Fun Things to Do in Maine

Because my father was from Bangor, I had an inside track on fun things to do in Maine. One place that I always loved was Fort Knox, which was a fort located on the Penobscot River.

It is a nineteenth century fort and also a demonstration that a five-sided shape is not unique to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. This fort is also a pentagon.

Many summers when we went to Maine we rented a cabin on a "pond." This is what the Mainers called it. To the rest of us it would be a lake--these are not the small bodies of water you see on a farm. There are many of these ponds with cabins in inland Maine and the internet would make access to renting them relatively easy.

Maine in August on a pond means cool nights and bringing in firewood for a fire in the stove during the morning. It means sleeping under a blanket without need of air conditioning. The pond provides lots of opportunities for recreation, including swimming and canoeing. The nice thing about staying at a pond is that you are in a much less touristy part of Maine than when you are on the coast.

Go to Freeport (pronounced "free poht") and visit L. L. Bean and the other outlets there. The products at L.L. Bean are high quality and it is an old and important business in Maine. Save up your money because you will find many temptations.

The main food that tourists want to eat is lobster. There are two ways to go about this and they both involve finding those little eating joints that are not national franchises. One way is the traditional whole lobster ("lob-stah") with the lemon butter for dipping and corn on the cob. You can also get lobster from most sit down restaurants, but lobster from a stand is not just cheaper, it's a much different cultural experience. It's like a picnic with ultra gourmet food.

The other way to have lobster is to find a stand that sells lobster rolls. A lobster roll is a hot dog bun filled with...lobster. It also is very good and very casual. You can find these types of stands on the main touristy roads. You can also ask locals and they can steer you towards one.

In general Maine offers so much to its visitors. There are lots of opportunities for ocean-related recreation as well as shopping in big outlet stores or among artsy shops located in the towns that run along the coast. If you like lobster, you are in for a treat, but you can also enjoy many kinds of seafood in Maine.

The weather is great. Mainers complain when it gets to 85 degrees, which is fairly rare. It's good weather for sleeping and for being outdoors. Finally, the native Mainers can be extremely creative and interesting people to get to know.