Maine is a northeastern state in the US known for its numerous delights and splendors worth exploring. From the small town of Castine with its Maine Maritime Academy to Ogunquit with its Ogunquit Museum of American Art, the small communities throughout the state are full of natural and historical landmarks that may appeal to almost any traveler. For any tourist seeking a fun-filled itinerary in New England, these delightful towns in the Pine Tree State of Maine are worth the visit!

Castine

Castine is a pretty waterfront town with 1,300 residents that is full of historical finds and maritime delights. The Maine Maritime Academy is a nationally famous academic stop with college-level training for mariners, engineers, scientists, and others of similar backgrounds. At Wilson Museum, one can expect gracious tours of 1920s geology and Neanderthal stone architecture that have been around for 460 million years! Castine Historical Society is just up the alley for any traveler wanting to enjoy even more local history, with special archives and artifacts from the past to satisfy history buffs.

Nature and outdoor enthusiasts may prefer Dyce Head Lighthouse, a famed 18th-century lit structure with a scenic view of the Penobscot River. Rene Henderson Natural Area has quiet and solitary 100-acre preserves designed to keep travelers at ease while exploring lush forestry and various wetlands full of wildlife. Literature lovers will find comfort at Compass Rose Books, a plaza bookstore with the coziest coffee rooms and the most community charm around town! For anyone seeking further community embrace, the Trinitarian Congregational Parish of Castine always has room to welcome newcomers.

Stonington

A peaceful town of 1,000 inhabitants located on Deer Isle’s southern point, Stonington is a truly delightful destination for travelers. The 98-acre Crockett Cove Woods of Deer Isle is a natural splendor for anyone seeking relaxing strolls and friendly hikers while moving through foggy forests full of red spruces. At Settlement Quarry Preserve, wind around a historical glacial trail that also leads to open water scenery full of lobster boats!

Art lovers may enjoy The Art of Evelyn Kok, an underrated gallery space where a friendly owner makes tourists feel right at home around vibrant watercolor paintings and collections. The Opera House Arts is a glorified locale for entertainment and theater fans who love experiencing fascinating 20th-century performances and local town culture. Marlinespike Chandlery offers unique cultural antiques and nautical rope trinkets that are well-known throughout town. As for hungry stomachs, the Fin and Fern serves refreshing cocktails and satisfying seafood pasta cuisines for anyone feeling coastal dining thrills!

Kennebunkport

A small coastal town with 3,600 residents, Kennebunkport is a splendid destination. The Seashore Trolley Museum, the world’s first and largest known electric railway landmark, has an abundance of trolley cars and buses to appeal to just about anyone who loves mass transit history! For a mixture of natural scenery and religious architecture, one can visit St. Ann’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, an oceanview stop for tourists wanting to explore stunning 1970s worship sites and chapel community charm.

Alisson’s Restaurant is a great locale for the finest New England-style seafood cuisine, alongside being a historic 1970s family diner that has some of the most welcoming and delightful locals! Lobster fans may even take a detour to Nunan’s Lobster Hut, where heartwarming food vendors love to chat up guests and serve the best lobster dishes around. Some tourists may find that Dock Square is a calming waterfront bridge area with the coolest photography spots and chocolate shops to satisfy casual shoppers.

Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor is a small town on Mount Desert Island with 5,000 locals who adore nature and history. Acadia National Park is a worthy spot to tour around with its awe-inspiring birding routes and sandbars, along with Shore Path scenery and oceanic viewpoints. Thunder Hole is another landmark to consider for rocky scenery and eastern shoreline views of the town; it even has awesome wave rushes and roaring waters at sudden moments!

