Vinalhaven and North Haven Islands
The rugged and jagged shoreline edging island-studded Penobscot Bay is the image that has lured many a visitor to Maine. The coastline here ebbs and flows, rising to rocky headlands, dropping to protected harbors, and linking fishing villages with comparatively cosmopolitan towns. Although the state considers this to be part of the Mid-Coast, this region has a different feel and view, one framed by coastal mountains in Camden and Lincolnville and accented by an abundance of islands.
From Thomaston through Prospect, no two towns are alike except that all are changing, as traditional industries give way to arts- and tourism-related businesses. Thomaston’s Museum in the Streets, Rockland’s art galleries, Camden’s picturesque mountainside harbor, Lincolnville’s pocket beach, Belfast’s inviting downtown, Searsport’s sea captains’ homes, and Prospect’s Fort Knox all invite exploration, as do offshore, ferry-linked islands.
From salty Port Clyde, take the mail boat to Monhegan, an offshore idyll known as the Artists’ Island. From Rockland and Lincolnville Beach, car and passenger ferries depart to Vinalhaven, North Haven, Matinicus, and Islesboro. All are occupied year-round by hardy souls joined in summer by less-hardy ones. Except for Matinicus, they’re great day-trip destinations.
If what appeals to you about a ferry trip is traveling on the water, you can get a taste of the Great Age of Sail by booking a multiday cruise aboard one of the classic windjammer schooners berthed in Rockland, Rockport, and Camden. Or simply book a day sail or sea-kayak excursion.
LOOK FOR M TO FIND RECOMMENDED SIGHTS, ACTIVITIES, DINING, AND LODGING.
M Monhegan Historical and Cultural Museum: View an impressive collection of masters at this museum adjacent to the lighthouse, then visit contemporary studios and find inspiration by hiking island trails (click here).
M The Farnsworth Art Museum and the Wyeth Center: Three generations of Wyeths are represented in this recently expanded museum, which also boasts an excellent collection of works by Maine and American masters (click here).
M Owls Head Transportation Museum: View a fabulous collection of vintage airplanes, automobiles, and even bicycles, many of which are flown, driven, or ridden during weekend special events (click here).
M Rockland Breakwater: Take a walk on this nearly mile-long breakwater to the lighthouse at the end (open on weekends). It’s an especially fine place to watch the windjammers sail in or out of Rockland Harbor (click here).
M Owls Head Light State Park: The views of Penobscot Bay are spectacular, and it’s a great place for a picnic lunch (click here).
M Camden Hills State Park: If you have time, hike the moderate trail to the summit for a gull’s-eye view over Camden Harbor and Penobscot Bay. If not, take the easy route and drive (click here).
M Penobscot Marine Museum: Learn what life was really like during the Great Age of Sail in a town renowned for the number and quality of its sea captains (click here).
M Fort Knox: A good restoration, frequent events, and secret passages to explore make this late-19th-century fort one of Maine’s best (click here).
M Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory: On a clear day, the views from the 420-foot-high tower, one of only three in the world, extend from Mount Katahdin to Cadillac Mountain (click here).
Although it’s easy to focus on the water, this region is rich in museums and art galleries, antiques and specialty shops, some of the state’s nicest inns, and many of its better restaurants.
Most folks arrive in July-August, but autumn, when turning leaves color the hills and are reflected in the sea, the days remain warm, and nights are cool, is an ideal season to visit, especially for leaf peepers who want to get off the beaten track. And in winter, when snow blankets the Camden Hills, you can ski while gazing out to Camden Harbor.
To hit just the highlights, you’ll need at least three days. If you want to relax a bit and enjoy the area, plan on 4-5 days. Make it a full week if you plan on overnighting on any of the offshore islands. In general, lodging is less expensive in Rockland, Belfast, and Searsport than it is in Camden. In any case, head for Monhegan or Vinalhaven on a fine day and save the museums for inclement ones.
Two-lane Route 1 is the region’s central artery, with veins running down the peninsula limbs. Yes, traffic backs up, especially in Camden (and in Thomaston on the Fourth of July, when it’s closed for a parade), but it rarely stops moving. If your destination is Rockland, take I-95 to Augusta and then Route 17 East; if it’s Belfast or north, take I-95 to Augusta and then Route 3 East. Route 90 is a nifty bypass around Thomaston and Rockland, connecting Route 1 from Warren to Rockport. For a less direct route, the Georges River Scenic Byway is a 50-mile rural inland route, mostly along Route 131, between Port Clyde and Liberty. It parallels the coast, but it meanders through farmlands and tiny villages and by lakes and rivers, with antiques shops and farm stands along the way. It’s simply gorgeous in autumn.
Thomaston (pop. 1,558) is a little gem of a town and is becoming more so each year thanks to the razing of the old Maine State Prison. It’s also the gateway to two lovely fingers of land bordering the St. George River and jutting into the Gulf of Maine—the Cushing and St. George Peninsulas.
In 1605, British adventurer Captain George Waymouth sailed up the river now named after him (the St. George River was originally called the Georges River). A way station for Plymouth traders as early as 1630, Thomaston was incorporated in 1777 and officially named after General John Thomas, a Revolutionary War hero.
Industry began with the production of lime, which was used for plaster. A growing demand for plaster, and the frequency with which the wooden boats were destroyed by fire while carrying loads of extremely flammable lime, spurred the growth of shipbuilding and its related infrastructure. Thomaston’s slogan became “the town that went to sea.”
Seeing the sleepy harbor-front today, it’s hard to visualize the booming era when dozens of tall-masted wooden ships slid down the ways. But the town’s architecture is a testament and tribute to the prosperous past. All those splendid homes on Main and Knox Streets were funded by wealthy shipowners and shipmasters who well understood how to occupy the idle hands of off-duty carpenters.
As you head north out of Thomaston on Route 1, you’ll come face-to-face with an imposing colonial hilltop mansion at the junction with Route 131 South. Dedicated to the memory of General Henry Knox, President George Washington’s secretary of war, Montpelier (Rte. 1 and Rte. 131, Thomaston, 207/354-8062, www.generalknoxmuseum.org, 10am-4pm Thurs.-Fri. late May-mid-Oct., $10 adults, $8 seniors, $4 ages 5-13, $20 family) is a 1930s replica of Knox’s original Thomaston home. The mansion today contains Knox family furnishings and other period antiques—all described with great enthusiasm during the hour-long tours. A gift shop run by the Friends of Montpelier carries books and other relevant items. Concerts, lectures, and special events occur here periodically throughout the summer; General Knox’s birthday is celebrated with considerable fanfare in July. Do call for the current schedule, as the museum is also often open on weekends for special events.
Montpelier is the starting point for a three-mile walking, cycling, or, if you must, driving tour of nearly 70 sites in Thomaston’s National Historic Landmark District. Pick up a copy of the tour brochure at one of the local businesses. Included are lots of stories behind the facades of the handsome 19th-century homes that line Main and Knox Streets; the architecture here is nothing short of spectacular. Much of this history is also recounted in the Museum in the Streets, a walking tour taking in 25 informative plaques illustrated with old photos throughout town.
Thomaston’s Fourth of July, an old-fashioned hometown celebration reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting, draws huge crowds. A spiffy parade—with bands, veterans, kids, and pets—starts off the morning at 11am, followed by races, crafts and food booths, and lots more. If you need to get through Thomaston on the Fourth of July, do it well before the parade or well after noon; the marchers go right down Main Street (Rte. 1), and gridlock forces a detour.
The region’s Finnish heritage is celebrated at Finn Fling Day at the Finnish Heritage House in mid-September.
Thomaston has a block-long shopping street (on Rte. 1), with ample free parking out back behind the stores.
The Maine State Prison Showroom Outlet (Main St./Rte. 1 at Wadsworth St., Thomaston, 207/354-9237) markets the handiwork of inmate craftsmen. Some of the souvenirs verge on kitsch; the bargains are wooden bar stools, toys (including dollhouses), and chopping boards. You’ll need to carry your purchases with you; prison-made goods cannot be shipped.
At the southern end of Thomaston, in a renovated chicken barn, is Thomaston Place Auction Gallery (51 Atlantic Hwy./Rte. 1, Thomaston, 207/354-8141, www.thomastonauction.com), the home of Kaja Veilleux, a longtime dealer, appraiser, and auctioneer. Auctions occur frequently with previews beforehand.
Just south of Thomaston is Lie-Nielsen Toolworks (Rte. 1, Warren, 800/327-2520, www.lie-nielsen.com), crafting heirloom-quality hand tools for connoisseurs; tours are available.
Located on the Thomaston-Cushing town line, 35-acre Saltwater Farm Campground (Wadsworth St./Cushing Rd., Cushing, 207/354-6735, www.saltwaterfarmcampground.com) has 37 open and wooded tent and RV sites ($35-48) overlooking the St. George River. Cabins go for $75. Facilities include a bathhouse, heated pool, hot tub, laundry, store, and play area. The river is tidal, so swimming is best near high tide; otherwise, you’re dealing with mudflats.
Often overlooked by visitors (but certainly not by locals) is casual Thomaston Café and Bakery (154 Main St./Rte. 1, Thomaston, 207/354-8589, www.thomastoncafe.com, 7:30am-2pm Tues.-Sat., 8:30am-2pm Sun., and 5:30pm-8pm Wed.-Sat., entrées $18-28). German-born chef Herb Peters and his wife, Eleanor, produce superb pastries, breads, and desserts (eat here or take them out). Everything’s homemade, there are children’s options, and the café uses only organic poultry. Try the incredible wild-mushroom hash. Reservations are essential.
Fresh seafood, including a raw bar and to-die-for fried oysters have earned The Slipway (24 Public Landing, Thomaston, 207/354-4155, 11:30am-9:30pm daily and 10:30am-2pm Sun., $10-24) must-go status. Aim for a fine day, when you can dine on the dock, although the views are equally fine from the porch and dining room.
The Penobscot Bay Region Chamber of Commerce (800/223-5459, www.mainedreamvacation.com) is the area’s best resource.
The Thomaston Public Library (42 Main St., Thomaston, 207/354-2453) occupies part of the Greek Revival Thomaston Academy.
Thomaston is 12 miles or 18 minutes via Route 1 from Waldoboro. It’s about 15 miles or 25 minutes via Route 131 to Port Clyde, and about 5 miles or 10 minutes via Route 1 to Rockland.
Cushing’s recorded history goes back at least as far as 1605, when someone named “Abr [maybe Abraham] King”—presumably a member of explorer George Waymouth’s crew—inscribed his name here on a ledge (now private property). Since 1789, settlers’ saltwater farms have sustained many generations, and the active Cushing Historical Society keeps the memories and memorabilia from fading away. But the outside world knows little of this. Cushing (pop. 1,534) is better known as “Wyeth country,” the terrain depicted by the famous artistic dynasty of N. C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth and assorted other talented relatives.
If you’re an Andrew Wyeth fan, visiting Cushing will give you the feeling of walking through his paintings. The flavor of his Maine work is here—rolling fields, wildflower meadows, rocky tidal coves, broad vistas, character-filled farmhouses, and some well-hidden summer enclaves.
Andrew Wyeth aficionados will recognize the Broad Cove Church as one of his subjects—alongside Cushing Road en route to the Olson House. It’s open most days, so step inside and admire the classic New England architecture. The church is also well known as the site of one of the region’s best beanhole bean suppers, held on a Saturday in mid-July and attracting several hundred appreciative diners. From Route 1 in Thomaston, at the Maine State Prison Showroom Outlet, turn onto Wadsworth Street and go six miles, then bear left at the fork; the church is 0.4 mile farther, on the right.
Fans of artist Andrew Wyeth shouldn’t miss The Olson House in Cushing.
Many an art lover makes the pilgrimage to the Olson House (11am-4pm Tues.-Sun., July 1-early Oct., noon-5pm late May-July, $10, $17 with Farnsworth admission), a famous icon near the end of Hathorne Point Road. The early-19th-century farmhouse appears in Andrew Wyeth’s 1948 painting Christina’s World (which hangs in New York’s Museum of Modern Art), his best-known image of the disabled Christina Olson, who died in 1968. In 1991, two philanthropists donated the Olson House to the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, which has retained the house’s sparse, lonely, and almost mystical ambience. The clapboards outside remain unpainted, the interior walls bear only a few Wyeth prints (hung close to the settings they depict), and it is easy to sense Wyeth’s inspiration for chronicling this place. To find it, from the Broad Cove Church, continue just over one mile, then turn left onto Hathorne Point Road. Go another 1.9 miles to the house. Tours are offered on the hour.
Even though the Cushing and St. George Peninsulas face each other across the St. George River, they differ dramatically. Cushing is far more rural, seemingly less approachable, and with little access to the surrounding waters; St. George (pop. 2,591) has a slew of things to do and see, places to sleep and eat, and shore access in various spots along the peninsula.
The St. George Peninsula is actually better known by some of the villages scattered along its length—Tenants Harbor, Port Clyde, Wiley’s Corner, Spruce Head—plus the smaller neighborhoods of Martinsville, Smalleytown, Glenmere, Long Cove, Hart’s Neck, and Clark Island. Each has a distinct personality, determined partly by the different ethnic groups—primarily Brits, Swedes, and Finns—who arrived to work the granite quarries in the 19th century. Wander through the Seaview Cemetery in Tenants Harbor and you’ll see the story: row after row of gravestones with names from across the sea.
Marshall Point Lighthouse has a spectacular setting in Port Clyde.
A more famous former visitor was 19th-century novelist Sarah Orne Jewett, who holed up in an old schoolhouse in Martinsville, paid a weekly rental of $0.50, and wrote The Country of the Pointed Firs, a tale about “Dunnet’s Landing” (Tenants Harbor).
Today the picturesque peninsula has saltwater farms, tidy hamlets, a striking lighthouse, spruce-edged tidal coves, an active yachting harbor, and at the tip, the tiny fishing village of Port Clyde, which serves as a springboard to offshore Monhegan Island.
Port Clyde is likely the best-known community here. (Fortunately, it’s no longer called by its unappealing 18th-century name: Herring Gut.) George Waymouth explored Port Clyde’s nearby islands in 1605, but you’d never suspect its long tradition. It’s a sleepy place, with a general store, low-key inns, a few galleries, and pricey parking.
Not many settings can compare with the spectacular locale of the Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum (Marshall Point Rd., Port Clyde, 207/372-6450, www.marshallpoint.org, 1pm-5pm Sun.-Fri., 10am-5pm Sat. late May-mid-Oct., free), a distinctive 1857 lighthouse and park overlooking Port Clyde, the harbor islands, and the passing lobster-boat fleet. Bring a picnic and let the kids run on the lawn (but keep them well back from the shoreline). The museum, in the 1895 keeper’s house, displays lighthouse and local memorabilia. The grounds are accessible year-round. Take Route 131 to Port Clyde and watch for signs to the museum.
The St. George Peninsula has been attracting artists for decades, and galleries are abundant. Some have been here for years, and others started up yesterday; most are worth a stop, so keep an eye out for their signs. In early August, a number of renowned artists usually coordinate an open-studio weekend.
Overlooking the reversing falls in downtown South Thomaston, The Old Post Office Gallery (Rte. 73, South Thomaston, 207/594-9396, www.artofthesea.com) has 11 rooms filled with marine art and antiques: ship models, prints, paintings, sculpture, scrimshaw, and jewelry.
Drive up to the small parking area at Lobster Lane Book Shop (Island Rd., Spruce Head, 207/594-7520) and you’ll see license plates from everywhere. The tiny shop, in a crammed but well-organized shed that has been here since the 1960s, has 50,000 or so treasures for used-book fans. For a few dollars, you can stock up on a summer’s worth of reading. The shop, noon-5pm Sat.-Sat., is just under a mile east of Route 73, with eye-catching vistas in several directions (except, of course, when Spruce Head’s infamous fog sets in).
Despite periodic ownership changes, Port Clyde General Store (Rte. 131, Port Clyde, 207/372-6543) remains a characterful destination, a two-century-old country store with ever-increasing upscale touches. Stock up on groceries, pick up a newspaper, order breakfast or a pizza, or buy a sweatshirt (you may need it on the Monhegan boat). The current owner has gussied it up even more and added a shop and a gallery featuring Wyeth works upstairs. She also operates the wharf-top restaurant out back.
Drift Inn Beach, on Drift Inn Beach Road (also called Candy’s Cove Road), isn’t a big deal as beaches go, but it’s the best public one on the peninsula, so it gets busy on hot days. The name comes from the Drift Inn, an early-20th-century summer hotel. Drift Inn Beach Road parallels Route 131, and the parking lot is accessible from both roads. Heading south on the peninsula, about 3.5 miles after the junction with Route 73, turn left at Drift Inn Beach Road, then continue 0.2 mile.
The St. George Peninsula is especially popular for sea kayaking, with plenty of islands to add interest and shelter. Port Clyde Kayaks (Rte. 131, Port Clyde, 207/372-8128, www.portclydekayaks.com) offers half-day, sunset, and full-moon ($60) guided tours around the tip of the peninsula, taking in Marshall Point lighthouse and the islands.
If you have kayaking experience, you can launch on the ramp just before the causeway that links the mainland with Spruce Head Island, in Spruce Head (Island Rd., off Rte. 73). Parking is limited. A great paddle goes clockwise around Spruce Head Island and nearby Whitehead (there’s a lighthouse on its southeastern shore) and Norton Islands. Duck in for lunch at Waterman’s Beach Lobster. Around new moon and full moon, plan your schedule to avoid low tide near the Spruce Head causeway, or you may become mired in mudflats.
The best boating experience on this peninsula is a passenger-ferry trip from Port Clyde to offshore Monhegan Island—for a day, overnight, or longer. The trip isn’t cheap, and parking adds to the cost, but it’s a “must” excursion, so try to factor it into the budget. Port Clyde is the nearest mainland harbor to Monhegan; this service operates all year. Monhegan-Thomaston Boat Line (Port Clyde, 207/372-8848, www.monheganboat.com) uses two boats, the Laura B. (70 minutes each way) and the newer Elizabeth Ann (50 minutes). Round-trip tickets are $35 adults, $20 ages 2-12. Leave your bicycle in Port Clyde; you won’t need it on the island. Reservations are essential in summer, especially for the 10:30am boat. With advance payment, tickets are held until one-half hour before departure; there’s a $5 fee for cancellations, with no refunds within 24 hours. Parking in Port Clyde is $5/day. If a summer day trip is all you can manage, aim for the first or second boat and return on the last one; don’t go just for the boat ride.
During the summer, the Monhegan-Thomaston Boat Line also offers 2.5-hour sightseeing cruises, on a varied schedule, including a Puffin and Nature Cruise and a Lighthouse Cruise. Each costs $30 adults, $10 children.
The Linderin Losh lobster boat tours depart from the Port Clyde General Store for 2-3-hour Wyeths by Water excursions highlighting locations featured in works by N. C. and Andrew Wyeth. For reservations and details, call 207/372-6600.
No accommodations on the peninsula are contemporary or modern; for upscale lodgings, stay in Rockland or Camden.
The East Wind Inn (Mechanic St., Tenants Harbor, 207/372-6366, www.eastwindinn.com, $148-225) overlooks a dreamy island-dotted harbor. Built in 1860 and originally used as a sail loft, it has a huge veranda, a cozy parlor, harbor-view rooms, and a quiet dining room. Eighteen guest rooms, suites, and apartments are divided between the main inn and the spiffed-up 19th-century former sea captain’s home; all have Wi-Fi, and TVs are available upon request. Rates include a full breakfast.
The decidedly old-fashioned Craignair Inn (Clark Island Rd., off Rte. 71, Spruce Head, 800/320-9997, www.craignair.com, $115-200), built in 1928 to house granite workers, is an unfussy, unpretentious spot with a quiet oceanfront location overlooking the causeway connecting Spruce Head to Clark Island and beyond to open seas. Guest rooms are split between the main inn and the vestry annex; some share baths. Rates include breakfast. Pets are allowed in some rooms for $15/night. The inn has an excellent water-view dining room (entrées $19-28).
In the center of South Thomaston village but overlooking the reversing falls on the tidal Wessaweskeag River, the 1830 Weskeag at the Water (14 Elm St./Rte. 73, South Thomaston, 207/596-6676 or 800/596-5576, www.weskeag.com, year-round, $135-150) has eight guest rooms, four with in-room private baths. All are pleasantly old-fashioned, decorated with antiques, quilts, and knickknacks. Third-floor rooms are tucked under the eaves. Innkeeper Gary Smith is an antique car buff, and the inn is 1.5 miles from the Owls Head Transportation Museum.
If you stay at the circa 1820s Ocean House (870 Rte. 131, Port Clyde, 207/372-6691 or 800/269-6691, www.oceanhousehotel.com, $120-158), you can plan to roll out of bed, eat breakfast, and head down the hill to the Monhegan boat. Several of the 10 unpretentious guest rooms (seven with private baths) have great harbor views. Expect steep stairs and no a/c. Also available is a two-bedroom oceanview suite ($273). The downsides: Rooms are small, stairs are steep, and screens are few.
Smack-dab in the middle of Port Clyde, the Seaside Inn (5 Cold Storage Rd., Port Clyde, 207/372-0700 or 800/279-5041, www.seasideportclyde.com, $120-200) is an 1850s sea captain’s home with both private and shared baths. A first-floor library has books, puzzles, a TV, and a fireplace. Rates include a continental breakfast.
The third generation now operates Lobster Buoy Campsites (280 Waterman’s Beach Rd., South Thomaston, 207/596-7546, $22-32), a no-frills oceanfront campground with 40 sites, 28 with water and electric, all with fire ring and picnic table. You can launch a canoe or kayak from the small, sandy beach. Most sites are open, and Lookout Beach is reserved for tenting. Eleanor’s homemade doughnuts are a treat.
Don’t be surprised to see the handful of tables occupied at the Keag Store (Rte. 73, Village Center, South Thomaston, 207/596-6810, 5am-9pm Mon.-Sat., 6am-8pm Sun.), one of the most popular lunch stops in the area. (Keag, by the way, is pronounced “gig”—short for “Wessaweskeag.”) Roast-turkey sandwiches with stuffing are a big draw, as is the pizza, which verges on the greasy but compensates with its flavor—no designer toppings, just good pizza. Order it all to go and head across the street to the public wharf, where you can hang out and observe all the comings and goings.
