2014 Visitor's Guide

Atlantic EXPLORATION No trip to Maine is complete without getting out on the exhilarating ocean waters. Add an island destination with an historic museum and you’ve got an afternoon adventure with more variety than most. Photo: Tim Greenway, Eagle Island

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For a great family excursion, motor out to Eagle Island with Atlantic Seal Cruises as Captain Tom Ring shares his vast knowledge of the geography and history of the islands accompanied by the sun, the salt breezes, and the cries of gulls circling overhead. Eagle Island, a few nautical miles from picturesque South Freeport harbor, was the summer home of Admiral Robert E. Peary, the first man to reach the North Pole. In the Victorian Era, the idea of a man reaching the North Pole was a big deal, so big that some 756 men had died trying to get there. Then along came Robert E. Peary, a civil engineer with a deep desire to secure a place in the history of exploration by being the first man to stand where there is no east or west. Peary and his team took several location readings upon reaching what they believed to be the North Pole,

which they later submitted to the National Geographic Society for confirmation. But, as is true for most new discoveries, there was some dispute, and the best way to learn all the details is to visit the museum for a guided tour. The home itself is magnificent in its authentic simplicity, surrounded on all sides by the ocean and lovely flowers. Peary family furnishings and artifacts remain intact, including many birds preserved by the Admiral’s own taxidermy. Eagle Island is really two museums in one with exhibits about Peary’s arctic exploration complemented by an audio tour of the house and fascinating insight about how the Peary family spent their time on this island retreat.

Atlantic Seal. On the return trip, the Captain pulls lobster traps and shares info about male and female lobsters, soft-shell “shedders,” and how to lobster responsibly to assure a sustainable way of life. The boat slows down to observe seals sunning themselves on the rocks and cormorants splashing playfully beside them. You motor back to South Freeport with a fabulous ocean adventure lapping at your memory.

LOCAL TIP Atlantic Seal Cruises departs daily from Memorial Day weekend through the end of October. Passage includes museum entrance fee and access to the island’s trails.

But the education doesn’t stop there, with Captain Tom at the helm of the

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