Local history at La Rochelle Mansion and History Museum is ideal for anyone who wants to take in delightful 1900s seaside mansion architecture, beautiful flower gardens, and tribal gifts that are all reminiscent of the Gilded Age. Museum lovers can also pay a visit to the Abbe Museum for cultural Wabanaki heritage and Native American archaeological finds in the town. At Little Village Gifts, tourists can find humorous hospitality and amazing homemade gifts like jam and custom t-shirts! For downtown entertainment, the 1932 Criterion Theatre is home to extraordinary talents and orchestral live shows that are quite memorable.

Boothbay Harbor

Another harbor town, Boothbay Harbor is often recognized for its village scenery and sailing routes. Cabbage Island is a must-see for nature admiration and fun boat rides that provide an incredible view of the ocean! Boat tourists may also want to check out Burnt Island Lighthouse, where historic lighthouse sights and private island picnics come to life. Damariscove Island is appealing with its pleasant early settlement history and unspoiled tours of rustic trails used in the older days.

Ed Brown’s Wharfside Gallery is a noteworthy locale with watercolored artistry and fascinating exhibits to appeal to downtown tourists and fishers from all wakes of life. Maine State Aquarium offers both commercial and natural enjoyment for families and couples with its marine wildlife exposure and “touch tanks” to get up close with some sea creatures as well! For an unusual yet delightful shopping experience, one can visit Mung Bean for hand-carved Christmas figurines and earrings that are worth the return trip.

Ellsworth

A historic small town of 9,000 inhabitants, Ellsworth has many delightful points of interest for travelers. The Telephone Museum is an underappreciated landmark with lots of cool telephone memorabilia and technology for kids and adults of all ages! The Black House Museum at Woodlawn contains 180 acres of downtown estate architecture and public tours to showcase croquet and open fields once used by past generations of landowners.

More delights can be expected at Finn’s Irish Pub, a famous 1930s dining car that doubles as a historic Irish restaurant in town with both casual and fancy menu options! The Big Chicken Barn is a surprisingly historical stop with its nostalgic vintage furniture and bygone collectibles. One can find more nostalgia over at D’Amanda’s, a bowling alley housing some of the oldest machines for bowlers. Rooster Brother is a cooking store with all types of kitchen supplies and silverware to appeal to downtown shoppers who want to combine Victorian-era shopping with coffee-tasting.

Ogunquit

A southern coastal town with around 1,000 locals, Ogunquit is perfect for those who crave natural landmarks and seaside charm. Ogunquit Beach is a key stopping point with its wonderful hot sands and stunning seaside cliffs with shopping resorts nearby! Marginal Way is another outdoor option for travelers who want 1.5 miles of paved walking trails while enjoying tranquility and sunset photography. Tourists who like bridges may easily notice Perkins Cove Draw Bridge, a simple but memorable drawbridge where cozy parking stops and open caves are easy motivators to stick around.

At Ogunquit Museum of American Art, panoramic coastal collections of fine art and iconic animal structures are just some of the best things to discover while exploring this landmark. The Ogunquit Heritage Museum is another historical landmark with 18th-century rustic heritage owing to the Native Americans, as well as walking tours of a winding park that includes lovely wooded architecture and cultural fishing history. At The Greenery Cafe, homemade pastries and vibrant patio seating are enough delights to keep everyone happy in town!

These towns in Maine are all delightful and magnificent in their ways, making for a worthwhile trip. For any traveler needing a new itinerary in the northeast built around fun locales and interesting landmarks to check out, there is no shortage of things to see and do. The “Pine Tree State” is anyone’s best option for maritime enjoyment and an abundance of natural thrills or historical finds along the coastline!

(WABI) – Educate Maine has announced the Maine County Teachers of the Year for 2024.

Maine County Teachers of the Year serve as ambassadors for teachers, students and schools in Maine.

They will continue to participate in an intensive Maine State Teacher of the Year selection process throughout the summer.

The Maine Department of Education’s Teacher of the Year Program is administered through a collaborative partnership with Educate Maine.

Congratulations to this year’s honorees!

