Boothbay Harbor

June, 2017 | By: Susan Axelrod | Photography: Heidi Kirn
Kayaks and paddleboards are just two of the many ways to get out on the water in Boothbay Harbor.
Originally founded in 1919 as Linekin Bay Camp for girls, this old-fashioned resort welcomed its first guests in 1946. In 2015 new owners renovated the main lodge and cabins to offer more modern comforts while retaining the timeless feel that brings families back year after year. Activities include sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and swimming in the heated saltwater pool on the waterfront. The Deck Bar and Grill is open to the public, and is a not-so-well-kept secret of many locals and summer residents, who often arrive by boat.
Summer cottages (above) on Capitol Island, part of the neighboring town of Southport. The island got its name because its first summer residents were from the Augusta area.
Lobstering is a way of life in the Boothbay Harbor region.
The Lobster Dock is one of several Boothbay Harbor restaurants with its own dock for diners who come by boat.
Colorful buoys decorate the Lobster Dock restaurant on the east side of the harbor.
Bibliophiles will have to be pried away from the jam-packed Friends of the Library Used Book Store.
The Smiling Cow and Gimbel and Sons Country Store have been summertime fixtures since the 1940s.
In the center of town, the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library is a popular meeting place, and in the summer, its lawn is the scene of band concerts and craft fairs.
The Opera House is a year-round music and community arts venue.
A grouper sandwich on the deck at McSeagull’s, a popular restaurant right on the water.
One of the trips offered by Balmy Days Cruises takes visitors to Burnt Island Lighthouse, where the lighthouse keeper and his family offer a look at lighthouse life in the 1950s.
Flowers and flags festoon a window box at Tigger Leather Silversmith.
McKown Street is lined with dozens of shops and galleries.
Both a popular attraction and a convenient way to get around Boothbay Harbor, the footbridge stretches from one side of the harbor to the other.

At the height of the summer, the body of water that gives Boothbay Harbor its name is so full of boats that it almost looks like you could hop from one to the other without ever getting your feet wet. One of Maine’s most popular stops for cruising sailors, the protected deep-water harbor is also home to a fishing fleet, tour boats, and the Balmy Days II, which ferries day-trippers and vacationers to Monhegan island, 12 miles off the coast. While getting out on the water is the best way to explore the area’s craggy shoreline—and to see many of its classic summer homes—there is plenty to do on land. For the full Boothbay Harbor experience, browse the shops and galleries downtown, hike the Boothbay Region Land Trust trails, drive out to Ocean Point, take in a show at the Boothbay Harbor Opera House, play a round of golf (or mini golf), and be sure to enjoy at least one meal on a waterside deck. Need more ideas (or directions)? Ask a local. The friendly residents of Boothbay Harbor have been welcoming visitors since the 1880s, when steamships brought other East Coasters north to spend summers on the region’s rocky and picturesque shores.