Eat in or just pick up excellent pastries, sandwiches, and even fried foods to go at the Schoolhouse Bakery (Rte. 73, Tenants Harbor, 207/372-9608, 7am-2pm Mon.-Sat.).
For a relaxing dinner with a gorgeous view, mosey on over to the Craignair Inn Restaurant (Clark Island Rd., off Rte. 71, Spruce Head, 800/320-9997, www.craignair.com, from 5:30pm daily in season, entrées $19-30). Big windows in the dining room frame Clark Island and the ocean beyond, and the food complements the view.
These open-air lobster wharves are the best places in the area to get down and dirty and manhandle a steamed or boiled lobster.
Poking right into Wheeler’s Bay, Miller’s Lobster Company (Eagle Quarry Rd., off Rte. 73, Spruce Head, 207/594-7406, www.millerslobster.com, 11am-7pm daily) is the quintessential lobster pound, a well-run operation that draws crowds all summer long. There are lobster rolls, steamed clams, crabmeat rolls, homemade pies, and even hot dogs if you need them. Several picnic tables are under cover for chilly or rainy weather; beer and wine are served.
A broad view of islands in the Mussel Ridge Channel is the bonanza at M Waterman’s Beach Lobster (343 Waterman’s Beach Rd., South Thomaston, 207/596-7819, www.watermansbeachlobster.com, 11am-7pm Wed.-Sun., no credit cards). This tiny operation has a big reputation: It won a James Beard Award. It turns out lobster, clam, and mussel dinners, fat lobster and crabmeat rolls, and superb pies as well as hot dogs and grilled cheese. Step up to the window and place your order. Service can be slow, but why rush with a view like this? Choose a good day; there’s no real shelter from bad weather. BYOB. The wharf is on a side road off Route 73 between Spruce Head Village and South Thomaston; watch for signs on Route 73.
The dreamy spruce-cropped island views alone are worth the trip to McLoon’s Lobster Shack (327 Island Rd., Spruce Head, 207/593-1382, www.mcloonslobster.com, 11am-7pm daily), but this off-the-beaten-path shack dishes out mighty fine lobster, lobster rolls, lobster stew, crab cakes, and house-made desserts.
Doug’s Seafood (686 Port Clyde Rd., Port Clyde, 207/372-8533, 11am-7pm Mon.-Sat.), a roadside stand, is a good bet for reasonably priced lobster rolls and fried seafood.
Port Clyde is about 15 miles or 25 minutes via Route 131 from Thomaston.
Eleven or so miles from the mainland lies a unique island community with gritty lobstermen, close-knit families, a longstanding summertime artists’ colony, no cars, astonishingly beautiful scenery, and some of the best bird-watching on the eastern seaboard. Until the 1980s the island had only radiophones and generator power; with the arrival of electricity and real phones, the pace has quickened a bit—but not much. Welcome to Monhegan Island.
But first a cautionary note: Monhegan has remained idyllic largely because generations of residents, part-timers, and visitors have been sensitive to its fragility. When you buy your ferry ticket, you’ll receive a copy of the regulations, all very reasonable, and the captain of your ferry will repeat them. Heed them, or don’t go.
Many of the regulations have been developed by The Monhegan Associates, an island land trust founded in the 1960s by Theodore Edison, son of inventor Thomas Edison. Firmly committed to preservation of the island in as natural a state as possible, the group maintains and marks the trails, sponsors natural-history talks, and insists that no construction be allowed beyond the village limits.
Artists capture iconic scenes on Monhegan Island.
The origin of the name Monhegan remains up in the air; it’s either a Maliseet or Micmac name meaning “out-to-sea island” or an adaptation of the name of a French explorer’s daughter. In any case, Monhegan caught the attention of Europeans after English explorer John Smith stopped by in 1614, but the island had already been noticed by earlier adventurers, including John Cabot, Giovanni da Verrazzano, and George Waymouth. Legend even has it that Monhegan fishermen sent dried fish to Plimoth Plantation during the Pilgrims’ first winter on Cape Cod. Captain Smith returned home and carried on about Monhegan, catching the attention of intrepid souls who established a fishing and trading outpost here in 1625. Monhegan has been settled continuously since 1674, with fishing as the economic base.
In the 1880s, lured by the spectacular setting and artist Robert Henri’s enthusiastic reports, gangs of artists began arriving, lugging their easels here and there to capture the surf, the light, the tidy cottages, the magnificent headlands, fishing boats, even the islanders’ craggy features. American, German, French, and British artists have long come here, and they still do; well-known painters associated with Monhegan include Rockwell Kent, George Bellows, Edward Hopper, James Fitzgerald, Andrew Winter, Alice Kent Stoddard, Reuben Tam, William Kienbusch, and Jamie Wyeth.
Officially called Monhegan Plantation, the island has about 70 year-rounders. Several hundred others summer here. A handful of students attend the tiny school through eighth grade; high-schoolers have to pack up and move “inshore” to the mainland during the school year.
At the schoolhouse, the biggest social event of the year is the Christmas party, when everyone brings casseroles, salads, and desserts to complement a big beef roast. Kids perform their Christmas play, Santa shows up with presents, and dozens of adults look on approvingly. The islanders turn out en masse for almost every special event at the school, and the adults treat the island kids almost like common property, feeling free to praise or chastise them any time it seems appropriate—a phenomenon unique to isolated island communities.
For years, Monhegan’s legislated lobster-fishing season perversely began on December 1 (locally known as Trap Day), but in 2007 it was moved forward to October 1, making it possible for visitors to view the action. An air of nervous anticipation surrounds the dozen or so lobstermen after midnight the day before as they prepare to steam out to set their traps on the ocean floor. Of course, with less competition from mainland fishermen that time of year, and a supply of lobsters fattening up since the previous season, there’s a ready market for their catch. But success still depends on a smooth “setting.” Meetings are held daily during the month beforehand to make sure everyone will be ready to “set” together. The season lasts into June.
Almost within spitting distance of Monhegan’s dock (but you’ll still need a boat) is whale-shaped Manana Island, once the home of a former New Yorker named Ray Phillips. Known as the Hermit of Manana, Phillips lived a solitary sheepherding existence on this barren island for more than half a century until his death in 1975. His story had spread so far afield that even the New York Times ran a front-page obituary when he died. (Photos and clippings are displayed in the Monhegan Museum.) In summer, youngsters with skiffs often hang around the harbor, particularly Fish Beach and Swim Beach, and you can usually talk one of them into taking you over for a fee. (Don’t try to talk them down too much or they may not return to pick you up.) Some curious inscriptions on Manana (marked with a yellow X near the boat landing) have led archaeologists to claim that Vikings even made it here, but cooler heads attribute the markings to Mother Nature.
One last note: Monhegan isn’t for the mobility impaired. There’s no public transportation, and roads are rough and hilly.
If a day trip is all your schedule will allow, visit Monhegan between Memorial Day weekend and mid-October, when ferries from Port Clyde, New Harbor, and Boothbay Harbor operate daily, allowing 5-8 hours on the island—time enough to do an extensive trail loop, visit the museum and handful of shops, and picnic on the rocks. Other months, there’s only one ferry per day from Port Clyde, and only three per week November-April, so you’ll need to spend the night—not a hardship, but it definitely requires planning.
Almost any time of year, but especially in spring, fog can blanket the island, curtailing photography and swimming (although usually not the ferries). A spectacular sunny day can’t be beat, but don’t be deterred by fog, which lends an air of mystery you won’t forget. Rain, of course, is another matter; some island trails can be perilous even in a misty drizzle.
Monhegan has no bank, but there are a couple of ATMs. Credit cards are not accepted everywhere. Personal checks, traveler’s checks, or cash will do.
The only public restroom is on Horn Hill, at the southern end of the village (behind the Monhegan House). A donation of $0.50 is requested; don’t complain, just drop what you can into the slot to help defray maintenance costs. It’s a mere pittance to help keep the island clean.
Electricity is very expensive on the island (about $0.70/kilowatt hour compared with a national average of $0.09). Ask before plugging in a charger for your phone at any restaurant, shop, or other private biz, and don’t be surprised if you’re turned down.
Monhegan is a getaway destination, a relaxing place for self-starters, so don’t anticipate organized entertainment beyond the occasional lecture or narrated nature tour. Bring sturdy shoes (maybe even an extra pair in case trails are wet), a windbreaker, binoculars, a camera, and perhaps a sketchpad or a journal. If you’re staying overnight, bring a flashlight for negotiating the unlighted island walkways, even in the village. For rainy days, bring a book. (If you forget, there’s an amazingly good library.) In winter, bring ice skates for use on the Ice Pond.
The Monhegan Lighthouse—activated in July 1824, automated in 1959, and now on the National Register of Historic Places—stands at the island’s highest point, Lighthouse Hill, an exposed summit that’s also home to the Monhegan Historical and Cultural Museum (207/596-7003, www.monheganmuseum.org, 11:30am-3:30pm daily July-Aug., hours vary June and Sept., $5) in the former keeper’s house and adjacent buildings. Overseen by the Monhegan Historical and Cultural Museum Association, the museum has been updated in recent years and is well worth visiting. Exhibits displayed throughout the Keeper’s House blend artwork by American icons such as Rockwell Kent and James Fitzgerald with historical photos and artifacts downstairs and an emphasis on flora, fauna, and the environment upstairs. The lighthouse tower is open one day weekly; call or check the website for current schedule. Two outbuildings have tools and gear connected with fishing and ice cutting, traditional island industries. The assistant light keeper’s house, restored top to bottom as a handsome art gallery, provides a climate-controlled environment for the museum’s impressive art collection. A volunteer is usually on hand to answer questions. Interesting note: Only works by deceased artists are shown as otherwise there are so many talented artists on the island. The museum also owns two buildings designed and built by Rockwell Kent and later owned by James Fitzgerald (www.jamesfitzgerald.org). The house is maintained as a historic house museum and Fitzgerald’s works are displayed in the studio. It’s open twice weekly; call for current schedule.
Climb Lighthouse Hill to the Monhegan Historical and Cultural Museum for panoramic views of the village, Manana Island, and beyond.
Nearly 20 artists’ studios are open to the public during the summer (usually July-August), but not all at once. At least five are open most days—most in the afternoon (Monday has the fewest choices). Sometimes it’s tight time-wise for day-trippers who also want to hike the trails, but most of the studios are relatively close to the ferry landing. An annually updated map-schedule details locations, days, and times. It’s posted on bulletin boards in the village and is available at lodgings and shops.
Winter Works is a crafts co-op and Lupine Gallery (207/594-8131) showcases works by Monhegan artists. When you get off the ferry, walk up the hill, and one’s on the left and the other is dead ahead. You can’t miss them—and shouldn’t.
Lobsterman Matt Weber, son of a brewer, and his wife, Mary, a teacher, operate the seasonal Monhegan Brewing Company (1 Boody Ln., 207/975-3958, www.monheganbrewing.com, 11am-6pm daily, July-Aug.). Opened in 2013, they began with Lobster Cove APA and Shipwreck IPA as well as two nonalcoholic sodas, Trapyard Root Beer and ginger beer. The Webers are working with the Monhegan Island Farm Project, which composts the waste barley. Stop by the tasting room to see what’s brewing.
Just over half a mile wide and 1.7 miles long, barely a square mile in area, Monhegan has 18 numbered hiking trails, most of them easy to moderate, covering about 12 miles. All are described in the Monhegan Associates Trail Map (www.monheganassociates.org), available at mainland ferry offices and island shops and lodgings or on the website. (The map is not to scale, so the hikes can take longer than they may appear.)
The footing is uneven everywhere, so Monhegan can present major obstacles to those with disabilities, even on the well-worn but unpaved village roads. Maintain an especially healthy respect for the ocean here, and don’t venture too close; through the years, rogue waves on the island’s back side have claimed victims young and old.
A relatively easy day-tripper loop, with a couple of moderate sections along the back side of the island, takes in several of Monhegan’s finest features starting at the southern end of the village, opposite the church. To appreciate it, allow at least two hours. From the Main Road, go up Horn Hill, following signs for the Burnthead Trail (no. 4). Cross the island to the Cliff Trail (no. 1). Turn north on the Cliff Trail, following the dramatic headlands on the island’s back side. There are lots of great picnic rocks in this area. Continue to Squeaker Cove, where the surf is the wildest, but be cautious. Then watch for signs to the Cathedral Woods Trail (no. 11), carpeted with pine needles and leading back to the village.
When you get back to Main Road, detour up the Whitehead Trail (no. 7) to the museum. If you’re spending the night and feeling energetic, consider circumnavigating the island via the Cliff Trail (nos. 1 and 1-A). Allow at least 5-6 hours for this route; don’t rush it.
One of the East Coast’s best bird-watching sites during spring and fall migrations, Monhegan is a migrant trap for exhausted creatures winging their way north or south. Avid bird-watchers come here to add rare and unusual species to their life lists, and some devotees return year after year. No bird-watcher should arrive, however, without a copy of the superb Birder’s Guide to Maine.
Predicting exact bird-migration dates can be dicey, since wind and weather aberrations can skew the schedule. Generally, the best times are mid-late May and most of September into early October. If you plan to spend a night (or more) on the island during migration seasons, don’t try to wing it—reserve a room well in advance.
On most days, the Balmy Days excursion boat makes a half-hour circuit around the island 2pm-2:30pm for a nominal fee. Ask at the ferry dock.
The island has a variety of lodgings from rustic to comfortable, but none are luxurious. Pickup trucks of dubious vintage meet all the ferries and transport luggage to the lodgings. For cottage renters, Monhegan Trucking charges a small fee for each piece of luggage.
The best lodging is the Island Inn (207/596-0371, www.islandinnmonhegan.com, $170-420), an imposing three-story hotel dating from 1816 that commands a prime chunk of real estate overlooking the harbor. Most guest rooms have been updated but retain the simplicity of another era, with painted floors, antique oak furnishings, and comfy beds covered with white down duvets. Just try to resist the siren song of the Adirondack chairs on the expansive veranda and lawns overlooking the ferry landing. Rates for the 32 harbor- and meadow-view guest rooms and suites (some with shared baths) include full breakfast. Add $5 pp daily gratuity and $10/room for a one-night stay.
In the heart of the village, Monhegan House (207/594-7983 or 800/599-7983, www.monheganhouse.com, late May-Columbus Day, $154-189), built in 1870, is a large four-story building with 28 guest rooms. All but two suites ($224) have shared baths; most are on the second floor, with a few powder rooms on the third floor. Don’t miss the loose-leaf notebook in the lobby. Labeled A Monhegan Novel, it’s the ultimate in shaggy-dog sagas, created by a long string of guests since 1992. A $3 pp service fee covers breakfast and housekeeping; there may be a $5 pp surcharge for one-night stays. Children are welcome; ages 4-12 are $19, ages 13 and older are $29.
A more modernized hostelry, Shining Sails (207/596-0041, www.shiningsails.com, $135-220) lacks the quaintness of the other inns, but the two guest rooms and five efficiencies are comfortable, convenient to the dock, and have private baths. Breakfast (included only in season) is meager continental. “Well-supervised” children are welcome. An additional four apartments ($165-230) are in a separate building. Shining Sails also manages more than two dozen weekly-rental cottages and apartments, with rates beginning around $800/week in season.
The funkiest lodging, and not for everyone, is The Trailing Yew (207/596-0440, www.trailingyew.com, $240, no credit cards). Spread among six rustic buildings are 35 guest rooms, most with shared baths (averaging five rooms per bath and not always in the same building) and lighted with kerosene (about 12 have electricity). Rates include breakfast, dinner, taxes, and gratuities; kids are $65-85, depending on age. The old-fashioned, low-key 50-seat dining room is open to nonguests by reservation for dinner at 5:45pm, served family-style, and for breakfast at 7:45am. Bring a sleeping bag in spring or fall; rooms are unheated.
Everything is quite casual, and food is hearty and ample, albeit pricey. None of the restaurants have liquor licenses, so buy beer or wine at one of the stores or the Barnacle Café, or bring it from the mainland. In most cases hours change frequently, so call first.
Prepared foods, varying from pastries to sandwiches and salads, are available from Barnacle Café (207/596-0371), under the same ownership as the nearby Island Inn; The Novelty (207/594-4926), behind and operated by The Monhegan House; Black Duck Emporium (207/596-7672); and Monhegan Store. The restaurant at the Island Inn, open to nonguests for breakfast and dinner from 6pm, has an excellent dinner menu with entrées ($19-36) emphasizing seafood; BYOB. It’s also open for lunch Thursday-Sunday.
Islanders and visitors flock to the Monhegan House Café, overlooking the village, for breakfast and dinner (entrées $22-27).
You can’t get much rougher for lobster in the rough than Fish House Fish (Fish Beach, 11:30am-7pm daily). Lobster and crabmeat rolls, locally smoked fish, and homemade stews and chowders are on the menu as well as fresh lobster. Take it to the picnic tables on the beach and enjoy.
Several free brochures and flyers, revised annually, will answer most questions about planning a day trip or overnight visit to Monhegan. Ferries supply visitors with the Visitor’s Guide to Monhegan Island and sell the Monhegan Associates Trail Map ($1). Both are also available at island shops, galleries, and lodgings. Info is also available at www.monheganwelcome.com and www.monhegan.info.
Monhegan’s pleasant little Jackie and Edward Library was named after two children who drowned in the surf in the 1920s. The fiction collection is especially extensive, and it’s open to everyone.
Also check the Rope Shed, the community bulletin board next to the meadow, right in the village. Monhegan’s version of a bush telegraph, it’s where everyone posts flyers and notices about nature walks, lectures, excursions, and other special events. You’ll also see the current Monhegan Artists Studio Locations map.
Ferries travel year-round to Monhegan from Port Clyde at the end of the St. George Peninsula. Seasonal service to the island is provided from New Harbor by Hardy Boat Cruises and from Boothbay Harbor by Balmy Days Cruises.
Part of the daily routine for many islanders and summer folk is a stroll to the harbor when the ferry comes in, so don’t be surprised to see a good-size welcoming party when you arrive. You’re the live entertainment.
Monhegan’s only vehicles are a handful of pickup trucks owned by local lobstermen and li’l ol’ trucks used by Monhegan Trucking. If you’re staying a night or longer and your luggage is too heavy to carry, they’ll be waiting when you arrive at the island wharf.
A “Share the Pride” campaign—kicked off in the 1980s to boost sagging civic self-esteem and the local economy—was the first step in the transformation of Rockland (pop. 7,297). Once a run-down county seat best known for the aroma of its fish-packing plants, the city has undergone a sea change and in 2010 was named a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The expansion of the Farnsworth Museum of American Art and the addition of its Wyeth Center was a catalyst. Benches and plants line Main Street (Rte. 1), independent stores offer appealing wares, coffeehouses and more than a dozen art galleries attract a diverse clientele, and Rockland Harbor is home to more windjammer cruise schooners than neighboring Camden (which had long claimed the title “Windjammer Capital”). If you haven’t been to Rockland in the last decade, prepare to be astonished.
Foresighted entrepreneurs had seen the potential of the bayside location in the late 1700s and established a tiny settlement here called “Shore Village” (or “the Shore”). Today’s commercial-fishing fleet is one of the few reminders of Rockland’s past, when multimasted schooners lined the wharves, some to load volatile cargoes of lime destined to become building material for cities all along the eastern seaboard, others to head northeast—toward the storm-racked Grand Banks and the lucrative cod fishery there. Such hazardous pursuits meant an early demise for many a local seafarer, but Rockland’s 5,000 or so residents were enjoying their prosperity in the late 1840s. The settlement was home to more than two dozen shipyards and dozens of lime kilns, was enjoying a construction boom, and boasted a newspaper and regular steamship service. By 1854, Rockland had become a city.
Today, Rockland remains a commercial hub—with Knox County’s only shopping plazas (no malls, but the big-box stores have arrived), a fishing fleet that heads far offshore, and ferries that connect nearby islands. Rockland also claims the title of “Lobster Capital of the World” thanks to Knox County’s shipment nationally and internationally of 10 million pounds of lobster each year. The weathervane atop the police and fire department building is a giant copper lobster.
Rockland is more year-round community than tourist town, which adds to its appeal. But visitors pour in during two big summer festivals—the North Atlantic Blues Festival in mid-July and the Maine Lobster Festival in early August. A highlight of the Lobster Festival is King Neptune’s coronation of the Maine Sea Goddess—carefully selected from a bevy of local young women—who then sails off with him to his water domain.
Anchoring downtown Rockland is the nationally respected Farnsworth Art Museum (16 Museum St., 207/596-6457, www.farnsworthmuseum.org), established in 1948 through a trust fund set up by Rocklander Lucy Farnsworth. With an ample checkbook, the first curator, Robert Bellows, toured the country, accumulating a splendid collection of 19th- and 20th-century Maine-related American art, the basis for the permanent Maine in America exhibition.
The 6,000-piece collection today includes works by Fitz Hugh Lane, Gilbert Stuart, Eastman Johnson, Childe Hassam, John Marin, Maurice Prendergast, Rockwell Kent, George Bellows, and Marsden Hartley. Best known are the paintings by three generations of the Wyeth family (local summer residents) and sculpture by Louise Nevelson, who grew up in Rockland. Sculpture, jewelry, and paintings by Nevelson form the core of the third-floor Nevelson-Berliawsky Gallery for 20th Century Art. (The only larger Nevelson collection is in New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art.) The Wyeth Center, across Union Street in a former church, contains the work of Andrew, N. C., and Jamie Wyeth. The 6,000-square-foot Jamien Morehouse Wing hosts rotating exhibits.
In the Farnsworth’s library—a grand, high-ceilinged oasis akin to an English gentleman’s reading room—browsers and researchers can explore an extensive collection of art books and magazines. The museum’s education department annually sponsors hundreds of lectures, concerts, art classes for all ages, poetry readings, and field trips. Most are open to nonmembers; some require an extra fee. A glitzy gift shop stocks posters, prints, note cards, imported gift items, and art games for children.
Next door to the museum is the mid-19th-century Greek Revival Farnsworth Homestead ($12 adults, $10 seniors and students age 17 and older, free under age 17), with original high-Victorian furnishings. Looking as though William Farnsworth’s family just took off for the day, the house has been preserved rather than restored. The Farnsworth is open year-round, including summer holidays. Farnsworth hours are 10am-5pm Thursday-Tuesday, 10am-8pm Wednesday in summer; 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday in spring and fall, and 10am-5pm Wednesday-Sunday in winter. The Homestead (10am-5pm daily) and the Olson House (11am-4pm daily) are open late May-mid-October.
