Summertime 2022
EMBRACE THE MAGIC OF SUMMER IN THE BOOTHBAY REGION ...
What’s waiting for you here on our gorgeous peninsula? What isn’t?
That quintessential rocky coastline of Maine you’ve heard about or seen photos of is here.
Water views – ocean, bay, harbor, river and pond – are here.
Boat trips – including those on vintage schooners – to view lighthouses, whales, puffins and seals; Monhegan Island; and Cabbage Island for a lobsterbake ... all here.
Activities: mini-golf, hiking/walking land trust preserves; swimming at Barrett’s Park and Hendricks Head Beach; disc golf, 18-hole golf; Harold B. Clifford Playground; kayaking and paddleboarding.
Attractions: Boothbay Railway Village Museum; Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway; Carousel Music Theater; Opera House at Boothbay Harbor; Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens; Wiscasset Speedway; Wiscasset Art Walk; Boothbay Harbor Art Tour; Wiscasset’s 1811 Old Jail, Castle Tucker and Nickels-Sortwell House;
Annual events: Lobster boat races; the 60th Windjammer Days Festival (June 26-July 2); Wiscasset’s 2nd annual Schoonerfest; Books In Boothbay: Maine’s Largest Summer Book Show; Antique Auto Day, rowgattas and regattas; country fairs and boat races.
Scroll down the page for attractions profiles.
Complete summer events calendar here.
WITH ALL THIS AND MORE WAITING FOR YOU, WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE?
Saturday, June 18
Boat captains sign up at Brown’s Wharf on Atlantic Avenue between 8 and 10 a.m. All signup fees will go to Maine Lobsterman’s Association.
Races start at 10 a.m.
Best viewing: on the water! On land: Dept. of Marine Resources, McKown Point Road, West Boothbay Harbor; Brown’s Wharf, 121 Atlantic Avenue;
Listen to all races on VHF Channel 10.
274 W. Alna Road, Wiscasset
207-491-3720
A 3/8 mile banked oval is Maine's Biggest & Fastest asphalt track, featuring action in eight weekly divisions. Family friendly and priced just right!
June 26 - July 2
It’s the 60th Windjammer Days Festival this year. Check out these events: Blessing of the (commercial) fleet, antique boat parade & pier party, street parade, tug of war across the harbor, cod fish relay races, lobster eating contest; gathering of the fleet, mayhem and activities with the Pirates of the Dark Rose; crafts and activities for kids, artist alley, haunted history tours, fireworks!
Visit the website for more details and check out the Festival pages on the Boothbay Register website!
Saturday, July 23
Boothbay Railway Village, 586 Wiscasset Road/Route 27, Boothbay.
Featuring the annual Vintage Car Show from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.!
Boothbay Railway Village hosts this event in partnership with Maine Obsolete Auto League.
Saturday, July 9
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. — free event
The 17th year!
A family-friendly literary event bringing Maine authors and book lovers together at the Boothbay Railway Village Museum. Meet favorite Maine authors and buy their latest work and maybe a few you missed ... hey, it happens! More information closer to the event date on Books In Boothbay’s Facebook page and at https://railwayvillage.org/event/books-in-boothbay-2
First Fridays - Boothbay Harbor
Held the first Friday in the months of June through October at many Boothbay Harbor Region galleries. In 2022: June 3, July 1, Aug. 5, Sept. 2 and Oct. 7.
Most open houses are held from 4 to 7 p.m. Live demos, studio tours, refreshments ...ART!!
Self-guided tours.
Paintings ... sculpture ... mixed media ... assemblage art ... photography ... pottery ... weaving ... fiber arts
Take a walk, or a ride, on the creative side!
Always the last Thursdays of June through September from 5 to 8 p.m. This year: June 30, July 28, Aug. 25. and Sept. 29
See what’s new at the art galleries, street musicians, dancers, food trucks, art projects for the public! More!
Stroll around Wiscasset Village. Explore the side streets where you’ll find historic architecture highlighted by Wiscasset’s Museum in the Streets descriptive panels.
