If you are traveling internationally, you may buy items without having to pay either the sales tax (called value added tax) or the customs duties assessed by the United States – primarily on liquor and tobacco but also with many other products. The savings from duty-free shopping can be significant. At Duty Free Americas in Calais (40 Main Street), and in Vanceboro (119 Water Street), shoppers can find discounted prices on premium spirits, tobacco, fragrances, cosmetics, watches, jewelry, leather goods, gifts for children, and more. Phone: Calais store at 207-454-3476 or 207-454-3404; Vanceboro store at 207-788-3989.

Clocks, with Labradors on the Side

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Once upon a time in the far off enchanted land of Bar Harbor there lived a clockmaker known all over the land for his expertise and knowledge of the intricate workings of clocks, watches and barometers. This clockmaker goes by the name of Alexander H. Phillips and his place of business is 110 Main Street. You can visit him there from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays to learn of his history and talents and to see a sample of his wares. (the store is also home and guest petting parlor to Finn and Whiskey, a yellow and a chocolate Lab.) Phone: 207-288-3684.

Cuddle a Crab

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Diver Ed’s Dive-In Theater is a 2-hour scenic boat ride out into Frenchman Bay in Acadia National Park, where Diver Ed and his sidekick, Mini Ed, dive down to the ocean floor with real-time video and sound equipment, allowing you to see and hear the ocean floor from the comfort of the deck. Captain Evil remains topside to interpret and explain, until Diver Ed resurfaces… with critters in tow! Touch tanks allow you to see, feel, and even kiss the actual animals themselves before returning them to their habitat and returning home. Dive departs from 105 Eden Street in Bar Harbor Phone: 207-288-DIVE (3483)

Don’t Forget Your Flannel Shirt

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Baseball may be the national sport, but competitors of the The Great Maine Lumberjack Show might contest that idea. The tradition of performance and competition, known as the Olympics of the Forest, in which lumberjacks and lumberjills use big tools to demonstrate their art, dates back over 100 years in Maine. Now, families can view the competition at 127 Bar Harbor Road in Trenton. Young and old will love the rarely seen competition of log rolling and other forestry arts. Host Timber Tina Scheer invites guests to come explore the competitive edge of lumberjacking with daily shows at 7 p.m. through September 5 and weekend shows from September 11 to October 10. Phone: 207-667-0067.

Fine Wine From Blueberries

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Bartlett Maine Estate Winery at 161 Chicken Mill Pond Road in Gouldsboro is a small detour off the fabled road to Acadia National Park. At Bartlett’s, prize-winning wines are pressed onsite from native fruits. According to the owners, when a local friend shipped a few bottles of Bartlett's Blueberry Reserve to France, the tasters refused to believe it was pressed from blueberries. The winery’s aging process, using French and American oak, creates complex, wines sure to please even traditionalists. The tasting room, halfway between Ellsworth and the Petit Manon Wildlife Refuge, is housed in a hand wrought stone building. Open from June to October or by appointment. Phone: 207- 546-2408.

Lobster Pot Not Optional

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Here is a Great Things to Do suggestion direct from a reader: Go camping in Acadia National Park at either the Blackwoods or Seawall campgrounds off Route 3 in Bar Harobr. Take a huge lobster pot and buy lobster and clams off the boat if you can. Throw some sea salt into the boiling water and steam your clams, then cook your lobster. Melt butter, buy some potato salad and rolls; throw some corn on the cob in the pot, and you have a lobster feast. Throw old newspaper on the table and don't be neat. Make a big mess, then fold it all up and throw the papers and shells away. A nice wine will round out your camping meal and a lobster will never taste better to you. Sounds good!

Rocky Shores, Craggy Mountains

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With all due respect, the ultimate expression of Down East Maine’s beauty has to be Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, a must-see place whether you live just down the road or in southern Texas. Among the park’s offerings is the 27-mile Park Loop Road system, offers outstanding views of the park's ocean shoreline, coastal forests, and mountain silhouettes. It’s all in front of you; just putter along and try to blink occasionally. Phone: 207-288-3338

Sunrise, on Foot or Bicycle

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The first section of the multi-use Down East Sunrise Trail is now open along a 32-mile stretch of former railroad bed between Machias and its eastern terminus at Ayers Junction. Walkers, runners, bicycles, ATVs, and horses are welcome on the 10-foot wide, compact gravel trail during the summer use season, beginning in mid-May. The route is also open for winter recreation. The trail has multiple access parking lots and will eventually stretch for 85 miles to Ellsworth, making it the longest multi-use recreation trail in the state. Phone: 207-866-4520.

We’ll Keep the Light On

With its jagged and rocky coastline, Maine in the runaway leader as the New England state of abundant lighthouses. West Quoddy Head Light, in West Quoddy State Park in Lubec, has the additional appeal of offering a visitor center and museum. And the Isle au Haut Light in the town of the same name is among a small handful of New England lighthouses that operate a bed-and-breakfast in the keeper’s house. That’s our idea of romance.

Where’s the Big Chicken?

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From 19th Century armoires to books on Zen, the Big Chicken Barn on Route 1 between Bucksport and Ellsworth caters to the interests of today's collector of antiques and paper collectibles. Almost 22,000 square feet of floor space holds an ever- changing and diverse selection of intriguing items displayed for unhurried and unhindered browsing. This is Maine’s largest antiquarian bookstore and antiques gallery, and a really fun place to browse and hunt for Maine memorabilia. Phone: 207- 667-7308.