1. Birch Point State Park
City: Owls Head, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 941-4014
Address: Ballyhac Rd.
Description: One of the state’s newest parks, this 220-yard arc of sand and stones is known locally as Lucia Beach, and it has long been a place to go for a quick dip in the Rockland area. The state officially protected 5.5 acres here with funds from the Land for Maine’s Future program in 1999. They put up a big brown sign at the entrance, improved access a bit, put in a couple of pit toilets, and otherwise didn’t change much. It’s still free, there are still great views out across Mussel Ridge Channel, and the water is still absolutely frigid. For privacy, locals like to crawl into their own crannies in the rocks that flank the beach. You can usually find parking somewhere down here.
2. Crescent Beach
City: Owls Head, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: About 1,100 yards of rare Midcoast sand beach can be found here south of Rockland, staring at Sheep Island. Just below a summer community, these great grains can be very popular in summer, and parking is notoriously hard to come by.
3. Owls Head Transportation Museum
City: Owls Head, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (207) 594-4418
Address: Route 73
Description: There’s hardly a weekend between May and October when something isn’t going on at this Rockland-area institution. From vintage car meets to air shows, the museum’s calendar is chock-full of events, and they’re almost more interesting than the goings-on inside the big building. The museum has more than 100 vehicles on display—planes, cars, bikes, motorcycles, and carriages—all of them intriguing in one way or another. From one of the earliest bicycles, the colorfully named 1868 Velocipede Boneshaker, a brutal, suspensionless ride in those days of rutty roads, to the 1953 Whizzer Sportman, a protomotorcycle, from the carriagelike 1885 Benz automobile to the Model T-based 1926 Ford Snowmobile, the collection is fascinating. Car, airplane, and motorcycle buffs travel from around the globe to visit, but there is plenty to enjoy if your world doesn’t revolve around engines. Plenty of educational opportunities are offered here as well as well as guest lectures and workshops. And don’t miss the air show. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
4. Owls Head Light
City: Owls Head, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: North Shore Rd.
Description: Owls Head Light serves as the centerpiece of Owls Head Light State Park, just south of Rockland. This little-known green space occupies a pretty headland overlooking Rockland Harbor and the open blue of Penobscot Bay. The prospect is fine, and there are nice picnicking facilities and a little pebble beach. The light is a 20-foot, white-brick tower that was built to protect mariners heading into the harbor in 1825, when the lime trade brought many vessels to Rockland and Thomaston. One local history recounts how a spaniel here named Spot learned to pull a rope and ring the fog bell when he saw ships coming into view, saving the day on a few occasions. Both the light and the keeper’s house are closed to the public, but the grounds alone make this beacon worth visiting.