The Sculpture Trail, established in 2017 by the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, exhibits completed sculptures outside local businesses and institutions in Boothbay Harbor and Boothbay and will soon extend throughout the peninsula.
Trail maps are available at the Chamber, 192 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor, and other locations to be announced.
Founded in 1980, Boothbay Region Land Trust (BRLT) has since grown to protect open space and public access to natural lands and waterfront across the Boothbay Region.
Over 30 miles of dog friendly hiking/walking trails. Please keep the canine members of the family leashed. Do pick up after your dog, please.
50 Sugar Maple Lane, Boothbay
Boothbay Harbor Country Club’s championship 18 (challenging) holes golf course. This course resort includes a clubhouse, 5-star restaurant, sports bar and grille, outdoor heated seating with fire pit, a proshop, and luxury locker rooms. Voted number 1 by readers in Down East magazine’s “Best Of Maine” poll 2018, 2019 & 2021.
132 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Open May 1 through Oct. 23
A stunning variety of gardens - the Butterfly House, Bee Exhibit, Dahlia Garden, Lerner Garden of the Five Senses, Slater Forest Pond, Vayo Meditation Garden, Bibby & Harold Alfond Children’s Garden, Fairy House Village, Giles Rhododendron & Perennial Garden, Burpee Kitchen Garden, and more. Explore on your own or take one of the tours!
Pier 8, 42 Commercial St., Boothbay Harbor
Boat trips aboard either the Novelty or Balmy Days: harbor tour, Monhegan Island, mackerel fishing; sailing trip aboard the Friendship Sloop Bay Lady past the region’s lighthouses.
Pier 1 - 42 Commercial St., Boothbay Harbor
Cap’n Fish’s Cruises is named after its founders – The Fish Family – who began boating operations out of the Boothbay Region in the 1930s.
Home of Boothbay Harbor’s whale watch and the Audobon puffin cruise! Lighthouse and seals tour ... and so many more aboard either the Harbor Princess or the Pink Lady II.
Ticket booth at 20 Commercial St.
Two hour sail aboard the Eastwind ... it’s relaxation time! Feel the breeze on your cheek as you glide past lighthouses, seals, and islands.
Your two-hour voyage aboard Boothbay Harbor's largest schooner gives you time to relax and see the Maine coastline. Lighthouses, fishing lobstermen, wildlife, and remote islands accessible only by boat.
Pier 6, 22 Commercial St., Boothbay Harbor
June 18 - Sept. 5 / 7 days
Two bakes on Saturday & Sunday only: Reservations: 207-633-7200
Menu: two lobsters, fish chowder, steamers, baked potato, corn on the cob, hard-boiled egg and blueberry cake for dessert!
Sail the Bennie Alice to Cabbage Island for the best lobsterbake you’ve ever had! Play outdoor games or walk around the island.
18 Granary Way, Boothbay Harbor
207-633-7140
The Boothbay Region stands out as one of the best destinations for sea kayaking, with water ranging from the open seas to calm, protected rivers. Kayak rentals include basic instruction, life jacket, and paddle, and we give you a choice of single or tandem kayaks Paddleboards also available.
This year is the second annual - Aug. 18-22
Come for the ships and chanties – stay for the magic.
Visiting Maine schooners; high schoolers in late 18th century clothing sharing history of the Shilling Laws of 1822; 1800s maritime and Celtic tunes in the Sunken Garden, other music in the bandstand on the Common, town pier. Schooner tours, wine & beer garden; lighted boat parade.
Full schedule on the website!!
586 Wiscasset Road, Boothbay
Opens June 19!
Annual events including the Fall Foliage Festival, Antique Auto Day, Books In Boothbay; holiday trains for Halloween & Christmas ..
Ride the steam train ‘round the narrow gauge track. Stop in to check out every building at the museum not only houses memorabilia, they are historical exhibits in and of themselves: the Boothbay Town Hall, Spruce Point Chapel, the Merci Car, Grover’s Hardware, Freeport Station. The Model Railroad exhibit and the Antique Auto Museum are two popular stops.
