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The communities of our area. Our miles of coastline will take your breath away, and there's no match for the serenity of our inland countryside.

Glen Cove

Glen Cove lies immediately north of Rockland on U.S. Route 1. Defined by picturesque Clam Cove near the highway, Glen Cove includes a roadside picnic area that has a panoramic view of the cove and Penobscot Bay. A number of small to mid-sized visitor lodgings in this area have stunning views of the bay and Clam Cove. Penobscot Bay Medical Center and the offices of a host of physicians and other health care professionals are also located here.

Owls Head
Town office: www.midcoast.com/~owlshead

Owls Head, which extends to the immediate south of Rockland, is noted for its historic lighthouse with unparalleled views of the Penobscot Bay islands, its scenic working harbor, and the world-class Owls Head Transportation Museum. Owls Head is also the location of the Knox County Regional Airport—the Mid-Coast region's only airport, offering scheduled airline service, island transportation, and facilities for small jet aircraft. Just beyond the airport is Birch Point Beach State Park, which has a sand beach framed by a secluded natural setting. The small village common, at the end of North Shore Drive, is the gateway to Owls Head Harbor and the Owls Head Light. Public lodgings in Owls Head include many seasonal cottage/vacation rentals.

South Thomaston
Town office: www.town.south-thomaston.me.us

South Thomaston is a scenic peninsula community south of Rockland and Thomaston, and adjacent to Owls Head. It's comprised of three primary villages and several distinct sections: the town center, known locally as the "Keag" (pronounced "Gig") after the reversing tidal Weskeag River that flows through it; Spruce Head; and Spruce Head Island, a major lobstering port. Businesses include lodging facilities, a campground, seasonal cottage/vacation rentals, stores, art galleries, small shops, and oceanfront and open air seafood dining in the summer season.

Camden
Town office: www.town.camden.me.us

Located between Penobscot Bay and Mount Battie, this beautiful coastal town dates back to 1605. Camden is just north of Rockland and Route 1 passes through its bustling downtown. Camden's protected harbor is home to majestic tall masted schooners, pleasure yachts and boats that earn their living from the bountiful waters of Penobscot Bay. Camden's population of over 5,000 swells in the summer months as visitors arrive to enjoy the natural beauty of the area. Easily accessible by hiking trails or by car, the summit to Mount Battie is a highlight of Camden Hills State Park. It rewards travelers with sweeping views of the town below and the islands not far off shore. On a clear day you can see the Peak of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. Other attractions include Harbor Park, the statue of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, Curtis Island Light, the Village Green and the Knox Mill. Camden offers wonderful accommodations, including charming bed & breakfast inns, hotels, weekly rentals, cottages and small family owned properties. Its downtown features many shops and restaurants.

Rockport
Town office: www.town.rockport.me.us

Known for its contribution to lime mining, manufacturing and shipping in its early days, Rockport offers much to the visitor who enjoys natural beauty. With a harbor protected by Indian Point Lighthouse at its' eastern edge, pleasure boaters gain easy access from the town's public boat launch. Still maintaining a lobster fishing fleet, it is also home to a marble statue of its most famous summer visitor, Andre the Seal. Andre's journey has been chronicled in movies and in children's books. A visit to the village may also include a stroll around beautiful Beauchamp Point, a stop at the open air Children's Chapel or a visit to the Center for Maine Contemporary Art. A must see is Aldermere Farm, a 136 acre farm that is home to the Belted Galloway cattle. Rockport is nationally known as home to the Rockport College/Maine Photographic Workshop and also the Samoset Resort, which offers fine dining, luxurious oceanside accommodations and world-class golf. Rockport is situated between Rockland on the South and Camden to the north.

Lincolnville & Lincolnville Beach
The Lincolnville Business Group: www.lincolnville.org
Town office: www.town.lincolnville.me.us

Lincolnville offers the best of both worlds, lush green mountains with clear ponds or lakes as well as a rugged coastline punctuated by a small sandy beach. The beach and neighboring lobster pound makes a stop in Lincolnville the perfect place to cool off from an afternoon breeze off of Penobscot Bay and a chance to sample fresh caught lobster. From the village center, shop or dine while waiting for a ferry that will take you to the island of Islesboro. The island is home in the summer to many of the rich and famous, but also enjoys a year-round community who fish for their living. Kayak in a freshwater lake or cross-country ski through wooded trails because Lincolnville truly has something for every season. Fine restaurants, beautiful inns and B&Bs, wonderful hiking trails and a fabulous vineyard, Cellardoor Winery, make this a popular destination. It has rightly earned its designation from Outside Magazine as one of America's 20 Dream towns in 2004.

St. George
Town office: www.stgeorgemaine.com

Primarily a fishing and lobstering community, St. George is made up of several distinct villages—Clark Island, Wiley's Corner, Martinsville, Tenants Harbor, and Port Clyde. Although the harbor villages of Tenants Harbor and Port Clyde are the best known (and most visited), you'll find lodging establishments, dining facilities, art galleries, and small businesses all along the diverse and beautiful coastal town.

