Lea Wait's granddaughters at Pemaquid Point
granddaughters mugging on the rocks there below the iconic Pemaquid Lighthouse – the rocks and lighthouse themselves enough reason to visit the point – but I also love Pemaquid Beach, a great low-key place for for a family visit, and the archaeological excavations of a 17th and 18th century village at Colonial Pemaquid, and Fort Willliam Henry (still standing after being attacked by the French, the Indians, the English, and the pirates. And then there’s the statue of Samoset, reminding us that the Native American who greeted the pilgrims on Cape Cod was actually from what is now New Harbor, Maine. And New Harbor itself, one of the prettiest working harbors around, and a great place to eat fresh seafood overlooking the ocean. And the Rachel Carson Salt Pond .. more rocks to walk on, especially at low tide, and the place Rachel Carson chose for the research she based my favorite of her books, The Edge of the Sea. I recommend reading a copy. But, whether you have or not – a day spent on Pemaquid Point is a day well spent.
A Young Moose at Moosehead Lake
Kaitlyn Dunnett: It’s been awhile since we’ve visited any of Maine’s tourist spots. We tend to stay home and only go on “vacation” to go to fan conventions out of state. That said, one of my favorite vacation memories is of a camping trip to the Moosehead Lake region. One of the regular visitors to that particular campground that year was the moose shown in the attached photo. Not tame, but certainly not scared of people, either. You could get as close as three or four feet away and take pictures. We had a pop-up camper and a canoe in those days, both perfect for staying at a lakeside campground, and friends had a bigger boat for excursions around the entire lake (it’s huge!) and a close-up view of Mt. Kineo, which always looks to me as if half of it had sheared off into the lake at some time in the distant past.
Eggemoggin Reach
for me and my family. Our kids spent time there, wandering a moss-hushed forest, climbing the rocks, taking the boat to Bucks Harbor for a true storybook Maine summer. Now we mostly see the Reach from the water, and it’s still a special place. When you pass Cape Rosier, round the northern tip of Little Deer Isle, and head south for the Deer Isle Bridge—that, my friends, is living.
The Nubble Lighthouse
Jayne Hitchcock: The Nubble Light in York, Maine is one of my favorites. It’s beautiful and picturesque and you can get an ice cream cone nearby. On the way back, stop by Long Sands Beach, where I go every day with my Siberian Husky, Phoebe, and enjoy walking on the beach, collecting seashells and seaglass or just enjoying the sand and the ocean. Short Sands beach offers gift shops, restaurants, video game arcade and York’s Wild Animal Kingdom with rides and a zoo. There are also historical tours in the village or main part of town. York, Maine has a lot to see and do – stop by soon!
Kennebec River was dammed back in the 1930s on the Bingham Moscow border, the lake is over 150 feet deep in spots and has everything from rainbow trout to cusk swimming in it. A couple of my favorite spots can be found once you cross the river in Bingham. Turn right at the end of the bridge and go slow. The winding road climbs until you’re above Wyman Dam, looking up the lake at some of the small islands that dot it. Care for a swim? There’s a nice sand beach and a boat launch on your right.Go another mile and right after the Pleasant Ridge transfer station, is a path leading to Houston Brook Falls. It’s an easy 5 minute walk through tall evergreens to the base of the falls. When the weather’s warm, you can sit in the swift current and get a natural massage while enjoying the sound of water falling on rock.
Half a mile up the road, just past Sonny Wade’s place, you’ll turn right on Carrying Place Road. For the next fifteen or so miles, you’ll see wilderness streams, deer, campers and mountains in the distance. When you reach Pierce Pond Stream, park on the right and follow the Appalachian Trail in either direction. Go upstream and you’ll pass several small waterfalls before reaching the old log dam at Lower Pierce Pond, home to some of the biggest brook trout in Maine. Go downstream and you’ll walk past some of the neatest waterfalls in Maine. I don’t know how much of a vertical drop there is between the road and where the trail meets the Kennebec River, but it’s an amazing stretch of waterfalls.If you have time, follow the road another couple miles until you see a small turn off on the left. Hike a couple hundred feet until you reach one of the Otter Ponds. Chances of seeing a moose or some loons is pretty good and the silence is broken only by loons or an occasional float plane.
Kait Carson
Charlene D’Avanzo 
My favorite spot is Prout’s Neck. The Blackpoint Inn, the beach club and beach, the little library in the woods, Winslow Homer’s home, every inch…a few novels back the whole book was set there – it didn’t sell – but I plan to revise it – and join the group of ” Maine” writers, even though I live in NYC. Thelma
What a fun post for this adopted New Englander who lives in the heat of Texas. I get to your part of the country as often as possible. Y’all have named some of my favorite places. We stayed at the Blair Hill Inn at Moosehead Lake, and I swear the view from our large windows, was one of the best anywhere. I smile whenever the pictures come up on my computer screen. But I’d be remiss not to mention Camden, also a super harbor and going up on the mountain to see the plaque in honor of Edna St. Vincent Millay with a part of her poem Renaissance (sp?) on a giant rock. She described what she saw as she stood there and turned around 360 degrees. Check it out. We stayed at The Inn at Sunrise Point. It’s a bit outside of Camden. Again, the view were stunning! Thanks for having such a beautiful state. Checking out Booth Bay Harbor this fall. 🙂