What Do You Want To Do Today?
It is the question most frequently asked by vacationers. Every morning around our breakfast tables we hear couples posing it to one another. As good hosts, we try to provide our guests with some helpful answers.
What do you want to do? In season along the Maine coast, the possibilities are almost endless. In our entry hall you'll find a selection of brochures citing a wide range of possibilities, from rug hooking to whitewater rafting. Almost without exception, however, our guests tell us their major interest is sightseeing. Watchtide's location at the midpoint on the coast road that borders Penobscot Bay makes for an ideal base. In less than an hour you can reach every important site along the bay coast from the south to north.
Travel south from the inn and in 10 minutes you are in Belfast with its neighborhoods of attractive 19th century homes, quaint shops and lively harbor. Here you can book a daysail aboard the historic Friendship Sloop Amity, one of the classic Maine sailing vessels (http://www.friendshipsloopamity.com). Or go island hopping aboard the Chimera, a trawler style motor yacht (http://www.penobscotbaycruises.com).
Continue south on the coastal highway and in 15 minutes you'll pass through Lincolnville Beach with the constantly busy Lobster Pound restaurant. Another ten minutes and you'll reach Camden, Maine. Just before you enter the town, take a brief detour up the Mount Battie Road to the summit for a breathtaking view of Camden's Harbor and the nearby islands of the bay.
Camden Harbor is the centerpiece of this charming community. You'll see every kind of vessel, from skiffs to four-masted schooners. A fascinating variety of shops, markets and restaurants crowd the narrow streets along the waterfront. A daily ecotour of underwater marine life and lobster fishing departs out of Camden Harbor all through the summer season (http://www3.sympatico.ca/lively.lady/).
Fifteen minutes south of Camden is Rockland, Maine, which hosts the annual Maine Lobster Festival, the largest of its kind, on the first weekend in August. Rockland is also home to a number of interesting sites, among them:
Farnsworth Art Museum which showcases works by Winslow Homer, three generations of Wyeth family artists, and native Rockland sculptor, Louise Nevelson (http://www.farnsworthmuseum.org).
Owl's Head Transportation Museum which houses one of the world's finest collections of pioneer aircraft and automobiles (http://www.ohtm.org).
Maine Lighthouse Museum with America's largest collection of lighthouse artifacts and memorabilia (http://lighthouse.cc/shorevillage).
National Audobon Society's Project Puffin Visitor Center offers an intriguing look at the life of the colorful sea birds that summer on several bay islands (http://www.projectpuffin.org).
A few miles and a few minutes south of Rockland is the town of Thomaston. High on a bluff overlooking the town is Montpelier, a reproduction of the splendid mansion Brigadier General Henry Knox built for his family on this site after he sold the property that is now Watchtide. Many of the furnishings in the mansion belonged to the Knox family.
If you are interested in visiting the bay islands, there are ferries from Lincolnville to Isleboro, from Rockland to Vinalhaven, and from Port Clyde south of Rockland to the artists' colony of Monhegan Island. We can help you make ferry reservations.
Heading north from the inn on the coastal highway, you'll reach the Penobscot Narrows Bridge in about ten minutes. This is a striking new cable-stayed bridge spanning the Penobscot River just above the point where the river spills into Penobscot Bay. An outstanding feature of the bridge is an observatory 420 feet atop the west tower offering a 360-degree view of Midcoast and Down East Maine.
You'll pass through the town of Bucksport after crossing over the bridge and in a few minutes reach the intersection of Route 15 which leads to Blue Hill and Deer Isle. This is a scenic detour on the drive north that should not be missed. Follow Route 15 to Blue Hill, one of the most attractive towns on the Maine coast with stately 18th and 19th century homes, inviting shops, and a number of fine galleries.
After Blue Hill continue on Route 15 to Deer Isle. The waters of the bay appear on either side of the road, presenting one breathtaking view after another as you drive along. The road comes to an end at Stonington, a Maine fishing village right out of the guidebooks. As you look out at the harbor, if you see a pleasure boat, it is only just visiting. Stonington is a working fishing community with workboats at every pier, some loading bait before beginning their day's run, others unloading their catch at the end of their working day. If you stop at a Stonington restaurant for lunch or dinner, you can be sure the lobster or seafood on your plate were swimming in the waters of the bay just a few hours before.
In Stonington you can catch a ferry for a day trip to Isle au Haut (http://www.isleauhaut.com), a tiny island at the mouth of the bay where lobstering and living are synonymous. Linda Greenlaw, author of three New York Times bestsellers about seafaring and fishing, is one of the islands sixty-or-so permanent residents. She also captains her own lobster boat.
Back on the mainland and back to the coastal highway, head north another 25 minutes or so and you'll be in Bar Harbor. Relatively quiet all winter, the city teems with tourists through the warm weather season. And large cruise ships stop in the harbor weekly to drop off another thousand or two for one-day visits.
To escape the bustle on land you may want to catch a boat to go whale watching (http://barharborwhales.com). If you're really adventurous -- and have the time -- catch the high-speed catamaran ferry for a three hour trip to Nova Scotia (http://www.catferry.com).
Of course, most visitors to Bar Harbor are attracted by nearby Acadia National Park, one of the smallest and most beautiful of America's national parks. You can book a horse-drawn carriage tour along the Park Loop Road through the main park office (http://www.nps.gov/acad//). Or you may prefer to drive your own car so that you're free to stop off at any places that draw your interest. In any event, be sure to top off your visit -- no pun intended -- with a drive to the summit of Mount Cadillac for unforgettable panoramic views of the park, the bay, and the northeast seacoast stretching to Canada.
As if all this were not enough to keep you occupied during your Maine visit, there is a steady stream of fairs, festivals and celebrations at towns along the bay coast throughout the spring, summer, and fall. For a list of these click on the Maine Department of Tourism website: http://www.visitmaine.com/
1794 Watchtide™...by the Sea!
190 West Main Street
Searsport, Maine 04974
207-548-6575 ~ 800-698-6575
www.watchtide.com ~ stay@watchtide.com