The Farnsworth also owns the Olson House, 14 miles away in nearby Cushing, where the whole landscape looks like a Wyeth diorama. Pick up a map at the museum to help you find the house; it’s definitely worth the side trip.
Don’t miss this place, even if you’re not an old-vehicle buff. A generous endowment has made the Owls Head Transportation Museum (Rte. 73, Owls Head, 207/594-4418, www.ohtm.org, 10am-5pm daily, $10 adults, $8 seniors, free under age 18, special events are extra) a premier facility for celebrating wings and wheels; it draws more than 75,000 visitors per year. Scads of eager volunteers help restore the vehicles and keep them running. On weekends May-October, the museum sponsors air shows (often including aerobatic displays) and car and truck meets for hundreds of enthusiasts. The season highlight is the annual rally and aerobatic show (early Aug.), when more than 300 vehicles gather for two days of festivities. Want your own vintage vehicle? Attend the antique, classic, and special-interest auto auction (third Sun. in Aug.). The gift shop carries transportation-related items. If the kids get bored (unlikely), there’s a play area outside with picnic tables. In winter, groomed cross-country-skiing trails wind through the museum’s 60-acre site; ask for a map at the information desk.
The headliner at the Maine Discovery Center (1 Park Dr.) is the Maine Lighthouse Museum (207/594-3301, www.mainelighthousemuseum.org, 9am-5pm Mon.-Fri., 10am-4pm Sat.-Sun. in summer, by appt. in winter, $5 adults, $4 seniors, free under age 12), home to the nation’s largest collection of Fresnel lenses, along with a boatload-plus of artifacts related to lighthouses, the Coast Guard, and the sea. On view are foghorns, ships’ bells, nautical books and photographs, marine instruments, ship models, scrimshaw, and so much more.
If you can’t manage a trip to see the puffins, Audubon’s Project Puffin Visitor Center (311 Main St., 207/596-5566 or 877/478-3346, www.projectpuffin.org, 10am-5pm daily to 7pm Wed., June 1-Oct. 31, call for off-season hours) will bring them to you. Live videos of nesting puffins are just one of the features of the center, which also includes interactive exhibits, a gallery, and films, all highlighting successful efforts to restore and protect these clowns of the sea. Ask about children’s programs and lecture series.
Protecting the harbor from wind-driven waves, the 4,346-foot-long Rockland Breakwater took 18 years to build with 697,000 tons of locally quarried granite. In the late 19th century it was piled up, chunk by chunk, from a base 175 feet wide on the harbor floor (60 feet below the surface) to the 43-foot-wide cap. The Breakwater Light—now automated—was built in 1902 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The city of Rockland owns the keeper’s house, but the Friends of the Rockland Harbor Lights (www.rocklandharborlights.org) maintain it. Volunteers usually open the lighthouse to the public 10am-5pm Saturday-Sunday late May-mid-October and for special events. The breakwater provides unique vantage points for photographers as well as a place to picnic or catch sea breezes or fish on a hot day, but it is extremely dangerous during storms. Anyone on the breakwater risks being washed into the sea or struck by lightning (ask the local hospital staff; it has happened). Do not take chances when the weather is iffy.
To reach the breakwater, take Route 1 North to Waldo Avenue and turn right. Take the next right onto Samoset Road and drive to the end to Marie Reed Memorial Park (with a tiny beach, benches, and limited parking). Or go to the Samoset Resort and walk the path to the breakwater from there.
Opened in 2009, the Sail, Power & Steam Museum (Sharp’s Point South, 75 Mechanic St., 207/701-7626, www.sailpowerandsteammuseum.org, 10am-3:30pm Wed.-Sat., 1pm-4pm Sun.) is Captain Jim Sharp’s labor of love. Built on the grounds of the former Snow Shipyard, the museum displays highlight Rockland’s maritime heritage and include half models of boats used by shipbuilders in the 19th century, vintage photos, tools of the trade, and other artifacts. Concerts are frequently held on the site. Free guided tours are offered 2pm-3pm Wednesday; musical jams take place 2pm-4pm Sunday.
Rocklanders are justly proud of their Main Street Historic District, lined with 19th- and early-20th-century Greek and Colonial Revival structures as well as examples of mansard and Italianate architecture. Most now house retail shops on the ground floor; upper floors have offices, artists’ studios, and apartments. The chamber of commerce has a map and details.
The historic Strand Theater (339 Main St., 207/594-7266, www.rocklandstrand.com), opened in 1923, underwent an extensive restoration in 2005. Films as well as live entertainment are scheduled. It’s also the venue for many Bay Chamber Concerts (207/236-2823 or 888/707-2770, www.baychamberconcerts.org) events.
A nearly mile-long breakwater tethers the Samoset Resort to Rockland Breakwater Light.
The Historic Inns of Rockland coordinate the annual January Pies on Parade, when the inns and dozens of downtown businesses serve a variety of sweet and savory pies as a fundraiser for the local food pantry. It’s always a sellout.
In mid-July the North Atlantic Blues Festival means a weekend of festivities featuring big names in blues. Thousands of fans jam Harbor Park for the nonstop music.
August’s Maine Lobster Festival is a five-day lobster extravaganza with live entertainment, the Maine Sea Goddess pageant, a lobster-crate race, crafts booths, boat rides, a parade, lobster dinners, and megacrowds (the hotels are full for miles in either direction). Tons of lobsters bite the dust during the weekend despite annual protests by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (The protests, however, only seem to increase the crowds.)
Piggybacking on the fame of the Farnsworth Museum, or at least working symbiotically, art galleries line Rockland’s main street and many side streets. Ask around and look around. During the summer, many of them coordinate monthly openings to coincide with First Friday Art Walks (www.artsinrockland.org), so you can meander, munch, and sip from one gallery to another.
Across from the Farnsworth’s side entrance, the Caldbeck Gallery (12 Elm St., 207/594-5935, www.caldbeck.com) has gained a top-notch reputation as a must-see (and must-be-seen) space. Featuring the work of contemporary Maine artists, the gallery mounts more than half a dozen solo and group shows in May-September each year.
Eric Hopkins Gallery (21 Winter St., 207/594-1996) shows the North Haven artist’s colorful aerial-view paintings.
Archipelago (386 Main St., 207/596-0701), on the ground floor of the Island Institute, a nonprofit steward of Maine’s 4,617 offshore islands, is an attractive retail outlet for talented craftspeople from 14 year-round islands.
Owls Head Light State Park
Other eminently browsable downtown Rockland galleries are Harbor Square Gallery (374 Main St., 207/594-8700 or 877/594-8700, www.harborsquaregallery.com), Dowling Walsh Gallery, 365 Main St., 207/596-0084, www.dowlingwalsh.com), Landing Gallery (8 Elm St., 207/594-4544), and Playing with Fire! Glassworks & Gallery (497 Main St., 207/594-7805, www.playingwithfireglassworks.com).
On Route 73, about 1.5 miles past the junction of Routes 1 and 73, you’ll reach North Shore Road in the town of Owls Head. Turn left toward Owls Head Light State Park. Standing 3.6 miles from this turn, Owls Head Light occupies a dramatic promontory with panoramic views over Rockland Harbor and Penobscot Bay. The Keeper’s House Interpretive Center & Gift Shop (10am-4pm Wed.-Sun., Mon.-Tues. by chance) doubles as headquarters for the American Lighthouse Foundation (www.lighthousefoundation.org). The light tower is usually open 11am-4pm Wednesday and 10am-4pm Saturday-Sunday. The park surrounding the tower has easy walking paths, picnic tables, and a pebbly beach where you can sunbathe or check out Rockland Harbor’s boating traffic. If it’s foggy or rainy, don’t climb the steps toward the light tower: The view evaporates in the fog, the access ramp can be slippery, and the foghorn is dangerously deafening. Follow signs to reach the park. From North Shore Road, turn left onto Main Street, then left onto Lighthouse Road, and continue along Owls Head Harbor to the parking area. This is also a particularly pleasant bike route—about 10 miles round-trip from downtown Rockland—although, once again, the roadside shoulders are poor along the Owls Head stretch.
If you’re looking for a park with more commotion than quiet green space, spend some time at Harbor Park. Boats, cars, and delivery vehicles come and go, and you can corner a picnic table, a bench, or a patch of grass and watch all the action. During the holidays, a lobster-trap Christmas tree presides over the park. Public restrooms (late May-mid-Oct.) are available. The park is just off Main Street.
Lucia Beach is the local name for Birch Point Beach State Park, one of the best-kept secrets in the area. In Owls Head, just south of Rockland—and not far from Owls Head Light—the spruce-lined sand crescent (free) has rocks, shells, tidepools, and very chilly water. There are outhouses but no other facilities. There’s ample room for a moderate-size crowd, although parking and turnaround space can get a bit tight on the access road. From downtown Rockland, take Route 73 one mile to North Shore Drive (on your left). Take the next right, Ash Point Drive, and continue past Knox County Regional Airport to Dublin Road. Turn right, go 0.8 mile, then turn left onto Ballyhac Road (opposite the airport landing lights). Go another 0.8 mile, fork left, and continue 0.4 mile to the parking area.
If frigid ocean water doesn’t appeal, head for freshwater Chickawaukee Lake, on Route 17, two miles inland from downtown Rockland. Don’t expect to be alone, though; on hot days, Johnson Memorial Park’s pocket-size sand patch is a major attraction. A lifeguard stands watch, and there are restrooms, picnic tables, a snack bar, and a boat-launch ramp. In winter, iceboats, snowmobiles, and ice-fishing shacks take over the lake. A signposted bicycle path runs alongside the busy highway, making the park an easy pedal from town.
The semiprivate Rockland Golf Club (606 Old County Rd., 207/594-9322, www.rocklandgolf.com, Apr.-Oct.) is an 18-hole course 0.2 mile northeast of Route 17.
For an 18-hole course in an unsurpassed waterfront setting (but with steep rental and greens fees), tee off at the Samoset Resort (220 Warrenton St., Rockport, 207/594-2511 or 800/341-1650).
Veteran Maine Guide and naturalist Mark DiGirolamo is the spark plug behind Breakwater Kayak (Rockland Public Landing, 207/596-6895 or 877/559-8800, www.breakwaterkayak.com), which has a full range of tours, even multiday ones. A two-hour Rockland Harbor tour is $45, and the all-day Owls Head Lighthouse tour is $110, including lunch. Reservations are advisable. This outfit is particularly eco-sensitive—Mark has a degree in environmental science—and is definitely worth supporting. Maine Audubon often taps Mark to lead natural-history field trips. Dress warmly and bring a filled water bottle.
Marine biologist Captain Bob Pratt is the skipper of A Morning in Maine (207/594-1844 or 207/691-7245 seasonal boat phone, www.amorninginmaine.com), a classic 55-foot ketch designed by noted naval architect R. D. (Pete) Culler and built by Concordia Yachts. June-October, Morning departs from the middle pier at the Rockland Public Landing three times daily for two-hour sails ($35), with plenty of knowledgeable commentary from Captain Pratt. A 6pm sunset sail is available in July-August.
Watch Captain Steve Hale set and haul lobster traps during a 1.25-hour cruise ($30 adults, $18 under age 12) aboard the Captain Jack (Rockland Harbor, 207/594-1048, www.captainjacklobstertours.com), a 30-foot working lobster boat. Cruises depart up to six times daily Monday-Saturday May-October. Note that there are no toilets aboard. Captain Jack offers a lobster-roll lunch cruise for $45 pp. Reservations required; minimum two people for a trip.
Car and passenger ferries service the islands of Vinalhaven, North Haven, and Matinicus. The Vinalhaven and North Haven routes make fantastic day trips (especially with a bike), or you can spend the night; the Matinicus ferry is much less predictable, and island services are few.
Rentals (from $25), sales, and repair are provided by Sidecountry Sports (481 Main St., 207/701-5100, www.sidecountrysports.com).
If you’re planning an overnight stay in the Rockland area the first weekend in August—during the Maine Lobster Festival—make reservations well in advance. Festival attendance runs close to 100,000, so “No Vacancy” signs extend from Waldoboro to Belfast.
The 221-acre Samoset Resort (220 Warrenton St., Rockport, 207/594-2511 or 800/341-1650, www.samoset.com, from about $275) commands a spectacular oceanfront site straddling the boundary between Rockland and Rockport, the next town to the north. Built on the ashes of a classic 19th-century summer hotel, the Samoset is a full-service, modern family-oriented resort. Most of its 178 guest rooms and suites, all refurbished since 2007, and four cottages have knockout ocean views and all the expected bells and whistles. Facilities include a fitness center with an indoor heated pool, an outdoor zero-entry heated pool with a bar and food service, lighted tennis courts, a children’s day camp (ages 5-12, morning and evening sessions), daily planned activities, access to the adjacent famed Rockland Breakwater, a fabulous 18-hole waterfront golf course, full-service spa, and casual restaurant and lounge with outdoor terrace seating. For a real treat, book the Flume cottage.
Don’t miss the opportunity to view windjammers under full sail.
In 1936, Camden became the home of the “cruise schooner” (sometimes called “dude schooner”) trade when Captain Frank Swift restored a creaky wooden vessel and offered sailing vacations to paying passengers. He kept at it for 25 years, gradually adding other boats to the fleet. Now, more than a dozen sail Penobscot Bay’s waters. Rockland wrested the Windjammer Capital title from Camden in the mid-1990s and so far has held onto it.
Named for their ability to “jam” into the wind when they carried freight up and down the New England coast, windjammers trigger images of the Great Age of Sail. Most member vessels of the Maine Windjammer Association are rigged as schooners, with two or three soaring wooden masts; their lengths range 64-132 feet. Seven are National Historic Landmarks.
These windjammers head out for 2-6 days late May-mid-October, tucking into coves and harbors around Penobscot Bay and its islands. They set their itineraries by the wind, propelled by stiff breezes to Buck’s Harbor, North Haven, and Deer Isle. Everything’s totally informal, geared for relaxing.
You’re aboard for the experience, not for luxury, so expect basic accommodations with few frills, although newer vessels were built with passenger trade in mind and tend to be a bit more comfy. Below deck, cabins typically are small and basic, with paper-thin walls—sort of a campground afloat (earplugs are often available for light sleepers). It may not sound romantic, but be aware that the captains keep track of postcruise marriages. Most boats have shared showers and toilets. If you’re Type A, given to pacing, don’t inflict yourself on the cruising crowd; if you’re flexible, ready for whatever, go ahead and sign on. You can help with the sails, eat, curl up with a book, inhale salt air, snap photos, eat, sunbathe, bird-watch, chat up fellow passengers, sleep, eat, or just settle back and enjoy spectacular sailing you’ll never forget.
When you book a cruise, you’ll receive all the details and directions, but for a typical trip, you arrive at the boat by 7pm for the captain’s call to meet your fellow passengers. You sleep aboard at the dock that night and then depart midmorning and spend the next nights and days cruising Penobscot Bay, following the wind, the weather, and the whims of the captain. (Many of the windjammers have no engines, only a motorized yawl boat used as a pusher and a water taxi.) You might anchor in a deserted cove and explore the shore, or you might pull into a harbor and hike, shop, and barhop. Then it’s back to the boat for chow—windjammer cooks are legendary for creating three hearty all-you-can-eat meals daily, including at least one lobster feast. When the cruise ends, most passengers find it hard to leave.
On the summer cruising schedule, several weeks coincide with special windjammer events, so you’ll need to book a berth far in advance for these: mid-June (Boothbay Harbor’s Windjammer Days), Fourth of July week (Great Schooner Race), Labor Day weekend (Camden’s Windjammer Weekend), and the second week in September (WoodenBoat Sail-In).
Most windjammers offering sails out of Camden, Rockland, and Rockport are members of the Maine Windjammer Association (800/807-9463, www.sailmainecoast.com), a one-stop resource for vessel and schedule information. One that isn’t but is renowned for its onboard cuisine is the Schooner J. & E. Riggin (207/594-1875, www.mainewindjammer.com), captained by the husband-wife team of Annie Mahle, author of two cookbooks, and Jon Finger.
These bed-and-breakfasts are in Rockland’s historic district, within easy walking distance of downtown attractions and restaurants; all are members of the Historic Inns of Rockland Maine (www.historicinnsofrockland.com), which coordinates the January Pies on Parade event—a blast.
Most elegant is M The Berry Manor Inn (81 Talbot Ave., 207/596-7696 or 800/774-5692, www.berrymanorinn.com, $145-310), on a quiet side street a few blocks from downtown. Cheryl Michaelsen and Michael LaPosta have totally restored the manse built in 1898 by wealthy Rocklander Charles Berry as a wedding gift for his wife (thoughtful fellow). High ceilings and wonderful Victorian architectural touches are everywhere, especially in the enormous front hall and two parlors. Guest rooms and suites are spread between the main house and adjacent carriage house. Most have gas fireplaces and whirlpool tubs. All have air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs and video players, and Wi-Fi. A guest pantry is stocked with free soft drinks and juices and sweets—not that you’ll be hungry after the extravagant breakfast.
Opened in 1996, the Captain Lindsey House Inn (5 Lindsey St., 207/596-7950 or 800/523-2145, www.lindseyhouse.com, $198-228) is more like a boutique hotel than a bed-and-breakfast. The Barnes family gutted the 1835 brick structure and restored it dramatically, adding such modernities as phones, air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, and TVs. The decor is strikingly handsome, not at all fussy or frilly. Don’t miss the 1926 safe in the front hall or the hidden-from-the-street garden patio—not to mention the antiques from everywhere that fill the nine comfortable guest rooms. It’s smack downtown, and a few rooms have glimpses of the water. Rates include an extensive hot-and-cold breakfast buffet and afternoon refreshments.
The Limerock Inn (96 Limerock St., 207/594-2257 or 800/546-3762, www.limerockinn.com, $159-239) is a lovely painted lady. The 1890s Queen Anne mansion, with wraparound porch and turret, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Each of the eight guest rooms has its own distinctive flavor—such as the Turret Room, with a wedding canopy bed, and the pet-friendly Island Cottage Room, with a private deck overlooking the back gardens. All are elegantly furnished with an emphasis on guest comfort. Three have whirlpool tubs, and one has a fireplace; there’s Wi-Fi and air-conditioning throughout. The inviting decor blends family antiques with mid-century modern furnishings and original art.
Traveling with Fido and the kiddos? Check into the kid- and pet-friendly Granite Inn (546 Main St., Rockland, 800/386-9036, www.oldgraniteinn.com, $95-215), where you can practically roll out of bed and onto an island ferry. Unlike most historical inns, the decor leans to contemporary and a bit artsy.
Rockland is gaining a reputation as a foodie town, with new options opening regularly.
The local hot spot for breakfast and lunch is Home Kitchen Cafe (650 Main St., 207/596-2449, www.homekitchencafe.com 7am-3pm Mon. and Wed.-Sat., 7am-9pm Wed.-Sat., and 8am-2pm Sun., $4-10), where the huevos rancheros and lobster tacos earn raves. The menu is extensive and creative. Breakfast and lunch are served all day long, and dinner specials are available in the evening.
Holding down the other end of Main Street is the Brass Compass Café (305 Main St., 207/596-5960, 5am-3pm Mon.-Sat., 6am-3pm Sun.), a great choice for Maine fare. The portions are big, the prices are small, and most of the ingredients are locally sourced. Sit indoors or on the dog-friendly patio. If you go for breakfast, the fish cakes are a real taste of Maine.
Taking an early ferry? Grab breakfast at The Brown Bag (606 Main St., 207/596-6372 or 800/287-6372), a café and bakery just up the street from the terminal. The bakery (6:30am-4pm) serves light breakfasts until 10:30am; lunch is available 10am-3pm.
Hot diggity dog! Backed up against an outside wall of The Brown Bag is a long-standing Rockland lunch landmark—Wasses Hot Dogs (2 N. Main St., 207/594-7472, 10:30am-6pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-4pm Sun. year-round), source of great chili dogs. This onetime lunch wagon is now a permanent modular building—only for takeout, though.
Lots of Rockland-watchers credit Rock City Cafe (252 Main St., 207/594-4123, www.rockcitycoffee.com), with sparking the designer-food renaissance in town. Lunch is served 11am-3pm daily
Scratch-made bread, pastries, and grab-and-go sandwiches have made Atlantic Baking Co. (351 Main St., 207/596-0505, www.atlanticbakingco.com, 7am-6pm Mon.-Sat., 8am-4pm Sun.) a popular spot for a quick informal lunch. There are plenty of tables to enjoy your treats, or take it to the waterfront park.
If you’re craving a decent breakfast or lunch and are up for a little foray “down the peninsula,” head for the Owls Head General Store (2 S. Shore Dr., Owls Head, 207/596-6038, 7am-3pm Sun.-Thurs., 7am-7pm Fri.-Sat.), where the atmosphere is friendly and definitely contagious. If you get lost, the helpful staff will steer you the right way, and they will even take your photograph in front of the store. Despite all the competition from lobster-in-the-rough places, the lobster roll here is among the best around, and more than one critic has proclaimed the 7-Napkin Burger as the state’s best.
The Rockland Farmers Market sets up 9am-1pm every Thursday June-September at Harbor Park on Rockland’s Public Landing.
Fiore (503 Main St., 207/596-0276, www.fioreoliveoils.com), an artisan olive oil and vinegar tasting room and retail store, is a delicious addition to downtown Rockland.
Ask local pooh-bah chefs where they go on their night off, and the answer often is Keiko Suzuki Steinberger’s Suzuki’s Sushi Bar (419 Main St., 207/596-7447, www.suzukisushi.com, from 5pm Tues.-Sat.). The food matches the decor: simple yet sophisticated. Sashimi, nigiri, maki, and temaki choices range $6-10; hot entrées are $14-28. Both hot and cold sake are served, or try a saketume, made with gin or vodka, sake, and an ume plum. Reservations are essential.
An avocado-and-gold dining room is the appropriate setting for the Cal-Mex food dished out at Sunfire Mexican Grill (488 Main St., 207/594-6196, 11am-3pm Tues.-Sat., and 5pm-8pm Wed.-Sat.). You’ll find all the usuals, from tacos to seafood specialties; most choices run $8-17. Everything is prepared fresh on-site.
Authentic Italian cuisine draws repeat customers to Rustica (315 Main St., 207/594-0025, www.rusticamaine.com, 5pm-9pm Mon.-Sat., $13-24). The two dining areas are comfortable yet refined, with candles on the tables; the fare is fresh and plentiful.
