HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC – We’re making our lists, and checking them twice ... as we prepare to head north to Wiscasset in a few weeks.  We’ll leave the heat and humidity behind.  And tourists.  This island of 40,000 people can ‘welcome’ as many as 2.75 million visitors a year.  The golf and the tennis and the beaches are great in Hilton Head, but I’ll take a kayak at sunset on the Sheepscot any time.

Even  though we’ve been making the south to north trip for 15 years, I still look for new things to do while we’re in Maine.  This year, could be our first visit to Bar Harbor; maybe Acadia, too. (Amazing right? Have’t been to Acadia!!??!)  To prep each year for our summer I read and watch. For print, of course, I read - and subscribe to - the Wiscasset Newspaper and the Lincoln County News.

I also subscribe to Maine Magazine - a gorgeous monthly with a killer feature, “48 Hours in ...” They feature a different town or two each issue, giving you an itinerary of the best and most interesting things to do.  Of course Down East is a must read, too.

Here’s one you may not know about: Newson.  It’s an app for your digital device which lets you watch, free, local news programs.  Which means we can watch the Portland TV station newscasts, on demand. Channel 6 is our favorite (Hi, Cindy!) , and Keith Carson is our weather guy!.  We also check out Channel 6’s nightly feature/magazine program, “207”.  It does a great job of highlighting things to do.