ME Photo Stop Weekend (RC Linc)
Advertisement
Meet at Stonebridge Cafe 1285 Belmont St in Brockton (Just off Rt 24N on Rt 123) at 6:45 for breakfast. There is a Cumberland farms gas ⛽️ station 🚉 on the right as soon as you pass over Rt 24 just before the restaurant which is in a small plaza on the right. We’ll eat breakfast then hit the road.
Bring your camera and Join us for a weekend trip to take in the ME photo spots #1-5. Will require overnight stay at the Comfort Inn 281 Civic Dr Augusta, ME. We have booked our hotel already. Let us know if you are planning to go. Looks like a good weekend. People need to make their own reservations. We do not have a block of rooms. RC Linc
ME #1 Rooftop Elephant at the Colonial Theate. Belfast,163 High St., Belfast, ME. Directions: Downtown, on the north side of High St. between Main and Market Sts. Admission: Free The "lost" elephant in downtown Belfast. Officially named "Hawthorne II," the elephant has stood atop the roof of a downtown theater since 1997. If you ask nicely, they will let you see the baby elephant downstairs. "Hawthorne II" stood outside Belfast's Perry's Nut House for many years, part of a lineage of fake elephant photo ops that lured passing motorists to the attraction since it opened in 1927. Perry's went out of business -- temporarily, it turned out -- in 1997, and Hawthorne II was sold to the Colonial Theatre, which restored him and put him on its roof. Despite attempts from subsequent Perry's owners to reclaim the elephant, he remains on the theater roof.
ME #2 The Swinging Bridge Mill St., Brunswick, ME
Directions: I-295 exit 28 (Brunswick). Drive east on US Hwy 1/Pleasant St. for about 1.5 miles. Turn left onto U.S. Hwy 1/Mill St. The bridge is about a quarter-mile on the left. There is a sign and five-car parking lot. Admission: Free. Be very careful pulling in and out of the parking lot -- it's a busy road and tiny turn in. If you are going northbound on US 1 I would recommend passing it and turning around, as there is really no left turn into it and too tight to make a U-turn at the entrance. Beautiful stop though! Built in 1892, fully restored in 2007. A pedestrian suspension bridge, built across the Androscoggin, that swings as you walk on it. Pedestrian bridge over the Androscoggin River built by the same company that built the Brooklyn Bridge. Bridge was restored in 2007. Swings as you walk over, thus the locals call it the Swinging Bridge. This thing really does move back and forth! The day we were there several parents and their toddlers were "playing" on the bridge, making it move. It is in great shape and provides nice views of several old mills along the river. The son of John Roebling, the guy who built the Brooklyn Bridge, built this one. He was known for his pedestrian suspension bridges.
ME #3 Presidents Signpost 1 Leach Hill Rd, Casco, ME. Directions: In town, on the corner of Hwy 121 and Leach Hill Rd. The sign faces north. Around two miles north of the intersection of Hwys 121 and 11 at Pike Corner. Helpful arrows on one signpost point in the direction of, and give the distances to, every Maine town named for a U.S. President. There is a sign in the same spirit as the sign listing foreign place names. This sign lists places in Maine named for presidents. It starts with Washington, Jefferson, etc., skips over about 100 years worth and suddenly at the bottom is CLINTON. The catch with this sign is that it can only be seen while southbound. It's at the south edge of the town square (or triangle, really). From Rte. 302 in Raymond (about 25 miles NW of Portland), head north on Rte. 121, cross over Rte. 11 at the blinking light where there's a gas station with a Cadillac parked out back, continue about 3-5 miles to the next town square/triangle, then turn around and you'll see the sign.
ME #4 Large Rooftop Lobster 🦞 at the Taste of ME Restaurant 161 Main St Woolrich, ME. Taste of Maine is an iconic seafood restaurant in Woolwich, Maine, famous for its large portions, especially the "World's Largest Lobster Roll," and its eclectic, kitschy decor featuring antique collectibles. It offers classic Maine seafood like lobster, fried clams, and steamers, alongside other options like steak and sandwiches, with both indoor and outdoor seating, including a deck with bay views. The restaurant is known for its fresh seafood, friendly service, and unique atmosphere, though some find it pricey.
ME #5 Andre the Seal Statue, Rockport Marine Park, Harbor View Drive, Rockport, ME. Directions: From US Hwy 1, at the stoplight south of Rockport, turn east onto West St (toward the water). Drive a quarter-mile, then at the T turn left onto Pascal Ave. The entrance to Rockport Marine Park will be a quarter-mile on the right; a sharp, downhill turn. Phone: 207-236-0676. Died 1986
Andre was a harbor seal who spent his winters at the New England Aquarium in Boston and his summers in Rockport Harbor. Every spring for over 20 years the Seaquarium would release him and Andre would swim north to Rockport (150+ miles). It was always a high point for local residents when he reappeared. He was the honorary harbor master. A granite statue of Andre was dedicated at harborside in 1978; Andre unveiled it himself. He went blind in 1985, and when he swam away in 1986, he never returned. Searchers found his body washed up on a remote part of Rockport beach. At the time, he was thought to be the oldest living harbor seal. Andre will never have a successor, said the Rockport Chamber of Commerce, because "the Department of Environmental Protection will never allow it." Andre was the subject of a lackluster 1994 feature film starring Tina Majorino (who later played the girlfriend of Napoleon Dynamite) and a sea lion instead of a seal.
