We made a short stop to view this garden finding it quiet, tranquil and less than impressive though…read moreobviously your mileage may and very likely will vary.

Really pretty, I love coming here. It's nice all year round and even has a Geocache in it.read more

Nice, quiet town beach There is usually a food truck nearby…read more Great for kayaking and paddling

This beach is the reason I moved to Winthrop! Situated on the end of Maranacook Lake, this little…read moretown beach is my favorite local spot for a swim, float, picnic, and family outing! In peak summer days the shore is lined with families, food trucks, kids on bikes, boaters, kayakers, and all other species of lake lovers. The waters of Maranacook Lake are clear, pristine, and brisk! The beach is easily walked to from downtown Winthrop, which is lined with cool shops, a subway, couple of eateries. The town beach is clean, nicely maintained, trash receptacles are available, lots of green space to picnic and chill. The boat launch is nearby as is a lovely park with benches and a community gazebo. On the 4th of July this is THE place to be! Amazing fireworks food trucks, and of course the Winthrop PD regularly patrols so you can take your leisure in a safe, monitored location. As a local I love using the beach in the off season. There's always tons of free parking and the Winthrop peeps are just great, kind, people who don't mind sharing their gem of a beach with out of towners who respect and abide the rules. While at the beach take a stroll, explore the neato downtown area, and soak up the sun and fun vibes! Bring the fam and chill on the shore of the beautiful Maranacook Lake. Oh! And boaters if you put in the lake check your boat and trailers for milfoil (a nasty invasive plant) it's the law in Maine. No milfoil in or out of our water bodies. Enjoy!

Granite City Park welcomes locals and tourists from all over. There is plenty of parking in the lot…read moreand on the street. This park is the heartbeat of Hallowell. Safe, clean and fun the citizens of Hallowell take great pride in their park. The conservation commission makes sure that in the spring the brush, and winter rubble is removed. If you're look for sturgeon this is THE place to be. End of May into June is peak Sturgeon jumping time and the Kennebec River will not disappoint. You'll see sturgeon leaping from the river, ducks, eagles, cranes, hawks, and turtles abound. Hallowell is a foodie destination. There are numerous outside dining areas, live music, craft local beer, killer cocktails, fun antique shops, and funky markets to discover. Grab a coffee and stroll the quaint streets, hit up the bakery, and explore the rail trail. Granite City Park is the cornerstone of this amazing city. Steeped in history, Granite City Park is a multi-use location. July sees it hosting food trucks and vendors for Old Hallowell Day, this is THE front row seats to an incredible fireworks display. Summertime you'll find the parks immaculate gardens in full bloom. Lounge in the sun, picnic, ride bikes on the rail trail, jog, walk, and just enjoy this city oasis. The park is ADA compliant with ramps, and handicap porta-potty that is fresh and clean each time I've used it. This is a spot for artists, writers, readers, and it's also a great place for a first date! You cannot smoke here, or in any park or eating place in Maine, there are trash recepticals scattered about - please pick up after your pets and use these recepticles. I hope you enjoy one of my favorite places to while away a summer day.

I'm not entirely clear on the boundaries of Granite City Park and I don't know if I understand…read moreeverything it has to offer. What I do know, is that it has a long row of colorful and high quality Adirondack chairs lining the Kennebac River in Hallowell, Maine near Augusta. You can get a coffee or food from numerous cool places in Hallowell, head to the adjacent Granite City Park and sit on the River. It's peaceful if you want to relax by yourself. And it makes a cool place to hang out with friends or family. I'd definitely recommend!

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 (and NH) 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. Well marked signs? Yes. Element of surprise? Yes. This is a gem of a hike. And it's proof that just when you think you know Maine... you don't. Will I ever run out of incredible places to explore here? Mt Pisgah proves I won't. I had never heard of this spot before, but was doing research for somewhere to play outside near the Augusta area, and this came up. It was everything I was looking for: 2 to 4 miles, meandering through the forest, and absolutely outstanding views at the top. I took Blueberry Trail (1.3 miles) which was mostly a very windy path through woodlands; what makes it so special, though, is the wild blueberries that grow near the top. From the informational sign: "...In natural settings native highbush blueberries are typically found in areas with wet, acidic, organic soils. Mt Pisgah, where highbush blueberries occur, does not resemble these preferred habitats. At this site, the highbush blueberries are found in an upland forest with dry soil and no nearby water source. It is unclear how the highbush blueberries came to be in this less than ideal habitat." TLDR: There are magical blueberries here. When I reached the top I climbed up the historic fire tower for impressive 360 degree views of the surrounding area. To come down from the summit there are two options: Tower Trail (which is about .7 miles) which passes through rich forest (expect lots of wooden planks over streams) OR the access road which is a straight shot on a well groomed, relatively accessible (think stroller-friendly) road back up and back from the parking lot. Side note: Ledges Trail, 1.4 miles, adds steps but not views. (From the informational sign at the top of the mountain: "In Hebrew, Pisgah means a lookout or place with a view, and refers to the place on Mt Nebo from which Moses looked out over the promised lands. In the 19th century, before the fire tower was constructed, the summit of Pisgah was an open pasture that provided panoramic views. Mt Pisgah has a rich agricultural history. Old stone walls, second growth pine and hardwood forest, and gnarly sugar maples with tap holes tell the story of intensive land clearing, pasturing, cultivation, and farm abandonment.")

