the picturesque old architecture, the tight-knit fishing community, the wacky artists, and the dense forest. There's a widely held notion that the island, twelve miles out from the midcoast mainland, is a great place for a daytrip. And it is. But the island is worth much more than a quick look-see - you only get a few hours on the island between ferries, and there's so much to do and see on the square-mile of isle that you need a lot more time than that to do it justice. Some people tour the art galleries, of which there are a couple of dozen. The Monhegan Museum, likewise, has a great collection of art by the many notable American artists who have painted here - Rockwell Kent, George Bellows, Edward Hopper, and Robert Henri among them - as well as some neat exhibits on the island's natural history and fishing. Other people come for the island's spectacular natural offerings, namely the seventeen miles of trails, which are unlike any others in Maine, traversing high cliffs and meandering through tall, old-growth woods, and the wealth of birdlife that migrates through Monhegan. The island has a few nice places to dine when you're done traipsing around and to shop when you're looking for souvenirs. And thankfully for those who think this enchanting island is worthy of at least one night, there are a few places to stay. Many guests stay in one of the big-three hostelries - the grand old Island Inn (207-596-0371), the classic Monhegan House inn (207-594-7983), and the funky-as-all-get-out cottage complex the Trailing Yew (207-596-0440). Reservations are essential. In addition to these are a handful of cottages that can be rented by the night or for longer stays. Click over to the local Web site www.monhegan.com for details on the island and its adventures.
N is for North Maine Woods
Talk about your landlords - North Maine Woods manages recreation on 3.5 million acres in the region of the Pine Tree State from which it takes its name. That's a big back forty. Formed in the early 1970s, the non-profit organization looks after lands owned by the major paper companies, by the state, and by private landowners, maintaining campsites and overseeing recreation. With that many acres in that part of the state, you might think the opportunities for outdoor nuts would be great, and they are. The lands are open to camping, fishing, hunting, and hiking, all by permit, and they encompass some of the finest mountains, woods, and waters in the state. North Maine Woods is the first to caution people, though, that the area under its management is not "wilderness," rather it's a working forest where logging comes first and recreation a distant second. Even so, there's lots to do, from camping in the Allagash region to hiking Gulf Hagas, the "Grand Canyon of the East." All camping is on a first-come basis and is only allowed in authorized areas. Using these woods is not cheap. There are fees required, and they can be steep. If you want to stay at a sporting camp within the North Maine Woods area, say the exceptional Libby Camps on Millinocket Lake, you have to pay $18 if you're a Maine resident and $25 if you're not, just to pass through the North Maine Woods checkpoint before you even check in at Libby Camps. Find more information at www.northmainewoods.org.
O is for Old Portland
Portland has many appealing features, from its location on Casco Bay to its restaurants and museums. But one aspect of the Forest City that is always mentioned by tourists and guidebooks alike as being among the city's most distinctive attributes is its Victorian architecture and the sense of history the blocks of fine old buildings impart. First settled in the 1620s, Portland was originally called Falmouth, and it became one of the most important cities in the early years of the United States, thanks largely to its excellent port and shipping capabilities. The city's early years were filled with fascinating characters and compelling stories - a merciless, revenge-fueled bombing during the Revolution, for example, wiped out 414 buildings. The city rebuilt, and again it burned in 1866, this time as a result of an accidental fire. Again Portlanders rebuilt, and it is the buildings that were erected in the aftermath - those of the popular Old Port, for example - that give Portland the look it has today. Many people visit to study the architecture of the Portland Peninsula alone, and a nice day can be had strolling along one of the fine walking tours put together by Greater Portland Landmarks (207-774-5561, www.portlandlandmarks.org). Other stops for people interested in the city's past should be the Center for Maine History, which is the museum run by the Maine Historical Society (207-774-1822, www.mainehistory.com); the Wadsworth Longfellow House (207-774-1822, www.mainehistory.com), boyhood home of one of America's great poets; the Tate House, a 1755 structure that was originally home of a British mast agent and at 250 years old this year is one of the city's - and state's - oldest buildings (207-774-9781, www.tatehouse.org); the Portland Observatory, the historic eighty-six-foot tower that rises above Munjoy Hill, was once used to spot ships coming in to the harbor (207-774-5561, www.portlandlandmarks.org); and Victoria Mansion, an 1850s manse that is an over-the-top celebration of all things Victorian (207-772-4841, www.victoriamansion.org).
