Things to do in Maine this weekend

Ripped sand at Hills Beach in Biddeford, Maine

It’s summer in Maine – my favorite time in my favorite place to be – and there’s always a lot to do.  I’ve been looking at my calendar and it seems that there are not enough weekends to do everything I want to do. 

I have a family event this weekend but if I didn’t I’d be checking out some of these fun things! 

Some of this weekend’s events include:

1.                  The Annual Lupine Festival, held in Deer Isle – celebrates these vibrant, summertime flowers that bloom in June and make me smile.  More info here:  www.deerisle.com

2.                  Legacy of the Arts Festival, June 17^th in Bar Harbor – Live music, art exhibits, demonstrations and historic tours at a variety of sites around town in celebration of the area’s rich history of art, music, Native American culture and more.  More info here: www.legacyartsfestival.com

Native American handmade baskets

3.                  One of my favorites . . . The Downtown Bangor ARTWALK – it’s a gorgeous day in mid June, the days are long and you can stroll from studio to shop to museum and check out some great art, music, and awesome people.  Look for some of my work available for sale at a few of the shops!  Here’s where you can get more info - Art walk maps listing the participating venues and featured artists will be available at The University of Maine Museum of Art, Metropolitan Soul, and One Lupine Fiber Arts. Additional information can be found at www.downtownartscollaborative.org

4.                  In the Greenville area – join the fun at Moose Mainea, a month long celebration of the area's favorite resident - The Moose. The events include a town wide yard sale, craft fair, kids fun day and more. For info phone (207) 695-2702 or see our Facebook page.

5.                  In Wells - Beach Bike Ride for Charity was founded in 2010 by a pair of Wells resident families and a couple of young sports/technology enthusiasts looking to give something back to the community.  The ride has been a huge success. In it's first year the ride attracted over fifty riders and raised over $8,000. The second year, the ridership doubled with over 100 riders and raised a whopping $11,000 for charity.  More info here:  www.beachbikeride.org

Bike at Casco Bay

 

I know I know, the screens need cleaning and the garden already needs to be weeded and you’ve got to figure out what to do with the patch in the front lawn that the grubs attacked.  There are a million reasons not to go to one of these events, or any of the others that are happening all over the state.  I am running the list through my head right now.   

Obligations and to do’s so often get in the way of the things we’ll truly remember.  Your kids won’t look back fondly at how great the bushes looked when they were young.  They’ll remember the time you all danced under the tent at the American Folk Festival (www.americanfolkfestival.com) or how often you rode bikes to Jimmie’s Ice Cream (North Main St. Brewer) for a cone that melted faster than you could eat it. 

So get up and get out there and have a fun weekend everyone!

Fun, Food, and the Fabulous in Fort Lauderdale



Fort Lauderdale is known as “The Venice of America” because it has over three hundred miles of navigable canals that are part of the intracoastal waterway.  Prior to our recent visit, I had read about the system and was curious about it.  A local travel agent told me that we could take a water taxi and get a great tour of the area.  So on our last full day in Fort Lauderdale, we hopped aboard.  An adult unlimited pass is $22.00 and a child’s unlimited pass is $13.00.  This allows you to get on and off as many times as you want in one day.  Our plan was to ride from the marina near our hotel and get off at Las Olas Boulevard to have lunch and do a little shopping, the climb on again for the ride back.

Well, it was quite a tour!  Each boat has a captain who drives and a narrator who speaks over the intercom system, telling stories and a history lesson along the way.  Ours was quite entertaining and engaged the passengers, making it a really fun way to get from one point to another. 

The homes along the intracoastal, are the homes of the wealthy.  Some were the homes of  celebrities and others belonged to business moguls, homes bought and sold for millions. 

Here are just a few . . .

This sprawling estate goes on to include a dozen buildings, each aquired as they were sold by neighbors.

Kind of a White House on the water.

Note the sculpture on the lawn . . a fortune cookie.  This is the property of the P.F Chang dynasty. 

The million dollar mermaid fountain.

The oh so casual outdoor bar and hot tub.