Hard to say which is better, the views or the fare at La Bella Vita & The Enoteca Lounge (220 Warrenton St., 207/594-2511, www.labellavitaristorante.com) at the Samoset Resort. Ocean Properties operates this restaurant at other properties, but this one really shines. The flavor is Italian, with pastas, pizzas from the wood-fired oven, and other specialties. Views from the restaurant and deck over the golf course to the ocean are terrific. It’s open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; Sunday brunch is served noon-2:30pm.
Big flavors come out of the tiny kitchen at Café Miranda (15 Oak St., 207/594-2034, www.cafemiranda.com, 11:30am-2pm and 5pm-9:30pm Mon.-Sat., 10:30am-2pm Sun.). The menu is overwhelming in size and hard to read; it’s even harder to digest the flavor contrasts, which will make your brain spin. When it works, it shines, but when it doesn’t, it can be painful. Entrées are $18-27, but many of the appetizers ($6.50-12.50) are enough for a meal. Fresh-from-the-brick-oven focaccia comes with everything. If you sit at the counter, you can watch chef-owner Kerry Altiero’s creations emerging from the oven. Beer and wine only. Reservations are essential throughout the summer and on weekends off-season; there is patio dining in season.
At the end of a day exploring Rockland, it’s hard to beat M In Good Company (415 Main St., 207/593-9110, www.ingoodcompanymaine.com, from 4:30pm daily), a chic and casual wine and tapas bar. Sit at the bar and watch chef-owner Melody Wolfertz, a Culinary Institute of America grad, concoct her creative tapas-style selection of small and large plates; entrées are $19-25.
There’s a decidedly Southern accent to chef-owner Josh Hixson’s menu 3 Crow (449 Main St., 207/593-0812, www.3crow.com, 5pm-9pm daily), which has options such as ribs, hush puppies, and lobster ’n’ grits. Most entrées are around $20. Fourteen craft brews rotate on the taps, and there’s an extensive selection of whiskeys.
Arriving in Rockland trailing a James Beard Award-winning reputation, chef Melissa Kelly opened M Primo (2 S. Maine St./Rte. 73, 207/596-0770, www.primorestaurant.com) in 2000 and hasn’t had time to breathe since. She has gone on to open two other restaurants, and in 2007 expanded this one, in an air-conditioned Victorian home. In 2013 she earned her second Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northeast. Fresh local ingredients, many from the restaurant’s gardens, are a high priority, and unusual fish specials appear every day; pork and chicken are raised on the premises. Primo is really three experiences under one roof: the intimate and elegant dining rooms downstairs; the upstairs bar, with a handful of tables; and an upstairs counter, with seating by an open kitchen as well as at tables. There are two menus, one for the dining room (entrées from $32) and the counter menu, which highlights cheeses and charcuterie and small plates, making it possible to mix and match a meal of tapas-size portions and stay within a budget. Upstairs you can dine from either menu. Kelly’s partner, Price Kushner, produces an impressive range of breads and desserts. Reservations are essential for the dining rooms, usually at least a week ahead on midsummer weekends—and you still may have to wait when you get there; no reservations are taken for the upstairs bar or counter. Primo opens at 5pm daily June-December, with fewer days off-season.
Both Waterman’s and Miller’s are within easy reach. For a no-frills on-the-dock-with-the-bait experience, head to Ship to Shore Lobster Co. (7 Wharf St., Owls Head, 207/594-4606, www.shiptoshorelobster.com, 10am-6pm daily). They’ll cook up a lobster for you, but you need to bring everything else. Ask about their Adopt-a-Lobster program.
For visitor information visit the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce (Gateway Center, 207/596-0376 or 800/223-5459, www.mainedreamvacation.com) or Rockland Public Library (80 Union St., 207/594-0310, www.rocklandlibrary.org).
Find public restrooms at the Gateway Center; the Knox County Courthouse (Union St. and Masonic St.); the Rockland Recreation Center (Union St. and Limerock St.), across from the courthouse, next to the playground; the Rockland Public Library; and the Maine State Ferry Service terminal.
Rockland is about five miles or 10 minutes via Route 1 from Thomaston. It’s about eight miles or 15 minutes via Route 1 to Camden.
The scenic Maine Eastern Railroad (207/596-6725 or 800/637-2457, www.maineeasternrailroad.com), operates between Brunswick and Rockland with stops in Bath and Wiscasset, and Newcastle; and connects with the Amtrak Downeaster. The train operates Friday-Sunday, early July through mid-October. Adult fares range $26-37 round-trip, $17-24 one way; kids 4-11 are $16-22/$10-15. A shuttlebus connects Wiscasset to Boothbay for $8/4.
Vinalhaven (pop. 1,165) and neighboring North Haven (pop. 355) have been known as the Fox Islands ever since 1603, when English explorer Martin Pring sailed these waters and allegedly spotted gray foxes in his search for sustenance. Nowadays, you’ll find reference to that name only on nautical charts, identifying the passage between the two islands as the Fox Islands Thorofare—and there’s nary a fox in sight.
Each island has its own distinct personality. To generalize, Vinalhaven is bustling, whereas North Haven is sedate and exclusive.
Five miles wide, 7.5 miles long, and covering 10,000 acres, Vinalhaven is 13 miles off the coast of Rockland—a 75-minute ferry trip. The shoreline has so many zigs and zags that no place on the island is more than a mile from the water.
The island is famed for its granite. The first blocks headed for Boston around 1826, and within a few decades quarrymen arrived from as far away as Britain and Finland to wrestle out and shape the incredibly resistant stone. Schooners, barges, and “stone sloops” left Carver’s Harbor carrying mighty cargoes of granite destined for government and commercial buildings in Boston, New York, and Washington DC. In the 1880s, nearly 4,000 people lived on Vinalhaven, North Haven, and Hurricane Island. After World War I, demand declined, granite gave way to concrete and steel, and the industry petered out and died. But Vinalhaven has left its mark in ornate columns, paving blocks, and curbstones in communities as far west as Kansas City.
Vinalhaven is a serious working community, not primarily a playground. Lobster and fishing are the island’s chief industry. Shopkeepers cater to locals as well as visitors, and increasing numbers of artists and artisans work away in their studios. For day-trippers, there’s plenty to do—shopping, picnicking, hiking, biking, swimming—but an overnight stay provides a chance to sense the unique rhythm of life on a year-round island.
Carver’s Harbor
One Main Street landmark that’s hard to miss is the three-story cupola-topped Odd Fellows Hall, a Victorian behemoth with American flag motifs on the lower windows and assorted gewgaws in the upper ones. Artist Robert Indiana, who first arrived as a visitor in 1969, owns the structure, built in 1885 for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Star of Hope Lodge. It’s not open to the public.
At the top of the hill just beyond Main Street (School St. and E. Main St.) is a greenish-blue replica galamander, a massive reminder of Vinalhaven’s late-19th-century granite-quarrying era. Galamanders, hitched to oxen or horses, carried the stone from island quarries to the finishing shops. (By the way, the origin of the name remains unexplained.) Next to the galamander is a colorful wooden bandstand, site of very popular evening band concerts held sporadically during the summer.
The Vinalhaven Historical Society (207/863-4410, www.vinalhavenhistoricalsociety.org, 11am-4pm Mon.-Sat., noon-3pm Sun. July-Aug. or by appointment, free) operates a delightful museum in the onetime town hall on High Street, just east of Carver’s Cemetery. The building itself has a tale, having been floated across the bay from Rockland, where it served as a Universalist church. The museum’s documents and artifacts on the granite industry are particularly intriguing, and special summer exhibits add to the interest. Donations are welcome. At the museum, request a copy of A Self-guided Walking Tour of the Town of Vinalhaven and Its Granite-quarrying History, a handy little brochure that details 17 in-town locations related to the late-19th-early-20th-century industry.
For another dose of history, stop by the Old Engine House (Main St., 10am-2pm Mon. and Wed., 1pm-3pm Sat.) to see old firefighting equipment.
Built in 1832 and now owned by the town of Vinalhaven, Brown’s Head Light guards the southern entrance to the Fox Islands Thorofare. There is no access to the light itself, and the keeper’s house is a private residence for the town manager, but to reach the grounds, take the North Haven Road about six miles, at which point you’ll see a left-side view of the Camden Hills. Continue about another mile to the second road on the left, Crockett River Road. Turn and take the second road on the right, continuing past the Brown’s Head Cemetery to the hill overlooking the lighthouse.
No one visits Vinalhaven for nightlife, but concerts (the Fox Island series and others), films, and lectures (most organized by the Vinalhaven Land Trust or the Vinalhaven Historical Society) are frequent. Check The Wind to see what’s on the docket during your visit. The Sand Bar (Main St., 207/863-4500, 11am-9pm daily) often has entertainment.
Vinalhaven’s shops change regularly, but here are a few that have withstood the test of time. The Paper Store (18 Main St., 207/863-4826) carries newspapers, gifts, film, maps, and odds and ends. Five Elements Gallery + Studio (Main St., 207/863-2262) is filled with artist-owner Alison Thibault’s jewelry creations and other finds. New Era Gallery (Main St., 207/863-9351) has a well-chosen selection of art in varied media representing primarily island artisans. A few doors away is Second Hand Prose, a used-books store run by the Friends of the Vinalhaven Public Library. Vinalhaven Candy Co. (35 W. Main St., 207/863-2041) is a kid magnet, but it pleases adults, too, with hard- and soft-serve ice cream and candy galore.
The Saturday-morning anything-goes flea markets are an island must, as much for the browsing and buying as for the gossip.
Vinalhaven is loaded with wonderful hikes and walks, some deliberately unpublicized. Since the mid-1980s, the Vinalhaven Land Trust (207/863-2543, www.vinalhavenlandtrust.org) has expanded the opportunities. When you reach the island, pick up maps at the land trust’s office at Skoog Memorial Park (Sands Cove Rd., west of the ferry terminal) or inquire at the town office or the Paper Store. The trust also offers a seasonal series of educational walks and talks.
Some hiking options are the Perry Creek Preserve, which has a terrific loop trail; Middle Mountain Park; Tip-Toe Mountain; Polly Cove Preserve; Isle au Haut Mountain; Arey’s Neck Woods; Huber Preserve; and Sunset Rock Park.
The Maine chapter of The Nature Conservancy (207/729-5181) owns or manages several islands and island clusters near Vinalhaven. Big Garden (formerly owned by Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh) and Big White Islands are easily accessible and great for shoreline picnics if you have your own boat. Other Nature Conservancy holdings in this area are fragile environments, mostly nesting islands off-limits mid-March-mid-August. Contact The Nature Conservancy for specifics.
No, you’re not on the moors of Yorkshire, but you could be fooled in the 45-acre Lane’s Island Preserve, one of The Nature Conservancy’s most-used island preserves. Masses of low-lying ferns, rugosa roses, and berry bushes cover the granite outcrops of this sanctuary—and a foggy day makes it even more moorlike and mystical, like a setting for a Brontë novel. The best (albeit busiest) time to come is early August, when you can compete with the birds for blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Easy trails wind past old stone walls, an aged cemetery, and along the surf-pounded shore. The preserve is a 20-minute walk (or five-minute bike ride) from Vinalhaven’s ferry landing. Set off to the right on Main Street, through the village. Turn right onto Water Street and then right on Atlantic Avenue. Continue across the causeway on Lane’s Island Road and left over a salt marsh to the preserve. The large white house on the harbor side of Lane’s Island is privately owned.
Next to the ferry landing in Carver’s Harbor is Grimes Park, a wooded pocket retreat with a splendid view of the harbor. Owned by the American Legion, the 2.5-acre park is perfect for picnics or for hanging out between boats, especially in good weather.
Just behind the Island Community Medical Center, close to downtown, is 30-acre Armbrust Hill Town Park, once the site of granite-quarrying operations. Still pockmarked with quarry pits, the park has beautifully landscaped walking paths and native flowers, shrubs, and trees—much of it thanks to late island resident Betty Roberts, who made this a lifelong endeavor. From the back of the medical center, follow the trail to the summit for a southerly view of Matinicus and other offshore islands. If you’re with children, be especially careful about straying onto side paths, which go perilously close to old quarry holes. Before the walk, lower the children’s energy level at the large playground off to the left of the trail.
Two town-owned quarries are easy to reach from the ferry landing. Lawson’s Quarry is one mile from downtown on the North Haven Road; Booth Quarry is 1.6 miles from downtown via East Main Street. Both are signposted. You’ll see plenty of sunbathers on the rocks and swimmers on a hot day, but there are no lifeguards, so swimming is at your own risk. There are no restrooms or changing rooms. Note that pets and soap are not allowed in the water; camping, fires, and alcohol are not allowed in the quarry areas.
Down the side road beyond Booth Quarry is Narrows Park, a town-owned space looking out toward Narrows Island, Isle au Haut, and, on a clear day, Mount Desert Island.
For saltwater swimming, take East Main Street 2.4 miles from downtown to a crossroads, where you’ll see a whimsical bit of local folk art—the Coke lady sculpture. Turn right (east) and go 0.5 mile to Geary’s Beach (also called State Beach), where you can picnic and scour the shoreline for shells and sea glass.
Even though Vinalhaven’s 40 or so miles of public roads are narrow, winding, and poorly shouldered, they’re relatively level, so a bicycle is a fine way to tour the island. Bring your own, preferably a hybrid or mountain bike, or rent one ($15/day for a clunky one-speed) at the Tidewater Motel (207/863-4618) on Main Street. If you choose to bring a bike from the mainland, know that it costs extra to bring one on the ferry.
A 10-mile, 2.5-hour bicycle route begins on Main Street and goes clockwise out on the North Haven Road (rough pavement), past Lawson’s Quarry, to Round the Island Road (some sections are dirt), then Poor Farm Road to Geary’s Beach and back to Main Street via Pequot Road and School Street. Carry a picnic and enjoy it on Lane’s Island, stop for a swim in one of the quarries, or detour down to Brown’s Head Light. If you’re here for the day, keep track of the time so you don’t miss the ferry.
Far more rewarding view-wise, and far shorter, is the one-way-and-back pedal out along the Old Harbor Road to The Basin, which is rich in wildlife and serves as a seal nursery. There’s also a nice trail at the road’s end to The Basin’s shorefront and across to an island; ask Phil at the Tidewater Motel for directions.
Sea-kayak rentals are available at the Tidewater Motel for $30/day, plus delivery. A guide can be arranged, but it’s not necessary to have one to poke around the harbor or, even better, paddle through The Basin, which is especially popular with birders and wildlife-watchers.
Join ornithologist John Drury (207/596-1841, $80/hour) aboard his 36-foot lobster boat on a birding and wildlife-watching cruise through the islands of Penobscot Bay. Sightings have included Arctic terns, guillemots, shearwaters, petrel, puffins, and eagles, along with seals, dolphins, minke whales, and perhaps even an albatross.
If you’re planning on staying overnight, don’t even consider arriving in summer without reservations. If you’re coming for the day, pay attention to the ferry schedule and allow enough time to get back to the boat. The island has no campsites. Rates listed are for peak season.
Your feet practically touch the water when you spend the night at the M Tidewater Motel and Gathering Space (12 Main St., Carver’s Harbor, 207/863-4618, www.tidewatermotel.com, year-round, $175-299), in two buildings cantilevered over the harbor. Owned by Phil and Elaine Crossman (she operates the New Era Gallery down the street), the 19-room motel was built by Phil’s parents in 1970. It’s the perfect place to sit on the deck and watch the lobster boats do their thing. Be aware, though, that commercial fishermen are early risers, and lobster-boat engines can rev up as early as 4:30am on a summer morning—all part of the pace of Vinalhaven. Phil can recommend hikes and other activities, and since he maintains the island’s calendar of events, he always knows what’s happening and when. Continental breakfast and use of bicycles (clunky one-speeds) are included in the rates; sea-kayak rentals are available. Kids 10 and under are free; seven units are efficiencies. Also on the premises is Island Spirits, a small gourmet-foods store stocked with wines, beers, cheeses, breads, other goodies, and even picnic baskets to pack it all in. If you want to get a better sense of island life, pick up a copy of Phil’s book Away Happens, a collection of humorous essays about island living. You can see a sample from it on the motel’s website.
Also convenient to downtown is The Libby House (Water St., 207/863-4696, www.libbyhouse1869.com, $110-150, no breakfast), an 1869 Victorian with a two-bedroom apartment and five guest rooms, some sharing a bath.
Island restaurant hours change frequently; call for current schedules.
Vinalhaven Farmer’s Market sets up 8am-noon Saturday in conjunction with the Flea Market. Look for Creelman Creamery Cheese made on the island.
Baked bean suppers are regularly held at a couple of island locations. Check The Wind for details.
The island’s best breakfast place is Surfside (Harbor Wharf, 207/863-2767), generally open from the wee hours through lunch daily. Eat inside or on the wharf. The fish cakes earn raves and are always available on Sunday.
Craving a cappuccino or a latte? Want brunch or lunch? Vinalhaven’s student-run ARCafé (50B Main St., 207/867-6225) is the island’s best coffee source and provides free Internet access.
Trickerville Sandwich Shop (15 Water St., 207/863-9344, 5am-4pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-3pm Sun.) has a few tables inside and out, but no views. If the weather’s fine, look for Greet’s Eats, a takeout on the wharf by the Co-op.
The Tidewater Motel hangs over Vinalhaven’s Carver’s Harbor.
The order-at-the-counter Harbor Gawker (Main St., 207/863-9365, 11am-8pm Mon.-Sat., $9-18), a local landmark since 1975, has seating indoors and out. The Pizza Pit (207/863-4311, 4pm-8pm Wed.-Sun.) is an easy-on-the-budget choice.
For casual dining, book a table at The Haven Restaurant (Main St., 207/863-4969), with two options: Harborside (Tues.-Sat., seatings at 6pm and 8:15pm) delivers on its name and serves a creative menu that changes nightly. Streetside (6:30pm-9pm Wed.-Sat.) doesn’t take reservations and serves lighter fare. The restaurant is a one-woman show, and Torry Pratt doubles as a popular local caterer, so it’s wise to call.
Vinalhaven Chamber of Commerce (www.vinalhaven.org) produces a handy flyer-map showing locations in the Carver’s Harbor area. Also helpful for trip planning is a guidebook published by Phil Crossman at the Tidewater Motel (207/863-4618, $3.50). On the island, pick up a copy of Vinalhaven’s weekly newsletter, The Wind, named after the island’s original newspaper, first published in 1884. It’s loaded with island flavor: news items, public-supper announcements, editorials, and ads. A year’s subscription is $50; free single copies are available at most downtown locales.
Check out the Vinalhaven Public Library (E. Main St. and Chestnut St., 207/863-4401).
Public restrooms are at the ferry landing and in town at the big red fire barn.
I can’t emphasize this enough: Don’t bring a car unless it is absolutely necessary. If you’re day-tripping, you can get to parks and quarries, shops, restaurants, and the historical society museum on foot. If you want to explore farther, a bicycle is an excellent option, or you can rent a car ($50) or reserve a taxi through the Tidewater Motel (207/863-4618; call well ahead).
Eight miles long by three miles wide, North Haven (pop. 355) is 12 miles off the coast of Rockland—70 minutes by ferry. The island has sedate summer homes, open fields where hundreds of sheep once grazed, an organic farm, about 350 year-round residents, and a yacht club called the Casino.
Originally called North Island, North Haven had much the same settlement history as Vinalhaven, but being smaller (about 5,280 acres) and more fertile, it has developed—or not developed—differently. In 1846, North Haven was incorporated and severed politically from Vinalhaven, and by the late 1800s, the Boston summer crowd began buying traditional island homes, building tastefully unpretentious new ones, and settling in for a whole season of sailing and socializing. Several generations later, “summer folk” now come for weeks rather than months, often rotating the schedules among slews of siblings. Informality remains the key, though—now more than ever.
The island has two distinct hamlets—North Haven Village, on the Fox Islands Thorofare, where the state ferry arrives; and Pulpit Harbor, particularly popular with the yachting set. The village is easily explored on foot in a morning.
North Haven doesn’t offer a lot for the day visitor, and islanders tend not to welcome them with open arms.
Waterman’s Community Center (Main St., 207/867-2100, www.watermans.org) provides a place for island residents and visitors to gather for entertainment, events, and even coffee and gossip. It’s home to North Haven Arts & Enrichment. Check the schedule on the website to see what’s planned.
Fanning out from the ferry landing is a delightful cluster of substantial year-round clapboard homes—a marked contrast to the weathered-shingle cottages typical of so many island communities. It won’t take long to stroll and visit the handful of shops and galleries.
North Haven has about 25 miles of paved roads that are conducive to bicycling, but, just as on most other islands, they are narrow, winding, and nearly shoulderless. Starting near the ferry landing in North Haven Village, take South Shore Road eastward, perhaps stopping en route for a picnic at town-owned Mullin’s Head Park (also spelled Mullen Head) on the southeast corner of the island. Then follow the road around, counterclockwise, to North Shore Road and Pulpit Harbor.
Within walking distance of the ferry is Nebo Lodge (11 Mullins Lane, 207/867-2007, www.nebolodge.com, $145-275). Nine rooms, some with shared baths, are decorated with island art, and many have rugs by Angela Adams. There’s Wi-Fi throughout. Rates include a full breakfast and use of inn bikes. Dinner is available from 5pm Mon.-Sat., entrées $15-18. Nebo also runs a lobster-boat dinner shuttle from Rockland twice weekly in summer; call for schedule.
For burgers, dogs, fries, shakes, lobster rolls, ice cream, and more, duck into Cooper’s Landing (9 Main St., 207/867-2060, 11am-8pm daily), an order-at-the-window joint within steps of the ferry. Also here is Little Urchin Bakery (8am-11am Tues.-Sun.), a great source for breads and breakfast.
If you have wheels, head over to Turner Farm (73 Turner Farm Rd., 207/867-4962, www.turner-farm.com), an organic farm dating back 200 years. The location is spectacular, with fields rolling down to the Fox Island Thorofare, and the Farm Stand (10am-1pm Tues. and Thurs.) is a great place to pick up fresh meats, produce, and goat cheese.
Purchase organic produce and fresh goat cheese at Turner Farm on North Haven.
The best source of information about North Haven is the North Haven Town Office (Upper Main St., 207/867-4433, www.northhavenmaine.org).
