1. Pemaquid Beach Park
City: Bristol, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 677-2754
Address: Route 130
Description: Facing Johns Bay to the south, Pemaquid is a nice sandy strand of about 600 yards not too far from popular Pemaquid Lighthouse. It’s really your only chance for a day at a saltwater beach between Reid and Popham and the Penobscot Bay area. Backed up to sea grasses and woods and looking out at Johns Island, the beach is thus understandably popular in summertime with locals and tourists. People truly care about the swimming area, too. Local groups check water quality weekly and have started dune protection programs. There is a snack bar, as well as coldwater showers, toilets, and picnic tables.
2. Rachel Carson Salt Pond And La Verna Preserves
City: Bristol, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 677-2423
Address: Route 32 New Harbor
Description: These two Nature Conservancy properties protect 189 acres along Muscongus Bay. The Carson preserve is where the famed environmental author did some of the research for her book The Edge of the Sea. Tides leave much of the quarter-acre pond exposed, making for some of the best tide-pool hopping in the state. Seaweed here is slick, of course, and it’s best to leave those who live in the area (the shells, mussels, crabs, periwinkles, starfish, sea urchins, and other creatures) in their native habitat. La Verna lies about 2 miles north, 119 acres along the bay. Woods, marshes, a tamarack swamp, and old cellar holes are what you’ll find here, as well as some nice saltwater vistas when you reach the shore. A trail bisects the parcel.
3. Scottish Lion Wrought Iron
City: Bristol, ME
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (207) 563-5788
Address: 587 Bristol Rd.
Description: This smithy features the work of Andrew Leck, who forges all manner of household items, from the expected—fireplace tools and towel bars—to the unique—shelf stands for plates and bowls, birdbaths, beam racks, and lamps. His Christmas stocking hooks are nicely formed and keep you from having to make holes in your mantle. Beautiful stuff.
4. Pemaquid Light
City: Bristol, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (207) 677-2494
Address: Route 130
Description: When storms threaten to batter the Midcoast, many residents will make a trip down to this 32-foot fieldstone tower because the surf here is always impressive. Pemaquid is among the most popular lighthouses to visit in Maine, and with its ample parking, public grounds, and adjacent museum, it’s very welcoming. Plus, it’s one of the few that you can actually climb.The light has one of the more romantic settings of any lighthouse in Maine, sitting at the end of the Pemaquid Peninsula south of Damariscotta and overlooking open sea. The tower went up in 1827, was replaced in 1835, and in 1934 became the first Maine beacon to be automated. In the former keeper’s house is the Fishermen’s Museum (207-677-2494), run by the town of Bristol. Open daily in summer from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., it’s a good excuse to get inside a keeper’s house. The museum also houses a collection of artifacts that shed light on the fishing industry in Maine. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.