The Berwicks

For a brief stay or just a passing detour westward from the coast in Kittery, the several towns that make up the Berwicks—North Berwick, South Berwick, and Berwick—reveal many of the pleasant pastoral byways that originally attracted its 17th-century settlers. Most of the activity is in the little town of South Berwick, a somewhat artsy little enclave amid the farmland and just next to the border of New Hampshire (it seems that many of its residents spend more time in nearby Portsmouth than elsewhere in Maine). The main street is a busy thoroughfare and popular travel route for interstate trucks, but its sidewalks are lined with practical shops set in stately brick buildings and its quaint layout bespeaks its New England setting. It's a great place to spend a morning or afternoon, sampling some of its good restaurant offerings and exploring the nearby historical homes and state park.