From the quiet comfort of our accommodations, it's a short trip to scenic Camden Harbor for shopping, dining, or daysailing, or Rockport Village, whose Marine Park opens onto a panorama of lobster boats and sails. Even nearer, explore the bustling waterfront of Rockland, Maine, the "Lobster capital of the World." A fishing-community-turned- cultural-center, Rockland is home to the renowned Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center, the newly opened Maine Lighthouse Museum, and the historic Strand Theatre, recently restored—along with a colorful array of shops and restaurants. From Rockland Harbor, feel the saltwater spray on a ferry trip out to one of the islands you've wondered about from your balcony by the bay.

Among other nearby attractions: the mile-long Rockland Breakwater, the Owls Head Transportation Museum, the Knox Mansion ("Montpelier") in Thomaston, Birch Point Beach and Camden Hills State Park, Spruce Head Village, Tenants Harbor, dozens of scenic hiking trails, and the lighthouses of Owls Head and Marshall Point (Port Clyde).

But it all starts with our matchless view of the islands.