Real People. Real Advice. It’s the Maine Thing.

Ken & Ellen Barnes’s tips

October 31, 2012

Editor’s Notes:

The ferries of Penobscot Bay continue their service around the many coastal islands and bays of Maine. The surrounding waters are ideal for cruises or adventure as they soften the impact of larger waves and currents from the Atlantic. Click here for ferry schedules.

The Samoset Resort is oceanside and is considered one of the best places to golf, dine and spa on Penobscot Bay.

The Festival of Lights is held on Thanksgiving weekend in Rockland. Nearby is Camden's Christmas by the Sea which is the first weekend in December.

Owls Head Transportation Museum is 2 miles south of Rockland near the well-known Owls Head Lighthouse. The substantial and varied display of automobiles, aircraft, bicycles and rail cars will engage you.

The Maine Mid-Coast Forum on Foreign Relations gathers the public for a range of topics throughout the year. From space exploration to the next Senator of Maine, it is an important framework in the community.

The Strand Theatre is a historical site, originally built in 1923. With improvements made throughout its existence this multi-use venue continues to entertain people with film festivals, movies and live performances.

Activities Abound

The leaves are turning, the refreshing Northerly winds are blowing, the pumpkins and gourds are in the markets – all a sure sign that the fall season is upon us.

Coastal Maine gets a little less crowded but doesn't shut down. It is a great time to come for a weekend of hiking, sightseeing or just plain relaxing. With many special weekend packages, the Historic Inns of Rockland greet guests all winter long with gourmet breakfasts and pampers them in cozy fire-placed rooms.

We are standing in front of our downtown Rockland Inn, the Captain Lindsey House, and taking a long goodbye look at our summer window boxes filled with tomato plants and herbs. This was our summer garden, a breakfast garden almost completely harvested. We've just returned from Beth's Farm Market, where we bought tall corn stalks to grace the front door, along with a wonderful collection of gourds and squash. We even found four delicious ears of corn on the newly cut stalks which we ate for lunch. The ferries continue to run across Penobscot Bay – a lovely excursion on a clear day. Thanksgiving weekend opens the Christmas season with Rockland's Festival of Lights, followed closely by Camden's Christmas by the Sea. The Samoset Resort offers a great Thanksgiving feast.

Cultural offerings abound all winter. The Farnsworth and the Transportation Museums are open. The Mid-Coast Forum On Foreign Relations hosts well-known international speakers on a monthly basis. And several movie theaters simulcast the Metropolitan Opera on Saturdays. The Strand in Rockland is also presenting several of the Globe performances from London.

We are ready for fall and that feel of crisp, clear air. We welcome all to the Mid-Coast of Maine during the fall and winter season. We stay here – we don't fly south.

All Maine Insiders have volunteered to participate in this program. Their views are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Maine Office of Tourism (MOT). They have not been financially compensated by MOT or any of its contractors or affiliates.