Having traveled extensively through the South and seen numerous Memorials to the "War of Northern…read moreAggression", it is pleasing to see the corresponding Civil War memorials in the North https://www.yelp.com/collection/MZtwuckarww8rexRQ2G_uQ. This tall memorial is located in a traffic circle adjacent to the Boothbay Town Hall and was dedicated in 1879. It is made from local Maine granite and sculpted by a local Maine artist. The inscription at the base reads, "Erected in memory of the 256 soldiers and sailors from Boothbay in the War of 1861-1865. The world can never forget what they did. 1879" There is no immediate parking at the memorial but the town hall lot nearby has space. [Review 14894 overall, 396 of 2021, number 76 in Maine.]

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? Yes. Loop trail? Yes and no. Well marked signs? Kind of. Element of surprise? No. I feel like the concept of Whaleback Shell Midden's State Historic Site is incredible. But, unfortunately, over time it's perhaps lost it's impressiveness. So, what is a shell midden? It's essentially an enormous pile of discarded shells (primarily oyster) located on the Damariscotta River that were formed, they believe, 1000+ years ago by Indigenous Americans. Originally the Whaleback Midden was more than thirty feet deep (and looked like the back of a whale) -- most of which is gone now since it was used to create chicken feed in the late nineteenth century, or because of erosion from rising sea levels, or because it was simply taken by people (there are lots of signs that kindly ask that you do not do this). As such, there isn't much to see here: there's a nice walk through a field, a lovely walk through a very small but historic apple orchard (the best part when we visited was the earthy smell of summer heat bouncing off the apples), a swinging bench that over looks some of the river, and some really interesting informational boards. But that's about it. Across the river, and completely inaccessible, you can see the Glidden Midden which is the largest mound left in Maine (and, again unfortunately, it's not that big).

Great place to visit, it is beautiful and very well marked and maintained. Trees and lush fields…read morewith wild flowers. We never made it to the oyster shell middens. The pictures I see on the website are great--just don't come at sunset when we arrived... else be devoured by hordes of mosquitoes!

It is a moderately easy hike to Squirrel Point Light. It is about 1.3 miles out to the lighthouse…read moreand back. Squirrel Point Light is located on the east side of the Kennebec River approximately 10 miles from Bath. The path is well marked but there are some roots along the way to be careful of. We saw a deer. The lighthouse and keepers house are not open to visitors and are in need of some repair. Citizens for Squirrel Point is a nonprofit which is working to preserve the buildings and the grounds of this historic lighthouse. The river view is pretty from the lighthouse. The is a small parking area at the beginning of the trail.

This is a short 15-30 minute hike out and back. It's a great little lighthouse and nice view of the…read moreKennebec River. We saw a couple of seals, and beautiful trees and other greenery as well. This was our first here and we will be back, you should check this place out.

Since the current Postmaster has taken over, the service of the Boothbay area's postal customer…read moreservice, delivery of daily mail and packages has been inconsistent; miss delivered (including medications) sitting at the post office for a week, not delivered. the Postmaster has said since she has taken over that she is Understaffed. it is now February and only have 1/3 of residents in the area, and still cannot get organized to deliver on time, and have pleasant counter service, she also is under the impression that finally delivering the Very late Mail 'resolve' the issues, it does not. Nine out of 10 times the issue is management isnt able to keep, train and Organize.

Quant little fishing town with lots of shops and small restaurants. We were here over Christmas…read moreholiday so it was quiet but a lot of places were closed.. Downtown right on the harbor are a couple hotels. On the other side oh harbor is a fresh lobster market. They had a good amount of lobster but at that time was $50 a pound...but couldn't resist getting a couple 1 1/4 era.

Intimate, elegant and cozy space. Came here for a string quartet performance. Loved the exterior…read more The interior was even more impressive.

