Rockland, Maine: A Coastal Vacation

About halfway between the beaches of Maine’s south coast and Acadia National Park, Rockland is often overshadowed by neighboring Camden. But families traveling along the Maine coast will find a lot of reasons to spend a few days in this lively town.

Along its appealing Main Street are locally owned shops and galleries featuring the works of local artists and craftspeople. Children will recognize some of the local scenery in the paintings in galleries and at Farnsworth Art Museum on Main Street.

Coastal Children’s Museum is filled with activities, including an adventure park, general store, topographic maps, underwater caves, a vet clinic and a special area for toddlers. More in tune for adults is Sail Power & Steam Museum on the upper level of the same former shipyard.

A highlight for the whole family is sailing on board a classic wooden sailboat. Bufflehead Sailing Charters can take up to six people on cruises between one and six hours around Penobscot Bay. Along with the thrill of sailing under wind power, kids will see lighthouses, islands, lobster boats and sea life.

You can also get up close to two local lighthouses. Rockland’s own is reached by a long breakwater, while Owl’s Head Light is a few miles away. In a spectacular setting on a high rocky point and framed by pine trees, Owl’s Head is a photographer’s dream scene.

Automobile and airplane enthusiasts shouldn’t miss nearby Owl’s Head Transportation Museum, filled with gleaming antique and classic cars and aircraft. A special section for children includes hands-on exhibits demonstrating air power and how the wing shape makes airplanes fly.

If seeing lighthouses inspires kids’ curiosity about how they operate, a visit to Maine Lighthouse Museum can answer their questions as they see collections of artifacts from several New England lighthouses and learn how Fresnel lenses work.