The whimiscal dancing frogs at water's edge.

This little number belonged to Sonny & Cher when Chastity was born. 
The story was told that the neighbor on one side was the inventor of Alka Selter and on the other side the Seagram's heirs, so everyone could have drinks and music and be medicated in the morning. 

Along with the waterfront living comes the need for suitable transportation.  I don’t imagine you could like in places like these and ride around in a pontoon boat.  No . . .

You need a yacht. 

This one belongs to the Yankee Candle folks.  It's named "Parafin".  How cute. 

In some cases, a megayacht. 

Supermodel Elle MacPherson's little boat.

The 78 million dollar yacht belonging to Judge Judy.

Steven Spielberg's 235 million dollar yacht. 

We got off the water taxi at Las Olas Boulevard.  I had read about the district famous for unique shopping.  But we were hungry for lunch and were thrilled to see a restaurant that specialized in crepes.  We love crepes!  My French Canadian Memere made some awesome crepes, but they were simple, and we ate them with brown sugar and maple syrup.  The crepes at La Bonne Crepe on Las Olas, were anything but simple.  An incredible selection of stuffings and toppings was on the menu.  My daughter ordered the banana split crepe and I went savory with the tomato and basil crepe.  They were delicious and reasonably priced.

Banana Split crepe

Tomato, basil, crisp crepe . . delicious!

For dessert, as if a banana split crepe calls for dessert, we had gelato from the Italian bakery Pane’ Dolci.  Smooth and creamy and cold, we stood outside in the sunshine to eat it. 

My salted caramel gelato

Gelato like artwork in the cooler.

We stopped in a few shops but quickly found that Las Olas shopping was not meant for people on a budget.  At one store I picked up a cute pink tee shirt, held it up to show my daughter and quickly put it back when I saw the price tag; $98.00.  For . . . a  . . . tee . . . shirt.  Gulp. 

 

Soon we found the way back to the water taxi stop and sat in the grass while we waited.  Late afternoon sun streaked across the water as the yellow boat pulled up to the dock.  Again we saw the yachts and homes and heard the stories about Sonny & Cher and the inventor of Alka Selter.  Again we passed Spielburg’s yacht.  Finally back to the dock near our hotel and I was exhausted from the walking and shooting and eating and from the feelings of frustration that arise from the thoughts of equity and social justice . . and living a life of limitation. 

While I enjoyed, in a voyeuristic sense, this glimpse into the lives of the rich, famous, lucky, and ostentatious, it certainly brought to mind the huge gap in our society between these homeowners and the homeowners in my little middle class neighborhood in Maine, and even more when you consider how many people struggle to keep the roof they live under.  It prompted questions about the curious connection between celebrity and wealth.  Why does that job – acting in movies, for example, pay so much more than another job?  What is our pay scale based on?  It can’t be based on the value of the contribution to the general good, or the importance in a human sense of the job’s end result.  Why in the world does Judge Judy make 45 million dollars a year, making her able to afford a yacht that costs 78 million dollars?  Why is her job – a television judge – more valued than the job of a drug and alcohol counselor who helps people get clean and sober?  Why does that counselor have to settle for the low pay when there is such unfathomable wealth in other sectors? 

I haven’t involved myself in the 99% vs. 1% fight that’s going on out there in the country, but if there was any time I’ve felt fired up about the discrepancies in income it was after that water taxi ride and the exposure I had to that other side of the golden coin.

When I step back into my cozy little home with my family and take a moment to appreciate the wonderful life I have, I can’t see where a big house on the water could make this any better.  I don’t see where a yacht fits into the picture. 

Ok . .  maybe a small one could be worked in right over . . . there.     

Appreciate the simple things . . .

