Things To Do in Castine

A seaside hamlet with stately brick architecture and elm shady streets, Castine is a quiet town that attracts visitors looking for a bit of colonial history (the town once marked the southern boundary of the French province of Acadia) or a lunch stop while exploring the pastoral Blue Hill peninsula. On the western edge of the village, you’ll find the campus of the Maine Maritime Academy (tel. 207/326-4311), which trains sailors for the rigors of life at sea with the merchant marine. The academy’s 500-foot T.S. (for Training Ship) State of Maine ★, a hulking black-and-white vessel, is often docked here, all but overwhelming the village. (It’s off cruising to places such as Odessa, Germany, and Gibraltar when it’s not here.) You can sometimes call to schedule a free half-hour tour of the ship, offered on summer weekdays whenever the ship is in port (and if there are no students living or working aboard).