Ocean Point and the entire Boothbay Region abound with great activities and attractions -- some energetic, some purely relaxing. Come enjoy them all!
Of course you’ll want to spend some time in bustling Boothbay Harbor, but there are also many other wonderful destinations that most visitors never discover. Here are a few of our favorite things to do and places to go in the Boothbay Region and farther afield.
Ocean Point and Boothbay Area
- Stroll along Shore Road and watch the lobstermen hauling and setting their traps just offshore, all sorts of vessels sailing past, and seabirds wheeling overhead. Look out to Burnt Island Light (www.lighthouse.cc/burntisland), Ram Island Light (www.lighthouse.cc/ramisland/), and Cuckolds Light (www.lighthouse.cc/cuckolds/). On a good day, you’ll also see Seguin Island and its lighthouse towering in the distance. On your walk, drop in at Ocean Point Studio (www.oceanpointstudio.com) where artist Corinne McIntyre displays her paintings of the area.
- Visit Burnt Island Lighthouse Museum (www.lighthouse.cc/burntisland/), in the outer harbor of Boothbay Harbor.
- Stop in at Trevett General Store for a delicious lobster roll. Enjoy it on the deck overlooking a quaint old Maine swing bridge. This bridge was used in a scene in the film, “The Bedroom.”
- Go to the Maine Botanical Gardens (www.mainegardens.org), where you can walk the 120-acre woodland park and gardens along the banks of Back River. The Gardens sponsor many special events, including Hidden Treasures, an annual summer House and Garden Tour.
- Rent a kayak from East Boothbay Kayak. Explore the nooks and crannies of the rugged coastline and paddle around the corner into Linekin Bay.
- Take a memorable daytrip aboard the “Balmy Days” to Monhegan Island (www.balmydayscruises.com/islandtrip.html). Spend a few hours hiking the cliff trails and walking through the woods. There are also many studios and galleries to visit on this legendary artists’ island.
Pemaquid Peninsula
Drive to the village of Round Pond and head to Muscongus Bay Lobster Dock where you can laze in the sun as you graze on yummy seafood treats. Be sure to stop in at the Granite Hall Store, straight out of yesteryear with penny candy and ice cream, plus many other appealing items including kitchenware, cards, gifts, a few antiques, and British imports.- Head on down the Pemaquid peninsula from Round Pond to New Harbor. If you weren’t ready for lobster in Round Pond, go straight to Shaw’s for a complete lobster feed overlooking a beautiful, quintessentially Maine harbor. This is where the movie “Message in a Bottle” was filmed.
- Continue down the peninsula to discover a few more jewels. At the tip of the peninsula you will come to Pemaquid Lighthouse and Museum (http://lighthouse.cc/pemaquid/), with sweeping sea views from the rocks. If you cross Route 32, you will find a beautiful sandy crescent at Pemaquid Beach. Farther along is Fort William Henry, which guards the entrance to Pemaquid Harbor and Bristol. Here at Colonial Pemaquid you can walk the path of pre-Plymouth Plantation settlers. In the small museum you can learn about the archaeological digs and artifacts uncovered here.
Heading North on Route 1
- Gather up the makings of a picnic and drive to Cushing (turn off Route 1 onto Route 97 in Warren, before you get to Thomaston). Enjoy an al fresco lunch on the grounds of the Olsen House (www.farnsworthmuseum.org/general/olson.html), where Andrew Wyeth spent many summers creating paintings of the Olsen family and their homestead, including the very famous “Christina’s World.” After lunch, take a tour of the house, which is owned by the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland (www.farnsworthmuseum.org/). If you’re lucky, you’ll meet Andrew Wyeth’s brother-in-law who stops by nearly every day to give a 20-minute talk.
- Drive through Camden on Route 1 to Camden Hills State Park and drive or hike to the top of Mount Battie. The view of Penobscot Bay and its many islands and lighthouses will make you feel as if you are on top of the world. It was here that Edna St. Vincent Millay was inspired to write her poem, “Renascence,” which includes the lines, “All I could see from where I stood / Was three long mountains and a wood. / I turned and looked the other way, / And saw three islands in a bay.”
Heading South on Route 1
- Go to Bath and spend the day at Maine Maritime Museum (www.mainemaritimemuseum.org/), where Maine’s rich nautical history comes to life.
- Drive down Route 209 from Bath to Popham Beach and the Civil War-era Fort Popham. If you look nearby you will see a sign for Fort Baldwin, one of the Maine coast’s best kept military secrets of World Wars I and II. If you hike up the hill, you will discover three enormous gun batteries where as many as 200 troops were garrisoned. Intended to protect the surrounding areas from possible invasion, the site of this outpost was selected because it is naturally hidden and offers excellent views of Popham, the Kennebec River, and the ocean. Any history buff will delight in this find.
Special Shopping
- Make a pilgrimage to L. L. Bean and browse the many outlets that line Main Street and the side streets of Freeport.
- For a marvelous array of pottery, jewelry, and other unusual items, visit Edgecomb Potters on Route 27 between Boothbay and Route 1, and Shepscot River Pottery out on Route 1 just this side of the Wiscasset bridge.
