50 Things to Do in Maine Before You Die

Nancy Griffin has been a freelance writer for more than 20 years, writing for newspapers, magazines and trade publications. Before that, she was a newspaper and wire service reporter and editor. Nancy is the author of several books, including Maine 101 (7,715) and Makin’ Whoopies (28, 255). She lives in Thomaston, Maine. Dan Tobyne has been involved in photography for more than forty years. He is an artist member of the Marblehead Arts Association and a member of the Griffin Museum of Photography. His work is featured in several books, including Thoreau’s Maine Woods and Scenic Maine Road Trips.

• 50 Things to Do in Maine Before You Die1.Eat an All-Maine Meal: Lobster, fiddleheads, Maine potatoes, whoopie pie for desserta.Whoopie pie lore2.Catch a lobstera.Lobster festival, lobster lore3.Visit a real lighthousea.Small sidebar about Marshall Point being in Forrest Gump4.Climb Katahdin5.Drink Moxie (if you dare)a.Sidebar on Moxie Festival6.Shop at L.L. Beana.Story of ubiquitous Bean Boot, AKA the Maine Hunting Shoe7.See a whale8.Spot a moose9.Get lost in the desert10.Go whitewater raftinga.Kennebec, Dead, and Penobscot Rivers11.Canoe the Allagasha.Side bar about Old Town Canoeb.Side bar about Kenduskeag Canoe Race12.Learn about the Good Life at the Nearing’s Goodlife Center13.Tour the solar systema.Side bar about Eartha at DeLorme, if it’s still open to the public under Garmin ownership14.Watch for puffins15.See a whirlpool—Old Sow16.Pan for Gold—Swift River17.Trek Across Maine18.Run the Beach to Beacon19.Hike the 100-Mile Wilderness20.Mine for gems: Maine Mineral Adventures—Mt Mica, Ryerson Hill, Bennett, and Orchard Pit mines21.Rake blueberries, where, etc.a.Sidebar on biggest blueberry22.Visit Monhegan—no cars allowed23.Sail on a windjammer24.Make maple syrup25.Discover America’s first Fort Knoxa.Sidebar listing other Maine forts26.Build a boat27.Go on a dog-sled ride28.Visit the Shakers29.Kayak the Maine Island Trail30.Ride in a hot air balloon31.Drive Route 1 from Kittery to Fort Kent32.Discover ancient Mainea.Shell middensb.Petroglyphs33.Eat Bean-Hole Beans34.Catch a movie of one the last drive-insa.Saco, elsewhere?35.Dine at DeMillo’s36.Stay at a sporting camp37.Walk in the garden: Coastal ME Botanical Gardens, Asticou Azalea Gardens38.Drink the “Champagne of Maine”: Allen’s Coffee Brandy39.Visit the National Parka.See the sunrise from Cadillac b.Thunder Holec.Otter Cliffs40.Ride in a Sea plane at the Greenville Fly-In41.Learn about the mighty Stanley Steamer42.Eat at Moody’s Diner43.Stand in the clouds: Penobscot Narrows Observatory44.Explore Gulf Hagas45.Go to an old-time country fair: Fryeburg, Bangora.Sidebar on Common Ground Fair46.Listen to a loon47.Maine’s Arctic Connection: Peary-MacMillan Museum at Bowdoina.Peary’s Eagle Island48.Harvest ice from a frozen pond49.Watch the ships coming sailing in at Portland Observatorya.Sidebar about shopping in the Old Port???50.See the Milky Way (clearer skies and less light pollution)