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The communities of our area. Our miles of coastline will take your breath away, and there's no match for the serenity of our inland countryside. |
At our hub: Rockland | Thomaston
Close by: Glen Cove | Owls Head | South Thomaston
Down the peninsula: St. George | Tenants Harbor | Port Clyde
To the south: Cushing | Friendship | Waldoboro
Inland Communities: Warren | Union
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Rockland
Still rooted in its historic past, Rockland's downtown is a designated National Historic District, with vivid examples of Italianate, Greek Revival, and Colonial architecture. Here you'll find a small city experiencing a renaissance, anchored by the first-class Farnsworth Art Museum and the Wyeth Center. Home to a substantial collection of Wyeth family artworks, the Farnsworth is one of the finest regional art museums in the country, with a specialized collection focusing on Maine's role in American art. Today, Main Street is filled with boutique shops, galleries, and a delightful array of gourmet restaurants and quaint coffee shops. Rockland is the retail center of Mid-Coast Maine. Rockland Harbor is home to more windjammers than any other port in the country. Over a dozen historic schooners sail these waters just as they did a century ago. Offering weeklong excursions as well as daytrips around the islands of Penobscot Bay, the sight of schooner sails on parade past the historic Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is a vision to behold. Rockland has been called the "Lobster Capital of the World"—both for its importance to the East Coat lobster industry and for the world famous Maine Lobster Festival, now in its 57th year. No trip here is complete without a Maine lobster dinner—fresh from local waters and easy on your wallet. The lobster boat fleet is an important part of the area's heritage and economy, and a scenic treasure as well. Shipbuilding, commercial fishing, granite quarrying, and lime kilns represent a major part of Rockland's economic history and have left a lasting mark on the area. | | 
Thomaston
Thomastonwith its tree-lined streets and beautiful village green, overlooks the head of the St. George River Estuary. World-class yachts are built along the shore, and stately sea captains' homes grace nearly every block in the community. This year, the 175-year-old Maine State Prison has been razed, and the result is a fantastic view of the St. George below. The town is also the site of Montpelier, the replica of the home of George Washington's Secretary of War—General Henry Knox—now a living museum. The biggest event of the year in Thomaston is its rousing Fourth of July celebration. A parade marches down Main Street during the day and fireworks brighten the night each year, as Thomaston hosts the primary Independence Day event in the Mid-Coast area. The Thomaston Café is the social hub of the little downtown. Here lobstermen rub elbows with other local folk and the occasional visiting Boston Brahmin or Wall Street powerbroker seeking the simpler life that The Real Maine™ has to offer.
| | Glen Cove Glen Cove lies immediately north of Rockland on U.S. Route 1. Defined by picturesque Clam Cove near the highway, Glen Cove includes a roadside picnic area that has a panoramic view of the cove and Penobscot Bay. A number of small to mid-sized visitor lodgings in this area have stunning views of the bay and Clam Cove. Penobscot Bay Medical Center and the offices of a host of physicians and other health care professionals are also located here.
| | Owls Head Owls Head, which extends to the immediate south of Rockland, is noted for its historic lighthouse with unparalleled views of the Penobscot Bay islands, its scenic working harbor, and the world-class Owls Head Transportation Museum. Owls Head is also the location of the Knox County Regional Airport—the Mid-Coast region's only airport, offering scheduled airline service, island transportation, and facilities for small jet aircraft. Just beyond the airport is Birch Point Beach State Park, which has a sand beach framed by a secluded natural setting. The small village common, at the end of North Shore Drive, is the gateway to Owls Head Harbor and the Owls Head Light. Public lodgings in Owls Head include many seasonal cottage/vacation rentals.
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South Thomaston
South Thomaston is a scenic peninsula community south of Rockland and Thomaston, and adjacent to Owls Head. It's comprised of three primary villages and several distinct sections: the town center, known locally as the "Keag" (pronounced "Gig") after the reversing tidal Weskeag River that flows through it; Spruce Head; and Spruce Head Island, a major lobstering port. Businesses include lodging facilities, a campground, seasonal cottage/vacation rentals, stores, art galleries, small shops, and oceanfront and open air seafood dining in the summer season.
| | St. George Primarily a fishing and lobstering community, St. George is made up of several distinct villages—Clark Island, Wiley's Corner, Martinsville, Tenants Harbor, and Port Clyde. Although the harbor villages of Tenants Harbor and Port Clyde are the best known (and most visited), you'll find lodging establishments, dining facilities, art galleries, and small businesses all along the diverse and beautiful coastal town.
| | Tenants Harbor The village of Tenants Harbor, mid-way down the St. George peninsula on Route 131, is the administrative center of town. In a picturesque coastal setting, its well-protected harbor is home to both fishing boats and pleasure craft in season. The harbor is a favorite anchorage for yachts sailing along the Maine coast. Visitors will find several lodging facilities and dining establishments, along with a few shops and art galleries.