Bring your camera and Join us for a weekend trip to take in the ME photo spots #1-5. Will require overnight stay at the Comfort Inn 281 Civic Dr Augusta, ME. We have booked our hotel already. Let us know if you are planning to go. Looks like a good weekend. People need to make their own reservations. We do not have a block of rooms. RC Linc
ME #1 Rooftop Elephant at the Colonial Theate. Belfast,163 High St., Belfast, ME. Directions: Downtown, on the north side of High St. between Main and Market Sts. Admission: Free The "lost" elephant in downtown Belfast. Officially named "Hawthorne II," the elephant has stood atop the roof of a downtown theater since 1997. If you ask nicely, they will let you see the baby elephant downstairs. "Hawthorne II" stood outside Belfast's Perry's Nut House for many years, part of a lineage of fake elephant photo ops that lured passing motorists to the attraction since it opened in 1927. Perry's went out of business -- temporarily, it turned out -- in 1997, and Hawthorne II was sold to the Colonial Theatre, which restored him and put him on its roof. Despite attempts from subsequent Perry's owners to reclaim the elephant, he remains on the theater roof.
ME #2 The Swinging Bridge Mill St., Brunswick, ME
Directions: I-295 exit 28 (Brunswick). Drive east on US Hwy 1/Pleasant St. for about 1.5 miles. Turn left onto U.S. Hwy 1/Mill St. The bridge is about a quarter-mile on the left. There is a sign and five-car parking lot. Admission: Free. Be very careful pulling in and out of the parking lot -- it's a busy road and tiny turn in. If you are going northbound on US 1 I would recommend passing it and turning around, as there is really no left turn into it and too tight to make a U-turn at the entrance. Beautiful stop though! Built in 1892, fully restored in 2007. A pedestrian suspension bridge, built across the Androscoggin, that swings as you walk on it. Pedestrian bridge over the Androscoggin River built by the same company that built the Brooklyn Bridge. Bridge was restored in 2007. Swings as you walk over, thus the locals call it the Swinging Bridge. This thing really does move back and forth! The day we were there several parents and their toddlers were "playing" on the bridge, making it move. It is in great shape and provides nice views of several old mills along the river. The son of John Roebling, the guy who built the Brooklyn Bridge, built this one. He was known for his pedestrian suspension bridges.
ME #3 Presidents Signpost 1 Leach Hill Rd, Casco, ME. Directions: In town, on the corner of Hwy 121 and Leach Hill Rd. The sign faces north. Around two miles north of the intersection of Hwys 121 and 11 at Pike Corner. Helpful arrows on one signpost point in the direction of, and give the distances to, every Maine town named for a U.S. President. There is a sign in the same spirit as the sign listing foreign place names. This sign lists places in Maine named for presidents. It starts with Washington, Jefferson, etc., skips over about 100 years worth and suddenly at the bottom is CLINTON. The catch with this sign is that it can only be seen while southbound. It's at the south edge of the town square (or triangle, really). From Rte. 302 in Raymond (about 25 miles NW of Portland), head north on Rte. 121, cross over Rte. 11 at the blinking light where there's a gas station with a Cadillac parked out back, continue about 3-5 miles to the next town square/triangle, then turn around and you'll see the sign.
ME #4 Large Rooftop Lobster 🦞 at the Taste of ME Restaurant 161 Main St Woolrich, ME. Taste of Maine is an iconic seafood restaurant in Woolwich, Maine, famous for its large portions, especially the "World's Largest Lobster Roll," and its eclectic, kitschy decor featuring antique collectibles. It offers classic Maine seafood like lobster, fried clams, and steamers, alongside other options like steak and sandwiches, with both indoor and outdoor seating, including a deck with bay views. The restaurant is known for its fresh seafood, friendly service, and unique atmosphere, though some find it pricey.
ME #5 Andre the Seal Statue, Rockport Marine Park, Harbor View Drive, Rockport, ME. Directions: From US Hwy 1, at the stoplight south of Rockport, turn east onto West St (toward the water). Drive a quarter-mile, then at the T turn left onto Pascal Ave. The entrance to Rockport Marine Park will be a quarter-mile on the right; a sharp, downhill turn. Phone: 207-236-0676. Died 1986
Andre was a harbor seal who spent his winters at the New England Aquarium in Boston and his summers in Rockport Harbor. Every spring for over 20 years the Seaquarium would release him and Andre would swim north to Rockport (150+ miles). It was always a high point for local residents when he reappeared. He was the honorary harbor master. A granite statue of Andre was dedicated at harborside in 1978; Andre unveiled it himself. He went blind in 1985, and when he swam away in 1986, he never returned. Searchers found his body washed up on a remote part of Rockport beach. At the time, he was thought to be the oldest living harbor seal. Andre will never have a successor, said the Rockport Chamber of Commerce, because "the Department of Environmental Protection will never allow it." Andre was the subject of a lackluster 1994 feature film starring Tina Majorino (who later played the girlfriend of Napoleon Dynamite) and a sea lion instead of a seal.
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Stonebridge Cafe, 1285 Belmont St,Brockton, Massachusetts, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
