EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Achingly quaint, tiny WISCASSET , ten miles on from Bath, is dominated by the Wiscasset Bridge, which carries US-1 over the Sheepscot River. Tourism is catching on here; in fact, the town lumberyard, grocery and newsstand have all been replaced by antiques shops and art galleries to welcome visitors, changes that haven't been welcomed by locals. Accommodation possibilities in the area include the comfortable and modern Wiscasset Motor Lodge (April-Oct tel 207/882-7137 or 1-800/732-8168, ; $35-50/$50-75), approximately three miles south on US-1. The lakeside campground   Down East Family Camping (tel 207/882-5431), at Gardiner Pond, four miles north on Hwy-27, features an impressive cathedral stand of Norway pines.

BOOTHBAY HARBOR , at the southern tip of Hwy-27, is one of Maine's most crowded resorts and it lays on boat trips of all kinds, including daily whale-watching trips (tel 207/633-3500 or 1-888-WHALE-ME) that leave from Pier 6. There's no reason to stay overnight, but if you do pass by, the Lobstermen's Co-op at 99 Atlantic Ave (tel 207/633-4900), a working lobster pound, dishes up ultrafresh lobsters at low prices, as well as a range of sandwiches. Fisherman's Wharf Inn at Pier 6, 22 Commercial St, serves good seafood in a more formal setting and also has waterfront rooms (tel 207/633-5090 or 1-800/628-6872, ; $100-130). Moody's Diner (tel 207/832-7785) in Waldoboro , back on Hwy-1 east, is a longstanding haunt of police and truckers, open 24 hours and oozing nostalgia.