|
If it’s wilderness and that get-away-from-it-all feel that you are looking for, then Maine is the answer. It is also the answer if you want a seaside holiday on a sandy beach. And if you want stay in romantic B&Bs. And if you want thrills, such as white-water rafting. And if you want to go sailing under canvas aboard a schooner (they call them windjammers) along a coast studded with rocky islands and pine trees. In winter, there is nowhere better to go skiing or boarding on massive mountains. And Maine itself is massive – as big as the other five New England states put together. There’s plenty of room for you … and for your friends and family. And did we mention lobster? Every year, 60 million pounds are harvested, and these crustaceans are best enjoyed at a ‘lobster shack’, an informal restaurant, often with wooden tables overlooking the sea.
A city that often appears on ‘best places to live’ lists, Portland is a major port and the state’s most populous community. Humming with fun is the Old Port, with its brick pavements, galleries, pubs and restaurants. Downtown are two excellent neighboring museums: the Children’s Museum of Maine and the Portland Museum of Art. Maine’s largest art collection ranges from works by Matisse, Degas and Renoir to American painters who spent their summers in the area: Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper and the Wyeths. Then there is the 1785 Wadsworth-Longfellow House, the former home of Queen Victoria’s favorite poet. Augusta, the state capital, borders the Kennebec River. Tour the handsome capitol building and learn all about the Pine Tree State at the Maine State Museum. Then, go back to 1754 at Old Fort Western, the oldest surviving wooden fort in the USA.
For a real feel of what the state is all about, drive up to Acadia and take the 29-mile long Schoodic Scenic Byway from Hancock, turning down the peninsula to Schoodic Head and on to Prospect Harbor. Along the way, the road dips and turns past lighthouses, ocean and villages where the traditions of crafts, clamming and lobstering are still followed. By contrast, the Old Canada Road Scenic Byway is in the rugged interior. Twisting and turning as it follows the Kennebec River, Wyman Lake, and the Dead River, the 80-mile drive along US 201 passes dense forest, where timber is the main harvest, and villages such as Solon and Bingham.
More and more visitors are discovering Maine’srugged challenging mountains, such as Sunday River and Sugarloaf USA, that offer informal atmosphere, superb on-mountain accommodation and no queues.
Sugarloaf USA
With a vertical drop of 2,820 feet, this is Maine’s biggest ski mountain, its 54 miles of trails ranging from novice to expert. Three trails are over three miles long. The Perfect Turn Ski and Snowboard School is regularly ranked as the best in the East, while the outdoor centre boasts 60 miles of groomed, tracked cross-country trails. Only two hours’ drive from Montréal’s international airport; three terrain parks; two half-pipes.
Sunday River
Huge – that is the only way to describe this resort, with eight interconnected mountains. Whatever run you choose, one of the 18 lifts is on hand to take you back up for more. From the top, views are of Mount Washington and the Mahoosuc Mountains. Snow is guaranteed, thanks to the best technology in North America. Nearby is the classic New England village of Bethel, with its historic homes and antiques shops.
Maine is all about small communities with warm welcomes. At the seaside, Camden sits on Penobscot Bay, at the foot of Mount Battie. Charming in all four seasons, it offers a host of attractive country inns and B&Bs, many in grand old Victorian houses. Tiny Rockport is home to schooners offering a sunset cruise or a week’s holiday through the islands.
By contrast, Rockland is a ferry port, with some notable restaurants and B&Bs. Then there are the island retreats, reached only by ferry, such as Monhegan, Matinicus and Vinalhaven, where life is on ‘island time’. By contrast, office workers commute to Portland from Casco Bay islands, such as Little Diamond, Great Diamond, Long, Chebeague and Cliff. Buy a scenic cruise ticket and enjoy the ride! And Maine’s rocky coast is dotted with lighthouses. One of the most photographed is the Portland Head Light. Drive out for a picnic; walk along the shore.
Baxter State Park surrounds mile-high Mt Katahdin, Maine’s tallest mountain. Twice as big as the Isle of Wight, this vast park provides adventure for hikers and canoers. In summer, you can camp out under the stars; in autumn, admire the fiery colors of the fall foliage. And who needs theme park thrills when you can raft down white-water rapids? Sign up with an outfitter and paddle down the Kennebec, Penobscot or Dead River.