Ferries connect Rockland to offshore islands, including Vinalhaven and North Haven.
The Maine State Ferry Service (207/596-2202, www.exploremaine.org) operates six round-trips daily between Rockland and Vinalhaven (75-minute crossing) in summer and three round-trips between Rockland and North Haven (70-minute crossing). Round-trip tickets are $17.50 adults, $8.50 children. Both ferries take cars ($49.50 round-trip, plus $14 reservation fee), but a bicycle ($16.50 round-trip/adult bike, $9.50/child bike) will do fine unless you have the time or inclination to see every corner of the island. Getting car space on the ferry during midsummer can be a frustrating—and complicated—experience, so avoid taking a car to the island. Give yourself time to find a parking space and perhaps to walk from it to the terminal. If you leave a car at the Rockland lot (space is limited and availability varies), it’s $10/24 hours or $50/week. You can also park on some of Rockland’s side streets and walk, or, for a day trip, park in the city lot between Main Street and the water or Harbor Park.
No official ferry service travels between Vinalhaven and North Haven, even though the two islands are almost within spitting distance. Fortunately, the J. O. Brown and Sons boat shop on North Haven provides shuttles 7am-5pm daily. Call the boat shop (207/867-4621) to arrange a pickup on the Vinalhaven side. The fee is $5 pp round-trip. Don’t let anyone persuade you to return to Rockland for the ferry to North Haven.
Penobscot Island Air (207/596-7500, www.penobscotislandair.net) flies twice daily to Vinalhaven and North Haven, weather permitting, from Knox County Regional Airport in Owls Head, just south of Rockland. Seat availability is dependent on mail volume.
Camden (pop. 4,850), flanked by Rockport (pop. 3,330) to the south and Lincolnville (pop. 2,164) to the north, is one of the Mid-Coast’s—even Maine’s—prime destinations.
Camden is the better known of the three and typifies Maine nationwide, even worldwide, on calendars, postcards, and photo books. Much of its appeal is its drop-dead-gorgeous setting—a deeply indented harbor with parks, a waterfall, and a dramatic backdrop of low mountains. That harbor is a summer-long madhouse, jammed with dinghies, kayaks, windjammers, mega-yachts, minor yachts, and a handful of fishing craft.
Driven apart by a local squabble in 1891, Camden and Rockport have been separate towns for more than a century, but they’re inextricably linked. They share school and sewer systems and an often-hyphenated partnership. On Union Street, just off Route 1, a white wooden arch reads Camden on one side and Rockport on the other. Rockport has a much lower profile, and its harbor is relatively peaceful—with yachts, lobster boats, and a single windjammer schooner.
Two distinct enclaves make up Lincolnville: oceanfront Lincolnville Beach (“the Beach”) and, about five miles inland, Lincolnville Center (“the Center”). Lincolnville is laid-back and mostly rural; the major activity center is a short strip of shops and restaurants at the Beach, and few visitors realize there’s anything else.
Historic Downtown Camden is an illustrated map and brochure detailing historical sites and businesses in and around downtown. To cover it all, you’ll want a car or bike; to cover segments and really appreciate the architecture, don your walking shoes. Pick up a copy of the brochure at the chamber of commerce.
Just inside the Camden town line from Rockport, the Old Conway Homestead and Cramer Museum (Conway Rd., Camden, 207/236-2257, www.conwayhouse.org, 11am-3pm Tues.-Fri. July-Aug., $5 adults, $2 children) is a six-building complex owned and run by the Camden-Rockport Historical Society. The 18th-century Cape-style Conway House, on the National Register of Historic Places, contains fascinating construction details and period furnishings; in the barn are carriages and farm tools. Two other buildings—a blacksmith shop and an 1820 maple sugarhouse used for making maple syrup—have been moved to the grounds and restored. In the contemporary Mary Meeker Cramer Museum (named for the prime benefactor) are displays from the historical society’s collection of ship models, old documents, and period clothing. For local color, don’t miss the Victorian outhouse. Also here is an education center for workshops and seminars. The museum and sap house are also open for maple-syrup demonstrations on Maine Maple Sunday (fourth Sunday in March).
Built and donated to the community by a local benefactor, the rustic open-air Vesper Hill Children’s Chapel is dedicated to the world’s children. Overlooking Penobscot Bay and surrounded by gardens and lawns, the nondenominational chapel is an almost mystical oasis in a busy tourist region. Except during weddings or memorial services, there’s seldom a crowd, and if you’re lucky, you might have the place to yourself. From Central Street in downtown Rockport, take Russell Avenue east to Calderwood Lane (the fourth street on the right). On Calderwood, take the second right (Chapel St.) after the private golf course. If the sign is down, look for a boulder with “Vesper Hill” carved in it. From downtown Camden, take Chestnut Street to just past Aldermere Farm; turn left at Calderwood Lane and take the second right after the golf course.
Aldermere Farm (20 Russell Ave., Rockport, 207/236-2739, www.aldermere.org), by the way, is the home of the first U.S. herd of Belted Galloway cattle—Angus-like beef cattle with a wide white midriff. First imported from Scotland in 1953, the breed now shows up in pastures all over the United States. The animals’ startling “Oreo-cookie” hide pattern never fails to halt passersby—especially in spring and early summer, when the calves join their mothers in the pastures. Maine Coast Heritage Trust, a state conservation organization based in Brunswick, owns the 136-acre farm. Call for information on tours or other events.
Once a local firehouse, this attractive building has been totally rehabbed to provide display space for the work of Maine’s best contemporary artists. The nonprofit Center for Maine Contemporary Art (62 Russell Ave., Rockport, 207/236-2875, www.cmcanow.org, 10am-5pm Tues.-Sat., 1pm-5pm Sun., donation) mounts as many as a dozen shows each summer, along with special lectures and a wildly popular art auction (early August). An exceptional gift shop carries high-end crafts. In 2015, after more than 50 years in Rockport, CMA plans to move to Rockland. It’s new home will be a 12,143-square-foot building located on Winter Street, adjacent to the Strand Theatre and designed by Toshiko Mori, who made Architectural Digest’s 2014 list of the world’s preeminent architects.
In 2012, brothers Jim and Tom Laurita opened the nonprofit Hope Elephants (49 Hatchet Mountain Rd., Hope, 207/230-7830, www.hopeelephants.org), a purpose-built center dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of Rosie and Opal, two retired circus elephants. Visitors are welcome by advance reservation. There is no fee, but suggested donation is $15 pp, $10 under age 12.
Founded in the 1960s as a classical series, Bay Chamber Concerts (207/236-2823 or 888/707-2770, www.baychamberconcerts.org) has expanded to include world music, jazz, and dance. The summer concerts feature a resident quartet, prominent guest artists, and outstanding programs and draw sell-out audiences to venues in Camden, Rockland, and Rockport. Seats are reserved (from $30 adults, from $8 under 19, plus $5 processing fee per order, unless purchased online).
The beautifully renovated Camden Opera House (29 Elm St., Camden, 207/236-7963, box office 207/236-4884, www.camdenoperahouse.com) is the site of many performances by renowned performers.
The Lincolnville Band, one of the oldest town bands in the country, occasionally plays in the park’s Bicentennial Bandstand, built to commemorate the town’s 200th birthday.
One weekend in February is given over to the Camden Conference, an annual three-day foreign-affairs conference with nationally and internationally known speakers. Also in February, the National Toboggan Championships features two days of races and fun at the nation’s only wooden toboggan chute at the Camden Snow Bowl.
The third Thursday of July is House and Garden Day, when you can take a self-guided tour (10am-4:30pm) of significant homes and gardens in Camden and Rockport. Proceeds benefit the Camden Garden Club. HarborArts, on the third weekend in July, draws dozens of artists and craftspeople displaying and selling their wares at the Camden Amphitheatre, Harbor Park.
Labor Day weekend is also known as Windjammer Weekend, with cruises, windjammer open houses, fireworks, and all kinds of live entertainment in and around Camden Harbor. Twenty top artisans open their studios for the annual Country Roads Artists and Artisans Tour in September.
Dozens of artists and craftspeople display and sell their wares at the Fall Festival and Arts and Crafts Show, the first weekend in October at the Camden Amphitheatre in Harbor Park.
A who’s who of entrepreneurs show up for the annual PopTech conference in October.
Christmas by the Sea is a family-oriented early-December weekend featuring open houses, special sales, concerts, and a visit from Santa Claus.
The Owl and Turtle Bookshop (33 Bayview St., Camden, 207/230-7335), one of Maine’s best independent new-books stores, has thousands of books and a wonderful children’s selection.
Another source for books and a whole lot more is Sherman’s (14 Main St., Camden, 207/236-2223), part of a small Maine chain.
If you want a good read at a great price, Stone Soup Books (33 Main St., Camden, no phone), a tiny second-floor shop across from the Lord Camden Inn, is Camden’s best source for contemporary used fiction.
Antique and handcrafted museum-quality dolls and dollhouses fill Lucy’s Doll House (49 Bay View St., Camden, 207/236-4122).
You’ll need to wander the streets to take in all the gift and crafts shops, particularly in Camden. Some are obvious; others are tucked away on side streets and back alleys, so explore.
A downtown Camden landmark since 1940, The Smiling Cow (41 Main St., Camden, 207/236-3351) is as good a place as any to pick up Maine souvenirs—a few slightly kitschy, but most reasonably tasteful. Before or after shopping here, head for the rear balcony for coffee and a knockout view of the harbor and the Megunticook River waterfall.
Also downtown is Ducktrap Bay Trading Co. (20 Main St., Camden, 207/236-9568), source of decoys, wildlife, and marine art and other fine crafts.
At Danica Candleworks (Rte. 90, West Rockport, 207/236-3060), owner Erik Laustsen learned the hand-dipping trade from his Danish relatives.
The Messler Gallery (25 Mill St., Rockport, 207/594-5611), just off Route 90 and on the campus of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, presents rotating shows that focus on woodworking.
Handsome dark wood buildings 0.2 mile north of the Beach are home to Windsor Chairmakers (Rte. 1, Lincolnville, 207/789-5188 or 800/789-5188). You can observe the operation, browse the display area, or order some of the well-made chairs, cabinets, and tables.
Professional boatbuilder Walt Simmons has branched out into decoys and wildlife carvings, and they’re just as outstanding as his boats. Walt and his wife, Karen, run Duck Trap Decoys (Duck Trap Rd., Lincolnville, 207/789-5363), a gallery-shop that features the work of more than 60 other woodcarvers.
It’s a lot easier to get soft, wonderful handwoven and hand-dyed Swans Island Blankets (231 Rte. 1, Northport, 297/338-9691) since the company moved its sales operation off the island near Mount Desert to the mainland, just 2.7 miles north of Lincolnville Beach. Such quality comes at a sky-high price.
How could anyone resist a thrift shop with the name Heavenly Threads (57 Elm St./Rte. 1, Camden, 207/236-3203)? Established by Camden’s community-oriented First Congregational Church (next door to the shop), Heavenly Threads carries high-quality pre-owned clothing, books, and jewelry. It’s staffed by volunteers, with proceeds going to such local ecumenical causes as Meals on Wheels.
Founded in 1986 Coastal Mountains Land Trust (CMLT, 101 Mt. Battie St., Camden, 207/236-7091, www.coastalmountains.org) has preserved more than 9,100 acres. Maps and information about trails open to the public as well as information about guided hikes and other events are available on the website.
CMLT preserves more than 600 acres on 1,280-foot-high Bald Mountain, the fifth-highest peak on the eastern seaboard. The somewhat strenuous two-mile round-trip hike accesses the open summit ledges, with grand views over Penobscot Bay. Bald Mountain is home to rare subalpine plants and is a great spot to view migrating hawks in fall. From Route 1 at the southern end of town, take John Street for 0.8 mile. Turn left and go 0.2 mile to a fork. Continue on the left fork (Hosmer Pond Rd.) for two miles. Bear left onto Barnestown Road (passing the Camden Snow Bowl) and go 1.4 miles to the trailhead on the right, signposted Georges Highland Path Barnestown Access. Maps are available in the box; the parking lot holds half a dozen cars. The blue-blazed trail is relatively easy, requiring just over an hour round-trip; the summit views are spectacular, especially in fall. Carry a picnic and enjoy it at the top. Avoid this trail in late May-early June, when the blackflies take command, and dress appropriately during hunting season.
The views are almost as fine, but the hiking is easier on the 1.5-mile round-trip Summit Road Trail up the Beech Hill Preserve, in Rockport. The trailhead is on the Beech Hill Road about a mile off Route 1 (turn across from Hoboken Gardens).
Three miles of Megunticook Lake shoreline, groves of conifers, and a large swamp (“the Great Bog”) are features of 328-acre Fernald’s Neck Preserve, on the Camden-Lincolnville line (and the Knox-Waldo County line). Shoreline and mountain views are stupendous, even more so during fall foliage season. The easiest trail is the 1.5-mile Blue Loop at the northern end of the preserve; from it, you can access the 1-mile Orange Loop. From the Blue Loop, take the 0.2-mile Yellow Trail offshoot to Balance Rock for a great view of the lake and hills. Some sections can be wet; wear boots or rubberized shoes, and use insect repellent. From Route 1 in Camden, take Route 52 (Mountain St.) about 4.5 miles to Fernald’s Neck Road, about 0.2 mile beyond the Youngtown Inn. Turn left and then bear left at the next fork and continue to the parking lot at the road’s end. Pick up a map-brochure at the trailhead register. A map is also available at the chamber of commerce office. Dogs are not allowed, and the preserve closes and the gate is locked at 7:30pm.
A Rockland-based group, The Georges River Land Trust (207/594-5166, www.georgesriver.org), whose territory covers the Georges (St. George) River watershed, is the steward for The Georges Highland Path, a 40-mile low-impact footpath that reaches Rockport and Camden from the back side of the surrounding hills.
A five-minute drive and a small fee gets you to the top of Mount Battie, centerpiece of 5,650-acre Camden Hills State Park (Belfast Rd./Rte. 1, 207/236-3109, www.parksandlands.com, $4.50 nonresident adults, $3 Maine resident adults, $1.50 nonresident seniors, free Maine resident seniors, $1 children 5-11) and the best place to understand why Camden is “where the mountains meet the sea.” The summit panorama is breathtaking and reputedly the inspiration for Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem “Renascence” (a bronze plaque marks the spot); information boards identify the offshore islands. Climb the summit’s stone tower for an even better view. The 20 miles of hiking trails (some for every ability) include two popular routes up Mount Battie—an easy hour-long hike from the base parking lot (Nature Trail) and a more strenuous 45-minute hike from the top of Mount Battie Street in Camden (Mount Battie Trail). Or drive up the paved Mount Battie Auto Road. The park has plenty of space for picnics. In winter, ice climbers use a rock wall near the Maiden’s Cliff Trail, reached via Route 52 (Mountain St.). The park entrance is two miles north of downtown Camden. Request a free trail map. The park is open mid-May-mid-October, but hiking trails are accessible all year, weather permitting.
Straddling the Camden-Rockport boundary, 66-acre Merryspring Park (Conway Rd., Camden, 207/236-2239, www.merryspring.org) is a magnet for nature lovers. More than a dozen well-marked trails wind through woodlands, berry thickets, and wildflowers; near the preserve’s parking area are lily, rose, and herb gardens. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Also free are family programs. Special programs (fee charged) include lectures, workshops, and demonstrations. The entrance is on Conway Road, 0.3 mile off Route 1, at the southern end of Camden. Trails are open dawn-dusk daily.
Just behind the Camden Public Library is the Camden Amphitheatre (also called the Bok Amphitheatre, after a local benefactor), a sylvan spot resembling a set for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (which has been performed here). Concerts, weddings, and all kinds of other events take place in the park. Across Atlantic Avenue, sloping to the harbor, is Camden Harbor Park, with benches, a couple of monuments, and some of the best waterfront views in town. The noted landscape firm of Frederick Law Olmsted designed the park in 1931, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Both the park and the amphitheater were restored to their original splendor in 2004.
Rockport’s in-town parks include Marine Park, off Pascal Avenue, at the head of the harbor; Walker Park, on Sea Street, on the west side of the harbor; Mary-Lea Park, overlooking the harbor next to the Rockport Opera House; and Cramer Park, alongside the Goose River just west of Pascal Avenue. At Marine Park are the remnants of 19th-century lime kilns, an antique steam engine, picnic tables, a boat-launching ramp, and a polished granite sculpture of André, a harbor seal adopted by a local family in the early 1960s. André had been honorary harbormaster, ring bearer at weddings, and the subject of several books and a film—and even did the honors at the unveiling of his statue—before he was fatally wounded in a mating skirmish in 1986 at the age of 25.
Marking the entrance to Camden Harbor is town-owned Curtis Island, with a 26-foot automated light tower and adjoining keeper’s house facing into the bay. Once known as Negro Island, it’s a sight made for photo ops; the views are stunning in every direction. A kayak or dinghy will get you out to the island, where you can picnic (take water; there are no facilities), wander around, gather berries, or just watch the passing fleet. Land on the Camden (west) end of the island, allowing for the tide change when you beach your boat. Respect the privacy of the keeper’s house in summer; it’s occupied by volunteer caretakers.
Visitors are welcome to visit Deb Soule’s one-acre Avena Botanicals Medicinal Herb Garden (519 Mill St., Rockport, 207/594-2403, www.avenabotanicals.com, noon-7:30pm Mon.-Fri., free), part of an herbal and healing-arts teaching center. Pick up a garden map and guide at the entrance, then stroll the paths. More than 125 species of common and medicinal herbs are planted, and everything is labeled. Mill Street is just shy of one mile south of the intersection of Routes 17 and 90 in West Rockport. Turn left on Mill Street and continue for almost one mile. Avena is on the right, down a long dirt driveway.
More than an alpine ski area, the Camden Snow Bowl (207/236-3438, www.camdensnowbowl.com) is a four-season recreation area with tennis courts, public swimming in Hosmer Pond, and biking and hiking trails, as well as alpine trails for day and night skiing and riding, a tubing park, and Maine’s only toboggan chute. The hill is small, but you get glimpses of island-studded Penobscot Bay when descending the trails.
Local entrepreneurs Stuart and Marianne Smith have made Maine Sport Outfitters (Rte. 1, Rockport, 207/236-7120 or 888/236-8796, www.mainesport.com) a major destination for anyone interested in outdoor recreation. The knowledgeable staff can lend a hand and steer you in almost any direction, for almost any summer or winter sport. The store sells and rents canoes, kayaks, bikes, skis, and tents, plus all the relevant clothing and accessories. Bicycle rentals begin at $20/day, and calm-water canoes and kayaks are $30-40/day. Sea kayaks are $50/day single, $65/day tandem.
Maine Sport Outdoor School (207/236-8797 or 800/722-0826), a division of Maine Sport, has a full schedule of canoeing, kayaking, and camping trips. A two-hour guided Camden Harbor tour departs at least three or four times daily in summer and costs $35 adults, $30 ages 10-15. A four-hour guided harbor-to-harbor tour (Rockport to Camden) is offered once each day for $75 adults, $60 children, including a picnic lunch. Multiday instructional programs and tours are available. The store is 0.5 mile north of the junction of Routes 1 and 90.
Ducktrap Kayak (2175 Rte. 1, Lincolnville Beach, 207/236-8608, www.ducktrapkayak.com) runs guided coastal tours, with rates beginning at $30 pp. Rentals are also available, beginning at $25-45, depending on the type and size; delivery can be arranged.
If you have your own boat, good saltwater launch sites include Eaton Point, at the end of Sea Street in Camden, and Marine Park in Rockport. For freshwater paddling, put in at Megunticook Lake, west and east sides; Bog Bridge on Route 105, about 3.5 miles from downtown Camden; Barrett’s Cove on Route 52, also about 3.5 miles from Camden; or in Lincolnville’s Norton Pond and Megunticook Lake. You can even paddle all the way from the head of Norton Pond to the foot of Megunticook Lake, but use care navigating the drainage culvert between the two.
The Camden area is blessed with several locales for freshwater swimming—a real boon, since Penobscot Bay can be mighty chilly, even at summer’s peak. Shirttail Point, with limited parking, is a small sandy area on the Megunticook River. It’s shallow enough for young kids and has picnic tables and a play area. From Route 1 in Camden, take Route 105 (Washington Street) 1.4 miles; watch for a small sign on the right. Barrett’s Cove, on Megunticook Lake, has more parking spaces, usually more swimmers, and restrooms, picnic tables, and grills, as well as a play area. Diagonally opposite the Camden Public Library, take Route 52 (Mountain St.) about three miles; watch for the sign on the left. To cope with the parking crunch on hot summer days, bike to the beaches. You’ll be ready for a swim after the uphill stretches, and it’s all downhill on the way back.
Lincolnville has several ponds (some would call them lakes). On Route 52 in Lincolnville Center is Breezemere Park, a small town-owned swimming and picnic area on Norton Pond. Other Lincolnville options are Coleman Pond, Pitcher Pond, and Knight’s Pond.
The region’s best ocean swimming is at Lincolnville Beach, where Penobscot Bay flirts with Route 1 on a sandy stretch of shorefront in the congested hamlet of Lincolnville Beach. On a hot day, the sand is wall-to-wall people; during one of the coast’s legendary nor-easters, it’s quite a wild place.
Another place for an ocean dip is Laite Beach Park, on Bay View Street about 1.5 miles from downtown Camden. It edges Camden Harbor and has a strip of sand, picnic tables, a playground, a float, and a children’s amphitheater.
In Rockport, dip your toes into the ocean at Walker Park, tucked away on the west side of the harbor. From Pascal Avenue, take Elm Street, which becomes Sea Street. Walker Park is on the left, with picnic tables, a play area, and a small pebbly beach.
On a back road straddling the Camden-Rockport line, the nine-hole Goose River Golf Club (50 Park St., Rockport, 207/236-8488) competes with the best for outstanding scenery.
Most day sails and excursion boats operate late May-October, with fewer trips in the spring and fall than in July-August. You can’t compare a two-hour day sail to a weeklong cruise on a Maine windjammer, but at least you get a hint of what could be—and it’s a far better choice for kids, who aren’t allowed on most windjammer cruises.
The classic wooden schooner Olad (207/236-2323, www.maineschooners.com, $37 adults, $27 under age 12) does several two-hour sails daily from Camden’s Public Landing, weather permitting, late May-mid-October. Capt. Aaron Lincoln is a Rockland native, so he’s got the local scoop on all the sights.