P is for Portland Museum of Art
No one is going to wear out their hiking boots on the Maine Museum Trail - most of the trekking on this "trail" is done in the car. This is essentially an itinerary (and a loose one at that) linking the state's art museums. The Portland Museum of Art and the Farnsworth Art Museum are the two biggies, and they're joined on the way by the collections at the state's colleges - Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, and the University of Maine - as well as the fine Ogunquit Museum of American Art. Each of these institutions is worth a visit, and the handy trail map shows you their locations and gives you their hours and admission prices and a brief description of what's to be found inside. You'll learn, for example, that a collection of Marsden Hartley's works and memorabilia is the centerpiece of Bates' museum and that Bowdoin's is filled with extraordinary European and American paintings and sculpture (closed for construction this summer) - as well as an outstanding collection of classical items. You'll see why one of the former directors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art called the Ogunquit Museum of American Art "the most beautiful small museum in the world," and why many consider the collection of Maine art at the Farnsworth in Rockland the best in the state. The map and brochure are cursory but very nicely put together, and will get you up and running on the trail of Maine art. You can find out more at www.maineartmuseums.org.
Q is for Quoddy Head
Many visitors to Quoddy Head State Park show up, take a picture of the state's only candy-striped lighthouse, which serves as the centerpiece for the Down East park, and leave. Many other visitors to the nation's most easterly state park would agree that these folks are missing the best part of the park - its cliff-top hiking trails. Too many people overlook some exceptional recreational opportunities in Maine's state park system - even passing by some fantastic parks entirely - by sticking to the beaten path. Everyone knows about Sebago Lake, Reid, Popham, and Camden Hills state parks. But several lesser-known places in the state-park system simply shouldn't be missed. Vaughan Woods is indeed a state park, and yet few people ever bother to explore these 250 acres on the Salmon Falls River in South Berwick (207-384-5160). Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park is less than five miles from one of Maine's tourist epicenters - L.L. Bean - but you wouldn't know it from strolling around the quiet trails on Casco Bay (207-865-4465). Likewise, Bradbury Mountain State Park sees a fraction of the visitors that visit Freeport, and yet it's ten minutes away in Pownal and is a nice little peak that affords panoramas of Portland and the White Mountains with very little effort (207-688-4712). Mounts Megunticook and Battie at Camden Hills State Park see all sorts of hikers - and, in Battie's case, motorists. But not everyone makes it across the street to the park's shorefront on Penobscot Bay, and even fewer people find the park's Bald Rock Mountain, which is accessed via Lincolnville and offers a great panorama of the bay (207-236-3109). Warren Island State Park has twelve campsites and sits on an island in broad, blue Penobscot Bay, unreachable except by boat and thus quiet and beautiful (207-941-4014). In Liberty, Lake Saint George State Park has a swell freshwater beach but hardly anyone is ever on it, at least relative to other state parks (207-589-4255). Birch Point State Park in Owl's Head, one of the newest state parks, is virtually unknown and offers one very unusual feature - a beach in the midcoast (207-941-4014). Cobscook Bay State Park has 106 campsites, direct access to the beautiful bay from which it takes its name, and it's rarely crowded (207-726-4412). There's a lot to like about Maine's state parks for anyone willing to explore the options. Contact the Maine Bureau of Park's and Lands for more information at www.state.me.us/doc/parks.
