Whether your style is high life or low-budget, fun-in-the-sun or shop-till-you-drop, all worlds meet in Midcoast Maine, where you’ll find WiFi in the village store and you can rent a kayak down the road beside the post office.
And that’s just in East Boothbay, a tiny village a few miles down the peninsula from Boothbay Harbor itself, where smart-and-stylish meets lobster-in-the-rough. East Boothbay strings along the narrow piece of land between Linekin Bay and the open Atlantic, and offers a prime base for a stay in the cluster of islands and peninsulas that make up the Boothbay Harbor Region.
Rooms overlook and even overhang the water at Smugglers Cove Inn (www.smugglerscovemotel.com), which has a small sand beach, rare along this rocky coast. Every room has a balcony, from which sun worshippers can watch the kids build castles and the paddlers launch their kayaks from the beach. Smugglers Cove is one of very few resorts that offer put-ins free of slippery rocks on this steep, craggy coast, but the rugged terrain around the rest of Linekin Bay makes the scenery from the water superb.
Other ways to enjoy this perspective are from sailing excursions and boat tours offered at Boothbay Harbor’s wharf. On weekdays you can board the Novelty at Pier 8 for a scenic cruise to Burnt Island, where a tour of the lighthouse is conducted by the keeper’s family.
There’s much more to do in this seaside town’s compact and walkable dock area. Shops sell everything from T-shirts to pricey baubles, with several specializing in works by Maine artists and craftsmen. Saltwater taffy, reproductions of vintage beach resort travel posters, decorator accessories with a seaside cottage flavor, maritime paintings, ice cream, ship models, hot sauce and gold jewelry share space in the narrow lanes along the wharfs.
The region’s newest attraction is Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (www.mainegardens.org), where the stunning three-season flower beds that surround the Visitors Center are just the beginning. Trails wind down the hillside to the water, passing smaller gardens with stone benches and sculptures.
September (and even October) is a glorious time to visit, with everything still open, the summer crowds gone, foliage turning colors and the weather at its best. And for dedicated shoppers, the end of the rush season brings another bonus — fall sales.