Summer in Vacationland; Part 2: summer lists

Rarely do I heed my own advice. I put great effort into the research of fun things to do in the state of Maine. Three months ago, I wrote a blog post about some of the great ideas I had for things that I wanted to do here in Maine this summer. Technically, we’re just about halfway between the first day of summer and the first day of autumn, but in the minds of most of us, summer runs between Memorial Day and Labor Day, or if you’re on kid time, as I am, the last day of school through to the first. This is when it really FEELS like summer. The stores stock summer stuff like barbeque tools, beach chairs, flip flops and bug spray. There’s that antsy sense that something is going to happen. We open the windows. We seed the garden. It’s a beautiful thing. Part of what I like to do is to make a list of all the things I want to do in the summer, given that it’s my favorite time of year. Here is a streamlined version of the list I made on May 5th and the status of each item.

1. Bike the carriage trails at Acadia National Park. – didn’t do this yet, but it’s still on the radar. I’m quickly running out of weekends.

2. Go to Sandy Stream Pond in Baxter State Park. – this is still on the agenda, too, perhaps for the early fall?

3. Spend a day (and night) at Old Orchard Beach. – spent an evening, but not the day at the beach, yet. This weekend might be the opportunity to do that.

4. Fairs and Festivals a plenty. – Bangor Fair is going on right now, and I haven’t been so far this week. Haven’t been to a single other fair this summer. This is really bumming me out since I really do enjoy them so much.

5. Maine has some beautiful lakes and ponds. – okay, here’s some success – spent the 4th of July at Swan Lake, just picnicked at China Lake, and am planning a family gathering at Long Pond next weekend.

6. Organized fun – theme park style: Funtown in Saco with its sister water park, Splashtown. – well, we did a BIG theme park, Busch Gardens, but that doesn’t qualify as a Maine thing to do. We did spend a day at the Funtown/Splashtown parks which was a lot of fun.

7. The beaches of York and Wells – went to Wells on a few occasions, went through both Wells and York on the way to Virginia. Haven’t made it to the beaches of either so far. (like how optimistic that sounds? So far . . )

8. Nature walks and hikes – okay, did the Rachel Carson nature walk and hiked at Camden Hills state park.

9. Shopping: well, I didn’t really do much for shopping. Went to the Grasshopper Shop a few times, but no other funky shops or boutiques. My bank account has been stretched too thin to spend unnecessarily.

10. Art galleries: not a one. This is really sad. I love to visit them, but hey, this one can be done in the winter, right?





So, okay. I haven’t done everything on my list, but I did hit a few, and though I am running out of weekend, the next few are busy ones, and there’s still a chance that I can do some of the other things I set out to do.



What have I done? Let’s see here. A quick little cruise through my photo archives tells me a few things:

1. Spent time in the garden, not only starting my veggies and flowers and nurturing them to the thriving greenery they are now, but also visited other gardens, like the Ornamental Garden at the University of Maine.

2. Planned and executed a great 11th birthday party for my daughter with a camping theme, fun games, good food, and fun had by all. Definitely one she and her friends will remember.

3. Spent a day with our good friends, Dean & Karen at Swan Lake. Picnicked, sunbathed, gave my daughter’s surf board a test run, and laughed our butts off.

4. Had quite a few campfires in the fire pit we got, some with friends around, some just the three of us. Lots of s’mores.

5. Ate quite a bit of seafood, from the fried variety to the steamed and dipped in butter, we enjoyed the area’s bounty. I’m expecting more will be consumed in the coming weeks.

6. Did a road trip to Machias, through the blueberry barons, to the UMaine campus there where my husband spent formative years, and to Fort O’Brien for a picnic. I’ve been wanting to go out there for years.

7. Sold old car, bought new car.

8. Had a great vacation – yes, outside of vacationland – but a wonderful time nonetheless. A day in New York City, Broadway, The Lion King, The American Girl Store. Virginia Beach. Roller Coasters, water parks . . .I could go on, and will, in upcoming posts.

9. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. Jimmie’s in Brewer, Dairy Queen, Garsides in Saco (best ginger ice cream I know)

10. Created some good memories with my kid, whether it was the two of us singing out loud in the car to the Zac Brown Band’s “Toes” or seeing her face after she rode Apollo’s Chariot for the first time or laughing hysterically in the theatre during intermission.

