Take a day trip -- and explore Maine! Go North: Bangor & Beyond Bangor, ME Just a short hop up Route 1 – less than an hour away – you'll find Bangor, a city of about 60,000. There's plenty to do in Bangor: shopping, dining, golfing, museum hopping, attending shows, and more. Maine Discovery Museum Seven interactive exhibits thrill inquisitive youngsters who stop in at the downtown Bangor children's museum, the largest one north of Boston. Closed on Mondays. Cole Land Transportation Museum Dedicated to preserving the past, the museum displays a cross section of Maine's land transportation through the years and honors the military by exhibiting three memorials, a number of war vehicles, and a vast collection of memorabilia. Paul Bunyan Statue Standing 31' tall, the lumberjack folk hero oversees activities from a small park on Main Street in Bangor. University of Maine Museum of Art Featuring about 6,000 pieces, including works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Andrew Wyeth, the museum is located on the first floor of Norumbega Hall on Harlow Street in downtown Bangor. The museum also hosts traveling exhibits throughout the year. Beyond Baxter State Park Home to Mount Katahdin, the northernmost tip of the Appalachian Trail and the highest point in Maine (5,267'), Baxter State Park was the gift of Percival P. Baxter – former Maine governor – to the people of Maine. It is a spectacular wilderness area of more than 200,000 acres 20 miles north of Millinocket that offers diverse climbing, hiking, and camping opportunities. And, as Baxter insisted, the land serves as a sanctuary for both bird and beast. Moosehead Lake Head to Greenville, and you'll find yourself smack on the south end of Moosehead Lake, the largest lake east of the Mississippi contained within a single state's borders. If you spend time there – hiking, boating, sightseeing, fishing – you're practically guaranteed to spot a moose. Explore the Coast: North to Campobello Maine's Big Sur Scenic Drive You'll need a full day to make the most of this 197-mile drive from Ellsworth northeast to Calais, but stunning scenery will make it all worthwhile. The tour, listed in National Geographic's Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways, gives detailed directions and highlights points of interest to make your trip a breeze. Winter Harbor/Schoodic Point Take a 7-mile looping route past Frazer Park to Schoodic Point – where pink granite outcroppings line the shore – and circle back to the quaint fishing village of Winter Harbor and Prospect Harbor Lighthouse. Jonesport/Beals Island Bring your camera to capture the fantastic scenery of working fishing villages, puffins and other sea birds, and seals. Calais Calais, located on the St. Croix River, provides the setting for the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge and serves as the gateway to New Brunswick, Canada. Cross the border to St. Stephen for chocolate or travel another twenty minutes to St. Andrews by-the-Sea to visit the magnificent Algonquin resort. Eastport The easternmost city in the United States, Eastport is a charming, undisturbed place where you're likely to meet a real Downeaster. See Old Sow, the biggest whirlpool in the western hemisphere or take home a jar of exotic mustard from Raye's Mustard Mill. And don't miss the Fourth of July! Campobello Head into Canada to visit Campobello Island and the vacation home of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Tour the historic cottage, play golf at Herring Cove, or visit East Quoddy Lighthouse, known locally as Head Harbour Light. Explore the Coast: South to Camden Camden A sheltered harbor surrounded by gently sloping mountains, makes Camden a picturesque stopping place. Enjoy shopping along Main Street in one-of-a-kind shops then stop for a bite to eat along the waterfront. Deer Isle/Stonington Take the narrow suspension bridge high over Eggemoggin Reach, and you'll drive into a quieter world. Fishing villages, historic inns, and gourmet dining establishments – along with magnificent natural scenery – have long attracted writers and artists to the area. Blue Hill Located on a peninsula with a jagged coastline and reversing falls, Blue Hill is home to beautiful, stately homes, fine restaurants, and art galleries. Don't miss the annual Blue Hill Fair, a real old-time, country event, held over Labor Day weekend. Belfast Art museums, delightful shops, and restaurants make Belfast quite a draw. You'll get to know the city best when you opt for Museum in the Streets, a self-guided walking tour that introduces you to the city's people, architecture, and history. Penobscot Narrows Observatory Rising 42 stories above the Penobscot River, the Penobscot Narrows Observatory is the tallest of only four bridge observatories in the world. Catch the speedy elevator – making 500 feet a minute – and you’re at the top in 40 seconds. From there, visitors enjoy panoramic views of Bucksport, Fort Knox, and Penobscot Bay – and on a clear day, they can glimpse Mount Katahdin 100 miles away. An engineering masterpiece, the bridge received the 2007 George S. Richardson medal from the International Bridge Conference.     Bucksport A mill town at the mouth of the Penobscot River, Bucksport is a great town for touring. Visit the Verso Paper mill; Fort Knox, a Civil War stronghold; and the Alamo Theatre, home of Northeast Historic Films. Castine A quaint and isolated village on a beautiful harbor, Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy. Visitors may board and tour the academy's training vessel, the State of Maine, when it's in port.