Tenants Harbor
Town office: www.stgeorgemaine.com

The village of Tenants Harbor, mid-way down the St. George peninsula on Route 131, is the administrative center of town. In a picturesque coastal setting, its well-protected harbor is home to both fishing boats and pleasure craft in season. The harbor is a favorite anchorage for yachts sailing along the Maine coast. Visitors will find several lodging facilities and dining establishments, along with a few shops and art galleries.

Port Clyde
Town office: www.stgeorgemaine.com

Port Clyde, at the end of the peninsula on Route 131, is a classic small Maine fishing village, devoted chiefly to lobstering—but also offering facilities for recreational boaters and tourists. Near its wharves, Port Clyde boasts a general store, shops, art galleries, restaurants, and a limited number of small lodging facilities. It's also where you catch the daily ferry to Monhegan Island. You'll find one of the most photographed places in our area a short distance from the village center: Marshall Point Light, which serves as a sentry at the entrance to the harbor. The former lightkeeper's house is now a historical museum open to the public in season.

Cushing

Cushing, situated on its own peninsula southwest of Thomaston, is famous for its saltwater farms and is at the heart of Maine's "Wyeth Country." The Olson House—immortalized by Andrew Wyeth's paintings of the structure and its occupants, Christina and Alvaro Olson—is a widely recognized icon of the region. Another attraction is the Cushing Historical Society Museum on Hathorn Point Road. Cushing is primarily a rural residential community with few commercial enterprises. There's a general store, a few B & Bs, and seasonal cottage/vacation rentals. To reach Cushing, take Wadsworth Street from U.S. Route 1 in Thomaston at the Maine State Prison Showroom Store. It may also be reached from Route 97 in Warren.

Friendship

Friendship is predominantly a fishing village whose major industry is lobstering and associated enterprises. Located west of Cushing on the same peninsula, Friendship the birthplace of the distinctive Friendship Sloop. Originally used as a fishing boat, the Friendship Sloop is now prized for recreational sailing. The Friendship Museum displays historical information on this unique vessel, as well as local historical artifacts. The Nelson Nature Preserve, on Route 97 just north of the village, has five miles of public hiking trails. Friendship has a few retail establishments, but dining facilities are limited. Visitor accommodations include bed & breakfast lodging places and seasonal cottage/vacation rentals.

Waldoboro
Town office: www.waldoboromaine.org

Waldoboro, situated along the banks of the Medomak River in eastern Lincoln County, is adjacent to Warren and bisected by U.S. Route 1, approximately 18 miles west of Rockland. The town center, which is several blocks away from Route 1, still retains the grace and charm of an earlier era. Waldoboro was once host to shipyards which launched fleets of schooners in the great age of sail; a well-preserved village reflects that early prosperity. The best place to learn about this seafaring, fishing and farming community - settled by Germans in the mid-1700s - is at the Waldoborough Historical Society Museum, just off Route One on Route 220 South (Main Street). Remnants of its early German heritage can be seen at the Old German Meeting House and Cemetery and at the local historical museum. Once noted for building large, multi-masted sailing vessels, Waldoboro is today a pleasant town with a number of agricultural, commercial, and industrial enterprises. Shops, stores, restaurants, the Waldo Theatre, and small lodging facilities may be found on U.S. Route 1 and in the town center.

Belfast/Searsport
Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce: www.belfastmaine.org
City office: www.cityofbelfast.org

The Belfast area is rich in history dating back more than 200 years. Many of the founding fathers wanted to name this new settlement Londonderry, but a strong-willed settler, John Miller of Belfast, Ireland, made a protest and a coin was flipped. Belfast won. The harbor and waterfront were the hub of commercial activity. The Belfast area had many active shipyards. Searsport alone, just to the north of Belfast, was home to eleven yards and to more shipmasters than any other town in America. Between 1810 and 1890, more than 200 ships slid down the ways in Searsport and in 1887 alone, more than 1,200 vessels arrived in local ports. Searsport was the leader of Maine's maritime industry in the 1800s, with an incredible one-tenth of all U.S. Merchant Marine ship captains calling the little town home. During this time of great prosperity, shipbuilders and merchants built beautiful Greek Revival, Colonial, and Vistorian mansions throughout the area and decorated them with treasures carried home from the China Trade. Today, Belfast is witnessing the birth of the Creative Economy, driven in large part by an interesting combination of technology and a revival of the visual and performing arts. Exceptional art, crafts and antiques are local trademarks, along with a historic movie theatre, co-op store and historic walking tour, drawing many visitors to Belfast. Today, the old railroad terminal survives as the home of the Belfast Maskers, who present entertaining plays throughout the year.

