There’s no better time than the late summer to explore the beautiful and rugged scenery found in New England, or more specifically, the state of Maine. We have five campgrounds to choose from where you can spend a few days at each and get to know life in New England.
Thousand Trails Moody Beach, located in Wells, and Pinehurst Campground, located in Old Orchard Beach are roughly 28 miles apart. But you can spend time at each while exploring the southern Maine coastal area. In addition to the wonderful beaches here, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is here, which is a 9000+ acre refuge for salt marshes and migratory birds. The Refuge offers several trails that are great for wildlife viewing and bird watching. The Wells Reserve at Laudholm also provides protection for coastal woodlands and wetlands and has walking trails as well as historic barn buildings.
The town of Kennebunkport, most widely known as the Summer White House during the administration of George H.W. Bush, is worth a visit if you’re looking for a lobster boat tour (several options here); want to do a Maine foodie tour (mainedayventures.com); or shop the many shops in the Dock Square and Ocean Avenue areas. The Intown Trolley is a great way to see the whole town via a 60-minute narrated sight-seeing tour.
Portland, Maine’s most populous city, is another option. Visitors to Portland will find the Portland Museum of Art, Portland Head Light, the historic lighthouse which is the oldest in Maine (actually located in nearby Cape Elizabeth), and the Morse-Libby House, a pre-Civil War Victorian mansion that offers guided tours. Commercial Street, which runs along the waterfront, is great for shopping while Old Port has cobblestone streets, fishing piers and historic brick buildings.
On the road to Bar Harbor (the drive from southern Maine to Bar Harbor is a little over three hours with no stops) we suggest stopping in Bangor, the capital city. The Zillman Art Museum is here and in addition to an extensive collection of contemporary artists including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney and Edward Hopper, the museum also houses works by some of Maine’s most famous artists Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth. For fans of kitschy art, there is the giant statue of everyone’s favorite lumberjack, Paul Bunyon, who stands 31 feet high and is ready for his insta-worthy closeup with you. Bangor is also all about Stephen King as so many of the places in the town were made famous through King’s horror novels, although he called it Derry. Those include Pennywise’s sewer drain, the cemetery which was the setting for Pet Sematary as well as King’s former home, which is being converted into a museum. If you’re interested in an all-Stephen King focused tour, check out sk-tours.com. If you’re looking to stretch your feet and get in some exercise, visit the Bangor City Forest, a 680-acre wildlife habitat and working forest that has over nine miles of trails for biking and hiking.
Continuing on the road, don’t miss the Telephone Museum in Ellsworth which has antique telephones and switchboards and could be a real eye-opener for those travelling along that only know I-phones and Androids! Also in Ellsworth is the L.L. Bean Outlet store which is a good place to shop for deals on active and outerwear as well as camping gear. Ellsworth is also home to Patten Pond Campground. If you’re staying at Narrows Too Campground in Trenton, make sure to take in Timber Tina’s Great Lumberjack Show (check out tickets at mainelumberjack.com.)
Bar Harbor proper is home to Mt. Desert Narrows Campground, a charming downtown area and is also considered the gateway to Acadia National Park. Bar Harbor has several museums depicting the history of the area including the Abbe Museum (located within Acadia National Park and dedicated to the history of Native Americans), the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History and the Bar Harbor Historical Society. Shop the shops along Main Street, take a whale-watching cruise, eat plenty of lobster or enjoy live music at the Village Green, which features weekly shows performed by the Town Band. Spend as much time as possible exploring the amazing Acadia National Park with its miles of carriage roads for biking, plus hiking trails and beaches. Sand Beach is one option for beach-lovers. Don’t miss that natural phenomenon that is Thunder Hole, where rushing waves create a thunderous sound when they hit the rock formations.
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