On July 19th, 1984 the incredibly unique and more than 1,000-foot long latticed Bailey Island…read moreCribstone Bridge - created specifically to withstand the wind and waves of the Atlantic (which can be much harsher in the spaces between islands) - was dedicated as a historic civil engineering landmark (it's also listed on the National Register of Historic Places). Yes, it's a bridge. But it's unlike any other bridge you'll ever drive across. It comes out of seemingly nowhere on Route 24, feels EXTREMELY narrow and like it sits VERY close to the actual ocean, and is at just enough of a curve to make things feel dramatic if you're driving even a tad too speedily (SO SLOOOOOOOOW DOWN). And I love ALL of that! It also provides sweeping views of Maine as its most quintessential: ocean, pine trees, lobster boats, buoys, etc. Regardless of when you come: winter for the glorious, sparkling whites and silvers; spring/summer for the thousands of shades of green and blue; or autumn for the ever-breathtaking hues of fiery reds, oranges, and yellows... it's beautiful round these parts.

World famous icon. Well worth the trip, and stop. Continue over to Cooks Lobstah house to get a…read morebetter view of the bridge, especially as a full moon is predicted.

When we found out we would be driving past the world's largest rotating globe, we knew we had to…read morestop. Luckily for us it ended up being late in the evening so it was very dark and quiet and peaceful when we pulled in. Because it was so late we didn't end up going inside, but you really don't need to. We stood for about 15 minutes and watched her through the glass rotating slowly. It's actually quite beautiful to see and it's one of those things where you have to see it in person to really understand it. This could easily have been a 5-minute stop, or if we had come during the day, most likely a much longer stop because I would have wanted to go inside and examine everything close up. If you're driving through the area, especially after dark. It's definitely worth a quick detour. It's simple, unique, and it's way cooler in person than you can tell from the photos.

Fun stop on US 1 between Portland and Freeport. It used to be the DeLorme map company now it is…read moreGarmin. It is nice they kept Eartha in their lobby. Eartha is visible from the road and can be visited during business hours. Eartha is the world's largest rotating globe measuring over 41 feet and 5,600 pounds and is to scale. There is a coffee shop in the lobby and chairs around the lobby to sit and admire Eartha. There is educational material on the wall. Eartha is worth a quick stop if traveling between Portland and central/northern Maine

Delightful tour offered by Historic New England, this house has been passed through the same family…read moreso all the things in the house is original. Limited parking is available on the front drive and there is a porta potty on site for visitors.

This is worth stopping in. The tour is really good and guide is very knowledgeable. The castle…read moreis all original which is unusual. It takes you back to the "old" days.

I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around…read more3500 miles of coastline, Maine has a tremendous amount of spaces, walkways, paths, and trails of all kinds and of all levels. There's something for everyone. What I'm reviewing is how a spot compares to similar outdoor spots in my personal opinion. Being in nature - and remembering to carry in, carry out - is always five stars! :) Parking? Yes. Loop trail? Yes and no. Well marked signs? Kind of. Element of surprise? No. I feel like the concept of Whaleback Shell Midden's State Historic Site is incredible. But, unfortunately, over time it's perhaps lost it's impressiveness. So, what is a shell midden? It's essentially an enormous pile of discarded shells (primarily oyster) located on the Damariscotta River that were formed, they believe, 1000+ years ago by Indigenous Americans. Originally the Whaleback Midden was more than thirty feet deep (and looked like the back of a whale) -- most of which is gone now since it was used to create chicken feed in the late nineteenth century, or because of erosion from rising sea levels, or because it was simply taken by people (there are lots of signs that kindly ask that you do not do this). As such, there isn't much to see here: there's a nice walk through a field, a lovely walk through a very small but historic apple orchard (the best part when we visited was the earthy smell of summer heat bouncing off the apples), a swinging bench that over looks some of the river, and some really interesting informational boards. But that's about it. Across the river, and completely inaccessible, you can see the Glidden Midden which is the largest mound left in Maine (and, again unfortunately, it's not that big).

Great place to visit, it is beautiful and very well marked and maintained. Trees and lush fields…read morewith wild flowers. We never made it to the oyster shell middens. The pictures I see on the website are great--just don't come at sunset when we arrived... else be devoured by hordes of mosquitoes!