Five miles north of Belfast, Searsport was settled in the late 18th century and incorporated as a town in 1845. Its nearly 10 miles of coastline on Penobscot Bay have been a major influence on the town's development. During Searsport's early history, its major industry was shipbuilding and cargo handling. In the mid-1800s, the town's sea captains traveled around the world and brought home treasures, many of which are now on display in the Penobscot Marine Museum's eight historical buildings located in downtown Searsport. Searsport is home to a several bed & breakfasts, state parks and many antique shops and flea markets. Moose Point State Park on Route 1 offers picnic facilities and beach combing, with cross country ski trails in the winter. Sears Island is one of the largest uninhabited islands on the east coast. Some 940 acres in area, it is connected to the mainland via a causeway. Hunting, fishing, hiking, dog walking, sea glass and sea shell hunting are favorites on Sears Island. It is home to over 168 species of birds, along with many mammals, amphibians, fish and plants.

Warren
Town office: town.warren.me.us

Stetches between Waldoboro and Thomaston, Warren is a farming and rural community with a number of small industries and commercial establishments—principally along Route 1 and Route 90. You'll find the village center a few blocks away from both of those highways. Warren is home to several recreational lakes and ponds, campgrounds, and seasonal cottage/vacation rentals.

Union
Union Area Chamber of Commerce: www.unionareachamber.com
Town office: www.union.govoffice2.com

The town of Union lies about 15 miles west of Rockland on Route 17, at the center of Knox County's inland agricultural region. Union is noted for its blueberry fields, dairy farms, apple orchards, wood lots and sparkling lakes and ponds—a distinction it shares with the neighboring towns of Appleton, Hope, and Washington. With a backdrop of low coastal mountains, rolling hills, and quiet valleys, Union's charm extends to all seasons—but offers a special visual treat when its wooded hills and blueberry fields explode with color in fall. The Union Common provides a classic rural northern New England village setting with small businesses encircling a public green. Union is also the site of one of Maine's oldest agricultural fairs. Lodging accommodations include campgrounds and seasonal cottage/vacation rentals.

North Haven
Website: www.northhavenmaine.org

One of Maine's fourteen unbridged island communities, North Haven lies in Penobscot Bay approximately twelve miles from the midcoast City of Rockland. It is served by a Maine Department of Transportation ferry making three round trips a day from Rockland. Its year-round population of 381 (2000 Census) swells in July and August with the return of families who own seasonal homes on the island. On July 13, 2007, North Haven celebrated the 160th anniversary of its name day. North Haven supports an accredited K-12 community school. The School has begun construction on a new $7.5-million building. The Town maintains its own water and sewer systems. The former is a state of the art slow sand filtration plant and the latter is a primary treatment facility. The Town runs the North Haven Medical Clinic, which is staffed by a nurse practitioner in rotation with temporary health providers, when available. Volunteers staff emergency medical and fire services.

Vinalhaven
Vinalhaven Chamber of Commerce: www.vinalhaven.org

The Vinalhaven Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to this island community 15 miles off the coast—the largest of the 14 year-round island towns of Maine. The community takes pride in the natural beauty of the island, its multi-generational families, school, volunteer fire and emergency medical services, musical and theatrical talents, and its residents' neighborly way of looking out for each other. The community has completed several significant projects recently, including a residential elder care home, construction of a new K-12 school, a municipal sewer system, and major renovations of the island's largest church. Followed closely by tourism, lobster fishing is the largest component of Vinalhaven's economy, with a diverse group of smaller businesses working to meet the needs of this active community. The village of Vinalhaven, located on the southern shore of the island, is the center of commercial activity.

Monhegan
Website: www.monhegan.com

Monhegan is undoubtedly the most famous island in Maine, thanks in large measure to the art of George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Rockwell Kent, Jamie Wyeth, and many others who have been drawn to paint its dramatic cliffs—the highest on the New England coast. These artists are credited with popularizing the island, whose summer population is tenfold that of the winter. Located ten miles out to sea, Monhegan is 1.4 miles long and .7 miles wide. A wildlife sanctuary with more than 600 varieties of wildflowers and 200 species of birds—including peregrine falcons, ospreys, and northern harriers (marsh hawks)—and a peaceful stretch of spruce and moss called Cathedral Woods make Monhegan attractive to naturalists and hikers. Its 17 miles of trails and breathtaking walks, inns, shops, artists' colony, museum, swimming beach (for hardy souls who like cold ocean water), and lighthouse make this a trip worth taking.

Matinicus

Located about 20 miles south of Rockland and the most remote of the inhabited year-round islands, Matinicus is an Indian name meaning alternatively "grassy islands" or "the place of the wild turkeys." Matinicus Harbor is one of the few in Maine that's home to almost exclusively working vessels. It's almost two miles long and one mile wide, with about 750 acres filled with hundreds of species of plants. The shores are rocky—the eastern shore being mostly granite—but there are two large beaches with beautiful fine graying-white sand, as well as numerous small pebble beaches. Matinicus has some cottage rentals and one bed & breakfast. The small village has a single post office. Staying at Matinicus Island is much like going back in time: arrivals and departures, comings and goings—indeed life itself moves at a pace set by wind, weather, and tides.