This outdoor labyrinth located near the trails of the BTLT is a joint project of theirs with First…read moreParish Church in Brunswick. Built in honor of long time staff member, Susan Fitzgerald, this place is a wonderful place for contemplation and reflection.

We brought 12, 3-4 year olds to the beach today for World Ocean Day. Everyone at check-in was…read morereally nice, and super friendly. There was plenty of empty space so we had our own spot to play, draw, run, look in tide pools, and scurry in/out of the water. The kids had an absolute blast and will be talking about this for a long time. Several even got a high five on our way out. Clean rest rooms. Tables for us to sit, chat, and where we could put our shoes back on.

Enjoyed a tasty lunch at Pemaquid Beach. The fried haddock and haddock tacos were so good. It was a…read morelittle too chilly for a beach day, but the beach is beautiful. Very peaceful area, great for families!

"General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't…read moresee that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends... If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around." This quote, from none other than Prime Minister Hugh Grant of "Love Actually" perfectly explains Love Locks here in Portland. Up until February 2013 it was just a fence... a nondescript fence that hundreds of thousands of people passed every year without a second glance... until one night some drunken friends decided to buy padlocks, write a dedication to a loved one on it (for one of the original women, that included her husband and two dogs), lock it on the fence, then dispose of the key. Portland has such a European (where this idea originated from) feel to it, that it only makes sense for us to have our own version of Love Locks, too! Some folks think it's an eye sore... I think it's lovely. So lovely in fact that I may or may not have a lock up there myself (and I may or may not have thrown my key over the fence into the ocean... which I now realize isn't entirely eco-friendly. Dear fishies, please be careful grazing on any new sparkly snacks you might have recently found!). What can I say? I love love. And I love the ocean. And I love this city. And I love romantic gestures. And I love the strong bonds people have with other people, places, and pets. And I love unique forms of art. And I love pretty things. Don't you? Who knows if our Love Locks will stand the test of time. If, over the years, the locks begin to rust and become an eye sore instead of love lore, I would think the city might take it down. So come leave a lock of love for your loved one (be that your mom, your sister, your pet rabbit, your favorite coffee drink, or yourself) now... or at least take the time to read some of the proclamations of passion permanently padlocked here in Portland!

They're locks... on a fence. That's 5 stars right there. haha They're right in the middle of the…read moreOld Port and it was cool seeing it since I've never seen a love locks fence before in person. It is small and insignificant for most, but for it to have a yelp listing -- I had to check it out. They are tons of locks on it and most of them looked recent with in the year. That poor fence is holding on for dear life. If you're a lover want to lock it in -- put a lock on the love locks fence to make it official. That's more lasting than facebook official. Story has it that once you lock it up, that you toss the key in the water over the fence after the fact. Superstition has it that once you lose the key -- your love is locked together forever.

Such a cool experience in Portland... A tall ship docked next to the Maine State Pier behind RiRa…read moreand The new Science Center. I loved the interactive aspect of this tour. We were taken around by one of the crew members and he showed us the various parts of the ship. I don't know if there are words to describe being on a ship of this size and feeling like you've slipped back in time. This ship was built in 2009 (which was shocking enough) as a replica of a historic Spanish ship. There are crew on the ship that have sailed all over the world. The ship winters in the Caribbean and Florida and travels up the coast... This thing is MASSIVE!! Pay the money and go on this ship!

This was amazing. I'm so glad we decided to go down the coast and take this walk. We decided to go…read moreat sunrise. Although there was overcast, it was still a beautiful walk. I imagined the people who walked this jetty every single day and I was jealous. We didn't tour the lighthouse but we've seen plenty of lighthouses. We've never seen one out a mile though. Don't miss this gem! Be sure to use the bathroom before coming here as we did not see any portapods. Also, wear shoes with hood support. We saw a few wearing flip flops; so t know how they did it. I wouldn't take the risk of tripping.

The ending to a perfect day in Maine? Watching the sunset from a jetty of course!…read more After spending the day exploring coastal areas in southern Maine, we decided to walk the jetty near Wells Harbor/York Beach. We didn't know what to expect when we discovered this spot - so when you come know that there are two jetty's. One you can access from the elongated, sandy parking area on Foster Ln (which was free to use and deserted when we came in early November); and, one you can access from a bigger, concrete parking area at the end of Atlantic Ave (beyond Sage Fishing Charters - it's pay to park here, but I don't know if that's just during the height of the summer season). These jetty's are long (I read somewhere that they're over a mile) stone breakwaters that stretch out relatively far from land into the Atlantic. It's beautiful to walk down and back as you get stunning views of Wells Harbor, the beach on either side, and great for bird watching too (we were captivated by some sanderlings!). It's important to be mindful when walking on jetty's though - these big boulders have crevices between them, so "mind the gap"; if the ocean is rough, you might also get soaked from waves crashing against them! Absolutely worth seeing, especially in the shoulder season when it's got that much more serene, humble feeling to it!

