Improvements Made to Sunday River and Sugarloaf

The new owner of the Sunday River and Sugarloaf ski areas in Maine has made improvements to the facilities. In addition, Boyne USA has started to add many new events and outdoor activities to make each of the locations in an effort to turn them into four-season venues. These new activities will include trails, water parks, and fishing lessons. To read more on this subject see the Portland Press Herald news posting of November 30, 2007 entitled "New owner improving state's top ski resorts". Click here to learn more about skiing areas, resorts, information in Maine.

Acadia National Park - Winter Activities

If you are interested in snowshoeing, cross country skiing, or snowmobiling it is available in Maine's Acadia National Park. Click on the Acadia blog of "the skinnymoose.com" for some information about "Winter in Acadia National Park".

Freeport, Maine Has New Skating Pond

L.L. Bean has provided funding to the town of Freeport, Maine for the development of a new park which will include a skating pond. Read more on this in the Portland Press Herald November 28, 2007 news posting entitled "Skating into the outdoors".

Ski Museum of Maine Celebrates 1st Year Anniversary

The Sun Journal has run an article about the 1st anniversary of the Ski Museum of Maine. The museum is located in Farmington, Maine and is open Wednesday through Saturday. Read more in the news posting - "Ski Museum celebrates its first anniversary". For more information visit the Ski Maine web page on the Ski Museum of Maine. Wikipedia Encyclopedia has more information on the museum on it's website.

Cruise Ship Visits Rise for Maine Seaports

The Morning Sentinel has reported that cruise ship visits to Portland, Maine have increased over previous years. Portland city officials feel that next year will be even better. A spokesperson for CruiseMaine USA states that almost all Maine ports saw an increase in visitors. For more information see the news article - "Portland sees cruise ship surge" (27 Nov 07). See CruiseMaine USA for information about Maine cruise ship tours, packages, events, and schedules. Click here for information about Maine's Seacoast. The Bangor Daily News ran a similar article about cruise ships visiting Maine on October 30, 2007 entitled "Bar Harbor: Cruise ship tally likely to be record high".

Ducking Hunting in Maine

The New York Times has published a lengthy news article about a duck hunter who lives in Bowdoinham, Maine - and who hunts ducks by boat. Interesting reading if you like duck hunting. See "In Maine, a Hardy Few Are Still Stalking Ducks in a Time-Honored Way" - (Nov 23, 2007).

Podcast about Sunday River, Maine

"Doing Stuff Outdoors", an outdoors activities web blog, has a podcast recently posted (25 Nov 07) about Sunday River and skiing.

Old Orchard, Maine - Tree-Lighting (2 Dec 07)

Old Orchard Beach, Maine will celebrate it's 15th annual tree-lighting event on Sunday, December 2, 2007. This event will feature hay wagon rides, entertainment, face painting for children, food and beverages, bazaar, bonfire, caroling, and the arrival of Santa on a fire truck. Read more at Old Orchard Beach Maine Activities. If you are staying overnight in the Old Orchard Beach area try the Sea Cliff House Motel. For a complete guide of lodging and dining visit the town's Chamber of Commerce website for Old Orchard Beach.

Shopping in Kittery, Maine

With Thanksgiving behind us the Christmas shopping season has begun. Those folks looking for shopping bargains and quality gifts may consider shopping at the many outlet stores in Kittery, Maine. Located just over the Maine-New Hampshire border, Kittery offers a number of stores just off the Maine Turnpike. Several websites can provide you further information on shopping in Kittery. For general information see "The Kittery Outlets". For more information click on any of the following - directions, map, directory of stores, and if you are staying overnight check out the accommodations and lodging. There are many restaurants to eat at to include the Weathervane, Warren's Lobster House, and Bob's Clam Hut. More sources of information are the website for the Town of Kittery, the Wikipedia encyclopedia description of Kittery, Maine, and of course, the Kittery Trading Post - which made Kittery a shopping destination a long time ago. Other websites providing information on shopping in Kittery include Kittery Shopping (with a description of many of the stores based on their location on Route 1), Kittery Premium Outlets, Maine Lobster Outlet, Inc., and Tanger Outlets.

"Sparkle Weekend" - Freeport, Maine

The town of Freeport, Maine will hold it's annual "Sparkle Weekend" on starting Friday, November 30th and ending on Sunday, December 2nd. The weekend promises parades, cocoa, carriage rides, and SHOPPING! Freeport, Maine, the home to L.L. Bean, has over 170 upscale outlets, designer shops, eclectic boutiques, B&B’s, hotels, fantastic restaurants & casual cafes. Click here to visit the event calendar for Freeport, Maine where you can download a schedule for the "Sparkle Weekend" or click on the Freeport Merchants Association website for more details on shopping, eating, and visiting Freeport, Maine. Click here to access the Town of Freeport government website.