Summer might be coming to the end as far as the hot weather, no homework, free and easy part of it may be concerned, but what we’ve done so far is enough to carry me on through for some time. I vow to try my hardest to live in the moment and enjoy the good things about summer in Maine, or about summer in general. I will appreciate these little things:

1. summer dresses and the ease of summer dressing

2. the smell of basil, rosemary, and tomatoes on my hands after stroking them in the garden.

3. sitting at a picnic table with my favorite people on earth eating an egg salad salad sandwich, a bag of salt & vinegar chips, and a whoopee pie for dessert.

4. ice cream dripping over the cone on a steamy night

5. those snappy red hot dogs

6. flip flops, open windows, the smell of sunscreen, the sound of crickets

7. running in my neighborhood in the morning before work

8. staying outside late, the smell of barbeque, the lack of seriousness

9. the quiet of the University campus during summer break, no traffic, plenty of parking

10. no shivering, no shoveling, no scraping, no scarves, mittens, or long johns, no early sunsets, no portable heaters, no slipping or sliding just to get into the house, and no frozen anything except freeze pops and ice cream.

This morning I actually heard some one say “hey, four more months and we’ll be snowmobiling!”

Enjoy your summer!!!

50 MORE Things to do in Maine

Emily Burnham, writer for the Bangor Daily News, came up with a great list of 50 Things to Do in Maine This Summer. Here’s a link to her list: http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/145829.html.




After reading it and taking some notes of things to add to my own summer calendar, like going to the Whoopie Pie festival in Dover-Foxcroft on June 26th and checking out Thai Chili ice cream at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, I got to thinking about how I could add to Emily’s list.



Could I come up with ANOTHER 50 Things to Do in Maine This Summer? Here’s my attempt



FESTIVALS



1. Strawberry festival – South Berwick – http://southberwickstrawberryfestival.com/default.aspx Saturday, June 26th. Food, crafts, strawberries, of course. Features a bake-off, juried craft show with over 120 artisans, and entertainment. This festival is always the last Saturday in June, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Central School grounds across from Town Hall. Phone (207) 384-2882 for details.

2. Canoe Hullabaloo Celebration – Old Town June 18th & 10th. N. Main Street, Old Town 207-827-8744 or http://www.rivercoalition.org/canoe_hullabaloo Nightly entertainment, canoe races, road races, canoe regatta.

3. Windjammer Days – Boothbay Harbor - http://www.chambermaster.com/directory/jsp/events/EventPage.jsp?ccid=538&eventid=3003. June 22nd & 23rd 48th Annual Windjammer Days in Boothbay Harbor. Enjoy fully rigged windjammers sail into Boothbay Harbor. Two days of family fun, pancake breakfasts, waterfront concerts, art & craft fair, hometown street parade, antique boat parade and fireworks over the harbor! Great fun for all!

4. Lupine Festival – Deer Isle - 9th annual celebration of Island springtime: garden tours, local foods supper, open studios, boat-plane-schooner trips, quilt show, craft fair, kids activities.  Deer Isle-Stonington Chamber of Commerce – 348-6124

5. La Kermesse Franco Americaine Festival – http://www.lakermessefestival.com/ Jun 24 thru Jun 27, 2010. Starts with a block party and goes on with events on Friday (parade, dining and entertainment) through Sunday. Held at St. Louis Field on West Street between Prospect and Hill Streets

6. Great Falls Balloon Festival – August 20th - Auburn info at http://www.greatfallsballoonfestival.org/ This is a big one, stretching over 3 days.  Includes a photo contest and crafts and games.  Food vendors are local area organizations. 



7. Saco Spirit Sidewalk Art Festival – June 26th Jun 26, 2010. Over 100 artists and craftsmen will line Main Street and Pepperell Square during the Saco Spirit Sidewalk Art Festival, transforming downtown Saco into a giant art gallery from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For 40 years artist have traveled from all over New England and beyond to participate in what has become for many exhibitors one of their favorite festivals of the year.

