Brunswick and the Mid-Coast Region

Lighthouses dot the headlands of Maine's Mid-Coast region, where thousands of miles of coastline wait to be explored. Defined by chiseled peninsulas stretching south from U.S. 1, this area has everything from the sandy beaches and sandbars of Popham Beach to the jutting cliffs of Monhegan Island. If you are intent on hooking a trophy-size fish or catching a glimpse of a whale, there are plenty of cruises available. If you want to explore deserted beaches and secluded coves, kayaks are your best bet. Put in at the Harpswells, or on the Cushing and Saint George peninsulas, or simply paddle among the lobster boats and other vessels that ply these waters.

Tall ships often visit Maine, sometimes sailing up the Kennebec River for a stopover at Bath's Maine Maritime Museum. Not far away, the Bath Iron Works, on the site of the old Percy and Small Shipyard, still builds the U.S. Navy's Aegis-class destroyers. In Brunswick you can visit the home (now a museum) of General Joshua L. Chamberlain, hero at the pivotal Battle of Little Round Top at Gettysburg and once a professor at Bowdoin College.

The charming towns, each unique, have their array of attractions. Brunswick has rows of historic wood and clapboard homes, while Bath is known for its maritime heritage. Wiscasset Harbor has docks where you can stroll and waterfront seafood restaurants where you can enjoy the catch of the day—Damariscotta, too, is worth a stop for its seafood restaurants. Boothbay has lots of little stores that are perfect for window-shopping, while Thomaston and environs offer scenic drives through fishing villages surrounded by water on all sides.

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