One of Boothbay Harbor's calling cards, the Pedestrian Footbridge. While not very long, it takes…read moreyou over the water and offers some nice views, albeit brief. While nothing exciting, this is definitely one of the things where it's about appreciating the little things. Its just a short wooden bridge across the water, but at the same time its so much more.

What a cool spot! We went to explore boothbay harbor and we didn't know this bridge was here. It…read moreconnects the two sides so you can go shopping and check out some other spots. They also have benches where you can just sit and enjoy the view. The history is also super neat!

Went here with my mother for my birthday! They have a lovely wine selection and allow you to sample…read morethe wine before ordering. Food was incredible, I come from a Greek family and was not disappointed! Portions are on the smaller and pricier side, definitely more of a "special occasion" dining spot for me at least. Staff were friendly and helpful. Atmosphere was cozy and rustic. Overall great experience :)

Cocktails were great, and the wine was good. I found the good to be either bland or bitter, and for…read morethe price I felt it wasn't worth it.

I highly recommend Casco Bay Custom Charters…read more We sailed with them for a special family event in July 2020. We gathered to release our father's ashes at sea. The team we worked with to plan the event were flexible with our plans including location, departure, and the actual release. They provided helpful information about purchasing a biodegradable urn and how to structure our minimal program - especially as we had young children participating (ages 4-11). They will work with you to create your ideal experience.

Our small family really enjoyed this private charter experience. The crew was super friendly and…read morevery knowledgeable. The boat was comfortable and the tour included some hardy snacks and drinks. Would highly recommend this company to anyone looking for a private Charter tour in the area.

A magical visit for any lovers of Andre. Located in a wonderful little town that supports and…read moreafternoon stroll and visit.

It's no secret that "Local Flavor" is one of my favorite categories on Yelp. It's sort of this…read morecatch all for anything that's super interesting, maybe peculiar, definitely unique to the area. Like statues of seals. According to the memorial, "Andre was born in Robinson's Rock in Penobscot Bay on May 16th, 1961. Abandoned at birth, he was found, befriended, raised, and trained by Harry Goodridge of Rockport, Maine. Andrew is honorary harbormaster of Rockport Harbor, and is a celebrity of more than local renown. His antics have delighted people far and wide. Andre is a Harbor Seal (phoca vitulina), the only species that occurs regularly in New England waters. This small park is marinated by the Rockport Garden Club for the pleasure of the public." According to Roadside America, Andre wintered at the New England Aquarium in Boston, but for 20+ years would be released so he could swim back to Rockport (a 150+ mile journey) to visit his friends. The granite statue you can visit today was placed in the park in 1978, apparently Andre himself was there to unveil it! Personally, I think it's super cool. Seals are one of my favorite animals and Maine is one of my favorite places, so of course I've visited. I sat with Andre, I pet his little nose. Maybe the locals thought I was super weird, but... they also have a seal as a harbor master, sooooooo. (This is also a super cute little park you can have a picnic in and watch the boats coming and going.)

Welcome to the home of 300-ish full-time residents. This number grows to 1,000 during the…read moresummertime due to all the visitors looking to "get away from it all." They choose wisely as this little taste of heaven allows you to do exactly that. There is one food market that has enough basics to get you by in a pinch. The town library has wifi, computers, DVDs, a respectable selection of books, and a popcorn machine that's used on movie nights. Several nick nack shops are available to satisfy your souvenir craving. You have one place to get gas @ the Fisherman's Co-Op, but be prepared to spend $6.00/gallon. There are several ways to get lobsters, but you'll quickly learn that the best way to seal the deal is to order them fresh from The Island Market & Supply (TIMS), who will prepare them for an extra $1 per lobster. The main industry is computer chip manufacturing (kidding)....it's lobsters of course, and there are approximately 40 lobsterman who make their living doing so. The permanent residents are generally older, but there are families with younger children who live here. One elementary school provides their education up through 8th grade; afterwards, they must take the ferry each school day to attend 9-12th grade in Bass Harbor. The weather is warm in the summer days and cooler in the mornings and evenings. Wear thin socks to bed. I've never seen any house with an attached HVAC unit, but window fans abound. Winters are cold and snowy. Oil heat is the common denominator here. Wear thick socks. Thank you Colonel James Swan of Fife, Scotland, for purchasing this island during the 18th century. You made it possible for folks like me to enjoy the fruit of your investment.