Taking the Kids: 10 reasons to visit Maine
Like blueberries? Maine is the number one producer of wild blueberries in the country, and you can certainly take your pick of how to eat them if you visit Maine — in pancakes, syrup, ice cream and pie.
August is blueberry season in Maine and there are, of course, places to pick them too, but be forewarned as one Maine kid told me for my Kid’s Guide to Maine, “picking blueberries takes forever because they are so small and if you keep eating out of your bucket, it takes even longer … but it’s pretty fun!”
Maine has got more than 5,000 miles of coastline, 4,600 islands, 6,000 lakes and ponds, 32,000 miles of rivers and 17 million acres of land for hiking and biking. No wonder one of the state’s monikers is “Vacationland” and no wonder families have been vacationing in Maine for centuries.
“We’ve got the ocean, mountains, lakes and roads to everywhere,” another Maine kid boasted. If there is something you want to do, you can probably do it in Maine!”
And a place that offers so many outdoor options is an ideal place for vacation this summer and fall (the foliage is spectacular!) as we still aim to keep our social distance.
Travelers from all states can now travel to Maine without providing a negative COVID-19 test result or quarantining, unless otherwise determined by the Maine CDC. If a state experiences a spike in COVID-19 cases, however, the Maine CDC will apply testing and quarantine protocols to all travelers from that state.
If you are coming for the first time, learn the lingo. “Middlin’smart, thank you,” is what you say when someone asks, “How are you?” “Camp” refers to a vacation house on a lake or in the woods and “Come into the wind” means you should wait a minute.
Now here are 10 reasons to visit Maine now — or soon:
1. Try a new water sport. Paddle board, surf, sail, deep-sea fish, or whale watch; canoe through the wilderness of the Maine Highlands or whitewater raft on the Kennebec River.
2. Shop-till-you-drop. The gargantuan L.L. Bean in Freeport is oven 24/7 and you will find plenty of outlet stores there and in Kittery, too. LL Bean certainly is the place to gear up whether you need hiking shoes, a rain jacket, a fishing pole, camping gear or school clothes. (There are also LL Bean discovery schools to help you learn a new sport.)
...continued
(c) 2021 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
