Did I miss anything?

We will be going to Boothbay Harbor in early July. It will be our fifth trip in seven years, so I was wondering if there was anything which I have missed. So far, we have visited/seen:

Damariscotta--Round Top Center for the Arts, Chapman Hall House, and Pemaquid beach and lighthouse. We%26#39;ve also driven along River Road.

Waldoboro--Fawcetts Antique Toy Museum

Thomaston--Knox mansion

Camden--Mount Battie

Wiscasset: The Nichols Sortwell House, Castle Tucker, and the Musical Wonder House. Along Rt. 218, towards Alna, the alpaca farm and the WW%26amp;F Railroad.

Brunswick--Joshua Chamberlain House and Bowdoin College and the art exhibits there.

To list everything we did in Boothbay/East Boothbay will take too much space.

The family decided that Bath would not be a place of interest and I would not be up to driving any further south than Brunswick, nor further north than Camden.

So that%26#39;s it. I%26#39;m sure I%26#39;m missing something. We love Boothbay Harbor; it%26#39;s our home away from home. If anyone can suggest anything not on this list, I would be very grateful. Thanks.

Did I miss anything?

Have you been to Monhegan Island?

Pick a clear day and plan to spend the entire day getting to, visiting, and coming back. It%26#39;s a beautiful island about 10 miles from the mainland. Pack a lunch, some decent shoes, and a camera (binoculars if you are a bird watcher). The island is about 1 square mile in area so you can cover a lot of ground during your visit.

You can catch a boat from Boothbay Harbor: http://www.balmydayscruises.com/ or from Port Clyde as we%26#39;ve always done.

Did I miss anything?

Hi. Thanks for replying so quickly. Yes, we went to Monhegan Island back in 2003. Unfortunately, no one enjoyed the trip as my wife got seasick and the kids got bored. Myself, I could have stayed there for weeks. Nothing but the ocean and peace and quiet.

Forgot to mention in the original post: We went to Burnt Island several times. Thoroughly enjoyed it each time.

I don%26#39;t have that much experience in that area, but I would suggest the Rockland area, centered around a visit to the Farnsworth Museum and the Olsen House.

The Farnsworth has an excellent collection of art, most if not all of which is associated with Maine. The Farnsworth includes the Wyeth Center, dedicated to the works of N.C., Andrew, and James Wyeth. The Olsen House---the image in ';Christina%26#39;s World'; is maintained by the Farnsworth and is well worth the visit. We just recently learned that Andrew has been buried in the nearby family plot, next to Christina and Alvaro.

You could try a rail excursion, catching the train in Wiscasset:

http://www.maineeasternrailroad.com/

I haven%26#39;t done this particular trip, but rode on an earlier company%26#39;s train, and the route is very nice. We%26#39;ve seen the train come through when we%26#39;ve had lunch at LeGarage in Wiscasset.

Thanks very much for the suggestions. Cwvoigt, looks like that%26#39;s another item I failed to list in my OP. We%26#39;ve visited Rockland, seeing the Farnsworth Museum and the Owls Head Transportation Museum. But the Olsen House is a good idea. I never heard of it and will definitely check it out. Thanks much.

CB48, I always wondered what that train was as I looked out of the window at Sarah%26#39;s. Thanks for the link to the railroad. Wherever we go, we always try to take a railroad trip of some sort. I%26#39;ll check it out as well and definitely make it part of our itinerary.

Have you been to the Owl%26#39;s Head Lighthouse. It is up on wooded cliffs and quite stunning. You can have lunch in the quaint Owl%26#39;s Head General Store next to the post office.

Excellent idea. While we have visited the Owl%26#39;s Head Transportation Museum several times, we have never visited the lighthouse. Thanks very much. (Sorry I didn%26#39;t reply earlier; very busy at work.)

Hi Familyof4,

Wow, sounds like you%26#39;re really done alot in your area of interest. But I have a few suggestions you might try (IF you haven%26#39;t done them already!).

First, have you gone to Marshall Pt. Light near Port Clyde and Christina%26#39;s house on the same peninsula? Both are well worth a daytrip.

