Taking advantage of the packages offered by the Maine Windjammer Association is one option. The Association has partnered with a number of beautiful, historic inns along mid-coast Maine where passengers can rest for a night or two before heading home.

And then there’s Acadia National Park offering great opportunities for hiking, kayaking, canoeing, shopping and a front row seat to the rugged beauty of Maine’s coast. Located on Mount Desert Island, Bar Harbor and the Park are about a 1.5-hour drive from the Camden-Rockland area.

If you like museums, there’s the hidden gem of the Owls Head Transportation Museum just outside of Rockland, which boasts one of the finest collections of pioneer-era aircraft and automobiles in the world. Rockland is also home to the Lighthouse Museum and the world-famous Farnsworth Art Museum, home to three generations of Wyeths. The Portland Museum of Art with its Winslow Homer Studio is opening to the public in September 2012.

For those who love to “shop ’til you drop,” there’s the world-famous outlet town of Freeport, home of L.L. Bean and located just an hour south of the mid-coast. Further south, there’s Kittery – also an outlet town - on the New Hampshire border.

If you are a fan of antiques, you’re in luck! There are endless antique shops where people have found hidden treasures long forgotten in attics. While Maine is famous for the hundreds of artists who make their home in the Pine Tree state, there are also wine makers crushing grapes, apples and blueberries distilling delicious new vintages. All of these and more welcome the visit and are a terrific land-based accompaniment to a week of windjamming.

For more information about packages and great things to do in Maine, contact the Maine Windjammer Association or email us directly.