A nice 1-2.5 hour hike (depending on which trails one takes), especially for winter hiking, and a…read moregreat panoramic view atop the high scalable tower.

Great for little ones, from 2 years up to 12 or so. Slides, swings, things to climb, bridges, giant…read moreteeter totter, you name it - it's here. Huge space to run around and it's filled with mulch for softer landings. Lots of parking and a very short drive from anywhere in Boothbay.

When you need to get some time with the kids away from the water and need to run out all their…read moreenergy, this is a great place - nice scenery and plenty of swings and the like to keep the kids busy for some time.

I love the views! It's great for a picnic and a little bit…read moreof history. There's plenty of open space for you to hang out with family or friends and enjoy the ocean views and breeze. While it may be controversial, I'm glad they moved the food trucks to the lower lot. It's less crowded when you arrive and less crowded near the food trucks - meaning only people getting food are in the area, vs people walking/running through with animals and kids that aren't going to the food trucks. It's also less noisy not being next to the generators. We love the food trucks there and will continue to enjoy them while also enjoying the peaceful hill. The kids in the family really enjoy the canons and the playgrounds. The times we have gone the playgrounds have been clean - thankfully no needles or trash anywhere to be seen.

Nice views. Mostly you should come to the Eastern Promenade if you love the overwhelming smell of…read moremarijuana everywhere you go and want your kids breathing in that drug as they play on the playground equipment. Can't say I fall into that category.

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? Sort of. Loop trail? Yes. Well marked signs? Yes. Element of surprise? Yes. What. A. Find. Whenever I'm journeying around Maine (checking out state parks or Atlas Obscura recommended spots), I try and also find a few trails or hiking spots to check out (because the state is huge, and when I'm in an area I'm not usually in, I want to discover spots I wouldn't otherwise!). Reynolds Forest was the best part of my day! In fact, one of the most standout spots I've been to in a while! According to the Kennebec Land Trust website (https://www.tklt.org/reynolds), "This 35 acre parcel provides visitors excellent birding opportunities, interesting wildflowers and floodplain species, and views of the powerful brook (now called Goff Brook), with its foaming water roaring over exposed rocks into stone-lined pools. Part of the conservation property not visible from the trail has seen an increase in invasive Japanese knotweed and non-native bush honeysuckle, and has served as a field research site for Colby College students studying invasive plant control methods." There's some parking off the shoulder of the main road, and the walk into the woods alongside Goff Brook is lovely. It's not long before you can suddenly hear the roaring of the (small, but mighty) waterfalls (which was once used for saw and grist mills. We made sure to come after a couple days of rain and it was worth it! We gently navigated out to some exposed rocks and sat in the sun, near the falls, surrounded by tall trees for a long time. Perfect spot for a picnic (and... I think we also spotted some foragers too). There's also a small Old Farm Loop Trail that passes by fields and an old foundation a little further beyond the Streamside Trail. BEWARE OF TICKS. BEWARE OF POISON IVY. WEAR APPROPRIATE SHOES.

This was such a cool park to explore. Gorgeous trail along the water and we saw a pair of bald…read moreeagles! The pet cemetery was really sweet and such a fun surprise towards the end.

I can practically see Mackworth Island from my livingroom window, and it's a quick drive--and also…read moreone of my favorite walks in Portland. It's no secret, of course, and as other reviewers have noted there isn't much parking. For some reason I've always been lucky that way and have always found a spot (to be sure, sometimes the only open one). What I recommend--giving away secrets here!--is to aim for just before or after prime times like first thing in the morning or lunchtime. Once you're there, this wonderful little island right smack in a city makes you feel like you're miles away. The trail is less than a mile and a half but you can easily linger in the many path detours to lookout points, several of which have benches with the most marvelous views out into the Casco Bay that you can find anywhere. I have a favorite spot to take a breather with a book and a good coffee, but I'm not letting on exactly where that is : ) I also highly recommend the side paths to the pet cemetery (not Pet Sematary!) where the original owner of the island, Governor Baxter, buried his many Irish Setters and one very special horse. Check out the tombstones; it's quite moving. Also be on the lookout for the famous fairy houses (hint: there's one main area and you'll likely find random little setups hidden throughout). I don't want to ruin the sense of discovery on Mackworth--that's part of the fun!

I thought this spot was beautiful. Quiet. The grounds area…read morecould use some updating. But it's got water, rocks, shade trees, and a swing! Precious low key spot for some relaxing.

Nice little park. Not too busy and has a few nice trails by the water. Also picnic tables and and…read morespace to play catch or toss a football. Lots of trees for hammocking as well!

Beautiful state park with great views on many trails. The trails are pretty flat and not difficult,…read moreand they are very shaded, so it's a very relaxing set of hikes. Looks like a great spot for a picnic as well.

This is a great little state park close to Portland and Freeport with trails that go along the…read moreocean, through the woods and along the Harraseeket River. Nice picnic spots and places to sit and admire the view. This is a popular park in Summer, especially in nice weather, so parking could be a challenge. If you're in the area, definitely worth a visit. Don't forget to leave your money in the box at the entrance of you don't have a Maine State Park pass so we can keep state parks like this open and maintained.