Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is an oasis of beautiful trails and plants on Barters Island near Boothbay in midcoast Maine. Opened in June 2007, this botanical garden, open to the public year-round (!!) is a haven of stunning ornamental gardens and exceptional natural beauty, waterfalls, and incomparable stonework and sculpture. Miles of trails allow visitors to experience waterfront and woodlands that are quintessentially Maine. A new feature in June of 2009, is the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses. This exquisite garden of about an acre adjacent to the Visitor Center has many features that make its delights accessible to disabled people. Coming in 2010 is a new children’s garden, featuring themes derived from beloved children’s literature by authors with a Maine connection. Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., year-round. Phone: 207-633-4333.

Bath Is Home to Graceful, Historic Neighborhoods

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Alongside the Kennebec River, Bath is a small jewel of a city that embraces an old seafaring town. Bath welcomes visitors with tree-lined historic avenues graced by handsome mansions that were once home to shipyard owners and ship captains. You can take a guided walking tour of the Bath historic district or ride the Bath Trolley around the scenic streets. Bath’s Front Street is home to antique stores, specialty shops, galleries and many fine restaurants. The summer concert series takes place on Friday evenings at Patten Free Library, and every third Friday from June to October there is an Art Walk from 5 to 7 p.m. Phone: 207-442-7291.

Beads, Buttons, and Bows to the Ceiling

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People who rely on buttons and beads and related goods to express their artistic creativity need to make their way to the Beadin’ Path on Main Street in Freeport. This retailer is a one-stop bead resource for all beads and beading needs. Here you will find jewelry supplies, stringing products, metal wire, fibers, weaving threads, sea glass, vintage parts, Lucite flowers and filigrees, buttons, Czech glass buttons, and much more. Also the store hosts various special events and offers some in-store classes. Nymo, Fireline, as well as customized ‘BeadinPath’ products and more. Beading artists: look for further. Phone: 877-92-BEADS

It’s All About Lighthouses

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The Maine Lighthouse Museum on Park Drive in Rockland owns the most important landmark collection of lighthouse artifacts and Coast Guard memorabilia in the United States. Also, The Lighthouse Depot is the world's largest retailer of everything for the lighthouse lover. Find a spectacular inventory of lighthouse models and miniatures, replicas, clothing, gifts, art, toys, memorabilia, and exclusive regional favorites. Hours are Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and other times by appointment. Phone: 207-594-3301

Maine Beauty, on Canvas

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The Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center and Wyeth Center on Museum Drive in Rockland features the works of many Maine artists, including Andrew, N.C., and Jamie Wyeth, alongside a wonderful collection of American art, including works by American artists Gilbert Stuart, Frank Benson, Thomas Sully, and many more. The museum also presents many works by 20th-century sculptor Louise Nevelson. Phone: 207-596-6457

Spectacular on All Sides

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Try this drive for unforgettable views: Beginning on the seaward side of Damariscotta, Route 130 leads south about 12 miles to the lighthouse at the spectacular Pemaquid Point (this lighthouse appears on the Maine quarter). Continue east on Route 32 north to U.S. 1. Be sure to visit the Rachel Carson Memorial Salt Pond. Located on the shores of Muscongus Bay, this tidal salt pond retains a bit of the sea every time the tide recedes. Wonderful for poking and exploring. The next historic towns on Route 1 are Waldoboro, Rockland, Camden, Lincolnville, Belfast, and Searsport. Phone: 207-677-2423.

Trail to 53,000 Works of Art

The Maine Art Museum Trail offers more than 53,000 works of art, from ancient to contemporary, in a dazzling array of collections at seven leading art museums. Museums on the trail include Bates College Museum of Art (Lewiston), Bowdoin College Museum of Art (Brunswick), Colby College Museum of Art (Waterville), Farnsworth Art Museum (Rockland), Ogunquit Museum of American Art (Ogunquit), Portland Museum of Art (Portland), and University of Maine Museum of Art (Bangor). The museums’ permanent collections include works of art by the many artists who have vacationed or worked in Maine. They also feature masterpieces by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, and Pablo Picasso, Greek and Roman sculpture, early American silver and furniture, and contemporary textiles, prints, ceramics, and sculpture. Some museums also offer free admission during selected hours.

Tutu for You

Visitors to Maine may be traveling with very young princesses and fairies or have a crop of them back at home, hoping for presents. One solution may be found at Pitter Patter, Inc., a children's boutique on Front Street in Bath, or at Ms. Lulu’s Boutique on Gold Street in Portland. This gift breakthrough is handmade, designer tutus for young children produced by Sheabella Tutus . The business was created in 2007 by two mothers with a herd of young daughters. Surrounded by fairies, ballerinas and princesses, the founders started to design and make their own tutus, and then to sell them, mostly online. These fun garments are handmade with the softest tulle and come in a variety of fresh colors, designs, and lengths. Great for ballet, dress-up, portraits, parties, mucking in streams, and searching for salamanders.

Wooden Ships Through Maine History

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The Maine Maritime Museum on Washington Street in Bath collects, preserves and interprets materials on the early days of Maine’s shipbuilding industry and features the country’s only surviving wooden shipbuilding yard. From watercraft and lobstering, to shipbuilding and sea trade, visitors hear stories about dangerous voyages to distant lands; see how a shipbuilder’s family lived in the 1890s; smell the sawdust from historic ship timbers; and discover the wonders and mysteries of Maine’s maritime culture. Highlights include ten acres of galleries and exhibits; a life-size sculpture of the largest wooden sailing vessel ever built; seasonal river cruises; and a children’s play area. Phone: 207-443-1316.

Wooden Wonders

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The The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport is a year-round woodworking school that also features The Messler Gallery, a public gallery displaying the work of students, faculty, and professional furniture makers on display. The gallery is the only venue in Maine dedicated to the ear-round exhibition of handcrafted furniture and fine woodworking, thus offering exposure for regional furniture makers. Phone: 207-594-5611.