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Port Clyde
Port Clyde, at the end of the peninsula on Route 131, is a classic small Maine fishing village, devoted chiefly to lobstering—but also offering facilities for recreational boaters and tourists. Near its wharves, Port Clyde boasts a general store, shops, art galleries, restaurants, and a limited number of small lodging facilities. It's also where you catch the daily ferry to Monhegan Island. You'll find one of the most photographed places in our area a short distance from the village center: Marshall Point Light, which serves as a sentry at the entrance to the harbor. The former lightkeeper's house is now a historical museum open to the public in season.
| | Cushing Cushing, situated on its own peninsula southwest of Thomaston, is famous for its saltwater farms and is at the heart of Maine's "Wyeth Country." The Olson House—immortalized by Andrew Wyeth's paintings of the structure and its occupants, Christina and Alvaro Olson—is a widely recognized icon of the region. Another attraction is the Cushing Historical Society Museum on Hathorn Point Road. Cushing is primarily a rural residential community with few commercial enterprises. There's a general store, a few B & Bs, and seasonal cottage/vacation rentals. To reach Cushing, take Wadsworth Street from U.S. Route 1 in Thomaston at the Maine State Prison Showroom Store. It may also be reached from Route 97 in Warren.
| | Friendship Friendship is predominantly a fishing village whose major industry is lobstering and associated enterprises. Located west of Cushing on the same peninsula, Friendship the birthplace of the distinctive Friendship Sloop. Originally used as a fishing boat, the Friendship Sloop is now prized for recreational sailing. The Friendship Museum displays historical information on this unique vessel, as well as local historical artifacts. The Nelson Nature Preserve, on Route 97 just north of the village, has five miles of public hiking trails. Friendship has a few retail establishments, but dining facilities are limited. Visitor accommodations include bed & breakfast lodging places and seasonal cottage/vacation rentals.
| | Waldoboro Waldoboro, situated along the banks of the Medomak River in eastern Lincoln County, is adjacent to Warren and bisected by U.S. Route 1, approximately 18 miles west of Rockland. The town center, which is several blocks away from Route 1, still retains the grace and charm of an earlier era. Waldoboro was once host to shipyards which launched fleets of schooners in the great age of sail; a well-preserved village reflects that early prosperity. The best place to learn about this seafaring, fishing and farming community - settled by Germans in the mid-1700s - is at the Waldoborough Historical Society Museum, just off Route One on Route 220 South (Main Street). Remnants of its early German heritage can be seen at the Old German Meeting House and Cemetery and at the local historical museum. Once noted for building large, multi-masted sailing vessels, Waldoboro is today a pleasant town with a number of agricultural, commercial, and industrial enterprises. Shops, stores, restaurants, the Waldo Theatre, and small lodging facilities may be found on U.S. Route 1 and in the town center.
| | Warren Stetches between Waldoboro and Thomaston, Warren is a farming and rural community with a number of small industries and commercial establishments—principally along Route 1 and Route 90. You'll find the village center a few blocks away from both of those highways. Warren is home to several recreational lakes and ponds, campgrounds, and seasonal cottage/vacation rentals.
| | Union The town of Union lies about 15 miles west of Rockland on Route 17, at the center of Knox County's inland agricultural region. Union is noted for its blueberry fields, dairy farms, apple orchards, wood lots and sparkling lakes and ponds—a distinction it shares with the neighboring towns of Appleton, Hope, and Washington. With a backdrop of low coastal mountains, rolling hills, and quiet valleys, Union's charm extends to all seasons—but offers a special visual treat when its wooded hills and blueberry fields explode with color in fall. The Union Common provides a classic rural northern New England village setting with small businesses encircling a public green. Union is also the site of one of Maine's oldest agricultural fairs. Lodging accommodations include campgrounds and seasonal cottage/vacation rentals.
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