Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is an oasis of beautiful trails and plants on Barters Island near Boothbay in midcoast Maine. Open to the public year-round, it is a haven of ornamental gardens and natural beauty, waterfalls, and stonework and sculpture. Miles of trails allow visitors to experience waterfront and woodlands typical of Maine. A new feature is the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses, with many features that make it accessible to disabled people. Coming in 2010 is a new children’s garden, featuring themes derived from 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

Come and Greet the New <br>Shalin Liu Performance Center Come and Greet the New
Shalin Liu Performance Center

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Rockport Music, host of the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, has a new home starting in June 2010. The new Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport will include an intimate concert hall, with a balcony and seating for 325 people with a spectacular two-story window at the rear of the stage, giving audiences a full view of the Atlantic Ocean. Audiences will be welcome to the center for musical programs as well as a film series, simulcasts of Metropolitan Opera performances, lectures by well-known authors, cabaret performances, and civic gatherings. Keep in touch with this new performance venue for a future of wonderful entertainment in a beautiful Maine coastal community. Phone: 978-546-7391.

Love Those Alpacas

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The owners of Winter’s Gone Farm at 245 Alna Road in Wiscasset are among the growing corps of alpaca lovers who want to share their enjoyment of these peaceful creatures. Guests are welcome to visit the farm, pet the alpacas, watch them play a friendly game of soccer (really!), walk the trails, and shop at the retail store. Winters Gone is proud to offer the world's top alpaca fashions; an owner visits Peru yearly and collaborates with partners to bring new designs to customers. Among the store’s merchandise is clothing, blankets, stuffed animals and yarn. Open year-round except January; hours vary. Phone: 207-882-9191.

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.

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.