1. Searsport Pines Golf Course
City: Searsport, ME
Category: Golf
Telephone: (207) 548-2854
Address: 240 Mount Ephraim Rd.
Description: Built by a retiree on his family farm in 1999, this nine-hole, par 36 course is surprisingly enjoyable, and it was voted Waldo County’s best in 2007. The terrain is hilly and the fairways lined with pines, but it’s a fairly short course at 5,766 yards, so it’s not a difficult walk. The views can be very pleasant (as is the gazebo snack bar). Water comes into play on many of the early holes and then again on the ninth, where there’s a large pond that undoubtedly has a bottom full of balls. Cart and club rentals are available, and tee times are recommended on the weekends.
2. Sandy Point Beach
City: Searsport, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: Despite the fact that this 1,370-yard beach is less than half a mile off Route 1, few tourists find this strand tucked away in the quiet old colony in Sandy Point between Searsport and Bucksport. The sands here sit just above the point where the Penobscot River meets Penobscot Bay. Fine swimming and nice views of Verona Island. Parking is fairly limited, though, as are the facilities.
3. Moose Point State Park
City: Searsport, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 941-4014, off-season
Address: 310 West Main St.
Description: Believe it or not, moose are occasionally spotted along Route 1 in the vicinity of Moose Point. Not often, but sometimes. This small park on the coast between Belfast and Searsport isn’t exactly known for its large population of bullwinkles—they tend to habitate much farther north—but they’ve been seen in the area enough times for the DOT to install moose crossing signs. (Maybe those are just there to inspire people to stop at the park?) What people really come to this 183-acre parcel for—those savvy enough to find it, anyway—is its Penobscot Bay panorama. The views are drop-dead gorgeous from the grassy lawns that comprise much of the park, and they’re even better from the short hiking trail that meanders through a pine grove along the bay’s edge.The facilities are limited to a few picnic tables and outhouses, but the fields are big enough for a group to gather on, or to host a ball game.
4. Rhumb Line Restaurant
City: Searsport, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 548-2600
Address: 200 East Main St. (Route 1)
Description: Finally, fancy-pants dining comes to Searsport. Waldo County foodies, especially those north of Belfast, have been rejoicing about this place, a fine restaurant on the left as you head out of town. The chef-owners of the Rhumb Line, Charles and Diana Evans, formerly ran an eatery on Martha’s Vineyard, and they bring their talents to this pretty old farmhouse. Their menu is creative American fare, making good use of produce from the inn’s own garden, which might include entrees like spicy seared medallions of pork tenderloin, grilled rack of lamb, or curried Contessa shrimp. Desserts are knockouts. Reservations are a must in summer.
5. Penobscot Books
City: Searsport, ME
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (207) 548-6490
Address: Route 1
Description: Art books are the specialty at this lemon-yellow bookshop a mile shy of Searsport, and there are several rooms filled with them, from obscure titles about the Middle Ages to more recent tomes about current painters. There are so many books—40,000 at last count—that owners Howard and Kate La Rue have made floor maps to guide you through. You’ll also find good sections on religion, poetry, cartography, and Maine subjects, all personally selected by your hosts.
6. Penobscot Marine Museum
City: Searsport, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (207) 548-2529
Address: 5 Church St.
Description: Long ago, Searsport, Maine, used to boast more sea captains than any other community in the country. Several of their homes—and many of the treasures they brought back from around the globe—are on display at the Penobscot Marine Museum. The maritime museum occupies a campus right in the center of town, which includes an even dozen buildings. Inside are all manner of nautical art and artifacts, chronicling the rich seafaring history of Maine and particularly of Penobscot Bay and the Down East coast. Paintings, models, vessels—the collection numbers more than 10,000 pieces. And the very buildings they are housed in are themselves antiques, furnished much the same way they were when 19th-century salts called them home. The museum hosts a slate of changing exhibits as well as workshops and programs. Not long ago it built a Main Street gift shop, which is pleasant to visit and actually helps you find the place. Open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. from Memorial Day through mid-October.