One of America’s most beautiful and most popular recreation areas is Acadia National Park. Cars follow the scenic drive; the carriage roads are for hiker, bikers, riders – and cross-country skiers in winter. The nearest community, the seaside town of Bar Harbor, is famous for its array of B&Bs and range of microbreweries, such as Atlantic Brewing, Bar Harbor Brewing and Maine Coast Brewing.
Say Kittery and Freeport in New England, and everyone thinks ‘shopping’. With over 120 outlet stores, the Kittery Outlets, an hour north of Boston, are ‘America’s Maine street for Shopping’. In what looks like a village, Freeport has over 170 designer outlets, such as Gap, Polo, Coach and Cole Haan shoes, whose global headquarters are nearby in Yarmouth. Freeport’s most famous shop is the outdoor goods store LL Bean, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year: there are no locks on the doors!
Near Bangor, Maine’s newest attraction is the 42-story Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory, the only one of its kind in North America). Take an elevator 420 feet up for sweeping views of the Penobscot River, Fort Knox and the Maine coast.
Lobster boat racing is a growing spectator sport along the coast, particularly in ports such as Boothbay Harbor, Friendship and Harpswell. Using working boats 25 to 50-feet long, lobstermen reach speeds of 60 mph over courses 800 to 1,500 yards long. With 100 skiffs taking part, against a backdrop of lighthouses and craggy rocks, this is a sport with a difference.
Moxie Falls , New England’s tallest waterfalls, are 90 feet high. Follow the 2.5-mile trail through the forest to the spectacular gorge near the town of The Forks, where the Moose River and Kennebec River meet. Cool your feet in the water or swim in the rock pools. With 25 species of local wildlife, the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray is fun for children (and adults!), who want to see moose, black bear and owls in a natural setting. The park also has gardens and nature trails.
This is the 100th anniversary of Robert E Peary’s 1908-09 North Pole Expedition. See the exhibition at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum on the campus of Bowdoin College, where Arctic explorer Peary was a student at Maine’s oldest college (1794) in Brunswick, 25 miles from Portland.
For old-fashioned family fun, there’s nowhere like Old Orchard Beach, with its long pier and broad sandy beach. Nearby, Saco is the home of Funtown/Splashtown/USA, with its wooden roller-coaster and water park. More sophisticated are the Kennebunks, the umbrella name for five seaside communities. These villages have something for everyone, from B&Bs to famous old retreats such as the 125-year-old Nonantum Resort
overlooking the Kennebunk River.
Did you know that lobsters smell with their leg hairs? Find more aboard a lobster boat, such as Lulu, out of Bar Harbor. Captain John shows how a trap works, how the crustaceans clamber inside and how traps are hauled the traditional way.
When it comes to gastronomic delights, Maine offers up the best of both worlds: fertile fields where organic farming dominates, and 5,000 miles of Atlantic Coast, with an abundance of cold water seafood. Appreciate the bounty at annual events, such as the Clam Festival in Yarmouth (July) and the Lobster Festival in Rockland (August). But, even if you miss these jamborees, be sure to order lobster – in a no-frills ocean-side lobster ‘shack’ or in award winning restaurant. Two of Gourmet magazine’s Top 50 Restaurants are in Maine. In Ogunquit, Arrows is in an 18th-century farmhouse, whose kitchen garden inspires a menu of Middle Eastern, Thai and local New England specialties. At Fore Street restaurant in Portland, the very best ingredients, from Maine flounder to island-raised lamb, are served up in the hip city atmosphere of a restored warehouse.
Maine produces gorgeous maple syrup and 99 percent of the nation’s wild blueberries, so visit Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies on Deer Isle and take home a jar of Wild Maine Blueberry Chutney or Blueberry Ginger Conserve. Food festivals include the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity (September), a celebration of all things organic and the Maine Brewers Festival in Portland (November).
Maine has long attracted artists. As well as Edward Hopper and George Bellows, there is the Wyeth family. See haunting works by three generations of this artistic family at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. Down in Ogunquit, the Museum of American Art has ocean views to rival its collection. As for music festivals, Bangor hosts the American Folk Festival, a free three-day event on five stages, with music and dance (August). Also in summer, LL Bean’s Discovery Park in Freeport presents free concerts of blues and folk, jazz and Cajun music (Saturday nights).
|
Web Services by: The Destination Group