Another historic Camden day sailer is the 57-foot, 18-passenger schooner Surprise (207/236-4687, www.camdenmainesailing.com, $38, no credit cards) built in 1918 and skippered by congenial educator Jack Moore and his wife, Barbara. May-October they do daily two-hour sails departing from Camden’s Public Landing; the minimum age is 12.
The 49-passenger Appledore (207/236-8353, www.appledore2.com), built in 1978 for round-the-world cruising, sails from Bay View Landing beginning around 10am three or four times daily June-October. Most cruises last two hours and cost $38 adults, $27 children. Cocktails, wine, and soft drinks are available.
Over in Rockport, the schooner Heron (207/236-8605 or 800/599-8605, www.woodenboatco.com) is a 65-foot John Alden-designed wooden yacht launched in 2003. Sailing options include a lobster-roll lunch sail, lighthouse sail, and sunset dinner sail ($50-65 adults, $25-35 under age 12).
If time is short, Camden Harbor Cruises (207/236-6672, www.camdenharborcruises.com, $28) offers one-hour cruises aboard the classic motor launches Betselma and the Lively Lady Too, operating from the Public Landing.
Many of Camden’s most attractive accommodations (especially bed-and-breakfasts) are on Route 1 (variously disguised as Elm Street, Main Street, and High Street), which is heavily trafficked in summer. If you’re sensitive to noise, request a room facing away from the street.
A baker’s dozen of Camden’s finest bed-and-breakfasts have banded together in the Camden Bed and Breakfast Association (www.camdeninns.com), with an attractive brochure and website. Some of them are described here.
The 1874 Camden Harbour Inn (83 Bayview St., 207/236-4200 or 800/236-4200, www.camdenharbourinn.com, from $425) underwent a masterful renovation and restoration by new Dutch owners, partners Raymond Brunyanszki and Oscar Verest, reopening in 2007 as a boutique bed-and-breakfast complete with 21st-century amenities. It retains the bones of a 19th-century summer hotel, but the decor is contemporary European, with worldly accent pieces and velour furnishings in purples, reds, and silvers. Guest rooms, some with fireplaces, patios, decks, or balconies, have at least a glimpse of Camden’s harbor or Penobscot Bay. All have air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, refrigerators, and king beds. Service is five-star, right down to chocolates and slippers at turndown. At breakfast, which is included, the menu includes choices such as lobster Benedict as well as a buffet with fresh-baked items, smoked salmon, and other goodies. Snacks are always available. And the restaurant, Natalie’s, is top-notch. The owners also speak Dutch, German, some French, and rudimentary Indonesian and Thai.
The M Hartstone Inn (41 Elm St., Rte. 1, 207/236-4259 or 800/788-4823, www.hartstoneinn.com, $135-309) is Michael and Mary Jo Salmon’s imposing mansard-roofed Victorian close to the heart of downtown. Although some guest rooms face the street (and these are insulated with triple-pane windows), most do not, and all have air-conditioning. Once inside, you’re away from it all. Even more removed are guest rooms in two other buildings under the Hartstone’s umbrella. Suites in the Manor House, tucked behind the main inn, have contemporary decor. Guest rooms and suites in The Hideaway, in a residential neighborhood about a block away, have country French flair. All are elegant (Wi-Fi, air-conditioning); some have fireplaces and whirlpools. Make reservations for dinner. And then, there’s the incredible breakfast. If you get hooked, the Salmons organize culinary classes during the winter, and you can even arrange for a one-on-one cooking experience with Michael.
After years of neglect, new owners Sue Walser and Phil Crispo have returned Camden’s castle, The Norumbega (63 High St., 207/236-4646, www.norumbegainn.com, from $225) to its former opulence, but this time, they promise, there’s no pretentiousness. Eleven spacious, air-conditioned guest rooms and two suites, some with balconies and terraces, many with panoramic ocean views, are on three floors of this turreted stone mansion by the sea. Phil, a former chef instructor at the Culinary Institute of America and winner on Chopped, makes the breakfasts. Five-course tasting dinners (served Thurs.-Tues.) are available to guests.
Opened to guests in 1901, the Whitehall Inn (52 High St./Rte. 1, 207/236-3391 or 800/789-6565, www.whitehall-inn.com, $125-274) retains its century-old genteel air. Lovely gardens, rockers on the veranda, a tennis court, and attentive service all add to the appeal of this historic country inn. Ask to see the Millay Room, commemorating famed poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, who graduated from Camden High School and first recited her poem “Renascence” to Whitehall guests in 1912. It also played a role in Peyton Place, and enlarged movie photos are displayed throughout. Spread out between the main inn and the annex are 45 unpretentious guest rooms, all with flat-screen TVs, Internet access, and imported linens; a few share baths. Rates include a full-menu breakfast. The dining room, Vincent’s, is open to nonguests for breakfast (7am-10am daily) and dinner (5pm-9pm Thurs.-Tues., entrées $10-25). Also on the premises is Gossip, a bar serving pub fare; it’s open mid-May-late October.
Most of the rooms at the Camden Harbour Inn offer at least a glimpse of the harbor.
Claudio and Roberta Latanza, both natives of Italy, became the fourth innkeepers at the M Camden Maine Stay (22 High St./Rte. 1, 207/236-9636, www.mainestay.com, $170-290) in 2009. Like their predecessors, they do everything right, from the comfortable yet elegant decor to the delicious breakfasts and afternoon snacks to the welcoming window candles and garden retreats. The stunning residence, built in 1802, faces busy Route 1 and is just a bit uphill from downtown, but inside and out back, behind the carriage house and barn, you’ll feel worlds away.
In the heart of downtown Camden, The Lord Camden Inn (24 Main St./Rte. 1, 207/236-4325 or 800/336-4325, www.lordcamdeninn.com, $200-300) is a hotel alternative in a historic four-story downtown building (with an elevator). Top-floor rooms have harbor-view balconies. Rates include a breakfast buffet. Pooches are pampered in pet-friendly rooms for $25/night, including a bed, biscuits, bowls, and local dog info.
It’s a short stroll into Merryspring Gardens from the Cedar Crest Motel (115 Elm St./Rte. 1, 207/236-4839, www.cedarcrestmotel.com, $134-149), a nicely maintained, older property on 3.5 wooded and landscaped acres on the southern edge of downtown. Each of the 37 guest rooms has air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, a phone, and a TV. Some have mini-fridges. On the premises are an outdoor heated pool, playground, laundry, and restaurant serving all meals, with live music on Friday evenings.
Frills are few at the easy-on-the-budget, two-story Towne Motel (68 Elm St., Rte. 1, 207/236-3377, www.camdenmotel.com, $124-139), but it’s just steps from downtown, all rooms are air-conditioned, and there’s free Wi-Fi. A continental breakfast is provided.
Camden Hills State Park (Belfast Rd./Rte. 1, 207/236-3109, $3 adults, $1 ages 5-11, camping $25 nonresidents, $15 Maine residents for basic site; $37.45 nonresidents, $26.75 Maine residents with water and electric) has a 112-site camping area and is wheelchair-accessible. Pets are allowed, showers are free, and the sites are large.
Step back in time at the oceanfront M Oakland Seashore Motel & Cottages (112 Dearborn Ln., 207/594-8104, www.oaklandseashorecabins.com, $80-130), a low-key throwback on 70 mostly wooded acres that dates back more than a century. It was originally a recreational park operated by a trolley company, but its heyday passed with the arrival of the automobile. In the late 1940s, shorefront cabins were added, and in the 1950s, the dance pavilion was renovated into a motel. The rooms and cabins are simple, comfortable, clean, and right on the ocean’s edge; some have kitchenettes, and a few have full kitchens. The bathrooms are tiny, and there are no phones or TVs. The grounds are gorgeous, with big shade trees, grassy lawns, and well-placed benches and chairs, and there’s a rocky beach that’s ideal for launching a kayak. This place isn’t for those who need attentive service or fluffy accommodations, but it’s a gem for those who appreciate quiet simplicity with a big view. Pets are a possibility ($30/stay).
Clean rooms, a convenient location, lovely ocean views from most rooms, and reasonable prices have made the Beale family’s Ledges by the Bay (930 Rte. 1, Glen Cove, 207/594-8944, www.ledgesbythebay.com, $89-199) a favorite among budget-conscious travelers. Guest rooms have air-conditioning, TVs, Wi-Fi, and phones; most have private balconies. Other pluses include a private shorefront, a small heated pool, and a light continental breakfast. Kids under 13 stay free in parents’ room.
Family-owned and -operated, the all-suites Country Inn (8 Country Inn Way/Rte. 1, 207/236-2725 or 888/707-3945, www.countryinnmaine.com, $189-239) is an especially good choice for families, thanks to an indoor pool, play areas, a guest laundry, and a fitness room. Rooms are divided between a main inn and cottage suites. Some units have fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, and microwaves; all have air-conditioning, phones, fridges, Wi-Fi, and TVs. A continental breakfast buffet and afternoon tea and cookies are included. Kids ages 6-16 are $5/night; older kids are $10. On-site massage and yoga classes are available.
Private, secluded, and surrounded by 22 acres of woods and gardens, the oceanfront Shingle-style Inn at the Ocean’s Edge (Rte. 1, Lincolnville Beach, 207/236-0945, www.innatoceansedge.com, from $250) is splurge-worthy. Every room has a king bed, a fireplace, and a whirlpool tub for two, as well as TV, air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, and superb ocean views. The grounds are lovely, with lounge chairs placed just so to take in the views. Facilities include an outdoor heated pool that makes it seem as if you’re almost in the ocean, a hot tub, massage service, a sauna, and a fitness room. Rates include breakfast and afternoon snacks.
Even more private and secluded is The Inn at Sunrise Point (Rte. 1, Lincolnville, Camden, 207/236-7716 or 800/435-6278, www.sunrisepoint.com, from $395), an elegant retreat with all the bells and whistles you’d expect at these rates. The three handsome rooms in the main lodge, five separate cottages, and two lofts are all named after Maine authors or artists. Breakfast in the conservatory is divine.
On 12 hillside acres rolling down to the oceanfront, Glenmoor by the Sea (2143 Atlantic Hwy./Rte. 1, 855/706-7905, www.glenmoorbythesea.com, $100-310) is a destination in itself with 19 cottages and 14 rooms, all recently renovated, two heated outdoor pools, and a nice lawn for activities. Other plusses include Wi-Fi, an oceanfront deck, tennis court, exercise room, fire pit, and a guest laundry. The motel rooms are close to Route 1 and noise may be a problem; opt for a cottage near the water if you can. A continental breakfast is included. Dogs are $10/night.
The family-run Mount Battie Inn (2158 Atlantic Hwy./Rte. 1, Lincolnville, 207/236-3870 or 800/224-3870, www.mountbattie.com, $126-219) has 22 charming motel-style guest rooms with air-conditioning, TVs, phones, Wi-Fi, fridges, and continental breakfast, including home-baked treats.
Another family-run gem, the Ducktrap Motel (12 Whitney Rd., Lincolnville, 207/789-5400 or 877/977-5400, www.ducktrapmotel.com, $95-115) is set back from Route 1 and screened by trees. Both the grounds and the rooms are meticulously maintained. All rooms have TVs, fridges, coffeemakers, and air-conditioning; deluxe rooms have microwaves, and the cottage has an efficiency kitchen.
Completely renovated for 2010, with individual cottages designed by college interns, the Bay Leaf Cottages & Bistro (2372 Rte. 1, Lincolnville, 207/706-7929 or 888/902-7929, www.bayleafcottages.com, $100-220) welcomes families and some pets ($20) in a variety of cottages and motel rooms. Note that rooms are not serviced daily by housekeeping. A continental breakfast buffet is served in the bistro; Saturday lobster dinners are available. Cooking classes and other workshops and adventures are offered.
The best source for health foods, homeopathic remedies, and fresh seasonal produce is Fresh Off the Farm (495 Rte. 1, 207/236-3260, 8am-7pm Mon.-Sat., 9am-5:30pm Sun.), an inconspicuous red-painted roadside place that looks like an overgrown farm stand (which it is). Watch for one of those permanent-temporary signs highlighting the latest arrivals, which might include native blueberries or native corn. The shop is 1.3 miles south of the junction of Routes 1 and 90.
At the southern Rockport town line, a sprawling red building is the home of The Rockport Marketplace and the State of Maine Cheese Company (461 Commercial St./Rte. 1, 207/236-8895 or 800/762-8895, 9am-6pm Mon.-Sat., noon-4pm Sun.) and Maine Street Meats (207/236-6328, 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat.). Inside are locally made varieties of cows’ milk hard cheeses, all named after Maine locations (Aroostook Jack, Allagash Caraway, St. Croix Black Pepper, and so on) as well as hundreds of Maine-made products, from food to crafts. Maine Street Meats, a separate business within the marketplace, is a full-service butcher shop and specialty food market, selling drool-worthy local and imported meats, cheeses, charcuterie, and prepared foods, including soups, sandwiches, and flatbread pizzas.
At the junction of Routes 1 and 90, a colorfully painted barn is the home of The Market Basket (Rte. 1, 207/236-4371, 7am-6:30pm Mon.-Sat., 9am-4pm Sun.), the best take-out source for creative sandwiches, homemade soups, cheeses, exotic condiments, pastries, wine (large selection), beer, and entrées to go.
Locals know one of the area’s best spots for lobster rolls and fried seafood is Graffam Bros. Seafood Shack (211 Union St., 207/236-8391, 8:30am-6pm Mon.-Sat.). There’s some seating at picnic tables, but take it to Harbor Park for the oceanside setting.
Love doughnuts? The ones from Willow Bake Shoppe (1084 Rte. 1, 207/596-0564, 6am-noon Mon.-Sat.) earn raves.
The Camden Farmers Market (3:30pm-6pm Wed. June-late Sept. and 9am-noon Sat. early May-late Oct.) holds forth at the Knox Mill Complex on Washington Street.
Made-to-order sandwiches and wraps, homemade soups, veggie burgers, and baked goods are the draws at the Camden Deli (37 Main St., 207/236-8343, 7am-10pm daily), in the heart of downtown, but its biggest asset is the windowed seating overlooking the Megunticook River waterfall. The view doesn’t get much better than this (go upstairs for the best angle).
Since the early 1970s, Scott’s Place (85 Elm St./Rte. 1, 207/236-8751, 10:30am-4pm Mon.-Fri., to 3pm Sat.), a roadside lunch stand near Renys at the Camden Marketplace, has been dishing up inexpensive ($2-10) burgers and dogs, nowadays adding veggie burgers and salads. Call ahead and it’ll be ready.
Peek behind the old-fashioned facade at Boynton-McKay Food Company (30 Main St., 207/236-2465, 7am-5pm daily, kitchen closes 3pm daily) and you’ll see an old-fashioned soda fountain, early-20th-century tables, antique pharmacy accessories, and a thoroughly modern café menu. Restored and rehabbed in 1997, Boynton-McKay had been the local drugstore for more than a century. The new incarnation features bagels, creative salads, homemade soups, superb wrap sandwiches, an espresso bar, and the whole works from the soda fountain. It’s open for breakfast and lunch.
Artisan pizzas, such as prosciutto, fig, and Gorgonzola, emerge from the wood-fired ovens of Seabright (1 Public Landing, 207/230-1414, from noon daily, $13-18, cash only), a cozy spot owned by James Beard nominee Brian Hill.
Facing downtown Camden’s five-way intersection, French and Brawn (1 Elm St., 207/236-3361, 6am-7pm Mon.-Sat., 8am-7pm Sun.) is an independent market that earns the description super. Ready-made sandwiches, soups, and other goodies complement the oven-ready take-out meals, high-cal frozen desserts, esoteric meats, and staff with a can-do attitude.
Need a sandwich before heading for the hills or beach? Dot’s (2457 Rte. 1, 207/706-7922, 7am-6pm Mon.-Sat., 8am-3pm Sun.) is the place. It also bakes breakfast goods and treats, makes salads and prepared meals, and sells cheeses and wines. There’s seating inside.
Local chef Annemarie Ahearn’s oceanfront Salt Water Farm (25 Woodward Hill Rd., 207/230-0966, www.saltwaterfarm.com) is a haven for serious foodies. Hands-on cooking classes (around $85 for a half-day class) and multiday workshops are offered. The second location in Rockport serves dinner in the evenings and brunch on the weekends.
With a menu ranging from burgers to pastas and pizzas, the Elm Street Grille (Cedar Crest Motel, 115 Elm St./Rte. 1, 207/236-4839, www.elmstreetgrille.com, 7am-11am and 4pm-9pm Tues.-Sun.) is a popular spot for families seeking a good meal at a fair price. Breakfast also get high marks. Dinner choices range from pizzas to a broiled seafood platter ($10-22); kids’ menu available. There’s live music most Friday nights.
In the heart of Camden, Cappy’s (1 Main St., 207/236-2254, www.cappyschowder.com, 11am-11pm daily, $10-22) has two locations, the original corner spot—small, cramped, and buzzing with locals and out-of-towners alike—and the new in 2013 Cappy’s Harborview, just a few doors down. It’s a bit pricey for food that’s rather ordinary, but the chowder earns raves. It’s a burger-and-sandwich menu with some heartier seafood choices. During summer, Cappy’s operates a bakery with take-out pastries, sandwiches, and other goodies underneath the original store, facing on the alley that runs down to the public parking lot.
When Shepherd’s Pie (18 Central St., 207/236-8500, www.shepherdspierockport.com, from 5pm daily, $13-24) opened in spring 2010, it already had a cult following thanks to chef-owner Brian Hill’s successful Francine Bistro in Camden. Here in a historical building with high tin ceilings and beautiful dark wood walls, Hill has created a delicious and inviting spot serving pub- and home-style favorites updated with verve; think duck hot dogs, smoked alewife Caesar, fried clam tacos, and baked beans with candied bacon. They don’t take reservations; expect to wait for a table.
Overlooking Rockport Harbor, Salt Water Farm at Union Hall (23 Central St., www.saltwaterfarm.com, 8am-10pm Tues.-Sun.) is an extension of chef-owner Annemarie Ahearn’s local foodie haven in Lincolnville. A combo café and marketplace, the menus highlight the day’s deliveries from local farmers, fishermen, and foragers. Brunch is served Saturday-Sunday, there is a family-style dining in the evening ($12-18), and Full Moon Suppers ($65) are served once a month. Best seats are on the back deck overlooking Rockport Harbor.
Chef-owner Brian Hill has created one of the region’s hottest restaurants with Francine Bistro (55 Chestnut St., 207/230-0083, www.francinebistro.com, 5:30pm-10pm Tues.-Sat., entrées $24-30). The well-chosen menu is short and focused on whatever’s fresh and (usually) locally available that day. In addition to the dining room, there’s seating at the bar and, when the weather cooperates, on the front porch. Be forewarned, it can get quite noisy.
Down on the harbor is the informal, art-filled Atlantica (1 Bay View Landing, 207/236-6011 or 888/507-8514, www.atlanticarestaurant.com, 5pm-9pm daily, $14-29), two floors of culinary creativity with an emphasis on seafood. In summer, try for a table on the deck hanging over the water.
The Waterfront Restaurant (Bay View St., 207/236-3747, 11:30am-9pm daily, $18-30) has the biggest waterside dining deck in town, but you’ll need to arrive early to snag one of the tables. Lunches are the most fun, overlooking lots of harbor action; at high tide, you’re eye to eye with the boats. Most folks rave about the place, but I’ve found it inconsistent.
The word is out about Long Grain (31 Elm St., 207/236-9001, 11:30am-3pm and 4:30pm-9pm Tues.-Sat.), a tiny restaurant that’s earned kudos far and wide for its outstanding and authentic Pan-Asian cuisine. Flavors are fresh, complex, and layered, and presentation is gorgeous. Most items are $10-18. Do make reservations or opt for takeout.
The often-changing Latin-fusion menu at Culinary Institute of America-trained chef Tom Sigler’s Comida Latin Kitchen (31 Elm St./Rte. 1, 207/230-7367, www.comidarestaurant.com, $13-18, 5pm-9pm Mon.-Sat.) draws from Spanish, Cuban, Mexican, and Central and South American influences. Everything’s made from scratch, so don’t expect fast service. This place is tiny; make reservations. Lunch is served 11:30am-3pm during summer.
The fish-and-chips alone are worth the mosey inland along Route 105 from Camden to find the Hatchet Mountain Publick House (42 Hatchet Mountain Rd., Hope, 207/763-4565, www.hatchetmountain.com, from 5:15pm Tues.-Sat., $9-24), a combination tavern and antiques shop in a beautifully renovated barn.
Go for Happy Hour at 40 Paper (40 Washington St., 207/230-0111, 5pm-9pm daily), located in the renovated Knox Mill, and then maybe stick around for the handmade pastas, flatbread pizzas, and other Italian fare. Food is generally quite good; service is mediocre at best.
Maine fare with an unpretentious French accent paired with Penobscot Bay views have drawn diners to Chez Michel (2530 Rte. 1, 207/789-5600, 4pm-9pm Tues.-Sun.) for decades. Early-bird specials are served until 5:45pm; otherwise, most entrées top out around $22. This isn’t a French restaurant, but there are French-inspired preparations, such as coquille St. Jacques and duck au poivre, as well as fried and broiled seafood, steak, and pastas. There’s a children’s menu too.
Reservations are a must for the intimate restaurant at the Hartstone Inn (41 Elm St., 207/236-4259 or 800/788-4823, www.hartstoneinn.com, 5:30pm-8:30pm daily). Michael Salmon, named Caribbean chef of the year when he lived in Aruba, has cooked at the Beard House by invitation. Even Julia Child dined here. The menu changes weekly to use the freshest ingredients. The nightly chef’s tasting menu is $55; entrées on the lighter, à la carte menu run $20-30.
Since opening in 2007 to rave reviews, M Natalie’s at the Camden Harbour Inn (83 Bayview St., 207/236-4200, www.nataliesrestaurant.com, 5pm-9:30pm daily in season, call off-season) has become one of the state’s top tables. The dining room was designed to be reminiscent of the Left Bank in Paris a century ago. The ambience is fancy here, but casual attire is fine. Instead of looking out at the Seine, you’re gazing over Camden Harbor. Dining options are a three-course à la carte menu ($68) or a seven-course chef’s tasting menu ($97). A more casual tapas menu is available at the bar or in the lounge.