If you are a bit of a history buff you must check this out. A short boat ride from several…read morelocations. We left from Cook's Lobster House on Bailey's Island. Admiral Peary (aka the North Pole discoverer among many other things) bought this island, years later he built 2 homes and he and his families spent Spring through Fall there every year. Now it's a Maine State Park. Has working player piano custom made to fit his exploration ship (the Roosevelt), captain's chair from his ship as well as a restored duplicate of his desk. Old family gardens and 3 nature trails across the island with spectacular views. Also some rock gouges from the last glacier. He designed much of the house himself, including a library made of local stones, and a unique 3 sided fire place in the living room!

What a gorgeous spot, quiet, great store/restaurant, nice people. Great pizza. Make sure to ask…read morefor fried clams extra crispy.

Don't go here! I…read morelearned about this bridge by watching a Sunday morning show (it's now on youtube) highlighting this bridge and the store close by (store review: https://www.yelp.com/biz/trevett-country-store-trevett?hrid=oku17hRS1AbII9VF_hMjTA&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)). Since we were planning a trip to Maine in our future, we moved it up due to the bridge being upgraded by 2020. This is an 86 year old hand-cranked bridge. Some locals refer to it as the Pony Truss. It is one of the few remaining hand-cranked bridges in the United States. However, it will be ungraded later on this year. I thought it was sad and I wanted to share this important piece of history with my son. After all, not everything used to be automatic or just happened with the touch of a button. We learned while staying in Boothbay that the bridge doesn't get very much boat traffic and we'd be lucky to see it...or the operator, Terry F. (full name in articles about the bridge and videos), open the bridge that is. We felt this was an important piece of dying history, so we decided to go anyway...have lunch and wait for it. If nothing else, maybe we could meet her to express how sad we were this change is coming. We've read a few articles about the bridge and Terry F. after we saw the show...and we were excited to at least see this piece of history. Our adventure didn't go as planned that's for sure...what a waste of time! We thought we'd to go to this store to have a lunch, watch the bridge if we could and/or just enjoy the scenery. Or have a meal and maybe shake hands with Terry F. if possible (if we couldn't see the bridge opening) since she seemed to love this bridge and the history of it so much and it's going away. She seemed so nice on the show/video after all and the articles about her are so nice. I got that wrong! What a joke! I made a colossal mistake by going to view this bridge (and have a meal at this store) with my family. Terry F. seemed genuine on the show, so if we couldn't see the bridge open, then maybe we could meet her...we tried both. No boats, so we drove to the other side and waited, kept our distance from her hut since you can't go past a certain point and hoped she'd come out to get her attention. As luck would have it she came out and we spoke to her at a distance...again, since you can't go beyond a certain point. She just yelled at us...she was nasty mean. We didn't even go where we weren't supposed to, we followed the rules. We tried to tell her why we were there...she wouldn't listen. Being horrid gave her pleasure it seemed. She is quite the brusque person...totally different and the exact opposite from the interview on the show. Absolutely nothing like the articles describe either, nor was the experience. The area in general is nothing to write home about, nor send a postcard! It was a wow moment...her rudeness is indescribable. My son got a lesson alright, but not exactly the one I thought...ha! End Note: I did find it sad that the bridge is changing. But after our experience (between the bridge and store), I am happy to see the bridge changing and it's for the absolute best. Perhaps one day soon they can figure out how to make it fully mechanical where a human isn't needed at all. After all, there isn't much boat traffic and seems to be a colossal waste of money to have a person just sitting there most of the time. At least that is all she was doing when we were there...just sitting. Going to the area is a complete waste of time, energy and money and I would not recommend it to anyone. Not to mention this is a perfect example to not always believe what you read, see on TV or the internet.

It was given that we had to visit at least one lighthouse in Maine, and what better way to do that…read morethan by visiting the most visited one in the state?? We were staying nearby in the area, so it was an easy drive here. This park is small, but has such a rich history. The guys working at the park were super friendly, and one gave us some fun facts about the lighthouse before heading up to the top! Speaking of, going up to the top is really neat. It's a tad bit scary and has a steep, spiral staircase, but has some great views once you get up there. There's also a little room with more on the history. Outside, you can climb around on the rocks to have a great viewing spot of the ocean. You need to come visit this place if you are nearby!

Pemaquid point lighthouse park is the lighthouse on the back of the Maine quarter. It is located in…read moreBristol. We were here on a foggy June day. There was a line to go up in the lighthouse. It is tiny, but worth the view, even in a foggy day

While at Fort Williams Park we were able to check out the remains of the Abandoned Ruins of the…read moreGoddard Mansion located there! Very Eerie yet beautiful at same time! Surrounded by fencing but still in few view along the coast there!Built in 1870s! Free to enjoy!