Things To Do

Bailey Island Bridge

Design of the 1,150-foot-long (350 m) bridge was complicated by the tides in the area known as Will's Gut. It was decided to build a cobwork bridge, using granite slabs as cribstones, acquired from local quarries in nearby Yarmouth, Maine. The slabs allow the tide to ebb and flow freely without increasing tidal current to any great degree. Some 10,000 tons of granite were used in the project. It is the bride’s favorite bridge!

Fort Popham State Historic Site

Fort Popham is well-known as a coastal defense land battery. It was one of several forts that were built near the mouth of the Kennebec River over the past three centuries. Its original construction was approved because of growing concerns about the effectiveness of Confederate naval ships preceding the Civil War. It is composed almost entirely of granite blocks and utilizes an unique crescent shape that spans almost 500 feet in circumference.

Cook's Lobster & Ale House

Maurice Cook established Cook’s in 1955 as a small, one room take-out stand that sold lobsters too small to ship out of state. Cook’s has grown continuously over the years into the landmark it is today. Curt Parent, Mr. Cook’s stepson, purchased both the restaurant and the wharf from Mr. Cook in 1987. On July 1, 2015, Cook's Lobster House was purchased by Nick & Jennifer Charboneau. Upon taking ownership, the Charboneau's changed the name to Cook's Lobster & Ale House. The name change represents the rich history that the Cook's name had while also rebranding themselves for a new era of greatness and success here on Bailey Island!

Dolphin Marina & Restaurant

The Dolphin Marina and Restaurant specializes in Maine coastal fare, including Maine lobster dinners, fresh, local seafood, and hand-cut steaks. The waterfront location, on the tip of Basin Point, South Harpswell, at the water's edge of Pott's Harbor, offers unrivaled views of Casco Bay and its many islands. View islands, landmarks, and even a lighthouse from the warm and welcoming dining room. Known for specialties such as our famous fish chowder, lobster stew, and blueberry muffins, they also offer daily blackboard specials and homemade desserts. Founded in 1966, the Dolphin has been a family-owned and operated business for over 50 years. Their commitment to using fresh, local products and providing a casual and welcoming atmosphere has continued to make them a mid-coast favorite for locals and visitors traveling by both land and sea.

Popham Beach State Park

Popham Beach is a sandy beach in Maine that extends southwest about three miles from Fort Popham, at the mouth of the Kennebec River, toward the mouth of the Morse River. It is near the site of the short-lived Popham Colony, founded in 1607 and abandoned the following year

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

Commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1827, this Maine lighthouse has the Fisherman’s Museum on the first floor in the Keepers House, and there is the possibility of renting the apartment on the second floor. The Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park is located at the entrance to Muscongus Bay and Johns Bay, in the town of Bristol. The Town of Bristol purchased the park property from the Coast Guard in 1940 with the exception of the light tower. Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park is managed by the Bristol Parks Commission.

Portland Head Light

Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a headland at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in Maine.

L.L.Bean

L.Bean is a family-owned retailer that sells outdoor apparel and equipment, including clothing, footwear, bags, and home goods

Mount Battie

Camden Hills State Park is a vast 5,700-acre park where visitors are treated miles of hiking trails, breathtaking views of surrounding hills and lakes, well-maintained and equipped campgrounds, and a large picnic area for family and friends. The National Park Service created the park in the 1930s, formerly known as the “Camden Hills Recreation Development Area.” The name was later changed to Camden Hills State Park in 1947 and it has been one of Maine’s most popular attractions. The view from the summit of Mount Battie is worth the trek. At the summit you'll get a full panoramic view of surrounding lakes, the wooded hillsides, and Camden Harbor and Penobscot Bay. By foot, the hike to Mount Battie will normally take up 2+ but you can get to the top by car if you do not feel like the walk up. A fee is charged for the drive up the summit. During the fall season, it is a popular activity for the people to get to see the beautiful fall colors of the surrounding hillsides.

Maine Maritime Museum

Founded in 1962, Maine Maritime Museum sits on a beautiful 20-acre campus on the banks of the Kennebec River in “The City of Ships,” Bath, Maine. Indoors, enjoy galleries with exhibits and activities for all ages. Into the Lantern: A Lighthouse Experience is a one-of-a-kind immersive exhibit that will give you the sensation of standing at the top of a lighthouse. Outdoors, stroll through the country’s only surviving shipyard to see where large wooden sailing vessels were once built. Many of the original buildings in our shipyard are preserved, giving you a glimpse into the daily lives of the Percy & Small shipbuilders. The highlight of the yard is the full-size sculpture of the schooner Wyoming, the largest wooden sailing vessel ever built in North America. At the top of the yard, the Victorian-era home of the Donnells, one of Bath’s many shipbuilding families, opens seasonally for tours.

Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum

Bowdoin’s Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum is dedicated entirely to all things Arctic. Bowdoin students and faculty began traveling north to study Arctic cultures and environments in 1860. In 1967 Bowdoin opened the Arctic Museum. MacMillan, who worked in the Arctic from 1908 to 1954, added to the museum’s growing collections, donating his expedition equipment, anthropological objects, films, photographs, natural history specimens, archival papers, and library to the college. In the 1980s the establishment of the Russell and Janet Doubleday Endowment prompted the creation of the Arctic Studies Center. In the 1990s and 2000s the museum’s holdings of Alaskan and Canadian contemporary Inuit art grew, and its exhibitions, public programs, and workshops expanded to address both historic and contemporary issues.

Common Ground Country Fair

MOFGA held its first Common Ground Country Fair at the Litchfield Fairgrounds in 1977. Fair organizers conceived the Fair as a harvest celebration. Roughly 10,000 people came from Maine and beyond. By 1981, the Fair had outgrown Litchfield, so MOFGA began renting the Windsor Fairgrounds, where the fair going crowd eventually grew to more than 50,000. Since the earliest days of the Fair, MOFGA had envisioned a home of its own ­– not only for the three days of Common Ground, but also for a year-round agricultural education center. A vision committee searched tirelessly for the perfect place, taking long looks in Wayne, Livermore Falls and elsewhere around the state. The search ended in Unity in 1996 with the purchase of more than 200 acres of fields and forest. We opened our doors to the public on September 25, 1998 –­ opening day of the Common Ground Country Fair. Each year a contest is held to design the fair image.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Our journey began in 1991 when a small group of MidCoast residents dreamed of building a world-class public garden on 148 acres of rocky coastal forest that would one day be both an economic engine and cultural anchor for our region. After 16 years of planning, the Gardens opened officially in the summer of 2007. Since then, the Gardens have been one of Maine’s top attractions and one of the most distinguished botanical destinations in the country. Its exquisite gardens, dramatic and compelling natural landscape—including nearly a mile of tidal saltwater frontage—make it ever-changing, endlessly captivating and thoroughly unique. As the largest botanical garden in New England, the Gardens is comprised of more than 300 acres, 17 of which are gardens featuring native plants of Maine and other plants suited to northern coastal conditions. The bride and groom visit every year around the holidays. It is where they celebrated their engagement!

Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park

Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park is a five minute drive from the center of Freeport's bustling shopping district, and as visitors approach the park, marshes and open fields provide a tranquil transformation back to nature. In 1969, this area of more than 200 acres was given to the State by Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence M.C. Smith of Freeport. The park contains varied ecosystems, including climax white pine and hemlock forests, a salt marsh estuary, and the rocky shorelines on Casco Bays and the Harraseeket River. The park's signature residents are the ospreys who nest on nearby Googins Island. An interpretive panel on the trail explains the life cycle of this majestic, graceful bird which summers on the island and makes its annual trek to South America each fall. Visitors who participate in a nature walk with the Park Naturalist can view the baby birds on their nest through a high-powered lenses and learn that these birds mate for life.

Bath Farmers’ Market

Every Saturday on the waterfront in downtown Bath. Think fresh vegetables, cheese, farm fresh eggs, pastured meats and poultry, local honey, granola, fresh local seafood, just made baked goods, homemade soups, locally roasted coffee, hand spun wool, unique gifts and more! The bride likes to go weekly for Sunday roast fixings and fresh flowers!

Maine Beer Company

Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Company

Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster Company is a family operated restaurant, serving lunch and dinner from May to October since 1970. We are located on the beautiful South Freeport waterfront in South Freeport, Maine, with a true operating fishing business. For over 40 years, the Coffin family has strived to maintain a small-town family atmosphere. Our restaurant offers the freshest lobster rolls available, delicious Maine shrimp, clams, scallops and fabulous homemade desserts using handed down family recipes. Enjoy pies, cookies, brownies, Shain's of Maine Ice Cream, and of course, our famous whoopie pies. We also have available standard favorites from the grill for landlubbers. Our Lobster Pound offers fresh cooked lobsters, steamed clams, corn on the cob and more. You can also take live lobsters home with you. In keeping with tradition, you are welcome to bring your favorite beer or wine to enjoy with your meal.