And, while you’re there - say hi to the Village goats and give ‘em a treat!
Pier 1, Commercial St. Boothbay Harbor
Boothbay Harbor’s oldest windjammer - built in 1947, she is a scaled-down topsail schooner that carries up to 14 passengers.
Two-hour sails ... ocean sailing, coastal islands explorations, and wildlife sightings are a common occurrence. Check out Lazy Jack during the annual Windjammer Days Festival in late June - she’s sailing in with the visiting fleet.
2 Lee St., Wiscasset
June through mid-October
Dramatically sited on a hill overlooking the Sheepscot River, Castle Tucker (built in 1807) is a Maine historic treasure and one of the most complete and authentic 19th century homes in the U.S. Step back in time as you walk through a mansion filled with the original furnishings and decoration of the The Tuckers, a prominent fishing family who lived in Maine from 1858 to the end of the 20th century.
97 Cross Road, Alna
The WW&F Railway Museum in Alna, Maine (just north of Wiscasset on Route 218), celebrates Maine’s Sheepscot Valley narrow gauge.
Events include: Lavender Dinnertime Trains, Music on the Railway Concert Series, WWI reenactment and encampment, Open Farm Day & the Wild Blueberry Express.
Masks required by all passengers regardless of vaccination status.
86 Townsend. Ave., Boothbay Harbor
Box Office: 207-633-5159
Celebrating 128 years! A performing arts center built by members of the Knights of Pythias, 1894-95, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 by the Department of the Interior.
This year’s lineup includes: Gaelic Storm, Asleep At the Wheel, Louis Prima Jr. & the Witnesses, Tom Rush, Alison Brown, Jerry Douglas Band, Susan Werner, Bob Milne, and Genticorum. Visit the website for all the concerts booked for 2022.
196 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor
207-633-5297 - for tickets/reservations
The big red barn houses the Carousel where song, beverages, food and a show make for a great night’s entertainment. This year’s musical lineup: “Gilligan’s Island, The Musical” - opening July 8; “The Shoes Have Left the Building,” the original Elvis Revue - opens Aug. 8; “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” final show, opens Sept. 2.
A self-guided historical walking tour through the beautiful and historic village of Wiscasset, Maine.
There are 37 locations, marked by large white plaques, which start in the 17th century! Historical walking tour map/brochures are at all of the locations, the Wiscasset Chamber of Commerce at 297 Bath Road (882-9600).
Wiscasset’s Museum in the Streets™ is also a free mobile app. Download Wiscasset MITS from the Google Play or Apple stores. Narrated by Wiscasset native Margo Rafter Strong, the app contains additional historic photos and three new stops not available when the tour was first developed. Whether you want to enjoy an outdoor walking experience or see new sights from inside your car, the GPS-enabled app allows you to set your own pace and decide how much of the tour you want to do.
Maps for the Museum in the Streets history walking tour of Boothbay Harbor are available at the town office, 11 Howard Street.
There are 24 points of internet: The Boothbay Harbor Museum in the Streets informative panels include: 1. Weymouth House, 2. Auld-McCobb House, 3. Chapman Reed House, 4. Views from Town Square, 5. Boothbay House, 6. Sherman’s Livery, 7. Harbor View, 8. The footbridge, 9. Bridge House, 10. Head of the Harbor, 11. Dunton’s Store/Sockabasin Tent, 12. Pierce and Hartung, 13. Menawarmet Hotel, 14. Hodgdon’s Boatyard, 15. Reed’s Shipyard, 16. Mackerel Fleet at Anchor, 17. Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, 18. Boothbay Freezer Company, 19. Greenlaw’s Smokehouse/Allen School, 20. Bishop’s Granary, 21. The Town Square, 22. Boothbay Opera House, 23. Tupper House/Blossom House, 24. Congregational Church.
261 Townsend Ave. / 633-2855
The Boothbay Region YMCA was established in 1955. fun programs and classes for every member of the family! Completion of the major construction project will be this fall. FMI: visit the website or call!