My cousins recently purchased a home in Maine close to Acadia Park overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Since they moved there for part of the year, I have been bombarded with demands that I visit. That I would love it. That I had to come to see their new home. So this summer my sister and I went to see them. I am so glad we did.
I will not tell you the exact little town that they live in, but it was easy driving to the Schoodic Institute at the Acadia National Park, which is located at Schoodic Point. The Institute studies environmental changes taking place in Acadia and provide educational programs for learners of all ages. They help manage research projects throughout the park.
The land at Schoodic Point, 2000 acres, was donated to National Park Service in 1929 by the John Moore family. Also starting in 1935 until the 1990s, there was a US Naval Security Group Activity Base located there, which included the most lovely building in the middle of the site. When the base closed, the National Park Service worked to develop a research learning center using the buildings that were going to be left unoccupied after the base was closed.
Now everyone can visit The Rockefeller Hall Visitor Center at the Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park. It houses a nice little museum and wonderful Park Rangers who can answer your questions!
After we visited the Center, we drove around to look at some of the stunning scenery. The black volcanic rock intermingled with the pink granite creates a wonderful vista when you look out to the ocean. You can walk along these scenic, rocky beaches. When we went to my cousins’ favorite spot, there was an older couple sitting on the stones, who insisted that we skip some small rocks into the ocean. It brought back memories of skipping rocks into the lake I grew up at in upstate New York. We soon learned that the pink stones crumble as they skipped, while the black volcanic stones made wonderful skips!
Another great place to visit is the Tidal Pools, where you can see the starfish caught in the tide pools, pick them up and touch them for a few moments before returning them to their safe havens. (Just be careful as the rocks are slippery and can move beneath your feet. I found out the hard way!)
We ate in a wonderful seafood restaurant near their home. I had haddock. Yum! Saw lots of lobster boats and other little boats that made for brightly colored photos in each little cove.
Since we had one very rainy day while there, we stayed in an watched several documentaries created by local residents about the area and about the Penobsoct Indian Nation. They were extremely interesting and gave us information about the history of the area. Later we visited some of the areas mentioned in the documentaries.
When the weather cleared, we took a trip to Ellsworth. This lovely town has a quaint downtown and refers to itself as “The Museum in the Streets.” We had a great time visiting the shops and eating lunch. We still talk about the twin sisters who work in stores next to each other and were extremely helpful. We did our best to help the economy of this lovely shopping district.
While there we also saw one of the many granite sculptures that are scattered throughout the area. Some are on the side of The Schoodic National Scenic Byway, others are in town centers. I think we saw five. But there are many more.
Our final scenic vista came during a visit to Jones Pond. To this community it was a pond, but to me it looked much like the lake I spent my summers visiting. Except there were no boats docked on the Jones Pond, only a sea plane!! I loved seeing all the water lilies. We walked on a path along the coast of the pond for a bit. We were the only people there: a most peaceful and meditative experience.
A visit to the Acadia Park area in Maine is well worth the trip! I hope to go back again with my husband and visit many of the places we could not see in just four days.
zicharonot 