8. Moxie Festival – yes, you heard right. Held July 9th – 11th in Downtown Lisbon Falls. More info at http://www.moxiefestival.com/

9. Maine International Film Festival – July 9th – 18th, Waterville. More info at http://www.miff.org/

10. 4th of July Celebrations: all over the state. Check local listings. Old Orchard Beach, Portland’s Eastern Promenade, Bangor. Day and time varies.

11. Yarmouth Clam Festival – July 16, 17, 18th in Yarmouth. More info at http://www.clamfestival.com/home.php lots of food, not just clams, great crafts set up, games and challenges. 

12. Bangor State Fair – July 30th – August 8th in Bangor. Schedule of events and more info at http://www.bangorstatefair.com/ longest continually running agricultural fair.  Over a week long event, there are rides, lots of games, food from everywhere, stadium shows, a photo contest, stage shows. It's a blast. 

13. Schoodic Arts Festival- Aug 02 thru Aug 15, 2010. A two week celebration of arts and culture, including 65 workshops, 26 evening performances, free brown bag lunchtime performances, an art show, a silent auction, and much, much more. Most events occur at Hammond Hall. Phone (207) 963-2569 for details or visit http://schoodicarts.org/festival/festival-information



14. Maine Lobster Festival – this is a big one in Maine – held in Rockland Aug 04 thru Aug 08, 2010. The Maine Lobster Festival is one of New England's great summer events. Tons of steamed Maine lobsters, waterfront activities, maritime displays, Maine arts, naval vessels, harbor cruises, entertainment and a parade. For info phone (207) 596-0376 or (800) LOB-CLAW.

15. Machias Wild Blueberry Festival - Aug 20 thru Aug 22, 2010. This is the 34th Annual Machias Wild Blueberry Festival. The Downeast region of Maine produces some 85% of the world's blueberries. The festival features baking and pie eating contests, over 200 craft booths, foot races, a blueberry musical comedy and a variety of musical entertainment. For info phone (207) 255-6665 http://www.machiasblueberry.com/

16. Camden Windjammer Festival – Camden Harbor http://www.camdenwindjammerfestival.com/. You can tour some of the ships in the harbor. There’s a build-a-boat race after teams have constructed their boats on site. There’s food and dancing in the streets. And it all takes place Labor Day weekend. Great way to wrap up the summer.



AMUSE YOURSELF

17. Seacoast Fun Parks – one in Trenton and one in Windham. http://www.seacoastfunparks.com/ Go Karts, Climbing wall, mini golf, Windham has a slingshot trampoline and a giant sky swing. Trenton’s got waterslides and a water wars set up to blast each other.

18. Funtown USA – Saco, Maine http://www.funtownsplashtownusa.com// - this is a nice amusement park to visit. You know I am a big fan of big roller coasters, but this park holds a special place for me because it was where I had my first job as a teen.

19. York Wild Kingdom - York - http://www.yorkzoo.com/ Fun as a kid, fun with your kid.  Check out York Beach while you're in the area.

20. - Aquaboggen Waterslide – Saco, Maine - http://www.aquabogganwaterpark.com/ another park on my resume, this one is the original waterslide in Maine and has expanded tremendously over the years. Prices are really reasonable.

21. Palace Playland, Old Orchard Beach – http://www.palaceplayland.com/ – claims to be the only beachfront amusement park in New England and I can’t argue with them. While you’re there, eat Pier Fries and caramel corn. Take a walk on the pier. It’s hokey and fun. The rides include a small roller coaster, giant swing, classic carousel, and a Ferris wheel that offers awesome views of the beach. The best part is that it’s free admission. You just pay for the rides you go on and don’t have to buy a day pass to just walk around and do a couple of rides or play games. Great people watching, too.

22. Mini golf – lots of places around the state. Really too many to list, but I found a directory online www.miniaturegolfer.com/maine_miniature_golf_courses.html



EAT AND SHOP

23. The Big Chicken Barn – you read that right. Antiques shopping in an old chicken barn. http://www.bigchickenbarn.com/.