For a romantic, classic French experience, head a bit inland to Youngtown Inn and Restaurant (581 Youngtown Rd., 207/763-4290 or 800/291-8438, www.youngtowninn.com, 6pm-9pm Tues.-Sun., $27-34), where chef-owner Manuel Mercier draws on his Parisian heritage and European training. The best deal is the four-course $45 chef’s menu. Upstairs are six guest rooms (from $170, includes breakfast).
Lincolnville’s best-known landmark is The Lobster Pound Restaurant (Rte. 1, Lincolnville Beach, 207/789-5550, www.lobsterpoundmaine.com, 11:30am-10pm daily, $12-35). About 300 people—some days, it looks like more than that—can pile into the restaurant and enclosed patio, so make reservations on summer weekends. Despite the crowds, food and service are reliably good. In 2014, it merged with Andrews Brewing Co. and turned half the space into a brewpub. Lobster, of course, is still king, but the huge menu will satisfy everyone.
For planning, contact Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce (207/236-4404 or 800/223-5459, www.mainedreamvacation.com). Also handy is a map and guide published by the Lincolnville Business Group (www.visitlincolnville.com).
Check out the Camden Public Library (Main St./Rte. 1, Camden, 207/236-3440, www.camden.lib.me.us) or Rockport Public Library (1 Limerock St., Rockport, 207/236-3642, www.rockport.lib.me.us).
Find public restrooms in Camden at the Public Landing, near the chamber of commerce, and at the Camden Public Library; in Rockport at Marine Park; and in Lincolnville, at the ferry terminal.
Camden is about eight miles or 15 minutes via Route 1 from Rockland. It’s about six miles or 10 minutes via Route 1 from Lincolnville or about 20 miles or 30 minutes via Route 1 from Belfast.
Belfast (pop. 6,668) is relatively small as cities go, but it’s officially cool: Budget Travel magazine named it one of the top 10 coolest towns in the United States. Even before that, Belfast was one of those off-the-beaten-track destinations popular with tuned-in travelers. Chalk that up to its status as a magnet for leftover back-to-the-landers and enough artistic types to earn the city a nod for cultural cool. Belfast has a curling club, a food co-op, and a green store, meditation centers, an increasing number of art galleries and boutiques, dance and theater companies, the oldest shoe store in the country, and half a dozen different 12-step, self-help groups. There’s a festival nearly every weekend during the summer. It even has a poet laureate.
This eclectic city is a work in progress, a study in Maine-style diversity. It’s also a gold mine of Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Victorian architecture. Take the time to stroll the well-planned backstreets, explore the shops, and hang out at the gussied-up waterfront.
Separating Belfast from East Belfast, the Passagassawakeag River (puh-sag-gus-uh-WAH-keg) fortunately is known more familiarly as “the Passy.” The Indian name has been translated as both “place of many ghosts” and the rather different “place for spearing sturgeon by torchlight.” You choose. No matter, you can cross it via a pedestrian bridge.
Many travelers make Belfast a day stop on their way between Camden and Bar Harbor. Truly, Belfast is worth more time than that. Spend a full day or two here and it’s likely you’ll be charmed, like many of the other urban refugees, into resettling here.
No question, the best way to appreciate Belfast’s fantastic architecture is to tour by ankle express. At the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce, pick up the well-researched Belfast Historic Walking Tour map-brochure. Among more than 40 highlights on the mile-long self-guided route are the 1818 Federal-style First Church, handsome residences on High Street and Church Street, and the 1840 James P. White House (Church St. and Northport Ave.), now an elegant bed-and-breakfast and New England’s finest Greek Revival residence. Amazingly for a community of this size, the city actually has three distinct listed districts on the National Register of Historic Places: Belfast Commercial Historic District (47 downtown buildings), Church Street Historic District (residential), and Primrose Hill Historic District (also residential). Another walking tour is presented by the Belfast Historical Society’s Museum in the Streets, comprising two large panels and 30 smaller ones highlighting historic buildings and people. Signs are in English and French.
Continuing the focus on architecture, just south of Belfast in Northport is the Victorian enclave of Bayside, a neighborhoody sort of place with small, well-kept gingerbread-trimmed cottages cheek-by-jowl on pint-size lots. Formerly known as the Northport Wesleyan Grove Campground, the village took shape in the mid-1800s as a summer retreat for Methodists. In the 1930s the retreat was disbanded and the main meeting hall was razed, creating the waterfront park at the heart of the village. Today, many of the colorfully painted homes are rented by the week, month, or summer season, and their tenants are more likely to indulge in athletic rather than religious pursuits. The camaraderie remains, though, and a stroll (or cycle or drive) through Bayside is like a visit to another era. Bayside is four miles south of Belfast, just east of Route 1. If you want to join the fun, try Bayside Cottage Rentals (539 Bluff Rd., Northport, 207/338-5355, www.baysidecottagerentals.com).
Continue south on Shore Road from Bayside to Temple Heights Spiritualist Camp (Shore Rd., Northport, 207/338-3029, www.templeheightscamp.org), yet another religious enclave—this one still ongoing. Founded in 1882, Temple Heights has become a shadow of its former self, reduced primarily to the funky 12-room Nikawa Lodge on Shore Road ($45, shared bath, some with ocean views), but the summer program continues thanks to prominent mediums from all over the country. Even a temporary setback in 1996—when the camp president was suspended for allegedly putting a hex on Northport’s town clerk—failed to derail the operation. Camp programs mid-June-early September are open to the public; a schedule is published each spring. Spiritualist church services and group healing circles are by donation; Saturday-morning workshops are $25. Better yet, sign up for a 1.5-hour or longer group message circle (7:30pm Wed. and Sat., $15), when you’ll sit with a medium and a dozen or so others and receive insights—often uncannily on target—from departed relatives or friends; reservations are requested, and you should plan to arrive a half hour early. Private half-hour readings can be arranged for $40.
The nonprofit Brooks Preservation Society operates the Belfast & Moosehead Railroad (207/722-3899, www.brookspreservation.org), which rolls through the inland countryside west of Bethel. The 1.5-hour trips ($12 adults, $6 ages 3-14) aboard vintage trains depart from the City Point Central Railroad Museum (13 Oak Hill Rd., Belfast); call for current schedule.
It’s relatively easy to find nightlife in Belfast—not only are there theaters and a cinema, but there are usually a couple of bars open at least until midnight and sometimes later. Some spots also feature live music, particularly on weekends.
If you don’t feel like searching out a newspaper to check the entertainment listings, just go to the Belfast Co-op Store (123 High St., 207/338-2532) and study the bulletin board. You’ll find notices for more activities than you could ever squeeze into your schedule.
Open-mike nights, jazz jams, classes, and lectures pepper the calendar for Waterfall Arts (265 High St., 207/338-2222, www.waterfallarts.org).
Just south of Belfast, the funky Blue Goose Dance Hall (Rte. 1, Northport, 207/338-3003) is the site for folk concerts, contra dances, auctions, and other events. Check local papers or the Belfast Co-op Store bulletin board.
Street entertainers perform and about a dozen galleries participate in Belfast Arts’ Friday Gallery Walk (www.belfastartwalk.com), held 5:30pm-8pm the first Friday in June-December.
Check local papers for the schedule of the Belfast Maskers (207/338-9668, www.belfastmaskerstheater.com), a community theater group that never fails to win raves for its interpretations of contemporary and classical dramas.
The Belfast Garden Club sponsors Open Garden Days (www.belfastgardenclub.org) once a week mid-May-mid-September at the homes of club members and friends in and around Belfast. Gardens are usually open 10am-3pm rain or shine; a $5 pp donation is requested to benefit local beautification projects. Check local newspapers or ask at the chamber of commerce for the schedule.
Belfast is a hotbed of events, with a festival scheduled nearly every weekend during the summer.
The Free Range Music Festival in April draws fans from across the spectrum, with everything from a capella to rock.
In early July, soon after the Fourth of July, the Arts in the Park festival gets under way at Heritage Park, on the Belfast waterfront. It’s a weekend event with two days of music, juried arts and crafts, children’s activities, and lots of food booths.
In late July, the Belfast Bound Book Festival celebrates traditional books, with readings, storytelling, author signings, and talks.
Cheese-rolling, Highland games, and music are just a few of the activities at the midsummer Maine Celtic Celebration.
Dachshunds rule during September’s Wienerfest, complete with a parade and costume contest.
In October, the Belfast Poetry Festival pairs poets with artists for workshops and readings.
America’s oldest shoe store is in downtown Belfast.
It’s easy and fun to shop in downtown Belfast, a town that has so far managed to keep the big boxes away, providing fertile ground for entrepreneurs. Downtown shops reflect the city’s population, with galleries and boutiques, thrift and used-goods stores, and eclectic shops, including a number specializing in books: new, used, and antiquarian.
Even if shoes aren’t on your shopping list, stop in at “the oldest shoe store in America”: Founded in the 1830s, Colburn Shoe Store (81 Main St., 207/338-1934 or 877/338-1934) may be old, but it isn’t old-fashioned, and it has a bargain basement.
Brambles (69 Main St., 207/338-3448) is a gardener’s delight, with fun, whimsical, and practical garden-themed merchandise.
Left Bank Books (109 Church St., 207/338-9009) is one of those wonderful bookstores that not only has a well-curated selection, but also presents readings and signings.
Seeking an out-of-print treasure or a focused tome? Old Professor’s Bookshop (99 Main St., 207/338-2006) specializes in new, used, and rare books that answer the big questions: What is? And what matters?
Books are just one part of the eclectic mix at Beyond the Sea (74 Main St., 207/338-2100), but each book carried is chosen by the owner. Of special note are the Persephone Books, new editions of out-of-print classics.
Wooden toys are just one reason to visit Out of the Woods (48 Main St., 207/338-2692), which specializes in Maine-made wood products.
Calling itself a “general store for the 21st century,” The Green Store (71 Main St., 207/338-4045) carries a huge selection of environmentally friendly products. Whether you’re thinking of going off the grid, need a composting toilet, or just want natural-fiber clothing or other natural-living products, this is the place. A very knowledgeable staff can answer nearly any question on environmentally sustainable lifestyles.
About two miles east of Belfast’s bridge, on the right, is the small roadside shop of Mainely Pottery (181 Searsport Ave./Rte. 1, 207/338-1108). Since 1988, Jeannette Faunce and Jamie Oates have been marketing the work of more than two dozen Maine potters, each with different techniques, glazes, and styles. It’s the perfect place to select from a wide range of reasonably priced work.
Belfast is rich in parks and picnic spots. One of the state’s best municipal parks is just on the outskirts of downtown. Established in 1904, Belfast City Park (87 Northport Ave., 207/338-1661, free) has lighted tennis courts, an outdoor pool, a pebbly beach, plenty of picnic tables, an unusually creative playground, lots of green space for the kids, and fantastic views of Islesboro, Blue Hill, and Penobscot Bay. For more action right in the heart of Belfast, head for Heritage Park, at the bottom of Main Street, with front-row seats on waterfront happenings. Bring a picnic, grab a table, and watch the yachts, tugs, and lobster boats. Every street between the two parks that ends at the ocean is a public right of way.
Here’s an easy amble, with just enough rise and fall to make you think you got a bit of a workout: The blue-blazed Little River Community Trail parallels the east bank of the Little River, departing from a trailhead at the Water District complex on Route 1 and ebbing and flowing just shy of a mile to the Perkins Road. You can cross the road and continue for nearly another three miles to another trailhead near the YMCA on Route 52.
Just south of Belfast is the nine-hole Northport Golf Club (581 Bluff Rd., Northport, 207/338-2270), established in 1916.
Sail aboard the Friendship sloop Amity (207/323-1443, www.belfastbaycompany.com), based at the Belfast Public Landing, for two-hour shared-charter sails ($45 pp) or for private charters, from $350. The classic sloop, built in 1901 in Friendship, was originally used for lobstering. Now beautifully restored, it carries up to six passengers.
If you don’t have your own kayak, Water Walker (152 Lincolnville Ave., 207/338-6424, www.kayak-tour-maine.com) has a full range of options. Owner Ray Wirth, a Registered Maine Guide and American Canoe Association-certified open-water instructor, will arrange customized trips from a few hours to multiple days, as well as provide instruction. A 2-3-hour custom tour for two people is $120.
The Scottish national sport of curling has dozens of enthusiastic supporters at Maine’s only curling rink, the Belfast Curling Club (Belmont Ave./Rte. 3, 207/338-9851, www.belfastcurlingclub.org), an institution here since the late 1950s. Leagues play regularly on weeknights, and the club holds bonspiels (tournaments) and open houses several times during the season, which runs early November-early April.
On a quiet side street, The Jeweled Turret (40 Pearl St., 207/338-2304 or 800/696-2304, www.jeweledturret.com, $130-170) is one of Belfast’s pioneer bed-and-breakfasts. Carl and Cathy Heffentrager understand the business and go out of their way to make guests comfortable. The 1898 inn is loaded with handsome woodwork and Victorian antiques—plus an astonishing stone fireplace, one of four in the house. The wraparound porches are a fine place to settle and view the gardens while enjoying afternoon tea.
Over three years, beginning in 2005, professional innkeepers Ed and Judy Hemmingsen renovated adjacent mid-19th-century row houses into an elegant boutique hotel, the M Belfast Bay Inn (72 Main St., 207/338-5600, www.belfastbayinn.com, from $300). The two guest rooms and six suites differ in size and design, some with fireplaces, others with balconies, but all have original art, expanded wet bars, and high-quality furnishings that invite relaxation. In-room spa services are available. A full breakfast is included. The Hemmingsens delight in surprising guests with unexpected extras.
The 61 guest rooms at the oceanfront Belfast Harbor Inn (91 Searsport Ave., 207/338-2740 or 800/545-8576, www.belfastharborinn.com, $79-159) have TVs, air-conditioning, and free Wi-Fi and local calls; there’s an outdoor heated pool—a real plus for families, as is the laundry. Pets are allowed in some guest rooms for $10/night. Rates include a light continental breakfast buffet. If you can swing it, request an oceanview room.
In 2012, new owners completely renovated the Yankee Clipper Motel (50 Searsport Ave., 207/338-2353, www.yankeeclippermotelbelfast.com, $89-149), giving the vintage 1950s strip motel on Route 1 a boutique vibe. All rooms have laminated wood floors, contemporary decor, and neutral colors along with a microwave and mini-fridge.
Wraps are fast food at Bay Wrap (20 Beaver St., 207/338-9757, 11am-7pm Mon.-Fri., 11am-4pm Sat.). There’s no limit to what the staff can stuff into various flavors of tortillas. Eat here or get them to go.
Industrial chic, casual, and laid-back best describe Three Tides (2 Pinchy Lane, on Marshall Wharf, 207/338-1707, www.3tides.com, 4pm-9pm Tues.-Sun.). Grab a booth inside, a seat at the bar, or a table on the deck overlooking the working harbor, and then choose from the tapas-style menu ($3.50-14). You might even play a game of boccie while waiting. Beers and ales are brewed on the premises. Also part of the operation is LB, a lobster pound, so lobster is often on the menu.
Love cheese? You’ll love Eat More Cheese (33 Main St., 207/358-9701), which carries a selection from around the world. Although it has a Main Street address, the entry is around back.
The Belfast Co-op Store (123 High St., 207/338-2532, www.belfast.coop, 7:30am-8pm daily) is an experience in itself. You’ll have a good impression of Belfast after one glance at the clientele and the bulletin board. Open to members and nonmembers alike (with lower prices for members), the co-op is a full-service organic and natural foods grocery, with a deli-café serving breakfast, lunch, and take-out fare.
Food trucks arrived in Belfast with Good N You (parking lot behind Main St., 11:30am-3pm Mon.-Sat. and 6:30pm-9pm Sat.), which dishes out tacos, falafel, burritos, and other street food ($2-7).
The Chocolate Drop Candy Shop (64 Main St., 207/338-0566) is a kid-pleasing, retro-themed ice cream parlor and candy shop.
Siinfully delicious scratch-made croissants, bagels, and pastries emerge from the ovens at Moonbat City Baking Co. (137 Main St., 207/218-1039, 7am-2pm Mon.-Sat., to 1pm Sun.).
The Belfast Farmers Market (Waterfall Arts, 256 High St., 9am-1pm Fri.) provides the perfect opportunity for stocking up for a picnic. On the first Friday of the month, it relocates downtown on Main Street.
Excellent Thai food is paired with a fabulous view of Penobscot Bay at Seng Thai (139 Searsport Ave./Rte. 1, 207/338-0010, 11:30am-9pm daily, entrées $8-18).
Fresh food prepared in creative ways has earned Chase’s Daily (96 Main St., 207/338-0555, 7am-5pm Tues.-Thurs. and Sat., 7am-8pm Fri., 8am-2pm Sun.) a devoted local following. The emphasis is on vegetarian fare, and most of the produce comes from the Chase family farm in nearby Freedom. Most choices are in the $7-12 range; dinner entrées range $15-22. The restaurant also serves as an art gallery, farmers market, and bakery. It’s not the place for a quiet dinner, as the space is large and tends to be noisy.
Delvino’s Grill and Pasta House (32 Main St., 207/338-4565, www.delvinos.com, 11am-9pm daily, entrées $13-23) satiates cravings for Italian fare with a menu that includes lasagna, lobster ravioli, seafood pomodoro, and gluten-free grilled vegetable medley.
Laan Xang Cafe (18 Main St., 207/338-6338, www.laanxangcafe.com, 9am-3pm and 5pm-7pm Mon.-Sat., $10-14), specializing in Thai, Laotian, and Vietnamese fare, is a tiny, mostly take-out spot with a handful of tables on a deck.
Celebrity chef Matthew Kenney now hangs his toque at The Gothic (108 Main St., 207/930-4684, from 5pm daily, $18-25), in the meticulously restored flatiron building at the head of Main Street. Kenney was a pioneer in the raw food movement, but his menus here are designed to appeal to a wider audience. The daily changing menu is divided into categories for soil, sea, and land, and the choices are limited.
A longtime standby for world cuisine, including vegetarian items, Darby’s Restaurant and Pub (155 High St., 207/338-2339, www.darbysrestaurant.com, 11:30am-3:30pm and 5pm-9pm daily and 7:30am-9pm Fri.-Sun., entrées $12-20) served tofu before tofu was cool. This place has been providing food and drink since just after the Civil War; the tin ceilings and antique bar are reminders of that.
Young’s Lobster Pound (2 Fairview Ave., 207/338-1160), a barn of a place on the east side of the harbor, is the place to go for fresh-from-the-sea lobster. BYOB.
The Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce (16 Main St., 207/338-5900, www.belfastmaine.org) produces a regional guide.
Check out the Belfast Free Library (106 High St., 207/338-3884, www.belfast.lib.me.us).
Find public restrooms at the waterfront Public Landing, in the railroad station, at the Waldo County Courthouse, and at the Waldo County General Hospital.
Belfast is about 20 miles or 30 minutes via Route 1 from Camden and about 45 miles or one hour from Augusta and I-95 via Route 3. It’s about 6.5 miles or 10 minutes via Route 1 to Searsport.
Searsport (pop. 2,615) is synonymous with the sea, thanks to an enduring oceangoing tradition that’s appropriately commemorated here in the state’s oldest maritime museum. The seafaring heyday occurred in the mid-19th century, but settlers from the Massachusetts Colony had already made inroads here 200 years earlier. By the 1750s, Fort Pownall, in nearby Stockton Springs, was a strategic site during the French and Indian War (the North American phase of Europe’s Seven Years’ War).
Shipbuilding was under way by 1791, reaching a crescendo 1845-1866, with six year-round shipyards and nearly a dozen more seasonal ones. Ten percent of all full-rigged American-flag ships on the high seas were under the command of Searsport and Stockton Springs captains by 1885—a significant number of them bearing the names Pendleton, Nichols, or Carver. Many of these ships were involved in the perilous China trade, rounding notorious Cape Horn with great regularity.
All this global contact shaped Searsport’s culture, adding a veneer of cosmopolitan sophistication. Imposing mansions of seafaring families were filled with fabulous Oriental treasures, many of which eventually made their way to the Penobscot Marine Museum. Brick-lined Main Street is more evidence of the mid-19th-century wealth, and local churches reaped the benefits of residents’ generosity. The Second Congregational Church, known as the Safe Harbor Church and patronized by captains and shipbuilders (most ordinary seamen attended the Methodist church), is ornamented with recently restored Tiffany-style windows and a Christopher Wren steeple.
Another inkling of this area’s oceangoing superiority comes from visits to local burial grounds: Check out the headstones at Gordon, Bowditch, and Sandy Point cemeteries. Many have fascinating tales to tell.
Rodman cannon at Fort Knox
Today the Searsport area’s major draws are the Penobscot Marine Museum, the still-handsome brick Historic District, several bed-and-breakfasts, a couple of special state parks, and wall-to-wall antiques shops and flea markets.
The Maine Historic Preservation Commission considers the buildings in Searsport’s Main Street Historic District the best examples of their type outside Portland—a frozen-in-time mid-19th-century cluster of brick-and-granite structures. The ground floors of most of the buildings are shops or restaurants; make time to stop in and admire their interiors.
Exquisite marine paintings, historical photographs, ship models, boats, and unusual China-trade objets d’art are just a few of the 10,000 treasures at the Penobscot Marine Museum (5 Church St. at Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-2529, www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org, 10am-5pm Mon.-Sat., noon-5pm Sun. late May-mid-Oct., $12 adults, $10 seniors, $8 ages 7-15, $30 family), Maine’s oldest maritime museum—founded in 1936. Allow several hours to explore the exhibits, housed in five separate buildings on the museum’s downtown campus. For a start, you’ll see one of the nation’s largest collections of paintings by marine artists James and Thomas Buttersworth. And the 1830s Fowler-True-Ross House is filled with exotic artifacts from foreign lands. Call or check the website for the schedule of lectures, concerts, and temporary exhibits. This isn’t a very sophisticated museum, but it is a treasure.
