There were also hiking trails close by where we found wild blueberries. Frye Island is the only island on this list that is not off the coast of Maine. The low-pressure system will strengthen into a nor'easter as it moves away from Maine tomorrow. You wont find fresher lobster anywhere, so keep it simple and go for the traditional lobster dinner with corn on the cob, house-made slaw, and blueberry cake. IF NOTHING SAYS Maine to you quite like the mingled scents of salt water and sunscreen, the crisp tug of a wetsuit around your torso, or the damp slap of flip-flops on a wooden boardwalk, you are far from alone. I have taken small groups of tweens/teens to Boston and we've always stopped at the seal tank outside the aquarium to watch the seals swim and play. So why does Maine have so many sandy beaches down south? We have on goal: to help you fall more in love with the state of Maine! Christi / Flickr. A few doors apart are three indie bookstores: cozy Owl & Turtle Bookshop Caf (33 Bay View St.; 207-230-7335), with a fine collection of fiction, nonfiction, and childrens books; Shermans Maine Coast Book Shop (14 Main St., Camden; 207-236-2223), with a large selection of Maine books and souvenirs; and the charming Stone Soup Books, a nook of a secondhand store tucked above Marriners Restaurant (35 Main St., Camden; 207-763-3354). 13. Would it be worthwhile to do a kayak tour to see seals? 207-646-5575. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close. Not a hiker? 9. I live in Maine and have July and the first half of August off. Dont leave logs on the beach or fires unattended. When the tides out, tidepoolers mingle with surfers and plein-air painters. Southern Maine, a million miles from the daily grind, is only a short distance from you. Take a Hardy Boat Cruise, based in New Harbor, around the island, and watch these birds swim and romp in their natural habitat. Get ready for some adventure because this tour has it all. 207-644-8300. Hope it helps. Light use. Artists renditions of the coast can be seen in the many galleries and art museums in town. Afternoons are devoted to seal and bird watching around the entrance of Blue Hill Bay and Bass Harbor Head Light. 30 Higgins Beach Ocean Ave. Sandy, paid parking, showers and toilets. In the early part, puffins are all about taking care of business, flying sorties from the island to the water and back to feed their young. Maine has a wide . 12 West Side Rd., South Bristol. I'd drive either way. Maine Quest Adventures is a locally owned and operated Katahdin Region Outfitter. PO Box 171 Ambajejus Lake Access the island viaferry from Port Clyde, New Harbor, or Boothbay Harbor. A no-frills lobster shack paragon, it offers cold beer, rich chowders, fresh seafood, and a small deck overlooking the water. Many of the small islands off the coast of Maine are filled top to bottom with these charming little birds. It is illegal under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to handle these animals. Our tribute to the eight port towns and peaceful coves we never tire of gazing at. Glenn Dochtermann (go ahead and call him Doc) learned to fish off the beach from his dad some 60 years ago, and hes been out surf-casting ever since for stripers, pollack, and more. Make a reservation today! ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-57909508', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Portland. Heavy use. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-60977754', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');cruise off shore. Epic Wildlife Watching in Maine - Visit Maine .eb-col img {width: 100%;} Harbor seals range in color from brown to gray, with visible spotting, and blend in well with their surroundings when hauled out on a rock or ledge. Such places have always threaded the needle between glamorous and honky-tonk, and so it is with OOB: in the interwar years, you wore a jacket to see Duke Ellington or Count Basie in the pier ballroom; these days, you wear a tank top to hear a musical comedian working blue at Hooligans. Of course, Dykstra says, specific local conditions currents, the shape of a coastline, wave directionality can monkey with this process, which is why a single mile of Kennebunk coastline can host a shingle beach right between two sandy ones. It's hard enough to find them by going ten miles out to sea. Puffins arent the only birds that Maine can boast. Josephine Newman Audubon Sanctuary and the Berry Woods Preserve Then, you can catch a puffin tour boat from Mt. Yorks sandy beaches, good surf and fantastic scenery provide visitors with fun in the sun. Camden Hills State Park is laced with miles of trails, nearly all leading to incredible views of Penobscot Bay, but if you only have time for one mountain, make it Battie. THE GEOMETRIC confusion of silhouetted rooflines, a sunrise or sunset streaking the backdrop orange and pink, the spring tide surging through the spindly forest of pilings: you can keep your Portland Head Light for our money, the Old Orchard Beach pier is the states most compelling man-made landmark. Share this Article. Recent Increase in Seal Deaths in Maine Linked to Avian Flu Head to the shore and keep an eye out for adorable harbor seal pups or spot the majestic bald eagle as you kayak in Frenchman Bay. Sandy, paid parking, no facilities. Youll see Goat Island Light in Cape Porpoise and then travel to Goose Rocks for more seals and back down the coast to Wells. Crescent Beach itself is a mile-long half-moon scattered with skipping stones and ringed with beach roses. does not look like an American town at all in place or in architecture. Getting to know the seals of the Maine coast Impeccable service has set this high-end classic apart since 1973, but the property has welcomed guests since it was a Civil Warera boarding house. Heavy use. Creature Feature: Harbor Seal - Natural Resources Council Of Maine 8. @media only screen and (min-width: 600px){ .eb-hr {margin-top: 110px;} They provided 2 kayaks and we were right on the water where we could kayak out to a mussel bar and sea seals. Join us on Adventure Seal Watch that you wont soon forget. Union Bluff Hotel. Thats enough to start their own moose lodge. 