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Maine law, most strange. The statue that
prohibits stepping out of a plane in flight. Skydivers presumably are
exempt.
Maine-made
items, best listing in Downeast region. Captain D's MaineProudlyPresents.com,
a comprehensive guide to more than 200 high-quality articles made right
here.
Maine-made
products, best edible inventory. MAINE'S OWN TREATS, Rte
3, Trenton.
Maritime exhibits, best. Penobscot Maritime
Museum, Searsport. Also Maine's oldest maritime museum.
Meatball
sub, best. Papa Gambinos, Bangor.
Mediterranean
bistro, best. CLEONICE,
112
Main St., Ellsworth. If any restaurant in these parts is worthy of
four stars, it's this one.
Microbreweries,
most
per capita. Bar Harbor, Maine. The number keeps changing,
but no place in the country has more. We do like our beer.
Miniature
golf, best facility. Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf, Rte 3,
Bar Harbor. Two 18-hole supercourses.
Minibrews,
most.
Dennett's Wharf Restaurant & Lobster Bar in
Castine
always serves at least nine locally brewed beers and ales.
Mittens, warmest. Red Wagon Quilt Craft Shop, Route 1,
Pembroke. Alma Bednarik has developed a way to knit 100 percent wool
mittens that are probably the world's thickest and warmest, perfect for
Maine's sub-zero winters.
Moccasins,
biggest
selection. The Trading Post, Rte 1, Perry. A hundred
varieties.
Mountain,
highest.
Cadillac Mountain, Mount Desert Island. At 1,530
feet,
Cadillac is the highest mountain on the Atlantic coast north of Brazil.
Mouse
factory, largest. The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor. Every
year this research laboratory produces several million hybrid mice,
peddling them to research facilities around the world.
Mountain
road, best engineered. The road to the summit of Cadillac
Mountain, Acadia National Park. The grade of this remarkable road
never exceeds 11 degrees. This makes Cadillac's peak the only one on
MDI accessible to automobiles.
Movie
theater, most historic. Criterion Theater, Bar Harbor, This
1930s art deco landmark is listed in the National Register of Historic
Places.
Movie theater, most intriguing. Reel Pizza,
Bar Harbor. Yes, this is a movie theater, showing quality Holywood,
art, independent, and foreign language films. But the folks here also
offer a diverse selection of eats, including pizza and many flavors of
popcorn, all at prices you'll applaud. On top of all this, they provide
really comfortable seating. It's a movie experience you'll remember
forever.
Muffins, best. The giant ones at Governor's Restaurants,
Bangor
and Orono. We like the blueberry ones best. They're a deal at
$1.49.
Museum
depicting
Maine's Native American heritage, best. Abbe Museum,
Bar Harbor. This place has true class.
Musical
instruments, best hand-crafted. Song of the Sea Dulcimer,
Bagpipe and Folk Harp Instrument Shop, West St., Bar Harbor.
Mustard
stone-ground, only. Raye's Mustard Mill, Eastport. Here is
the nation's last mustard manufacturer doing it the old-fashioned
way-crushing selected mustard seeds and spices between huge stones.
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Native
flora, most. Wild Gardens of Acadia, Sieur de Monts Spring,
Mount Desert Island. More than 300 species of native plants are
displayed and labeled.
National park, first east of the Mississippi (and
only one in New England). Acadia National Park, most of which
lies on Mount Desert Island.
Native American, first to play major-league
baseball. Louis Sockalexis, a Penobscot born on Indian Island
in 1873. He was such a sensation that Cleveland changed its name from
Spiders to Indians. Alas, he died broke and drunk.
Natural history museum, best. College of the
Atlantic, Bar Harbor. Native fauna in realistic settings.
Naval battle, first of American revolution. Machias,
1775.
Local boys commandeered the British schooner Margaretta
and proceeded to terrorize passing British ships.
Naval defeat, worst for U.S. until Pearl Harbor. The
ill-fated Penobscot Expeition of 1779 in which the British
desroyed a U.S. fleet of 30 to 40 ships in Penobscot Bay. Paul Revere
was present at the debacle. He ended up walking back to Boston.
Nepalese artifacts, most and best. Options from
the World Marketplace, Rte 15, Blue Hill. Far out prayer bells,
sculptures, handcrafts, etc.
 Nuts most,
world’s largest. DIMARCO REALTY,
Prospect Harbor. The collection once belonging to Perry’s Nut House and
containing every known botanical nut has ended up on public display in
this tiny seaside village.
Oars and paddles, world's finest. Shaw and
Tenney, Orono. This company is one of the few remaining
manufacturers of handcrafted, solid wood oars and paddles. Its been
doing this since 1858.
Observation tower, highest. The tower at
the Bucksport narrows bridge, which soars more than 500 feet. An
elevator, New England's fastest, blasts visitors to the top in
less than a minute. There is no other observation tower like this in
the Western Hemisphere.
Old and fat people, most. Maine. Our state
has the highest average age in the nation and the fattest people in New
England. Who says fat people die young? Mainers enjoy life too much for
that.
Old tools, most. The Tool Barn, Hulls Cove.
Thousands of antique implements.
Onion rings, best. Jordan's Snack Bar, Rte 1,
Ellsworth.
 ONLINE
INFORMATION for Downeast Maine, best. CAPTAIN D and
his family of websites: CaptainD.com, DowneastPorts.info,
MaineCybermall.com, Appealing PublicPlaces.com, AcadiaNationalPark.biz,
MaineInternetDirectory.com, and SearchDowneast.com. If it's worth
knowing, it's here someplace.