Looming over Bucksport Harbor, the other Fort Knox (Rte. 174, Prospect, 207/469-7719, www.fortknox.maineguide.com, 9am-sunset May 1-Oct. 31, $4.50 nonresident adults, $3 Maine residents, $1 ages 5-11) is a 125-acre state historic site just off Route 1. Named for Major General Henry Knox, George Washington’s first secretary of war, the sprawling granite fort was begun in 1844. Built to protect the upper Penobscot River from attack, it was never finished and never saw battle. Still, it was, as guide Kathy Williamson said, “very well thought out and planned, and that may have been its best defense.” Begin your visit at the Visitor and Education Center, operated by the Friends of Fort Knox, a nonprofit group that has partnered with the state to preserve and interpret the fort. Guided tours are sometimes available. The fort’s distinguishing features include two complete Rodman cannons. Wear rubberized shoes and bring a flashlight to explore the underground passages; you can set the kids loose. The fort hosts Civil War reenactments several times each summer as well as a Medieval Tournament, a paranormal-psychic fair, and other events (check the website). The Halloween Fright at the Fort is a ghoulish event for the brave. The grounds are accessible all year. Bring a picnic; views over the river to Bucksport are fabulous.
On a clear day, do not miss the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory (9am-5pm daily late May-June and Sept.-Nov. 1, 9am-6pm daily July-Aug., $7 nonresident adults, $5 Maine resident adults, $3 ages 5-11, includes fort admission), accessible via Fort Knox. The observatory tops the 420-foot-high west tower of the new bridge spanning the Penobscot River. It’s one of only three such structures in the world and the only one in the United States. You’ll zip up in an elevator, and when the doors open, you’re facing a wall of glass—it’s a bit of a shocker, and downright terrifying for anyone with a serious fear of heights. Ascend two more flights (an elevator is available) and you’re in the glass-walled observatory; the views on a clear day extend from Mount Katahdin to Mount Desert Island. Even when it’s hazy, it’s still a neat experience.
Walk through Searsport’s history by visiting a dozen placards detailing historic sites with text in both French and English. Pick up a brochure at the downtown info booth, the Penobscot Maritime Museum, or other local businesses.
Complementing the collections at the museum are the classic and contemporary models built by BlueJacket Shipcrafters (160 E. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 800/448-5567, www.bluejacketinc.com). Even if you’re not a hobbyist, stop in to see the incredibly detailed models on display. Shipcrafters is renowned for building one-of-a-kind museum-quality custom models—it’s the official model-maker for the U.S. Navy—but don’t despair, there are kits here for all abilities and budgets. It’s easy to find: Just look for the inland lighthouse on Route 1.
Shopping in Searsport usually applies to antiques—from 25-cent flea-market collectibles to well-used tools to high-end china, furniture, and glassware. The town has more than a dozen separate businesses, some of them group shops with multiple dealers.
More than two dozen dealers supply the juried inventory for the Pumpkin Patch (15 W. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-6047), with a heavy emphasis on Maine antiques. Specialties include quilts (at least 80 are always on hand), silver, paint-decorated furniture, Victoriana, and nautical and Native American items.
In excess of 70 dealers sell their antiques and collectibles at Searsport Antique Mall (149 E. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-2640), making it another worthwhile stop for those seeking oldies but goodies.
The Waldo County Craft Co-op (307 E. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-6686) features the work of about 30 Mainers: quilts, jams, bears, dolls, jewelry, baskets, pottery, floorcloths, and lots more.
Here’s a smallish park with a biggish view—183 acres wedged between Route 1 and a dramatic Penobscot Bay panorama. Moose Point State Park (Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-2882, $3 nonresident adults, $2 Maine resident adults, $1 ages 5-11) is 1.5 miles south of downtown Searsport. Bring a picnic, let the kids hang out and play (there’s no swimming, but there’s good tidepooling at low tide), or walk through the woods or along the meadow trail.
Southeast of busy Route 1, the four-acre town-owned Mosman Park has picnic tables, a traditional playground, lots of grassy space, a pocket-size pebbly beach, seasonal toilets, and fabulous views of the bay. Turn off Route 1 at Water Street and continue to the end.
After almost two decades of heavy-duty squabbling over a proposed cargo port on Searsport’s 936-acre Sears Island (http://friendsofsearsisland.org), the state bought the island for $4 million in 1997. In 2009, a conservation easement was created, forever protecting 601 acres on one of the largest uninhabited islands on the East Coast. The island is a fine place for bird-watching, picnicking, walking, fishing, and cross-country skiing; pick up a brochure at the kiosk. It’s linked to the mainland by a causeway. From downtown Searsport, continue northeast on Route 1 two miles to Sears Island Road (on the right). Turn and go 1.2 miles to the beginning of the island, where you can pull off and park before a gate; cars aren’t allowed on the island. An easy 1.5-mile walk will take you to the other side of the island, overlooking Mack Point (a cargo port) and hills off to the left. Bring a picnic and binoculars—and a swimsuit if you’re hardy enough to brave the water.
Continuing northeast on Route 1 from Sears Island will get you to the turnoff for Fort Point State Park (Fort Point Rd., Stockton Springs, 207/567-3356, $3 nonresident adults, $2 Maine resident adults, $1 ages 5-11) on Cape Jellison’s eastern tip. Within the 154-acre park are the earthworks of 18th-century Fort Pownall, a British fortress built during the French and Indian War; Fort Point Light, a square 26-foot, 19th-century tower guarding the mouth of the Penobscot River, with an adjacent bell tower; shoreline trails; and a 200-foot pier where you can fish or watch birds or boats. Bird-watchers can spot waterfowl—especially ruddy ducks but also eagles and ospreys. Bring picnic fixings, but stay clear of the keeper’s house—it’s private. At the Route 1 fork for Stockton Springs, bear right onto Main Street and continue to Mill Road, in the village center. Turn right and then left onto East Cape Road, and then take another left onto Fort Point Road, which leads to the parking area.
There’s a nice swath of sand on Sandy Point Beach, a 100-acre town-managed preserve at the mouth of the Penobscot River with walking trails, osprey nests, and a beaver pond. It’s at the end of Steamboat Wharf Road (off Route 1) in Stockton Springs.
Birgfeld’s Bicycle Shop (184 E. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-2916 or 800/206-2916), in business since the 1970s, is a mandatory stop for any cyclist, novice or pro. Local information on about 15 biking loops, supplies, maps, weekly group rides, sales (also skateboards and scooters), and excellent repair services are all part of the Birgfeld’s mix.
An especially good ride in this area is the Cape Jellison loop in Stockton Springs. Park at Stockton Springs Elementary School and do the loop from there. Including a detour to Fort Point, the ride totals less than 10 miles from downtown Stockton Springs.
The Belfast Bicycle Club (www.belfastbicycleclub.org) has group rides for all abilities.
The Captain A. V. Nickels Inn (127 E. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-1104, www.captain-a-v-nickels-inn.com, $165-250) is an oceanside stunner. The cupola-topped mansion, built by the good captain in 1874 as a gift to his bride, is elegantly furnished with European and American antiques. Public rooms range from cozy to expansive. Guest rooms, some with shared or detached baths, are named after ports of call; two suites have decks overlooking the ocean. Rates include an extravagant three-course breakfast and afternoon refreshments. There’s also an on-site restaurant and lounge.
New owners have completely renovated the Homeport Inn (121 E. Main St., Searsport, 207/548-2259, www.homeporthistoricinn.com, $120-165), a commanding former sea captain’s home with endless antiques-furnished public rooms and guest rooms updated with flat-screen TVs and Wi-Fi. Some rooms share baths. Although the property no longer is oceanfront, shore access is only 100 yards down the road. Also on the premises is the Mermaid Restaurant.
The Yardarm (172 E. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-2404, www.searsportmaine.com, $80-125), a small motel set back from the road, is next door to BlueJacket Shipcrafters. Each of the 18 pine-paneled units has a TV, air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, and a phone; suites (perfect for families) have a dinette, a microwave, and a small fridge. A continental breakfast is served in a cheery breakfast room in the adjacent farmhouse. Two rooms are pet-friendly.
Here’s a find: Bait’s Motel (215 E. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-7299, $79-129) doesn’t look like much from the exterior, but inside, the recently renovated guest rooms are outfitted with high-quality, comfortable furniture, down duvets and pillows, and nice toiletries. Add fridges, cable TV, and individually controlled heat and air-conditioning. Standard rooms are dog-friendly ($20). It’s adjacent to Angler’s Restaurant.
How can you beat 1,100 feet of tidal oceanfront and unobstructed views of Islesboro, Castine, and Penobscot Bay? Searsport Shores Camping Resort (216 W. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-6059, www.campocean.com) gets high marks for its fabulous setting. About 100 good-size sites (including walk-in oceanfront tenting sites) go for $40-82. Facilities include a private beach, a small store, free showers, laundry, play areas, a recreation hall, nature trails, and a volleyball court. Request a site away from organized-activity areas. Bring a sea kayak and launch it here. Leashed pets are allowed. In early September, the campground hosts Fiber Arts College, a weekend of classes, demonstrations, and camaraderie for spinners, hookers, weavers, and the like.
Good home cooking with an emphasis on fried food has made Just Barb’s (Main St./Rte. 1, Stockton Springs, 207/567-3886, 6am-7:30pm daily) a dandy place for an unfussy meal at a low price. Fried clams and scallop stew are both winners; finish up with a slab of pie or shortcake. The $7.99 all-you-can-eat fish fry is available daily after 11am.
Pick up sandwiches for a picnic at Fort Knox along with soups, wine, cheeses, prepared entrées, baked goods, and homemade marmalades and chutneys at The Good Kettle (247 Rte. 1, Stockton Springs, 207/567-2035, 8:30am-6pm Mon.-Sat.). There’s also an indoor seating area.
The Anglers Restaurant (215 E. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-2405, www.anglersrestaurant.net, 11am-8pm daily, $7-20) is probably the least assuming and one of the most popular restaurants around. Expect hearty New England cooking, hefty portions, local color, no frills, and a bill that won’t dent your wallet. Big favorites are the chowders, stews, and lobster rolls. The “minnow menu” for smaller appetites runs $6-13. Desserts are a specialty: The gingerbread with whipped cream is divine, and kids love the “bucket o’ worms.” If it’s not too busy and you’ve ordered a lobster, ask owner Buddy Hall if he’ll demonstrate hypnotizing it. It’s adjacent to the Bait’s Motel, 1.5 miles northeast of downtown Searsport.
The menu at the casual Mermaid Restaurant & Pub (121 E. Main St., 207/548-0084, 11am-9pm Tues.-Sun., $7-22), in the Homeport Inn, ranges from burgers to lobster, and there’s a kids’ menu too. There’s entertainment on weekends.
Relax and savor the views over Penobscot Bay along with a fine wine and dinner at The Captain’s Table (127 E. Main St./Rte. 1, Searsport, 207/548-1104, www.captain-a-v-nickels-inn.com, 6pm-9pm Thurs.-Sat.), an elegant, white-tablecloth restaurant in the magnificently restored Capt. A. V. Nickels Inn. The four-course continental-inspired menu is $49; add $38 for wine pairings. For a lighter meal, dine in the less formal Port of Call tapas lounge (entrées $16-28).
The Searsport Business and Visitors Guide (www.searsportme.net) publishes a visitors guide and maintains a small self-serve info center in a shedlike building on Route 1 (at Norris St.), across from the Pumpkin Patch antiques shop.
The Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce (207/338-5900, www.belfastmaine.org) has information about the Belfast area.
Check out the Carver Memorial Library (Mortland Rd. and Union St., Searsport, 207/548-2303, www.carver.lib.me.us).
Searsport is about six miles or 10 minutes via Route 1 from Belfast. It’s about 13 miles or 18 minutes to Bucksport.
The new Penobscot Narrows Bridge provides an elegant entry to the Bucksport area, a longtime river port and papermaking town. Bucksport (pop. 4,924) is no upstart. Native Americans first gravitated to these Penobscot River shores in summers, finding here a rich source of salmon for food and grasses for basket making. In 1764 it was officially settled by Col. Jonathan Buck, a Massachusetts Bay Colony surveyor who modestly named it Buckstown and organized a booming shipping business here. His remains are interred in a local cemetery, where his tombstone bears the distinct outline of a woman’s leg; this is allegedly the result of a curse by a witch whom Buck ordered executed, but in fact it’s probably a flaw in the granite. (The monument is across Route 1 from the Hannaford supermarket, on the corner of Hinks Street.)
Just south of Bucksport, at the bend in the Penobscot River, Verona Island (pop. 544) is best known as the mile-long link between Prospect and Bucksport. Just before you cross the bridge from Verona to Bucksport, hang a left and then a quick right to a small municipal park with a boat launch and broad views of Bucksport Harbor (and the paper mill). In the Buck Memorial Library is a scale model of Admiral Robert Peary’s Arctic exploration vessel, the Roosevelt, built on this site.
Bucksport has a nice riverfront walkway, a historical theater, and the best views of Fort Knox. Route 1 east of Bucksport leads to Orland (pop. 2,225) with an idyllic setting on the banks of the Narramissic River. It’s also the site of a unique service organization called H.O.M.E. (Homeworkers Organized for More Employment). East Orland (officially part of Orland) claims the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery and Great Pond Mountain (you can’t miss it, jutting from the landscape on the left as you drive east on Route 1).
Phoenixlike, the 1916 Alamo Theatre (85 Main St., Bucksport, 207/469-0924 or 800/639-1636, event line 207/469-6910, www.friendsofsearsisland.org, 9am-4pm Mon.-Fri. year-round) has been retrofitted for a new life—focusing on films about New England produced or revived by the unique Northeast Historic Film, which is headquartered here. Stop in, survey the restoration, visit the displays (donation requested), and browse the Alamo Theatre Store for antique postcards, T-shirts, toys, and reasonably priced videos on ice harvesting, lumberjacks, maple sugaring, and other traditional New England topics. A half mile west of Route 1, the Alamo has also become an active cinema, screening classic and current films regularly in the 120-seat theater, usually on weekends. Each summer there’s also a silent film festival.
Stroll the one-mile paved walkway from the Bucksport-Verona Bridge to Webber Docks. Along the way are historical markers, picnic tables, a gazebo, restrooms, and expansive views of the harbor and Fort Knox.
Adjacent to the flashing light on Route 1 in Orland, H.O.M.E. (207/469-7961, www.homecoop.net) is tough to categorize. Linked with the international Emmaus Movement founded by a French priest, H.O.M.E. (Homeworkers Organized for More Employment) was started in 1970 by Lucy Poulin, still the guiding force, and two nuns at a nearby convent. The quasi-religious organization shelters refugees and the homeless, operates a soup kitchen and a car-repair service, runs a day-care center, and teaches work skills in a variety of hands-on cooperative programs. Seventy percent of its income comes from sales of crafts, produce, and services. At the Route 1 store (Rte. 1 and Upper Falls Rd., 9am-4:30pm daily) you can buy handmade quilts, organic produce, maple syrup, and jams—and support a worthwhile effort. You can also tour the craft workshops on the property.
Locals come just as much for the coffee and conversation as the selection of new and used reads at BookStacks (71 Main St., Bucksport, 207/469-8992).
For a day of hiking, picnicking, swimming, canoeing, and a bit of natural history, pack a lunch and head for 135-acre Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery (306 Hatchery Rd., East Orland, 207/469-6701), on Alamoosook Lake. Turn off Route 1 six miles east of Bucksport and continue 1.4 miles north to the parking area. The visitors center (8:30am-3:30pm Mon.-Fri., 8am-3:30pm Sat.-Sun. summer, free) offers interactive displays on Atlantic salmon (don’t miss the downstairs viewing area), maps, and a restroom. The grounds are accessible 6am-sunset daily year-round. Established in 1889, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatchery raises sea-run Atlantic salmon for stocking six Maine rivers. The birch-lined shorefront has picnic tables, a boat-launching ramp, an Atlantic salmon display pool, additional parking, and a spectacular cross-lake view. Watch for eagles, ospreys, and loons. Also on the premises is the small Atlantic Salmon Heritage Museum, housed in a circa-1896 ice house and operated by the Friends of Craig Brook (call the hatchery for current hours). Inside are salmon and fly-fishing artifacts and memorabilia.
The Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust (207/469-7190, www.greatpondtrust.org) acts as local steward for Great Pond Mountain and Great Pond Wildlands. It also hosts hikes and other activities.
Encompassing two parcels of land and nearly 4,300 acres, the Great Pond Wildlands is a jewel. The larger parcel totals 3,420 acres and surrounds Hothole Valley, including Hothole Brook, prized for its trout, and shoreline on Hothole Pond. The smaller 875-acre tract includes two miles of frontage on the Dead River (not to be confused with the Dead River of rafting fame in northwestern Maine) and reaches up Great Pond Mountain and down to the ominously named Hell Bottom Swamp. The land is rich with wildlife: Black bears, moose, bobcats, and deer are just a few of the species, and the pond, swamp, and river make it ideal for bird-watching. With 14 miles of woods roads lacing the land, it’s prime territory for walking, mountain biking, and snowshoeing, and the waterways invite fishing and paddling. Avoid the area during hunting season. Snowmobiling is permitted; ATVs are banned. Access to the Dead River tract is from the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery; follow Don Fish Road to the Dead River Gate and Dead River Trail. The South Gate to Hothole Pond Tract is on Route 1, just southwest of Route 176.
The biggest rewards for the 1.8-mile easy-to-moderate hike up 1,038-foot Great Pond Mountain are 360-degree views and lots of space for panoramic picnics. On a clear day, Baxter State Park’s Mount Katahdin is visible from the peak’s north side. In fall, watch for migrating hawks. Access to the mountain is via gated private property beginning about a mile north of Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery on Hatchery Road in East Orland. Roadside parking is available near the trailhead, but during fall foliage season you may need to park at the hatchery. Pick up a brochure from the box at the trailhead, stay on the trail, and respect the surrounding private property.
If you’ve brought a canoe, Silver Lake, just two miles north of downtown Bucksport, is a beautiful place for a paddle. There’s no development along its shores, and the bird-watching is excellent. Swimming is not allowed (there’s a $500 fine); this is Bucksport’s reservoir. To get to the public launch, take Route 15 north off Route 1. Go 0.5 mile and turn right on McDonald Road, which becomes Silver Lake Road, and follow it 2.1 miles to the launch site.
Bucksport Golf Club (Duck Cove Rd./Rte. 46, 1.5 miles north of Rte. 1, 207/469-7612, mid-Apr.-Sept.), running 3,397 yards, prides itself on having Maine’s longest nine-hole course.
The Orland House (10 Narramissic Dr., Orland, 207/469-1144, www.orlandhousebb.com, $110-125), Alvion and Cindi Kimball’s elegant yet comfortable 1820 Greek Revival home, overlooks the Narramissic River. It has been beautifully restored, preserving the architectural details but adding plenty of creature comforts.
Location, location, location: If only the six simple rooms at the old-timey Alamoosook Lakeside Inn (off Rte. 1, Orland, 207/469-6393 or 866/459-6393, www.alamoosooklakesideinn.com, year-round, $139) actually overlooked the lake, it would be the perfect rustic lakeside lodge. The property is gorgeous and the location is well suited for exploring the area, but the guest rooms have tiny bathrooms. All have windows and doors opening onto a long sunporch overlooking the lake. There’s also a basement recreation room with a massive stone hearth, games, and a guest kitchenette. The upside: The lodge has 0.25 mile of lakefront, and guests have access to canoes and kayaks. Paddle across the lake to the fish hatchery for a hike up Great Pond Mountain. A full breakfast is served, and there is free Wi-Fi.
Bliss! Escape everything at Williams Pond Lodge Bed and Breakfast (327 Williams Pond Rd., Bucksport, 207/460-6064, www.williamspondlodge.com, $120-155), a secluded, solar-powered, eco-conscious, off-the-grid retreat on 20 wooded acres with 3,000 feet of frontage on spring-fed Williams Pond. Three guest rooms are decorated in cozy lodge style. Canoes and kayaks are provided for guests. Access is via a long dirt road through the woods, something to keep in mind when arriving after dark.
In downtown Bucksport, the Fort Knox Park Inn (64 Main St., Bucksport, 207/469-3113, www.fortknoxparkinn.com, $125-199) is a four-story motel right at the harbor’s edge. It’s a bit tired, but the 40 guest rooms have phones, air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, and satellite TV. Request a water view, or you’ll be facing a parking lot.
Balsam Cove Campground (286 Back Ridge Rd., East Orland, 207/469-7771 or 800/469-7771, www.balsamcove.com, late May-late Sept., $29-48) fronts on 10-mile-long Toddy Pond. Facilities on the 50 acres include 60 wooded waterfront or water-view tent and RV sites, a one-room rental cabin ($74), on-site rental trailers ($93), a dump station, a store, laundry, free showers and Wi-Fi, boat rentals, and freshwater swimming. Dogs are welcome on camping sites for $2/day. It’s six miles east of Bucksport, off the Back Ridge Road.
MacLeod’s (Main St., Bucksport, 207/469-3963, 11:30am-8:30pm Tues.-Sat., 4pm-8:30pm Sun.-Mon., $10-34) is Bucksport’s most enduring restaurant. Some tables in the pleasant dining room have glimpses of the river and Fort Knox. The wide-ranging menu has choices for all tastes and budgets. Reservations are wise for Saturday nights.
In what passes as downtown Orland (hint: don’t blink), Orland Market and Pizza (91 Castine Rd./Rte. 175, Orland, 207/469-9999, www.orlandmarket.net, 7am-8pm daily) is a delight. Established in 1860, the old-fashioned country store has a little of this and a bit of that along with breakfast sandwiches, hot and cold sandwiches, grilled foods, salad, and all kinds of pizza. Call or drop by to find out the day’s homemade specials, perhaps lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs. Smoked ribs are the specialty every other Thursday, weather permitting.
Carrier’s Mainely Lobster (corner Rtes. 1 and 46, 207/469-1011, 10am-8pm daily) doesn’t look like much, but it’s the best local spot for lobster. A local fave that’s stood the test of time, Crosby’s Drive-In and Dairy Bar (Rte. 46, Bucksport, 207/469-3640, www.crosbysdrivein.com, 10:30am-8pm daily) has been dishing out burgers, dogs, fried seafood, and ice cream since 1938. Thursday night is Cruise Night.
The best source of local info is the Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commerce (52 Main St., Bucksport, 207/469-6818, www.bucksportchamber.org).
Find public restrooms next to the town dock (behind the Bucksport Historical Society) and in the Bucksport Municipal Office on Main Street.
Bucksport is about 13 miles or 18 minutes from Searsport. It’s about 18 miles or 25 minutes via Routes 1 and 15 to Blue Hill, about 20 miles or 30 minutes via Route 1 to Ellsworth, and about 20 miles or 35 minutes via Route 15 to Bangor and I-95.
