Away from the Crowds in Maine

Boone Island Light is the tallest lighthouse in New England. It stands six miles offshore of York, Maine. Surrounding it are piles of desolate rocks, and the only habitation is by seabirds and, at times, colonies of seals. Before the lighthouse was built in 1855, Boone Island was dangerous for ships. The most famous shipwreck was that of the British merchant vessel, Nottingham Galley, in December of 1710.

Of the fourteen crew members, two died due to injuries sustained and two aboard a makeshift raft attempting to reach shore. The remaining ten sailors couldn’t signal for help and stayed alive for 24 days without shelter, food, or fires and ate their dead compatriots to survive. After the ten were rescued, their story of cannibalism and survival on the island made it infamous.

Boon Island is uninhabited, and the light is operated by solar power. Visitors can reach the island by boat.

The Desert of Maine began as a farming plot in the late 1700s growing potatoes and was farmed by the Tuttle family. By the late 1800s, the family had not rotated their crops, and combined with overgrazing by their flock of sheep, the land turned into a sandy silt and was abandoned by 1919. Even though this is not a true desert, it has a desert-like appearance and has turned into a tourist attraction. The dunes are covered with desert-worn debris, and there is even a fiberglass camel. A gift shop and "sand museum" have also been erected, where visitors can bottle and take home some sand from one of the most unlikely deserts in the world. Kids can hunt for gemstones in the dunes and climb around on the natural playground. Visitors can camp right next door at the Desert of Maine Campground. 

Gnome Village is hidden among the trees at the Rangeley Lakes Trails Center in Rangeley, Maine, with more than 20 gnomes in small wooden houses. (pictured above) A local carpenter built small houses and mounted them on trees throughout the trail network. Then Nini Christensen and Beth Flynn devised a plan to fill the homes: gnomes. Working with local art students, small ceramic gnomes were created and added to the houses.

Guardians of the Seeds Trolls are five mythical trolls in residence in the woods and hidden on paths at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. They were created by artist Thomas Dambo. The sculptures, with Danish names related to the forest, expand Dambo's collection of 80 kindred trolls tucked in various corners across the globe, which you can explore via his interactive Troll Map.

Lenny the Chocolate Moose is a 1,700-pound edible sculpture. He is located inside of Len Libby Candies, a chocolatier in Scarborough, Maine.  Lenny's pals are some dark chocolate black bears: 380-pound Mama Libby and her cubs, Cocoa and Chip, who are 80 pounds each.  Lenny was created in 1997.  The sculptor slathered milk chocolate over a moose-shaped wire lath, then carved and smoothed, toiling over delicious chocolate for a month until Lenny took form. A video documenting his creation plays on a loop at the store today. The animal habitat is fenced off: In chocolate form, Lenny and co. are endangered species and must remain situated next to the store's ice cream station so they stay cool.

The McDonald’s in Freeport, Maine, has nothing to do with golden arches. Since the town has strict design restrictions, the fast food chain chose the Gore House of wealthy local merchant William Gore. Now the restaurant looks more like a top-of-the-line eating venue housed in a building with a mix of Greek Revival and Italianate architecture. Once you enter, you can still enjoy Big Macs and Coca-Cola.

See the Paul Bunyan Statue that towers over Main Street in front of the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. This uniquely handsome Paul Bunyan statue was given to the city of Bangor by a New York group of builders in 1959 on their 125th anniversary. The giant statue is built from a metal frame covered in colorful fiberglass and is built to withstand hurricane-force winds. The statue was featured in the horror novel “IT” by Stephen King, and in the book the statue came to life.

Visit the former residence of horror author Stephen King in Bangor, Maine. The King house is red with white trim, towering, and looks historic. The fence features spiders, bat-winged creatures, and a three-headed reptile that decorate the black wrought iron.

The Wiggly Bridge is located in the town of York in southern Maine. This steel structure juts out of the landscape with an arced wooden deck spanning a mere 75 feet between two petite green towers. When walked upon, the deck bounces and flexes, banging back and forth in the anchorages.

At the end of Wiggly Bridge you’ll find Steedman Woods, a nature reserve with short hiking trails shaded by tall trees. It borders a salty estuary.

Wild Blueberry Land is located off Route 1 in Columbia Hills. It is a small theme park dedicated to the official fruit of Maine. The main attraction is a large, bright blue geodesic dome, home to a bakery selling blueberry pastries, breads, and sweets. You’ll see giant marine buoys painted to resemble blueberries and can enjoy the blueberry-themed mini golf course decorated with a shipwreck, a lighthouse, a grandfather clock, and a large blueberry pie. The park has a beautiful background of the Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park overlooking the Pleasant River.