Summer Sendoff

Summer is a great time to get outside and explore everything that our beautiful state has to offer. Here are some ideas and links to help you learn more.

Get Outdoors

• Visit our state parks. Click on this LINK to see where they are. Wolfe's Neck State Park in Freeport is just one of the many options, LINK
• Wells Reserve at Laudholm LINK
• Gilsland Farm, Falmouth LINK
• Maine Audubon Wildlife Sanctuaries LINK
• Go for a "Full Moon Canoe Tour" or maybe a bird walk with the Maine Audubon Society. See all of their fun summer activities here. LINK
• Maine Wildlife Park, Gray LINK
• Go hiking. There are may public trails in Maine. Choose a new one each week, pack a lunch and visit a part of Maine you have never seen before. Here are some possibilities:
• This great website helps you to search for trails by level of difficulty and town. Check it out. LINK
• Traveling this summer? AllTrails.com has a searchable database of trails for the United States. LINK
• Go camping. Theres no better summer activity. Wether you are in a tent or an RV, spending the night under the stars with your family is the best! Get the dirt on over 35,000 campgrounds in the US at this website called, The Dyrt. LINK
• Road Trip! Try one of these scenic byways. LINK
• Visit a Farmers Market or Family Farm. 
• Wow! Look at all these farmer's markets! LINK
• 
  

Beaches

• Popham LINK
• Reid State Park LINK
• Pemaquid Beach LINK

On the Water

• The Maine Island Trail has information about 200 small Maine islands that you can visit for the day or stay overnight. LINK
• Catch a Ferry Boat to a Maine island. LINK
• White Water Rafting! LINK
• Boat tours in Maine range from bird watching and whale watching trips to scenic tours. Here is more information. 
• Cap'n Fish, Boothbay Harbor LINK
• Balmy Days, Boothbay Harbor LINK
• Casco Bay Lines, Portland LINK   

Visit a Lighthouse

• There are 65 to choose from. Some are only accessible by boat, others you can drive to. Some are open to the public and have special tours. Click here for a complete list. LINK. Click here for more information LINK.
• Burnt Island Lighthouse in Boothbay Harbor, has a special reenactment program. Learn more here LINK.
• Read some lighthouse stories together. Here are some in our library:
• Keep the Lights Burning Abbie by Peter Roop
• Abbie Burgess, Lighthouse Heroine by Dorothy Holder Jones
• Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall (Caldecott Medal Winner 2019)
• The Sea Chest by Toni Buzzio
• The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde Hoyt Swift
• Celia's Island Journal by Celia Thaxter

Growing Stuff (Indoors or Out)

• Public Gardens
• Merryspring, Camden LINK
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay Harbor LINK
• Viles Arboretum, Augusta LINK
• Garden Centers
• Moose Crossing LINK
• Snug Harbor Farm, Kennebunk LINK
• Estabrooks, Yarmouth LINK
• Plants Unlimited, Rockport LINK

Crafty Rainy Day Activities

• Made by Joel, LINK
• Nature Scrapbooks LINK
• Build a Birdhouse LINK
• Painting Rocks LINK
• Fairy Houses LINK
• Kitchen Creations LINK

Travel Through Time

• Owls Head Transportation Museum LINK
• Maine State Museum, Augusta LINK
• Maine Historical Society, Portland LINK
• Maine Maritime Museum, Bath LINK
• Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport LINK
• Local Historical Societies

South Students at the Farnsworth
Visit the Stories of the Land and its people exhibit at the Farnsworth museum with artwork from South School fourth graders. LINK

READ, READ, READ

• Summer Reading Programs at your local library
• Rockland Public Library
• Thomaston Public Library
• Camden Public Library
• Rockport Public Library
• "Best" List Challenge. Choose one of the following lists and read as many of the books as you can.
• Maine Student Book Award LINK
• Chickadee Program LINK
• Newberry Award Winners LINK
• Caldecott Award Winners LINK
• Geisel Award Winners LINK
• Sibert Award Winners LINK

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Before you go...

Check the Weather, Weather Underground LINK

Check the Tides LINK

Scavenger Hunts and Challenges 

Don't forget your adventure pack!