R is for Roque Bluffs
For a state known for its rocky coast, Maine has a fair number of fine sand beaches. The general rule of thumb is that the rocks don't begin to rule till after Portland, which leaves the south coast wide open to the sands. And in fact, from roughly York to Cape Elizabeth the state's seashore is almost entirely beach. Which is good news to everyone who enjoys basking in the sun, the smell of cocoa butter, sand in their shorts, frigid water, and rampant tourism. The best places to beach hop in this region are, arguably, Ogunquit and Wells, Kennebunkport, Old Orchard, and Cape Elizabeth. Of course, the south coast isn't the only place to find a bit of beach - there are several stretches of sand between the rock toes of the mid and Down East coasts. Reid (207-371-2303) and Popham Beach (207-389-1335) state parks are the go-to places in the Bath area, Pemaquid Beach (207-677-2754) in the Damariscotta region, and Lincolnville Beach on Penobscot Bay (though word is getting out about the cul-de-sac of sand and new state park at Birch Point in Owl's Head). Down East has the ever-popular and intriguingly named Sand Beach in Acadia National Park (207-288-3338) as well as off-the-beaten-path spots like the Lilliputian strands at Lamoine (207-667-4778) and Roque Bluffs (207-255-3475) state parks. And those are only the beaches that are commonly known. Secret favorites of Mainers in the know include such gems as the sands at Seapoint and Crescent beaches in Kittery, Willard Beach in South Portland (207-767-7651), Higgins Beach in Scarborough, Sandy Point Beach on Cousin's Island in Yarmouth, Winslow Memorial Park in Freeport (207-865-4198), Crescent Beach in Owl's Head, Ducktrap Beach in Lincolnville, and Sandy Point Beach in Stockton Springs. Track them down, they're worth the effort. The Web site www.visitmaine.net has a decent directory of beaches, which might aid in your search for surf.
S is for South Turner Mountain
At Baxter State Park, Mount Katahdin is literally head and shoulders above the rest. The Mountain of the People of Maine is also the highest mountain in Maine, and its granite noggin scrapes the clouds well above anything else around. But that doesn't mean there isn't great hiking to be done on the forty-plus other peaks that trundle through the state's finest park. Many hikers in the know actively avoid Katahdin and the crowds it draws and focus on climbing the mountains that surround it. Doubletop, which looks like a volcano and dominates the western skyline of the park, has long been considered the default climb if Katahdin is closed. It's a stunner with twin tops that overlook Mt. K. In the very southwest corner of the park tiny Sentinel Mountain has enough loft at 1,000 feet to offer one of the best panoramas in Baxter - the whole of Katahdin on one side and the mighty West Branch on the other - without all that much effort. You can watch all the action on Katahdin's popular Hunt Trail (aka the Appalachian Trail) from the round head of the Owl or stare into the middle of the park's fastness from atop South Turner. The Brothers have their partisans, rising high in the midsection of the park, and some are calling the new Traveler loop trail in the northern section a rival to Katahdin for effort and beauty. More information about hiking in Baxter State Park can be found at www.baxterstateparkauthority.com or in the pages of the Appalachian Mountain club's exceptional Maine Mountain Guide.
T is for Tim Pond Camps
Maine's sporting camps hark back to another era. Sit yourself on the porch at Tim Pond Camps, the only camps on mile-long Tim Pond, and you can imagine yourself in the late nineteenth century, when the camps were founded (they're the oldest sporting camps in New England). The cabins are simple affairs, log structures with fireplaces for heat and views out to the quiet expanse of the lake, and they're similar to those found at other sporting camps across the state. Nowadays these rustic resorts are not just about "sporting" - i.e. hunting and fishing. They're just as often used by families for camping vacations in the Maine woods and by nature lovers looking for a remote place to hole up and explore. Several dozen of these venerable operations still make a go of it in Maine, and they each offer something a little different. Most are in the North Woods and consist of eight or more camps on a lake or a pond with a central lodge for meals and yarning. Some still do hang on to the old ways and have very rustic cabins where you go to hire a guide and hunt and fish; others have modernized a bit and provide excellent meals, running water, and other creature comforts, and welcome kids. The majority of the state's camps are members of the Maine Sporting Camp Association, which is an excellent place to turn for more information. Call 207-723-6622 or visit www.mainesportingcamps.com.
