1. White Birches Golf Club
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Golf
Telephone: (207) 667-3621
Address: 20 Thorsen Rd.
Description: One of the more unusual courses in Maine, this par 33 18-holer is part of a motel complex right on U.S. Route 1, the main drag to Acadia National Park. One might expect minigolf here rather than 18 nice holes, but that’s what lies out behind the White Birches motel. The first nine holes were built in 1983 and the second added in 2000, and the course has added a new twist to its offerings—golf under the lights. You’ll feel like you’re back in high school, playing the big game before the home crowd. The greens fees are eminently reasonable, and the club is well outfitted with a pro shop, practice green and bunker, and club and cart rental. And you can book a night in the motel if 18 holes during the day and another round under the lights just aren’t enough. Open from April through October.
2. Lamoine State Park
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 941-4014 (off-season)
Address: 23 State Park Rd.
Description: People clamor to get into the campgrounds of Acadia National Park and the private camping areas in Bar Harbor, going a little crazy to pack themselves in, while Lamoine State Park, about a half hour away under the same mountains and on the same sea, often has empty spaces in the evening. The savvy few who make it to these 55 acres in Lamoine have it good. This is the sort of campground you won’t find near the state’s only national park. First off, it has fantastic views of the park’s peaks, out across the glistening waters of Frenchman Bay, something you can’t see when you’re right underneath them at Seawall or Blackwoods. Lamoine is not usually overcrowded, there’s a pebble beach, and, perhaps best of all, it’s quiet and even has a sense of privacy, which are rare in Bar Harbor in summer. So the park definitely rewards those who seek it out. Open from mid-May through mid-October.
3. The Bangkok Restaurant
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 667-1324
Address: 321 High St.
Description: This place is a real find—some of the best Thai food on the coast served in a small restaurant attached to a motor lodge. Who’d guess? On the hill as you head out of town, Bangkok serves up traditional fare, from great pad Thai to delectable drunken noodles. Prices are reasonable, to boot.
4. Cleonice Mediterranean Bistro
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 664-7554
Address: 112 Main St.
Description: Now, this is the stuff. The tastes of southern Italy and Spain in a pretty, old downtown landmark in a small Maine town. Cleonice pairs good Maine ingredients—of the land and sea—with the spices and tastes of Europe in a delectable way, offering what it says are the only tapas served north of Portland. The menu is deep and long, with a half-dozen specials per night complementing just as many seasonal entrees and at least a dozen tapas. Try the lamb and pumpkin tagine Marrakesh or the “symphony of seafood,” or make a meal of two or three tapas for a feast of flavors. It all adds up to a very welcome addition to the Ellsworth scene. Foodies Down East must be doing backflips.
5. The Mex
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 667-4494
Address: 191 Main St.
Description: Mexican fare done well has kept this place hopping since 1980. Atmosphere is fun—nice stuccoed walls, cozy rooms, wooden booths, and beaded curtains—the service is good, and the menu both has some wit to it and is well rounded. Try the chile relleno, the chimichanga, or the enchilada salad. Margaritas, frozen daiquiris, and Mexican beer are readily available. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
6. Riverside Cafe
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 667-7220
Address: 151 Main St.
Description: A longtime favorite in Ellsworth with the breakfast and lunch crowds, Riverside Cafe is truly a pleasant cafe. The chowder is very good, the omelets are recommended (try the State Street, with spinach, Swiss cheese, mushrooms, and onion), and there are plenty of sandwich, burger, and even vegetarian options. Breakfast is served all day—and people seem to like that—and the Sunday brunch is a local event. Open all year, seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
7. Union River Lobster Pot
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 667-5077
Address: 8 South St.
Description: Tucked away on the river behind Rooster Brothers, this seafood staple serves up a mean lobster dinner, complete with drawn butter, french fries, coleslaw, and homemade biscuits. That’s just the beginning. From clam chowder, lobster stew, and steamers to fried scallops, clams, shrimp, and fish—all the usual suspects are here, served cafe style along the river. Open from mid-June through September.
8. Big Chicken Barn
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (207) 667-7308
Address: Bucksport Rd. (Route 1)
Description: On the way to Acadia, the Big Chicken Barn is just that, a large and long former chicken barn, and it’s brimming with books and antiques of all sorts—we’re talking 21,600 square feet of stuff. Dozens of dealers show their wares in the downstairs, divided into booths. The upstairs is practically groaning under the weight of thousands upon thousands of books and magazines. You could return each day of your weeklong vacation and not make it through everything here. And people do. Great for rainy days—great for any day.
9. Grand Auditorium
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (207) 667-9500
Address: Main St.
Description: Residents of towns within a 75-mile radius of this place ought to be singing their praises that it exists. From live music to theater to first-run and art films, this old space has it all. Check the excellent Web site or call for a list of upcoming events.
10. Stanwood Homestead Museum
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (207) 667-8460
Address: High St. (Route 3)
Description: Former home of noted ornithologist, photographer, and author Cordelia Stanwood, the museum features an impressive collection of mounted bird specimens and eggs, too. Real live birds flock to the wooded nature trails on the 160 acres outside. It’s an incredible bit of green on the notoriously overdeveloped strip-mall stretch east of downtown Ellsworth. The grounds are open year-round during daylight hours and the museum is open daily from June through September from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
11. Colonel Black Mansion
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (207) 667-8671
Address: Route 172
Description: As nice an example of Georgian architecture as you’re going to find in Maine, the Black Mansion was named for Colonel John Black, and it went up in the early 19th century. Sometimes called Woodlawn, sometimes the Black House, it is filled with original furnishings and has been open as a museum since 1930. Be sure to check out the amazing spiral staircase as you wander through. Also leave time to wander the grounds, which are known for their gardens and incorporate more than 2 miles of woodland trails. Tours are offered on the hour. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. from May through October.
12. The Telephone Museum
City: Ellsworth, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (207) 667-9491
Address: 166 Winkumpaugh Rd.
Description: Inside this big barn on a back road, you’ll discover a world of communication technology. Beginning with Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone patent in 1876, it follows the currents through hand cranks and switching systems, through operators to automated systems up to the digital age. It will make you think about that cell phone in your pocket in a new light. Open Thursday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. in July, August, and September.