24. Marden’s Salvage - http://www.mardens.com/ - if you happen to be near a Marden’s and you have time to shop, you’ve got to check it out. You can find great deals on things you didn’t know you needed. Great for seasonal decorations, garden stuff, flooring, and truckload sales of things like brand name pottery, women’s clothing, fishing and camping gear and golf equipment. Loads of fun to browse. We even saw a full sized disco ball there once . . should have bought it when we saw it.

25. Strawberry picking – a June tradition. Try Lavigne’s Strawberry Farm in Sanford. http://www.pickyourown.org/ lists farms around Maine.

26. Blueberry picking – late July and August – http://www.pickyourown.org./ I went to Blueberry Hill Farm in Acton a few years ago and picked gallons of berries in a short time. They’re high bush berries so they’re easy to pick.

27. Open Farm day – this year it’s July 25th. Farms around the state open their barns, lay out samples of their products, and give hay rides. www.getrealmaine.com/

28. The Clambake – Scarborough - http://www.clambakerestaurant.com/ – I know there are lots of places to get fried seafood, but I’ve been going to the Clambake as long as I can remember. Portions are huge, especially in the off season, and prices are reasonable. The Captain’s and Mates plates are big enough to share. You can sit in one of the giant dining rooms or out on the glassed in porch. On our last visit, an egret stood in the marsh and ate while we did. Save your leftovers to feed the seagulls outside. They wait to swoop in when people walk out with food.

29. Garside’s Ice Cream – Saco – my favorite ice cream place of my childhood. Try the ginger ice cream. Peppermint is fabulous, too. I have sweet memories of black raspberry cones.

30. Big G’s in Winslow has these giant amazing sandwiches. The bread is soft and the fillings are incredibly generous. The whoopee pies are the size of whoopee cushions. http://www.big-g-s-deli.com/

31. GUNS, WEDDING GOWNS, COLD BEER. While you’re in that neck of the woods, just stop in and check out Hussey’s General Store in Windsor. http://www.husseysgeneralstore.com/

32. Governor’s Restaurants are famous statewide. You’ve got to check out the desserts. The Old Town location is the original and has a neat miniature train track that runs through the dining rooms. June is their anniversary and they’ve got great specials going on through the end of the month. http://governorsrestaurant.com/

33. Pat’s Pizza – http://www.patspizza.com/ – 13 locations in the state, with the original in Orono. All I’ve got to say about the pizzas: It’s the sauce. It’s amazing.



SWIM & PLAY

34. Bunganut Lake State Park in Lyman/Alfred has a nice playground, parking, and the water is clear and sandy bottomed. Great place for taking the kids

35. I almost don’t want to divulge this one. My family has been going to this pond for generations. Long Pond in Parsonsfield. No web site. Search for it on a map in that area. The Road Between the Ponds (yes, that’s really the name) has a small beach area through the woods. The pond is shallow and sandy. Great for family fun. Clean and sandy.

36. Mousam Lake in Acton. There’s a small public beach, but it’s a great place to rent a cottage for a week. Lots of activity on the lake: boating, waterskiing, etc.

37. In the Bangor area, take the family to the Beth Pancoe Pool right next door to the Mansfield Stadium. Believe it or not, this public pool has two multi story waterslides, a zero entry kiddie area complete with things that dump and spray. There’s a grassy area if you want to bring your blanket, chairs and a picnic. There’s a playground just outside and beware, the ice cream truck idles outside on hot days.

38. University of Maine Campus Recreation Center welcomes guests from the community at a daily rate of $7.00. The pool is indoors and is well suited for family fun. there are two lap lanes, an open recreation area, a twenty something person hot tub, and shallow play area with fountains to splash in and my personal favorite, a circular vortex pool (that’s right, continuously whirling water). A blast on a rainy day or when the sun shines too brightly for tender skin. www.umaine.edu/campusrecreation/facilities/recreationcenter.html

39. Mother’s Beach, Kennebunk – we have so many awesome beaches in this state, but this is a good one for families. It’s a small beach. It’s locally known as Mother’s Beach but the real name is Kennebunk Beach. It’s the southernmost beach in Kennebunk. Follow Beach Street until you reach the small parking lot on the ocean side. There is a playground just steps away, thus the name “Mother’s Beach” as it makes a great place to take the kids for the day. Low tide exposes rocks to climb and tide pools to explore.