U is for Uncommonly Beautiful Public Gardens
Perhaps because they have such a short season, Maine gardeners take to their flower beds with an uncommon zeal - and they like to show them off. The state has a number of fantastic public gardens sure to please both green thumbs and casual visitors alike, and the Maine Department of Agriculture has put together a list of places of horticultural interest. Get your copy by calling 800-782-6497. Here are a few of the highlights. The thirty-three acres at Historic New England's Hamilton House include a nicely restored Victorian-era garden. Deering Oaks in Portland is the site of a 600-bush rose garden with thirty-eight varieties of roses (207-874-8793). Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay Harbor, a labor of love on 300 acres, are finally coming to fruition, with nice trails and 300-some native species (207-633-4333). A pair of Camden-area spots make a nice two-fer - the Camden Public Library Garden (207-236-3440) on Route 1 in front of the library has a colorful perennial display, and Merryspring Horticultural Nature Park (207-236-2239) has an array of gardens - herb, rose, and perennial gardens - as well as meadows, woodlands, a ten-acre arboretum, and an educational center with one of the finest libraries of gardening books in the region. Asticou Azalea Garden is a must in Northeast Harbor, featuring azaleas rescued from the Bar Harbor estate of the late landscape architect Beatrix Ferrand (207-276-5130), and don't miss nearby Thuya Garden while you're there (207-276-5130). Finally, in western Maine, South Paris' Bernard McLaughlin Garden has vast perennial beds and is famous for its lilacs (207-743-8820). And these are just the beginning. Garden tours have become a Maine summer tradition - check the local papers - and there are occasional visits allowed at private gardens like Celia Thaxter's garden on Appledore Island, off Portsmouth.
V is for Vaughn's Island Preserve
Thanks to organizations like the Nature Conservancy, Maine Audubon, and a host of local outfits - as well as the feds and the state - Maine has more exceptional nature preserves than can be visited in a year. And the beauty of these places - quite aside from their sheer beauty - is that most people don't even know they exist. Maine's preserves protect some of the finest acreage in the state, and many are well off the radar of your average car-dwelling tourist. Some of the most fun to visit include Vaughn's Island Preserve (207-646-1555), a ninety-six-acre beauty off Wells that's accessible by boat or mud at low tide; the Waterboro Barrens (207-729-5181), a Nature Conservancy property in Waterboro that protects 3,000 acres of rare pitch pine barrens; East Point Sanctuary, a thirty-acre Audubon reserve at the dramatic tip of Biddeford Pool (207-781-2330); the 1,000-acre Saco Heath, one of the largest peat bogs in the state (207-729-5181); Scarborough Marsh, the largest salt marsh in the state (207-883-5100); Fore River Sanctuary, eighty-five acres of woods and wilds right in Portland (207-781-2330); the Falmouth headquarters of Maine Audubon (207-781-2330) at Gilsland Farm, where there are sixty-five beautiful acres to explore; Mast Landing Sanctuary in Freeport (207-781-2330), where there are 3.5 miles of hiking trails; the six preserves protected by the Boothbay Region Land Trust (207-633-4818); Lanes Island Preserve, a stunning island off Vinalhaven (207-729-5181); Georges Highland Path, a series of trails in the Camden Hills (207-594-5166); the 1,000 acres of Holbrook Island Sanctuary on Cape Rosier (207-326-4012); Great Wass Island, a haven of birds and wildflowers off Beals (207-729-5181); and Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge (207-454-7161), a 23,000-acre Down East safari site in the Eastport and Calais areas. And those are just the beginning. Peek around in any corner of the state and you'll find more reserves to explore.
W is for Walking Tours
This walking thing just might catch on. People seem up for ambling, and communities across Maine have taken notice, putting together a variety of tantalizing walking tours. The six-mile one through Lewiston is the longest, taking you through an array of neighborhoods and historic eras (207-783-2249) and past more fine architecture than you'd think. The Kennebunks each have their own tours - Kennebunk proper's is less than a mile, but it's a fairly storied mile, with fine early American architecture as the backdrop. It's guided, costs $5, and begins at the Brick Store Museum (207-985-4802). The K'Port's is offered by the local historical society and takes place on Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. in summer (207-967-2751). Portland has a few routes thanks to the work of the Greater Portland Landmarks (207-774-5561). Bath's local historic preservation organization takes guests through the history-rich City of Ships every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. in summer (207-443-2174). Belfast calls its tour a "Museum in the Streets," and with edifying little placards all along the way through the architectural distinguished Penobscot Bay city, it's right. Pick up a map at the local chamber of commerce. And Bar Harbor's tours are real treats if only because the guides dress up like the butlers and maids who once would have worked in the resort's mansionesque "cottages" and dish on the shenanigans that went on inside them (207-288-9605).
