New England Travel and Vacation Gazette and Other Wicked Good Content

L.L. Bean flagship store, Freeport, Maine (Photo credit: Maine Office of Tourism) Many outdoor stores leave us out in the cold with their mixed bag of merchandise, but not the L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport, Maine. This is the grandaddy of all outdoor stores -- including the L.L. Bean retail and outlet stores across the country --  in business more than a century, more than three million visitors a year and open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With its famous big boot out front (see picture) and an incredible, organized variety of clothing and outdoor recreation equipment, this 200,000 sq. ft. store and seven acre campus is like the Disneyland of outdoor recreation stores. You'll find separate buildings for hunting and fishing, biking, boating and skiing, and an outlet store.  An L.L. Bean home goods store opened across the street in 2009. In addition to the classic, well-made merchandise that made L.L. Bean famous, it's also quite entertaining at the Free...

Content by Eric H. Photo of Moosehead Lake by Dana Moos Dana Moos, an Associate Broker with The Swan Agency Sotheby’s International Realty in Bar Harbor, Maine, recently submitted some absolutely superb fall photos of Maine. Focusing on the Moosehead Lake and Acadia National Park Regions, Dana has really captured the pristine essence of these two areas. The photo in this posting was taken above Moosehead Lake on a float plane. Amazing! In addition, here are the links to Dana's photographs, featured on VisitingNewEngland.com: Moosehead Lake aerial photo Sawyer Pond photo, Greenville, area Cadillac Mountain photo, Acadia National Park Keep up the great work, Dana, and thanks again for your generosity in sharing these photos at VisitingNewEngland.com. Editor's note: For more information on Dana's business, log onto the Maine Inns and Bed and Breakfasts for Sale blog. Dana can also be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/danamoos

Article and photos by Eric H. Our latest VisitingNewEngland.com travel review centers on The 123 in York Beach, Maine . Located directly across the street from Long Sands Beach, this oceanfront inn and restaurant features amazing views from each room's own private balcony. The 123 also fulfills a rare York Beach travel feature, offering lodging, breakfast, lunch and dinner under one roof. Formerly the Inn at Long Sands, The 123 carries on the tradition of high quality lodging at this address and, in many cases upgrades over the former facility, including an expanded dining menu and indoor and outdoor dining, as well as memory foam mattresses and wide screen televisions in each room. York is often thought of as a summer destination, but we have always found the community to be a wonderful travel destination in the fall where the crowds lessen and many attractions stay open through Columbus Day. We consider The 123 as a great lodging choice when vacationing in York. For a full revie...

Article and photo (of Short Sands Beach, York Beach, Maine), by Eric H. Before turning over a new leaf by planning ahead your New England travel and vacations into the fall foliage season, consider that summer often lingers on in Maine in the form of some of the season's warmest ocean waters. Not that every day will bring relatively warm ocean water in the next week or so, but check out the daily forecast and you just might find the ocean temperatures in the low 60s. Yes, that sounds mighty cold for swimming, but, then again, Maine was never known for its Hilton Head Island bath-water-like ocean beaches. Over the Labor Day weekend, we found the water temperatures at Short Sands Beach in York Beach, Maine, at 61 degrees. The air temperature was 60 degrees. So, jumping into the waters wasn't difficult for us, given the nearly identical water and air temperatures. If you find a warm to hot day in September, then the Post-Labor Day Weekend bridge between fall and summer is a great ...

Intro by Eric H., Bath holiday event info, courtesy of VisitMaine.com We've written before in The Weekly New England Travel and Vacation Blog about Bath, Maine, as a wonderful, coastal mid-Maine travel and vacation destination. A truly authentic small Maine city with a vibrant, historical downtown, travelers often think of Bath as a summer travel spot, given its proximity to beaches and all the great benefits that come with it -- seafood restaurants, lodging with a water view, and refreshing ocean breezes. The reality is, however, that places like Bath thrive year-round as a residential community -- and, surprise, a place to visit even during the colder months. A good case in point is the holiday season. We recently received information from VisitMaine.com on a special holiday event to be held in Bath: Bath's Old Fashioned Christmas Turns Green The city of Bath's Old Fashioned Christmas celebration is living up to its name and getting greener in 2008. The month-long event...

Article and Photo By Eric H. Cadillac Mountain, at Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island, Maine, isn't close to being the highest mountain in New England, but the experience of being there will bring your Maine travel experiences to new heights. Only 1,532 ft. high, Cadillac Mountain could seemingly be slam-dunked by Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett, but its modest height is all you need to view the unusual mix of ocean and mountains that have made Mt. Desert Island and its prized jewel, Acadia National Park, so famous for its natural, spectacular scenery. Cadillac Mountain, in fact, is one of 17 mountains on Mt. Desert Island, and is the first place in the United States to view the sun rise from Oct. 7 through March 6, according to AcadiaMagic.com At the opposite end of the day, the sun sets are truly magical -- many times with blazing orange skies gradually fading into a sense of quiet, nighttime Maine solitude. This time of the day brings out some of the best views of the moun...

Article by Eric H. Clifton Dock in Northeast Harbor, Maine, will never get press headlines as a tourist destination. It was never meant to be that way, thankfully, for those who are less interested in being a tourist and more interested in becoming part of the fabric of this region. Clifton Dock -- a grand representation of pristine Mt. Desert Island near Adacia National Park -- offers one nothing more than a dock, Maine coastal water views, boats in the water, a weathered red bench and refreshing salt-sea air. If this scene could be translated to wealth, we'd be millionaires. Gone is the traffic, the souvenir shops, the expensive tourist attractions, the neanderthal six-pack crowds and people "who want to be seen" that many times impede the very reason we try to "get away': to attain some sense of peace and relaxation. Just as an actor learns to play his part, there are travelers who become so ensconced in their role of visiting a new area that they consid...