Maine Travel: Summer in Vacationland

Days like today nearly make up for days in February that have me plotting to move to the tropics. The sky is incredibly blue. There’s a slight breeze. Trees are flowering in every yard. Tulips and daffodils have yet to give way to daylilies and irises. It’s spring in Maine and I’m hard pressed to come up with a time of year I love more. It’s 70 degrees and sunny. And, best of all, it’s early May. May is like the morning of summer. You get a glimpse of what lies ahead, but it’s not quite there yet.




Mornings always find me planning out the rest of the day. I’m one of those people: a list maker. My to do list runs on with never enough time to complete my self assigned tasks. This list a bit more fun. Rather than the reality of “fold laundry, call about the problems my computer is having, shop for Mother’s day cards”, today’s list is one of things to do this summer. While last year seemed to be the year of the “staycation” for most, we didn’t entertain the concept. Having just moved into our house gave us more chores and other to do lists to tackle, and once you toss in our wedding and my niece’s wedding, we had little left of the summer to really plot. A trip to Acadia for a day on Sand Beach and some fun down at Ogunquit’s Marginal Way filled out the weekends.

Now, with the whole summer ahead of me, here are some of my ideas for things I’d like to do:



1. Bike the carriage trails at Acadia National Park. Great, gravel trails well suited to family biking. Bring a picnic and ride up Day Mountain for the view of Somes Sound. Acadia National Park carriage trails

2. Go to Sandy Stream Pond in Baxter State Park. Guaranteed moose sighting. Incredible view of Mt Katahdin.

3. Spend a day (and night) at Old Orchard Beach. Just get into the carnival atmosphere and enjoy the beautiful beach.

4. Fairs and Festivals a plenty. Plan to check out your favorites. Yarmouth Clam Festival, Rockland Lobster Festival, Strawberry Festival in South Berwick, Windjammer Festival in Boothbay Harbor, Old Port Festival in Portland, Blueberry Festivals in a couple of places, the American Folk Festival in Bangor, the Balloon Festival in Auburn, the Fryburg Fair, the Common Ground Fair, the Bangor State Fair. It goes on and on. There’s something for everyone. Here’s a great website to find the one you will love: Maine Fairs and Festivals

5. Maine has some beautiful lakes and ponds. I plan to spend a few days enjoying them. Long Pond in Parsonsfield is a family favorite. Bunganut Lake in Alfred has a nice sandy bottom and public beach.

6. For organized fun – theme park style, there’s Funtown in Saco with its sister water park, Splashtown. Funtown SplashtownJust down route one from there is Aquaboggen waterpark. Aquaboggen Water ParkThe aforementioned Old Orchard Beach has Palace Playland with it’s rides and games. I have yet to go but I think I’d like to check out the Windham Fun Park. York’s Wild Kingdom has rides and animals. Google any of these to get to their respective websites for more information

7. The beaches of York and Wells are sandy and clean. Go early to find parking. Do the whole deal: beach blankets, chairs, umbrella, picnic lunches, sand toys. All are well suited for family fun.

8. Nature walks and hikes. Many are short and great to fit into an afternoon. We recently went to the Rachel Carson wildlife reserve in Wells (I’ll tell you all about it on Friday’s blog). Nearby is the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm. In Falmouth is MacWorth Island with a great walk and very cool Fairy Garden that little kids just love, the Orono Bogwalk, the Heath in Saco (see recent post), the active Back Cove in Portland has a walking-running trail that circles the entire cove,

9. If you’re not into activity like hikes, walks, bikes, rides, and fairs there’s always SHOPPING. Both Freeport and Kittery have enough outlet stores to drain your bank account. Other towns like Camden, Kennebunkport, Portland, Bar Harbor, Boothbay Harbor, Rockland, Wells, York, and Ogunquit have wonderful little shops and boutiques, chock full of Maine Made crafts and gifts, clothing and kitchen goods. Many places are stocked with unique tshirts and foods.

10. Add to all of these choices, the fact that there are so many neat art galleries tucked in along with all of the shops in the towns listed above and in the larger cities like Portland, Bangor, and Augusta. For the kids, both Portland and Bangor have Children’s Museums. The Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor is one of my daughter’s favorites. The University of Maine Museum of Art on Harlow street in Bangor is small but offers free admission and is well worth it if you’re in town.

When I get to any of the places I’ve listed above, I’ll write a review and give you more information about the place, including nearby restaurant recommendations and other tips for visiting.



Looking back at all of this fun that is available right here at home, I need to ask myself why I always look to other parts of the country when I need a vacation. I could easily fill weeks with stuff to do within a few hours drive in my home state. I will make it a point to take full advantage of the fact that I live in vacationland. That’s the slogan on our license plates. Often you’ll see “Maine: the way life should be” or “Life in the slow lane.” These are fine, but I kind of like Vacationland. It reminds me of all the fun that’s right here.