Androscoggin: Leah Boucher

School: Farwell Elementary School

Community: Lewiston

District:  Lewiston School Department

Aroostook: Kelly Morin

School: Fort Fairfield Middle/High School

Community: Fort Fairfield

District:  RSU 86/MSAD 20

Cumberland: Katie Strait

School: Baxter Academy for Technology and Science

Community: Portland

District:  Baxter Academy for Technology and Science

Grade Level:  10 – 12

Subject: Biology & Marine Biology

Franklin: Vickie Lailer

School: W.G. Mallett School

Community: Farmington

District: RSU 9

Grade Level: 2

Subject: Early Learning and Elementary (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies)

Years Teaching: 15

Hancock: Ryan Lowell

School: Ellsworth High School

Community: Ellsworth

District: Ellsworth School Department

Grade Level: 9 – 12

Subject: English Language Arts

Kennebec: Kristel Anuszewski

School: Windsor Elementary School

Community: Windsor

District: RSU 12

Grade Level: K – 8

Subject: Library/Learning Commons & Technology

Knox: Jim Morse

School: Camden-Rockport Middle School

Community: Camden-Rockport

District: MSAD 28

Grade Level:  6

Subject: Social Studies

Lincoln: Becky Hallowell

School: Wiscasset Elementary School

Community: Wiscasset

District:  Wiscasset School Department

Grade Level:  4

Subject: Early Learning and Elementary (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies)

Oxford: Elizabeth Ledesma

School: Mountain Valley Middle School

Community: Mexico

District:  RSU 10

Grade Level:  5

Subject: English Language Arts

Penobscot: Emilie Throckmorton

School: Bangor High School

Community: Bangor

District: Bangor School Department

Grade Level: 10 – 12

Subject:  English Language Arts and Graduation Coach

Years Teaching: 23

Piscataquis: Robyn Rich

School: Piscataquis Community Secondary School

Community: Guilford

District:  RSU 80/MSAD 04

Grade Level:  7 – 8

Subject: English Language Arts

Sagadahoc: Allyson Gilbert

School: Mt. Ararat High School

Community: Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Harpswell, and Topsham

District:  RSU 75/MSAD 75

Grade Level:  9 – 12

Subject: Science and Engineering

Somerset: Kaley Brown

School: Skowhegan Area High School

Community: Skowhegan, Canaan, Mercer, Smithfield, Cornville, and Norridgewock.

District: RSU 54/MSAD 54

Grade Level: 10 – 12

Subject: Social Studies

Waldo: Shilo Burnham

School: East Belfast School

Community: Belfast

District:  RSU 71

Grade Level:  Kindergarten

Subject: Early Learning and Elementary (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies)

Washington: Ashley Cirone

School: Harrington Elementary School

Community: Harrington

District: RSU 37/MSAD 37

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Subject: Early Learning and Elementary (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies)

York: Danielle Pelletier

School: CK Burns School

Community:  Saco

District: Saco School Department

Grade Level: 3

Subject: Early Learning and Elementary (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies)

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The new printer is also designed to work collaboratively with the old record-breaker, Masterprint, as the two machines are capable of working together on the same building components. The ASCC engineers and researchers plan to utilize the printers to help build some of the estimated 80,000 new homes needed in Maine over the next six years.

“It’s not about building a cheap house or a biohome,” ASCC director Habib Dagher said at this week’s event. “We wanted to build a house that people would say, ‘Wow, I really want to live there.’”

According to Dagher, the new machine combines new sensors, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence. Masterprint is already experienced in this area, having built a sustainable 600-square-foot BioHome3D prototype a few years ago.

The new project’s unveiling event was attended by representatives of the departments of defense, energy, and housing. According to AP, Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said the printer “stands as a beacon of innovation.”

In addition to printing affordable housing, the University of Maine says it hopes the printer could be used to make boats, bridges, and wind turbines. As the project continues to develop, the team of researchers hopes to experiment with additional bio-based polymer sources, such as residual wood from sawmills in Maine.