207-646-5139. ogunquit.org, Although it still welcomes plenty of beachgoers in midsummer, Goose Rocks Beach, in Cape Porpoise, has a touch of wildness to it. The best time for whale watching is mid-April to October. 207-967-4461. As well, we work closely with our colleagues of the Marine Mammals of Maine who attend to response and rescue in southern Maine and have a new facility in Harpswell allowing for temporary holding before transporting animals to a rehab facility. You can reach us at: 1063 McGaw Avenue, Suite 100 Irvine, CA 92614 714-834-1111 714-834-1128 (Fax) Contact Us. Youll experience one of Maines oldest lighthouses, including a trip to the top of the tower and a visit to the restored keeper's house. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-113315485', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Boston in July. To report any stranded marine mammal, or if a seal appears to be abandoned, appears on a crowded beach, or shows signs of illness or injury, notify the Maine Marine Animal Reporting Hotline, 1-800-532-9551. Open 364 days a year, the institute offers tours and a marine-life touch tank. 51 Main St., Stonington. Explore the tidewater on a paddling day trip. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); VisitMaine.Net The unofficial guide to experiencing Maine. Machias Seal Island is a bit out of the way and youll need to book a guided tour to get there, but if youre a committed puffin fan, the effort will justify the experience. Its cottages stud the nearby shore and forest. The health risk posed by avian flu to the general public is low; however, precautions are recommended. Maine has three well-defined climatic zones: central, southern interior, and northern. 14 Parsons Beach Rte. The huge kitsch clearinghouse at Lands End is worth visiting if only for the decadent homemade fudge. Admire the endangered birds from a distance, stay out of signed restricted areas, and fill any beach holes (since chicks can tumble in). In addition there is a squadron of returning Ospreys that fish aggressively there as well. Maine is the only place in the United States where you can see puffins in the wild. } Catch the weekly Thursday night fireworks at Old Orchard Beach. Little Coveside might have the finest deck dining in the state, overlooking the harbors gnarly little outcrop islands and often hosting some al fresco troubadour. If you love seals, beautiful scenery, or just want to be on the ocean, this is the tour for you! Visit themainebeaches.com for more info and its never a bad idea to call the local town office with questions. Its also easier to go seaglunking at low tide, and searching after a summer storm can pay dividends, as more glass tends to wash up then. 543 Shore Rd., Ogunquit. Voted #1 in New England by Yankee Magazine for the best chance of finding Moose! 9. Deer Isle Granite Museum Moderate use. Bass Harbor is almost exclusively a working harbor its all lobsterboats and fishing boats and nearly all the small businesses in town are fishermen. A seal in Casco Bay, near Portland, Maine. 7 Little Beach Marginal Way, off Israel Head Rd. Come see us at the Visitor Center Monday to Friday, from 8:00-4:30. Head north, and the crowds thin out at Footbridge and North beaches with their own parking and access, theyre technically extensions of Ogunquit Beach, and a beachcomber can spend a lovely afternoon wandering there and back. 5 Short Sands Beach Ocean Ave. Sandy, paid parking, lifeguards, showers and toilets. Fall is when the impressive antlers of the bull moose are fully formed. Including approximately 5,000 pairs of puffins, 1,000 pairs of razorback auks and 500 pairs of common murres. Kennebunk andKennebunkportattract the famous each summer includingformer President George Bush and his family. The result: a perfectly crisp coating that keeps clams from losing flavor to the fryer. Sandy, paid parking, concessions, lifeguards, toilets. Walk the coastal trail, explore the childrens garden, and admire Portland Head Light at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. One of southern Maines consistently excellent restaurants, Mark Gaier and Clark Frasiers 12-year-old seaside eatery manages to thread the needle of upscale ($30 dinner entres that wow, like an Indian-spiced braised lamb shank) and approachable (Thursday burger nights in the shoulder seasons, when a creatively topped burger and a local pint run you $13). Free admission. When you visit the Museums of Old, Read More Experience the 9 Buildings of the Museums of Old York MaineContinue, The Maine Waterfront Dining Experience Food and water. The pier was rebuilt every time, and its current, 600-foot incarnation dates to 1980. .page .lead { padding: 0 20px 0 20px; } Address: Address: Sandy, paid parking, concessions, showers and toilets. Live. Photograph by Benjamin Williamson, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Acadia National Park in Winter is a Little-Visited Marvel, Campobello Island Is Neither Here nor There, At Sunday River, The Best Doughnuts You Can Buy On a Ski Trail, Lynne Drexler Saw the World Through Kaleidoscope Eyes. This does not include mammals, such as seals and whales, that must live in ocean environments or domestic mammals like cattle, dogs, and people.