Tag: Maine Travel View All Tags
Tags: Topless Travel / Coffee Shops / Nude Travel / Starbucks Alternatives / Maine Travel / Grand View Topless Coffee Shop / → All Tags
Brrr! Maine's Topless Coffee Shop Reopens Just In Time For Winter
Maine's Grand View Topless Coffee Shop has had a dramatic year. After only opening up in the town of Vassalboro back in February, the place has been had it's moment in the media limelight, been burnt to the ground by an arsonist, and then reopened in a tent. Now it looks like it's back for good, as the owner has received the permit to reopen in a business trailer on the property—not as great as the original, but it exists nonetheless.
According the Boston Herald, business so far has been slow, but it could also be because the arson fire from last June is still under investigation. But for those anxious to have a place where they can make "I like my women like I like my coffee" jokes, the Grand View is back in business.
Things get a little more NSFW after the jump
Tags: Volunteer Travel / Maine Travel / Gay Travel / Political Travel / → All Tags
'Travel For Change' Is Sending Volunteers To Maine For Gay Rights
Usually, volunteer vacations are about helping the needy, but for some, they can also have a political agenda. Last year, Travel for Change helped send over 400 volunteers to swing states to work for the Barack Obama campaign. Now, they are helping send volunteers to Maine, where voters will take to the ballot box next month and decide whether to overturn a law that allows same-sex couples to wed. "Question 1," as it is being called, is similar to Prop 8, a same-sex marriage ban eventually approved by voters in California last year.
Travel for Change is working with the No on Question 1 campaign to get volunteers from across the country to Maine to work for marriage equality. The organization is raising funds and airline miles, matching volunteers to share rooms and cars, and placing them in appropriate jobs once they arrive in Maine.
Tags: Stargazing / Maine Travel / Fall Festivals / Events / → All Tags
Maine Wants To Remind You What A Natural Night Sky Looks Like
See that mass of light on the horizon in Acadia National Park? That's the Milky Way—for reals.
Stargazers will see the blue yonder with new eyes at Maine's new Acadia Night Sky Festival, which celebrates the starry, natural nighttime sky. The festival, which starts on the sunset of Sept. 17 and ends at sunrise Sept. 21, tries to bring awareness to the problem of light pollution and the importance of preserving the pristine skies of Bar Harbor and and Acadia National Park.
Fest organizers say that a natural sky is increasingly rare, since artificial light from cities create light pollution and obscure our view of the glowing stars and other stellar matter. They add that two-thirds of the entire population of the Eastern Seaboard has yet to see Earth's own galaxy. In light of this (har, har), the Island Astronomy Institute, along with groups like the National Park Service and the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, decided to preserve the beauty of downeast Maine's natural sky. It's such a sight to behold, that on clear nights you can see the Milky Way swirl above Mount Desert Island.
Tags: Food Festivals / Food Travel / Festivals / Summer Festivals / Maine Travel / → All Tags
There Are Lobsters On The Loose In Maine This Weekend
It’s only Thursday, but things are well underway at this year’s 62nd Annual Maine Lobster Festival. The party kicked off yesterday and will run throughout the weekend, so get out your favorite lobster bib and have the drawn butter ready. Last year they cooked over 20,000 pounds of the crustacean critters and there’s plenty of other undersea delicacies if lobsters aren’t your thing—just bring your appetite and you’ll be pleased.
Although we have no problem with a festival just based on eating, in fact we prefer it, this summer fest has a lot more to offer than just seafood gluttony. There’s plenty of entertainment, cooking demonstrations, arts and crafts, and of course, the coronation of the 2009 Maine Sea Goddess. The winner will be awarded a scholarship and will represent the town of Rockland and the lobster industry throughout the year.
Tags: Active Travel / Maine Travel / Races / Kayak / Canoe / → All Tags
Paddle Yourself Silly This Summer With Canoe And Kayak Championships
We don't know about you, but we've been craving to tackle some whitewater lately and a canoe is as good as anything. In only a couple of weeks, the Whitewater Open Canoe Downriver Championships takes place, and although we're pretty good with paddles, we not quite ready for this level. Nonetheless, things get underway on July 1 and finish up on July 5 in West Forks, Maine on the Lower Dead River. With a name like that, we’ll just be spectators for this one, thank you very much.
For those that prefer a kayak for their water adventures, the Kayak Downriver National Championships will also be heading downriver soon. All races are set along an almost 13-mile course where paddlers will run into about 30 different sets of class II and III rapids. If speed is more your thing, there will be sprint races on July 3. Here, competitors will be trying their best to get through a 1.2-mile course as quickly as possible.
From the details on the races, it sounds like anyone is welcome to register to compete (so long as you can swim), as registration only has to take place one day in advance. However, we’re thinking that this isn’t for those used to a casual paddle around a calm bay or through some wetlands. Officials estimate that the sprint races can be done in only seven minutes, depending on the water level.
Related Stories: [Photo of a different race: penguinchris]
·2009 ACA WWOCD National Championships [Official Site]
·Canoe, Kayak Championships in West Forks, Maine, July 1-5 [MaineBusiness.com]
·Active Travel coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Starbucks Alternatives / Coffee Shops / Coffee / Bizarre / Crime / Maine Travel / → All Tags
Maine's Topless Coffee Shop Reopens as Topless Tent
We've got good news for New England travelers who like their caffeine fix but hate it when their servers wear shirts. Turns out the nation's oddest Starbucks Alternative is down, but far from out.
The Grand View Coffee Shop, which was burned to the ground by a moral crusader last week, has already reopened. Owner Donald Crabtree erected a tent on the site of his destroyed cafe, and the topless waitresses have volunteered to work just for tips (to be fair, we'd bet they get better tips than your local Starbucks barista).
Topless Coffee one; moral crusaders zero.
Related Stories:
· Arsonist Destroys Maine's Topless Coffee Shop [Jaunted]
· Maine Opens Topless Coffee Shop; Hopefully With Frost Bite Insurance [Jaunted]
· Burned topless coffee shop reopens in a tent [Jaunted]
[Photo: AP]
Tags: Maine Travel / Walker's Point / → All Tags
Putin Bush Summit at Walker's Point: Agenda Suggestions
Speaking of Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to join President George Bush at the Walker's Point compound in Kennebunkport Maine this weekend for a little summer vacation.
The Bush-Putin summit is an attempt to strengthen relations between the U.S. and Russia, away from their normal entourages.
Sit down, no necktie, sit in a beautiful house overlooking the sea and talk frankly without a lot of strangers and note takers, people that have separate agendas handing you notes and all of that.
So says President Bush. Well, lucky for the President, we have some suggestions for Kennebunkport friendship encouraging activities.
Tags: Adventure Travel / Rafting / Maine Travel / Summer-Vacations-With-An-Edge / → All Tags
Summer Vacations With an Edge :: Rafting Maine's Whitewater
You know, we like adventure travel as much as anyone. But there's a definite edge on your summer vacation if you're heading to a place called Dead River to jump in icy water and tackle class IV rapids.
Do us a favor and entrust your safety to the guides at Northern Outdoors, where 30 years of experience will keep you in one piece--if not exactly dry. NO's 15-mile trips are timed to coincide with dam openings to ensure maximum whitewater.
The Kennebec River--into which the Dead River flows--has smaller rapids if you're looking for something a bit tamer. Just watch out for the next dam release day, when the Kennebec swells to double its normal size. (That'd be July 9, kids.)
Check out our Summer Vacations With An Edge Map.
Know a spot we should consider for this map? Tip the help.
Related Stories:
· Adventure Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Maine [HotelChatter]
