Boothbay Harbor, ME

 

Pemaquid Island Lighthouse

   When I was a kid our family would take a yearly vacation about an hour away from Acadia National Park. We would spend two weeks on a nine mile lake called Toddy Pond. To get there we had the option of driving to Bangor and heading south to Ellsworth or to take coastal Route 1. My parents being who they were, took Rt 1 most of the time. 

   One of those times we made a quick side trip to Boothbay Harbor. It was brief, I don't even remember getting out of the car. I do remember all the boats in the harbor an the beautiful coastline scenery. I always wanted to go back.

   I had my chance last weekend. Laurie drove up while I lied in the back seat with a blanket and pillow to keep my back as pain free as possible. We left at 7 am and got there around 11:30 am because of the stops we made.

   Boothbay is definitely a tourist town for people with money. There are a ton of nice restaurants where meals start at thirty dollars. There are a couple of ice cream shops, a smoothie shop, and at least three places that sell fudge. The downtown area was much smaller than I expected. If you didn't stop you could walk from one end to the other in ten minutes. Even giving time to window shop and look at the harbor and a few menus, it took less than half n hour.  

I spent much of the boat trip looking for
Black Gullimot. Here is one in winter colors.

   The only attraction that we did was a boat ride. The company was called Cap'n Fish. They offer boat trips from whale watches to short harbor cruises. We took what is called the Pemaquid  Point and John's Bay Cruise. It started at 1 pm and took two and a half hours. The cost was $35.Pemiquid Point is a lighthouse. One of three along the way.

   The boat goes out to some islands looking for seals first. On the way we saw a bald eagle perched on a bare rock. We saw a few seals and happily for me, a few Black Guilemot. From there we headed to Pemaquid Point. Then we travel inside John's Bay. Named by the egotistical Captain John Smith for himself.

   I have to say, Cap'n Fish trip was top notch. The captain who was also the narrator was great. He gave us a ton of information but he didn't talk when there was no reason to. I can't speak for the other boat trips such as the whale watch or puffin trips, but the Pemaquid Point trip deserves a five star review. 

   All in all, the highlight of Boothbay Harbor was the boat trip. The small tourist town was what you expect with shops and restaurants. It was a nice overnight trip, but I wouldn't know what to do if I had to spend a third day. However, if you like narrated boat trips and lobster in every restaurant, Boothbay is worth a quick overnight trip.  All photos below are from the boat trip