Also, have you been to Reid State Park and Popham beaches? Both are beautiful regardless of the weather.

What about any of the trails of the Boothbay Region Land Trust? There are dozens and most are worth the time.

How about taking a boat out to Damariscove Island for the day? Circumnavigating/hiking the island with wild flowers everywhere and spectacuar 380 degree views is a real treat.

Have you been to the little Aquarium at McKnown Pt?

Have you been to the lighthouse museum in Rockland?

Taken a ride out to Lake Megunticook near Camden and then a drive to the local winery in the same area? A drive through Union is also very pretty.

Have you driven the Bayview Ave loop in Camden to Rockport with a stop to see Andre the Seal%26#39;s statue in Rockport Harbor? The Bayview St. loop has beautiful homes and estates, a farm with belted calloway cows, a golf course and is just a pretty winding street to drive. It%26#39;ll only take you about 20 minutes or so to navigate, depending on how slowly you drive, etc.

I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ve visited the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. If not, its well a worth a trip. Plus they offer guides talks, lectures, workshops about everything outdoors, plants, etc.

A trip down to Freeport or Portland might well be worth it. Portland takes about the same amount of time to drive as Camden. You could do the Old Port, take ferries/mailboats out to Casco Bay, visit Portland Headlight and enjoy lunch/dinner at the Two Lights Lobster Shack (one of my fav spots) where the views are spectacular, high above a bluff looking out to sea. The lighthouse is also a great area for kite flying.

Think that%26#39;s all I can come up with for now. If I think of anything else, I%26#39;ll post again!

Good luck with your trip and enjoy BBH. Its really starting to come to life now with people out scraping and painting their homes and shops, the parking lots beginning to fill, stores opening one by one for the season. The weather%26#39;s been up and down, but regardless is beautiful and I%26#39;m ready for spring!

cozyharbor

P.S. If you%26#39;re into art at all, stop by the Boothbay Region Art Foundation at 1 Townsend Ave and check out their exhibits and their schedule for their workshops and artist demo%26#39;s. Classes offer everything from scrapbooking to felting, to watercolor painting, etc.

Thanks so much for your wonderful suggestions! If I could, I would change the name of this post from, ';Did I Miss anything?'; to, ';I Think I Missed Everything!';

Regarding Marshall Point, the Boothbay Land Trust, and Christina%26#39;s House: Where are they, please? They are musts for our itinerary this year, but I haven%26#39;t the foggiest clue where they are.

We have been to the Aquarium, the Botanical Gardens, and the Lighthouse Museum and plan to visit each of these again this year. Thoroughly relaxing for all of us.

Regarding Portland, we were there in 2001 and it reminded us all of New York City. Inasmuch as that%26#39;s where we are from, we%26#39;ll give it a miss.

With regard to the Bayville Loop, can I access that from Route 1? That sounds like a great drive; we%26#39;ll will fit that in on this trip, as well.

Damariscove Island, Lake Megunticook, and Reid State Park/Popham Beach will have to wait until next year, as there%26#39;s just too much to do for this, our 5th trip to BBH.

Now, a silly question for you, no doubt. How long has the Boothbay Regional Art Foundation been there? We%26#39;ve been going to BBH since 2003, walked up and down Townsend Avenue and never noticed it. My sons love art and will be very pleased to visit the Foundation and see what it has to offer.

Again, thank you so much for your helpful suggestions. We adore BBH and am looking forward to our 5th stay at the Tugboat Inn. It%26#39;s always the Tugboat Inn, always the Clipper Suite, and always a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing visit.

The Marshall Point Lighthouse is at Port Clyde which is on the same peninsula (St. George I think?)as Owl%26#39;s Head and south of Rockland. It is not as spectacular as the Owl%26#39;s Head light, but very picturesque. The Marshall Point Light was in the movie Forest Gump (the part where he is running all over the country). We visited these two as well as the Rockland Breakwater Light on a rainy day.

I have copied everyone%26#39;s great suggestions for our upcoming Maine trip!