X is for X Marks the Spot
If a rapscallion named Samuel Bellamy had gotten his way, Machias today would be an old-folks home of sorts for wayward buccaneers. Yes, pirates, they of the peg legs and shivering timbers, black flags and swashbuckling swagger. Maine actually has a long history with piracy. Samuel Bellamy liked the Down East coast so much, though, that he attempted to establish a "Pirate's Republic" near Machias in 1718. But he was hanged before he got anywhere with his plans. He would have had some likely candidates to move in, too. Many other pirates were familiar with the Maine coast. Dixey Bull was said to have plundered the colony of Pemaquid in 1631, and the notorious Blackbeard was said to have dallied along the coast here in the 1680s. By 1717, according to one pirate history, the 600 or so buccaneers based in Nassau, Bahamas, were ravaging the coast of what would become the U.S. all the way from Florida to Maine. Legend has it that Captain Kidd buried treasure on Jewell Island in Casco Bay. In fact, many of the islands near population centers - from Isles of Shoals to Treasure Island near Boothbay to Captain Kidd's cave on Deer Isle -are reputed to be home to pirate treasure. The state's best-known homegrown pirate was likely Ephraim Clark of Rockland, who went by the colorful pirate name of William Smith. Clark was taken into custody in 1845 for his part in a murder and mutiny that happened while he was working on a vessel en route to New Orleans from London. Many years later he was eventually pardoned by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Y is for Yarmouth Clam Festival
This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the Yarmouth Clam Festival, a weekend-long, mid-July celebration of all things, um, clammy. A carnival that takes over the small village's downtown, complete with midway rides, cotton candy vendors, fireman's musters, road races, art shows, and "clam deals," the Clam Festival is a suburban Portland summertime tradition. One national television network (MSNBC) has called it one of the top festivals in the country for families. This year's event is scheduled for July 15 to 17, and more information can be found by calling 207-846-3984 or clicking over to www.clamfestival.com/home.php. It's just one of the biggest and best of Maine's summer food festivals. This year's highlights include: the Bar Harbor Seafood Festival (July 4, 207-288-5103, www.barharbormaine.com); Fort Fairfield's fifty-eighth Annual Maine Potato Blossom Festival (July 8 to 17, 207-472-3802, www.potatoblossom.org); Lisbon Falls' Moxie Festival (July 8 to10, 207-783-2249, www.moxiefestival.com); Fort Kent's Fifth Annual Ployes Festival (July 22 & 23, 207-834-5354, www.fortkentchamber.com); Rockland's Fifty-eighth Annual Maine Lobster Festival (August 3 to 7, 207-596-0376, www.mainelobsterfestival.com); Wilton's Blueberry Festival (August 5 & 6, 207-778-4726, www.route2.com/wbf.htm); Machias' Thirtieth Annual Wild Blueberry Festival (August 19 to 21, 207-255-6665, www.machiasblueberry.com); the Union Fair and State of Maine Wild Blueberry Festival (August 21 to 27, 207-236-8009, www.unionfair.org); and Houlton's Forty-sixth Annual Potato Feast Days (September 9 &10, 207-532-4216, www.greaterhoulton.com).
Z is for Zero Dollars
You don't have to look far in Maine for free recreation. With its wealth of natural resources - miles of beaches and hiking trails and picturesque towns to explore - there are almost limitless activities to enjoy before you have to start shelling out the scratch. At the top of the list of freebies might be a visit to Baxter State Park (207-723-5140), which former governor Percival Baxter, the park's founder, insisted would be free for Mainers. Or check out the State of Maine, the 500-foot training ship of Maine Maritime Academy (207-326-2206). A cadet will give you a free tour stem to stern. Or stop by the Maine State Museum (207-287-2301), which is the state's largest history museum and is among the best state museums in the nation. Or stroll the Rockland Breakwater, the milelong granite jetty that cuts Rockland Harbor in two and sticks you square out into Penobscot Bay. Or visit the Portland Museum of Art (207-775-6148) on Friday between 5 and 7 p.m. when this hallowed institution has a free viewing night, a great opportunity to look at some of the finest in Maine art for free. Or just take a drive. Pick a road, any road. There are few routes in Maine that won't hold up to a Sunday drive. Or any other day of the week for that matter. Enjoy.
