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Homely BELFAST feels like the most
lived-in and liveable of the towns along the Maine coast. Here
the shipbuilding boom is long since over (and the chicken-processing
plant that regularly turned the bay blood red has also gone),
and the town has declared the waterfront a historic district,
sparing it from over-commercialization and condo development.
As you stroll around, look out for the old-fashioned Greyhound
and Western Union office (complete with jukebox) and any number
of whitewashed Greek Revival houses. Belfast was a lively center
in the 1960s, a fact still reflected in its stores, community
theater groups, festivals and the WBYA (101.7 FM) radio station.
However, except for its several eating establishments and one
cinema, most businesses close early in the evening.
The convivial information office
(tel 207/338-5900, ), at the foot of Main Street by the bay, is
next to the old railroad station used by the
Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad (tel 207/948-5500 or 1-800/392-5500,
). Hour-long excursions ($18) in reconditioned Pullman cars run
from here up the lush banks of the Passagassawakeag River, along
tracks laid in 1870 to connect logging operations with the sea
- though whatever impression you might get from their advertisements,
the trains are pulled by diesel not steam. En route to the villages
of Brooks and Burnham Junction, you pass through thick forests,
at their most colorful in the fall. The same company offers cruises
on an old-style paddle boat in Penobscot Bay ($15, combination
rail-cruise ticket saves $3). Also right beside the rail terminal,
Weathervane Seafood restaurant (tel 207/338-1774)
has tables on the wooden jetty outside; across the bay, Young's
Lobster Pound (tel 207/338-1160) serves $10 fresh-boiled lobster
dinners, among the best in the state, with sunset views. Up the
street, Krazy Kones scoops locally made Cranberry Tiger
ice cream in its family-friendly parlor. Historic Darby's
Restaurant on High Street serves tasty, inventive breakfasts,
lunches and dinners to a congenial mix of locals and visitors.
Bay Wrap , 20 Beaver St, has all kinds of gourmet wraps on offer.
Belfast Co-op Store and Deli , 123 High St (tel 207/338-2532),
offers a huge range of vegetarian food and picnic fixin's. For
accommodation , try the Alden House , 63 Church
St (tel 207/338-2151 or 1-877/337-8151, ; $75-100), a beautiful
1840 Greek Revival house run as a B&B; the comfortable Thomas
Pitcher House , 19 Franklin St (tel 207/338-6454 or 1-888/338-6454,
; $75-100); or the Londonderry Inn , 133 Belmont Ave (tel 207/338-2763
or 1-877/529-9566, ; $75-100), an old farmhouse that serves huge
breakfasts. Along Hwy-1 across the Passagassawakeag River in East
Belfast are several inexpensive motels, including the Gull (tel
207/338-4030; up to $35-100), and an oceanfront campground, The
Moorings (tel 207/338-6860; $21 per tentsite), on Hwy-1 toward
Searsport, open May through October.
