Touring Around

Damariscotta

About 15-20 minutes away, Damariscotta has a downtown shopping and restaurant district with a relaxing Maine fishing-village feel.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park

Lighthouse, Fishermen's Museum, Artists Gallery

The lighthouse, built in 1827 above spectacular granite cliffs, has been the subject of countless paintings, photographs and the site of many weddings. Today the light is automated, and the adjoining keeper's house has the quaint Pemaquid Fishermen's Museum containing exhibits of the local fishing trade including photographs, ship models, and artifacts. Across the parking lot is the Pemaquid Artists' Gallery, for over 90 years displaying work by local professionals and guest artists. Painting and carvings, many of beloved Maine land and seascapes, are for sale and viewing.

Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site

Restored by the State of Maine in 1907, Fort William Henry is an icon of New England History, having been claimed and/or destroyed at various times since early in the 17th century by the British, pirates, Indians, the French and ultimately local citizenry.

Pemaquid Beach

Beautiful crescent shaped white sand beach is open to the public with a $4.00 entrance fee. Bathhouse, restrooms, refreshment stand, picnic tables, plenty of parking and a ballfield. Pemaquid Beach.

Salt Pond Preserve

On the shores of Muscongus Bay, a bit of the sea is left behind in a salt pond every time the tide recedes. At the 78-acre Rachel Carson Salt Pond Preserve, there's an easy 1.1-mile walk near the tidal pools. This was one of legendary scientist and environmentalist Rachel Carson's favorite spots, and inspired some of the research for her book, The Edge of the Sea.

Monhegan Island

For more than 100 years, Monhegan has been a summer haven for artists and other visitors who appreciate its isolation, the beauty of its wilderness areas, its quiet relaxed atmosphere, and its unhurried pace. It is accessible only by boat and there are no cars or paved roads. The island is about 10 miles from the mainland and scarcely a square mile in area. There are daily trips by 3 different ferry lines. Be sure to explore the fairy houses!

Boothbay Railway Village

Great for kids! Ride the rails behind an authentic steam locomotive surrounded by historic Maine buildings preserved in a recreated village and view a collection of 60 antique cars.

Catch Lobsters & Crabs

We can give you a crab trap and some bait. Drop the trap into the water at the end of our wharf or the wharf at the The Contented Sole restaurant, or pretty much anywhere in the area. Then wait a few minutes. Pull up the trap and you'll have several crabs and the occasional lobster. Take your catch to the sand and have crab races!

Oyster Shell Heaps

The oyster shell heaps of Damariscotta and Newcastle date back at least 2,400 years. They are rubbish dumps left by Native Americans and consist mainly of discarded shells along with related cultural materials, such as bones, ceramic pots, and stone tools. They range in size from thin scatterings of shells to layered accumulations 30-feet deep. The most well-known is the Whaleback Shell Midden. which once contained a massive oyster shell heap formed over a period of more than 1,000 years. But in the late 1800s, the shells were processed for chicken feed, leaving behind just a fraction of the original mounds. Interpretive storyboards relate the history of the middens, their accumulation and destruction, and also share stories of the Upper Damariscotta River.

Dodge Point

Once a tree farm, Dodge Point has 4 main hiking trails, all easy difficulty. It is located on over 500 acres with more than 8,000 feet of frontage along the Damariscotta River. Great for hiking, relaxing on pebble & sand beaches, viewing beaver dams, Maine forests, and shore trails.

Bristol Dam Swimming Hole

Good old fashioned fresh-water swimming hole just up the road at Bristol Mills. It sometimes provides warmer swimming water than the ocean.

Whale, Seal, and Puffin Watching

Cruise the ocean from several different tour companies, such as Hardy Boat Cruises.

Maine Botanical Gardens

As the largest botanical garden in New England, the Maine Botanical Gardens comprises 295 acres, 17 of which feature native plants of Maine and other plants suited to northern coastal conditions.

Harrington Meeting House

Built in 1772, Harrington Meeting House contains a small museum of old photographs, clothing and books. The adjoining cemetery has gravestones of historical interest. Open July & August; Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. No admission fee.

St. Patrick's Church

Built in 1807, the Federal-style St. Patrick's Church is the oldest Catholic church in New England. It's bell was made by Paul Revere, one of only 93 remaining in existance. Lime for the building was imported from Ireland.

Blueberry Festivals and Blueberry Picking

There are numerous wild blueberry festivals throughout Maine in July and August. One that's nearby is the Union Fair. Blueberry picking can be done on several farms in the area.

Golf

Public access golf at Wawenock Golf Club and the Boothbay Harbor Country Club.

Antique Stores, Art Galleries

The area is littered with antique stores and art galleries. Many of these are not in town centers but scattered on country roads throughout Lincoln County.