Books ships and…read morehistory The first Bath library was started back in 1847 when John and George Patten got a bunch of books together and started storing them in any available space for public use. Finally in 1891, Galen Moses donated 10,000 dollars to construct a building to house the growing collections of books and a wonderful building was built. Like most old libraries the original building proved to be to small so additions were added in 1961 and then again in 1988. Now the library is large and modern but with lots of old fashion charm. All kinds of great art and ship models are scattered around the library and great views of the Kennebec River can be seen from the lawn and top floor. A fantastic children's room and genealogy area makes this library a great place to do research of have fun. Bath has a great library that serves the present but doesn't lose sight of the past. A wonderful and very practical library that will continue to serve the community for decades to come.

A unique way to be a part of living history. The annual ice harvest. The museum is open during the…read moresummer. Ice harvest every February and annual ice cream social every July

Open Fridays and Saturdays during summer. Really fascinating explanation of the commercial ice…read morebusiness. Worth the stop. They also do an old fashioned ice harvest in February, and then use that ice to freeze ice cream for a 4th of July Ice Cream Social.

This place is such a great stop. Three rooms of history: pre revolutionary war, post independence,…read moreand a general history of industry in the area. One of the best and most unique parts was being able to hear songs from the revolutionary era! Music gets forgotten in many discussions of history, so being able to hear some of the songs from that era deepened the entire experience. The staff member who was there when we visited was amazing! I forgot to get her name, sadly. She was so cheerful and passionate about history and was able to give us some amazing recommendations for things to do in the area based on what we are into. If you are in Freeport, PLEASE take a minute away from shopping to visit this place!

Quilts telescopes and…read moreGreeks The Boothbay Library is located in a beautiful building that was once a Greek Revival private home that was constructed in the 1840s. the building was purchased for the library in around 1923 and has had lots of renovations over the years. The largest was in 2014 when the size of the library was almost doubled. The library is charming and quaint inside, especially in the original section. Lovely expose beams and a very cool and homey atmosphere inside. Even thought the library has certain grown it still isn't very large but managed to include a very fun children room and a cool area upstairs where the local quilting club produces amazing quilts for local charities. There are also Lego clubs and a whole lot of other activities for young and old alike. Right behind the library is a fantastic used book store that helps supports the library. Lots of books are just strewn about on the cool porch and inside the building and it's great fun digging around to see what you can find. The Boothbay Library has a nice collection off local history, old historic books and some best sellers. And it even has a cool telescope that patrons can check out. Certainly not the largest library around but one of the most charming and interesting.

I visit Boothbay Harbor with my family at least twice a year (my parents have a house there), and…read morevisiting the library is always the top item on my list of things to do. Why? The library porch. Actually, it's the porch on the building next to the library itself. It has a large selection of hardcover and paperback books available for sale to support the library - and they cost ten cents per book. At that price, I can try all sorts of books that I might never have dreamed of picking up otherwise - and some of them always turn out to be surprisingly good. There's also always the chance of finding buried treasure. In fact, I almost ALWAYS make one or two real finds. This summer, I found a hardcover copy of "The Bridge of Birds" in excellent condition; a simply wonderful book, and a fabulous bargain. The porch works on the honor system. You pick out your books and put the money through a slot in the (always-locked) side door. I always put in some extra cash, if I have any, to support the library. As far as I know, the porch is always open all hours, every day of the week; there isn't any way to actually *close* it, after all (I imagine that they don't leave the books out during the winter, though). There are usually some plastic grocery bags hung on one of the shelves for your books. The rest of the building is a regular used book shop. It also supports the library, and is run by volunteers. Prices used to be a little bit on the high side, but they've come way down; most books are $0.50 - $1. The selection is large and quite good. Between the porch and the shop, I recently picked up over 30 books for under $15. The space in the shop is a bit cramped, but I've seen worse. Look for the children's nook; lots of good stuff there. And now, the library itself: it's a typical small New England library, packed with books and character. There's wifi internet access (the previous librarian arranged that, I believe; she was a real treasure), as well as several computers that can be used for internet access. You need to sign up in advance for half-hour increments of computer use. The children's room is particularly nice. There are a lot of books packed into a relatively small and cosy space, as well as toys, videos, a comfy couch that's very good for quietly reading books aloud to children, and an odd barn-setting on one wall that almost seems to be a sort of staging area for plays (or just to play with). It's a very popular destination for my seven-year-old son whenever we visit Boothbay Harbor.