40. Fortune’s Rocks Beach, Biddeford- the name comes from the millions of smooth beach rocks that are deposited on this beach. At low tide the beach is wide and flat. Tidal pools and seagulls make it a quintessential Maine beach experience. Off of route 9 in Biddeford.

41. Sand Beach, Acadia National Park, Mt. Desert Island – it’s worth it to pay the entry fee to the park, but get there early for good parking. There are bathrooms and changing rooms. Steps lead you down to the beach from the parking area to a soft sandy beach. Spend the day and enjoy the views of Acadia and Great Head.

42. Macworth Island – Falmouth – there’s a nature trail that wraps around the island with a couple of places you can get down to the beach. Views of Casco Bay. There’s a fairy garden to contribute to if you’re so inclined. Gather things along the path like pine cones and shells. Follow the signs for the Baxter School for the Deaf from Route 1. www.trails.org/map_files/mackworth_page_description.html

43. Scarborough Marsh canoe rental – Scarborough - www.maineaudubon.org/explore/centers/marsh. You can rent a canoe or kayak and paddle around the marsh. Take a tour or do a self guided one and learn about this important part of Maine’s ecosystem.

44. Biking the carriage trails at Acadia is one of my favorite experiences. Forty five miles of groomed, broken stone roads that are free of vehicle traffic. www.nps.gov/acad/historyculture/historiccarriageroads.htm. You’ll be able to find a route that will be suitable for all ages and abilities. You can circle around Eagle Lake, head over to Jordon Pond for lunch, make your way up Day Mountain and enjoy the long coasting ride down. Many places to picnic.

45. Try walking on peat bogs. Well, not ON them, on the boardwalks built over them. In Saco, the Saco Heath www.sacobaytrails.org/sacoheath.shtml and http://celestecota.blogspot.com/2010/04/saco-heath.html Also check out the Orono Bogwalk, part of the Bangor City Forest http://www.oronobogwalk.org//. Very cool afternoon stroll.



OTHER DIVERSIONS

46. Feel like getting high? Ok, not that kind . . . check out the glider rides offered by Acadia Air Tours http://acadiaairtours.com/. You can take a ride over Bar Harbor, Cadillac Mountain, or the Beehive. My husband took me up over Bar Harbor when we were first dating and it was amazing. Bring your camera.

47. Dive In Theatre – Diver Ed http://divered.com/ You take a boat ride out into Frenchman Bay in Bar Harbor. Ed dons scuba tank, video and sound equipment and heads into the bay, showing you the creatures that live at the bottom of the bay. Captain Evil (nice name) stays topside to narrate the tour. They have a touch tank where you can check out the sea life they bring up before it gets returned to the sea. It’s a two hour adventure that the kids (and you) will love.

48. Searsport Flea Markets – Route 1 in Searsport – lots of free fun to check out the stuff they have for sale. You can paw through records, lunchboxes, bottles, things you haven’t seen since childhood, and things you’ll wonder “why?”

49. Perry’s Nut House – Belfast - http://www.perrysnuthouse.com/. As long as I can remember, this has been a fun stop. The fudge. The candy. The nuts, of course. The funhouse mirrors and wacky stuff they have there are worth the stop.

50. Saco Drive In – Saco – Route 1 – Been to a drive in lately? The Saco Drive in runs current movies. There’s a comment on their Facebook page about parents taking their kids to the drive in in their pajamas. My parents did that, too! It was fun then and still is. Their burgers are good and greasy, like drive in food should be.

Wow. I did it. We’ve got a lot to do here in Maine. If you live here, get out and enjoy what’s in your backyard. If you’re visiting, have fun deciding what you’re going to do because you have a lot of choices!





General Information and the source for some of the information provided here comes from these websites. Personal experience has been added.



http://www.maine.info/events/festivals



http://www.visitmaine.com/