Organic market, certified, largest in Northeast. Hannaford,
with markets in Bar Harbor, Ellsworth, Bucksport, Calais, Machias, and
Bangor.
Organic produce, best buy. Crossroads Farm,
Jonesport. We couldn't believe how many carrots we got for $3. These
guys grow 30 varieties of lettuce.
Oyster bar, Maine’s longest. Dennett’s Wharf,
Castine.
This venerable eatery hosts the annual Maine state
oyster-eating championship.
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Paintings, most energetic. Swing dancers on display
at Susan Tobey White's High Street Studio & Gallery in
Belfast. They make you want to dance.
Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project model, best. The
14-by-16-foot working model at the Quoddy Maritime Museum in
Eastport. The project was an abortive depression-era effort to harness
the region's great tides for the generation of electricity.
Paul Bunyan, biggest. Bangor Auditorium,
Bangor. The statue here is 30 feet high.
Peaceful state, most. Maine, according
to
the Institute for Economics and Peace. Using data compiled from the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, the FBI and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the group focused on
homicide rates, percentage of population that is jailed, availability
of small arms, number of police officers and overall violent crime rate. Louisiana was found to be the least
peaceful.
Peruvian products, most. Peruvian Link,
Route 9, Amherst. Wonderful fabrics from Alpacas.
Pharmacy, most idealistic. Downeast Pharmacy,
Bangor and Brewer. Good Maine citizens, this small chain quit selling
cigarettes a few years ago, and never did sell beer. It is engaged in a
number of programs focusing on the elderly, youth, and the environment.
Pirate republic, only one ever planned. Captain
Samuel
Bellamy's, which was to have been established in what now is
Machias. The captain was hanged before he could bring this hair-brained
scheme to fruition.
Poet, best. Edna St. Vincent Millay, who
was born and raised in Camden, Maine. Among her many honors, she was
the first woman to receive a Pulitzer Prize.
Pop folk singer, best. Noel Paul Stookey, who
lives
in Blue Hill. Stookey made his mark in the late fifties and early
sixties with Peter, Paul and Mary, one of the most popular groups ever.
Popovers, best. Jordan Pond House, Acadia
National Park. Several generations of Rockefellers, Astors, and
Vanderbilts have made tea and popovers a venerable afternoon tradition.
Post office, oldest. Castine Post Office,
Main Street, Castine. In continuous operation for 180 years, it is
country’s oldest. It is a national historic landmark.
Pots, biggest. Lunaform, Sullivan. Huge,
unique, definitely cool, garden planters.
Pottery, most potters, Mainely Pottery, Rte
1, Belfast. This place shows the work of some 24 Maine potmakers.
Pottery, only saltglazed. Monroe Salt Works, Ellsworth and
Belfast. Last company preserving the ancient technique of salt glazing.
Publicly-owned land, least. Maine, where
just
two percent of the land is publicly-owned. No state has less
Public recreation area, Maine's most popular. Acadia
National
Park, which accounts for 60 percent of visitor days to
public areas in Maine.
Puffins, best viewing spot. Machias Seal Island.
Each
morning at 7, Capt. Barna B. Norton's vessel departs Jonesport for
this island. Call 207-497-5933. Capt. Norton, a direct descendant of
the legendary Tall Barney, has long led the campaign to secure this
island as a U.S. possession, a contention rather hotly contested by
Canada.
Putting green, best. The 18-holer at Kebo Valley
Club, Bar Harbor. The only one of its kind.
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Radio station, non-profit community, best. WERU,
East Orland. Fighting the good fight against the likes of Clear
Channel, WERU is keeping community radio alive in Downeast Maine.
Radio Station owned by a really famous person, best
and only. WKIT-F.M. (100.3), Bangor, Stephen King's very own
station. He gets to hear the songs he likes.
Radio station, world's most powerful. U.S. Navy
Communication Center, Cutler. The 26 antenna towers here keep tabs
on naval operations worldwide. This installation is said to put sleepy
Cutler right up there with the Pentagon at the top of the list of enemy
targets in any future nuclear confrontation.
Radio stations, most per capita. Bangor,
Maine. With 11 stations, Bangor gives listeners more choices than
any other city in the country.
Research facility, nation's largest for study of
mammalian genetics. The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor.
Restaurant, best Caribbean atmosphere. Marlintini's
Grill, Blue Hill.
Restaurant, best French. Le Domaine Restaurant,
Hancock.
Retail business, Maine's oldest. S.L.Wadsworth
& Son, Eastport. Founded in 1818, this venerable shop has been
in the same family for six generations.
Right whales, most likely place in Maine to
encounter them. Off Eastport.
Roadside attraction, best. PERRY'S NUT HOUSE, Belfast. There
are roadside attractions and ROADSIDE
ATTRACTIONS!!! PERRY'S NUT HOUSE on
Route One in Belfast is definitely the latter. Since 1927, Perry's has
been entertaining visitors with its fascinating museum-quality displays
of stuffed animals, unique selection of fresh roasted nuts, silly
practical jokes and comic t-shirts. Perry's is also famous for its
fabulous fudge of many flavors. There is fun for all at Perry's Nut
House.
Rock face, toughest climb. Precipice Trail, Champlain
Mountain. Eight hundred feet more-or-less straight up.
 Rocks & gems,
biggest
selection. BENNETT'S
GEMS AND JEWELRY, Rte 1, Belfast. Best place in Eastern
Maine to get stoned.
Romantic
dinner, best restaurant to have one. Lucerne Inn, Dedham,
according to readers of Bangor Metro magazine.
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