Travel and Adventure: Best of the Rest

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blast from the past
Photo Credit: Warren Jagger
Captain Lord Mansion

Celebrating an anniversary is no time to skimp, and this 1812 Federal-style mansion has enough four-poster beds, crown moulding, and richly colored wallpaper to reassure your sweetheart that you value her as much as Mr. Darcy did Elizabeth Bennet. Owners Bev Davis and Rick Litchfield keep each of their twenty rooms immaculate, incorporating Jacuzzi tubs and fireplaces in nearly all of them without disturbing the house’s pre-Victorian charm. You’re in luck if you exchanged vows during the winter, as some of the best package deals are offered during January and February. 6 Pleasant St., Kennebunkport, 207-967-3141, www.captainlord.com [2]

mini golf
Pirate’s Cove

With so much of the world the wrong size for the smaller set, it’s no surprise that putt-putt golf courses are such a hit with youngsters and those who like to act half their age. Anchor a full-size pirate ship in the middle of the links, a great white shark with a taste for sailors, and the practically obligatory waterfall hazard, and you’ve got eighteen holes that’ll satisfy even the most discerning mini golfer. In true pirate fashion, you might even employ a bit of bribery: Propose a stop at the course on your way into Bar Harbor as payment for a few more minutes of shopping downtown.
368 State Highway 3, Bar Harbor, 207-288-2133, www.piratescove.net [3]

rock climbing

Photo Credit: Jennifer Baum
Otter Cliffs

There are not many places around the globe where climbers can practice their vertical gymnastics at the water’s edge. The pink granite cliffs of Otter Cliffs, in Acadia National Park, have got to be among the most user-friendly. Local guide Jeff Butterfield has been leading visitors to the edge (and over it, actually) of this sixty-foot-tall outcropping for twenty-four years. He’ll set a toprope that’s right for your physical and emotional level. Classic routes like Rock Lobster (rated 5.9+, or challenging) ascend a giant detached pillar, while others like Riptide (rated 5.11+, very difficult) test even the toughest rock jocks, with tiny holds and overhanging fingercracks. Atlantic Climbing School, 67 Main St., Bar Harbor, 207-288-2521, www.acadiaclimbing.com [4]

rendezvous
Top of the East

Portland has no shortage of great spots to meet someone for the first time or the hundredth, but if you’re looking to dazzle a date or a business client, then hop in the elevator at the Eastland Park Hotel and let the best view in town make a good impression for you. Park yourself in one of the comfy brown leather couches and take in the view of Casco Bay and even Mount Washington (on a clear day) as you sip a martini or, perhaps more appropriate to the lofty location, something served in a highball glass. 157 High St., Portland, 207-775-5411, www.eastlandparkhotel.com [5]

private road
The Golden Road

There are a few things you absolutely must do if you want to consider yourself a Mainer. Driving the ninety-six-mile logging road between the Quebec border and Penobscot County is one of them. The six dollars toll (ten for non-residents) that you’ll pay at the Caribou checkpoint just east of Moosehead Lake is a small price for the experience of driving past stunning vistas of Mount Katahdin from around Ripogenus Dam, taking in the forested view of the North Branch of the Penobscot, or sampling the scores of mountains and streams scattered along the way. The gravel road (just the thirty-four miles immediately west of Millinocket are paved) includes pull-offs to keep you away from the logging trucks that barrel down this working highway, and you’ll do well to use them — this is, after all, their road and they always have the right-of-way. North Maine Woods, 92 Main St., Ashland, 207-435-6213, www.northmainewoods.org [6]

ski slope
Lookout

The name of this black-diamond run is not a warning, it’s advice. Because if you don’t look up from the moguls and trees you’ll miss the stunning view of North Haven, Islesboro, and the rest of Penobscot Bay. Only open during good snow years (last year was a doozy), Lookout at the Camden Snow Bowl helps earn the town-owned slope its claim to fame as the only ski area in the lower forty-eight states with a view of the ocean. Time your trip to take advantage of the twelve-dollar, two-hour “long lunch” ticket, and you can enjoy the view and the skiing and still have some cash left over for après ski in town. 20 Barnestown Rd., Camden,
207-236-4418, www.camdensnowbowl.com [7]

public transportation
Ogunquit Trolley Co.

With rhyming names like Dolly, Polly, and Wally, Ogunquit’s eight red trolleys may seem a little silly. But the success these thirty-four-passenger vehicles enjoyed getting visitors out of their cars for the past twenty-seven years is nothing less than extraordinary. Stop-and-go traffic in Ogunquit is the stuff of legend during a summer afternoon, but for $1.50 vacationers can relax on varnished benches and feel the salt air on their faces as they ride from Perkins Cove all the way up to Wells. The biggest surprise is why this concept hasn’t taken off in other resort communities (though the propane-powered buses in Acadia are an efficient and earth-friendly variation). 207-646-1411, www.ogunquittrolley.com [8]