Bangor, Maine Trail Map

A cartographer has been developing a trail map for the city of Bangor, Maine. The Bangor Trails Project has commissioned Molly Holmberg to design the map. The Bangor Trails Project is a partnership among the Bangor Land Trust, Keep Bangor Beautiful, and the City of Bangor. Read more about the new trail map in the Bangor Daily News article dated November 17, 2007 entitled "Bangor: Orono native maps Bangor's open spaces". Click here for a listing of Bangor trail maps. For information and a listing of maps of Maine click on Maine Maps.

"Best of Maine Skiing"

The Boston Globe published a good article on Maine skiing on November 15, 2007. It is entitled the "Best of Maine skiing". Mentioned are Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Camden Snow Bowl, and other Maine ski areas. The article includes snippets of information such as best bargain for ski lift ticket, ski area with best lodge (or view, restaurants, trails, etc.). If you are a skier it is worth reading.

2007 Good Year for Maine Whitewater Rafting

The Morning Sentinel (November 23, 2007) is reporting (see Whitewater rafting numbers rise in 2007) that this past season was a good year for whitewater rafting firms in Maine. The Raft Maine Association has announced that the numbers of rafters have increased by 16 percent. The last five years have seen a downward trend in rafters so the 2007 numbers are a positive sign. Click here for more information on whitewater rafting in Maine.

Happy Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving! Let's hope everyone arrived at their final Thanksgiving Day destination. Enjoy your holiday wherever you are.

Plan Your Maine Thanksgiving

For those traveling to Maine for Thanksgiving we provide some helpful hints below:

Where to spend Thanksgiving:

The Travel-Maine.Info website has a page that offers lots of information on where and what to do in Maine during Thanksgiving - see "Thanksgiving in Maine".

Bethel, Maine and Sunday River Ski Area offer a multitude of events during Thanksgiving. Read an online news article posted by First Tracks! that provides more info: "Ski Demos, Rail Jam Highlight Thanksgiving Holiday at Sunday River".

The Southern Seacoast area of Maine has lots going on. See a listing of Thanksgiving dinners, services and events in that area provided Foster's Daily Democrat.

Safety During Thanksgiving.

Remember that with the increase in holiday traffic the law enforcement agencies will be doing their best to keep the roads safe. See "State police to increase patrols for holiday" by the Waldo Village Soup. (Hint: keep your speeds down).

The Maine State Government has sent out a safety message entitled "Enjoy Thanksgiving Safely". It also has a "Turkey Day Safety Fact Sheet".

And if you are NOT traveling and are preparing your turkey meal at home then here is some safety advice available from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension on "Helpful Hints on Handling Turkeys for Thanksgiving".

"Holiday Open House" - Brunswick, Me

The Dried Flower House with be presenting it's "Holiday Open House 2007" in Brunswick, Maine on December 8th and 9th between the hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. You will find decorations and gifts for the holidays to include Christmas wreaths, swags, candles, incense, dried flower arrangements and more. For more information click on the following link:

"Holiday Open House 2007 by the Dried Flower House of Brunswick, Maine".

Scarborough, ME Craft Show (Nov 23-24)

The Society of Southern Maine Craftsmen will be presenting their "Home for The Holidays Craft Show" at Scarborough High School (Maine) on November 23 and 24. Visit their website at "Society of Southern Maine Craftsmen" for a complete listing of their shows.

Maine Ski Season Looks Good!

The Portland Press Herald reports in a news posting today (Tuesday, Nov 20, 2007) that Maine's upcoming ski season is looking good. This is based on earlier than usual openings of some ski resorts and the purchase of Sunday River and Sugarloaf this past summer with the subsequent investment of money to upgrade those facilities. The news article goes on to describe the specifics of how each of the major Maine ski areas has improved their locations, upgraded equipment, and the new events offered this year. To read more visit the article at "Season looks promising for Maine skiers". For more information on skiing in Maine visit Travel-Maine resource page on "Skiing in Maine".

Welcome to the Maine Vacation and Travel News Blog

Welcome to the Maine Vacation and Travel News Blog. In this blog we hope to present to our readers relevant news and information of interest to those who vacation and travel to the wonderful state of Maine. Our companion website is http://www.travel-maine.info/. Feel free to add your comments about your experiences while vacationing or traveling in Maine - whether you live here in Maine or come "from away".