If you want to experience one of the greatest hidden treasures of the east coast, contact Little…read moreRiver Lighthouse for an incredible and unsurpassed experience. You can stay in the keeper's house at a privately run decommissioned lighthouse that still operates. It is on an island that is a short 8-10 minute boat ride from the Cutler Town boat ramp. Terry, the keeper in residence, is a wealth of knowledge in the lighthouse and community. Why? Because he operated the lighthouse for the Coast Guard over 40 years ago and returned to assist with it after it was decommissioned. How cool is that? Priceless. A small private island, with a huge character, it is amazing to me how this place has been overlooked for so long. If you like lighthouses, and let's be honest who doesn't?, this is one that HAS to be on your true bucket list! Don't look for frills and fancies, this is a Lighthouse. You pack your own cooking and drinking water and bring food for your stay, but you can grill, use the full kitchen (yes there is electricity) and can shower. Most important though, you can climb the light and view it from the outside deck (recently repainted). It is amazing! There are trails and wildlife on the island. It is nature with privacy, beauty, and a lighthouse that is incredible!

What a great place and group of people... and talk about being on the ball with things. These kids…read more(okay they were old enough to drink) were on top of everything down to what hotels were full for the weekend. They are also the period actors about the green as well. The hosts at the tourism booth also act as tour guides around town... FREE by the way. The gent I had was a hoot and then some... I got a kick out of him and he was a great guide and knew those little odd facts about the city... The guides are also bilingual I was in Fredericton on a weekend so parking was ample and FREE... The people and businesses about the area were great and quite hospitable... If you are in this area, I found more to do in Fredericton than I did in Halifax as a whole... plus a lot more to do on a budget as well. Look forward to a little more of Fredericton tomorrow before heading off...

Beautiful and serene historic site where you can . We enjoyed our twilight visit and spent some…read moretime looking at the earthen embankments, the informational signs and plaques, and the peaceful views. We were nearly ready to leave when a woman pulled up in her car - it turned out she lives about 20 minutes away and she volunteers to take the flag down every night. We were honored to speak with her and my friend assisted her with folding the flag. What a lovely sacrifice she is making with her daily flag routine to keep a respectful remembrance of what took place at this site many years ago.

While searching for Maine history we found this battle ground site…read more No metal detectors. Parking and a picnic table. Hard to find, it is behind the Fort O'Brien public school. Very peaceful site. There were once four guns there and a barracks. We were attacked by the British here.

This historic building (built in 1817) housed five generations of the Merritt family after Thomas…read moreMerritt IV (a British loyalist during the Revolutionary War) left the US for Nova Scotia. I enjoyed the tour (approx 20 min, $5 CD/USD) with the knowledgeable, friendly docent who took us through two stories of this well-preserved house (with a glimpse of the attic). The items in the house were explained by the docent, including the adjustable rope beds, the bed warmers, the kitchen tools and the portraits of the family. I left with a good impression of what life was like for the upper class in the early 1800's. Excellent!

This old Georgian style house was built in the early 1800s by David Daniel, son of Loyalist Thomas…read moreMerritt, who emigrated to Saint John from Rye, NY. The Merritt House is the oldest unchanged building in the city and now the Loyalist House, a museum depicting the way things were at this house almost 200 years ago. Guided tours (10-15 minutes) are given of two levels of this house and a peek of the attic. There are steep stairs in the house and up to the house, so a tour of this house is not wheelchair friendly. On Wednesdays through this summer, the Mayor's Tea is held in the Loyalist House. We happened to be touring on Wednesday and we're invited to tea with the museum staff. We enjoyed hot tea, fruit cake, cherry tarts, and zucchini bread over conversation with the staff and other guests. This was a great way to meet other people. Our Guidewas very informative touring the main level and upstairs level of the house. The Guide donned garb from the 1800s, but I don't think they made black Adidas shoes back then, hehe!! He did a good job answering all of our questions and sort of resembled the young man in the painting in the dining room. Overall we enjoyed this quick tour of the house. ADMISSION: $3 Adults, $1 Children/Students, $7 Families

Looking back at the week-long vacation with my in-laws in Maine, Thunder Hole was one of the best…read moreparts. Well to clarify, the trail leading to Thunder Hole. We started our vacation off strong by making it through the long line into Acadia National Park (took almost an hour) and finding parking somewhere along a trail. We walked past the paved path and down to the giant boulders overlooking the ocean. There were lots of neat pockets of water and natural areas for photo ops. My sister and I climbed to the top of every boulder we could find, and that turned out to be the best workout of the week. So fun... I've missed climbing. When we arrived to the actual Thunder Hole, it was underwhelming because we didn't make it in time for high tide. I told myself I would just watch videos online to experience it. I suppose it's unfair to give Thunder Hole itself 5 stars, but even if you start there and rock climb away from it, you'll have a fantastic time.

We didn't get to hear any special "thunder" but the view was wonderful. It was a quick stop for us…read morebecause it was busy and we had more planned. Pretty but didn't hit the spot for us.

This was a very interesting site to visit. There isn't as much to it as there is at some other NPS…read moresites, but it's definitely worth a quick visit if trying to visit NPS sites and are anywhere near the area. The history of this place is pretty wild. It's hard to imagine the indigenous people here seeing the ships come into the bay in the early 1600s (before Jamestown!). Informative signs, impressive statues and so forth adorn the smallish park and convey their story. A short movie helps tell it too. The parking lot is quite small, but that wasn't a problem thankfully, and I think the smallness of the site allows for a quick turnaround of visitors. This was also my first International Historic Site, which struck me as cool. My phone wasn't happy, as it kept flipping between Eastern and Atlantic time, and that I think was some of the charm. It's right on the New Brunswick border, and I believe they have a similar site on their side of the border.

This is a small historic site. There is nothing much to see. Great view. Good place to have quick…read moreoutdoor lunch. Good for a little walk. Worth visiting if you happen to be nearby especially if you are into history.

There is a special place in my heart for graveyards. I have always found them so calm and peaceful…read more I find the older ones to be especially beautiful, with grave markers of stone or marble, and inscriptions so poetic they continue to pull on the heartstrings decades later. Established in 1790, this is the final resting place of many citizens of Eden, now known as Bar Harbor. It was overcast on the day I chose to visit, and a cool breeze ruffled my hair as I read the names of the long departed. I wondered what these souls were like when they were alive, and if they enjoyed Mount Desert Island. The tombstones are preserved as best as possible despite aging and the elements. I don't wish to attract disrespectful attention to this hallowed place. But, if you're like me and can truly appreciate a historical site such as this, I suggest calling upon this holy place of rest.

So charming! Lots of art galleries, small shops and a lovely stroll along the waterfront makes…read moreEastport a welcome cruise stop for me. This is my second time here in two years, and I have to say the growth has been moderate, not explosive and I like it. The mustard shop is here, the candy shop is here, there aren't any really tacky souvenir stores but there are some really nice artists to be found at different places. I've promised myself that next time I'm in Eastport, I'm going to walk into the resident part of town, and see the architecture, the houses and the streets and get a solid feel for the vibe here. Walking around the growing "tourist" area- it's nice. People here are friendly and it's a really welcome itinerary stop for me. I hope to be back soon - I want a lobster roll from the fireman food truck on the dock!

Such a sweet small town! Beautiful day to walk around and see the local shops and sights!read more