Maine Best Attractions 2011

BEST PLACE TO ACCESSORIZE
Dannah, Kennebunkport
Dannah dazzles, with jewelry, handbags, hair ornaments, hats, and scarves, as well as lotions, potions, and other fanciful finds filling the small shop. 123 Ocean Ave. 207-967-8640; dannahkennebunkport.com

BEST TIME TRAVEL
Willowbrook Museum Village, Newfield
Explore 25 National Register of Historic Places buildings assembled in a 19th-century country-village setting. Mosey through furnished homes, and explore barns brimming with restored carriages, sleighs, themed exhibits, even an 1894 carousel. Shop the country store, then refuel at the ice-cream parlor. 68 Elm St. 207-793-2784; willowbrookmuseum.org

BEST COLLEGE TOUR
Bowdoin College, Brunswick
It’s easy to while away a few hours on Bowdoin’s in-town campus: The Bowdoin College Museum of Art, an architectural gem, exhibits an impressive collection of works; the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum shows the natural and cultural diversity of the Far North; the Pickard Theater is home to the Maine State Music Festival; and the Bowdoin International Music Festival performs at various campus venues. Jct. Maine St. & Bath Road. 207-725-3000; bowdoin.edu

BEST STORYBOOK IMMERSION
Bibby & Harold Alfond Children’s Garden, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay
Oh, the places you’ll go! Visit with a topiary Miss Rumphius, clamber around Sal’s Bear, board the Tidely-Idely, and borrow from a library of Maine-related children’s books to read in the wheelchair-accessible treehouse. Barters Island Road. 207-633-4333; mainegardens.org

BEST PICTURE POTENTIAL
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Bristol
Depicted on the Maine state quarter, Pemaquid Light is a shutterbug’s dream, topping spruce-studded ledges descending to crashing surf. Don’t miss the museum in the Keeper’s House. Pemaquid Point. 207-677-2494;
lighthouse.cc/pemaquid
bristolparks.org/lighthouse.htm (town-owned; Bristol Parks & Recreation)

BEST PERSONALIZED BOAT TOUR
Guided Island Tours, Deer Isle
Registered Maine Guide and professional biologist Captain Walt Reed crafts custom tours for guests aboard the Gael. Among the possibilities: lighthouse viewing, bird and wildlife sighting, island hopping, or circumnavigating Deer Isle. 207-348-6789; guidedislandtours.com

BEST BIRD SIGHTINGS
Wendell Gilley Museum, Southwest Harbor
View the life work of master bird carver Wendell Gilley, a local plumber who earned a national reputation for his realistic carvings. Even better, sign up for a workshop and carve your own souvenir. 4 Herrick Road. 207-244-7555; wendellgilleymuseum.org

BEST LOCAL PRESERVATION EFFORT
McCurdy’s Smokehouse,Lubec
A smoky aroma lingers in America’s last herring smokehouse, a collection of shingled buildings topping wharves extending into Lubec Narrows. Lubec Landmarks is restoring McCurdy’s, filling the rustic spaces where the golden fish once dried with artifacts and photos detailing the town’s heritage. 50 Water St. 207-733-2197; mccurdyssmokehouse.org

BEST FUN-TIQUING
Cornish Trading Company, Cornish
Antiques, junktiques, folk art, and funky finds fill Cornish Trading Company, a multivendor shop downtown, but don’t stop when you’re finished there. Independent and specialty shops selling everything from old signs to handmade bears, Maine tourmaline to Native American baskets, radiate from here. 19 Main St. 207-625-8387; cornishtrading.com

BEST GALLERY WITH A VIEW
Harvest Gold, Center Lovell
Hard to say which is better: the gold jewelry and other fine craftwork inside the gallery or the views outside over Kezar Lake to the mountains. 1082 Main St. (Route 5). 207-925-6502; harvestgoldgallery.com

BEST SCENTED SOUVENIR
Maine Balsam Fir Products,West Paris
Inhale deeply while pawing through the bargain bin and browsing the one-room balsam-scented store adjacent to the barn where the products are hand-crafted. Choose from pillows, oils, soaps, and more. Tours are available; just ask. 16 Morse Hill Road. 800-522-5726, 207-522-5726; mainebalsam.com

BEST SPORTS MUSEUM
Rangeley Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum, Oquossoc
Fly Rod Crosby, Carrie Stevens, Herb Welch, Herb Ellis, and Ed Grant are among the sports luminaries whose stories are related in this new museum highlighting the region’s fishing, boating, hunting, and sporting-camp heritage. Jct. Main & Richardson Sts. 207-864-3091; rangeleyoutdoormuseum.org