2 Best Sights in The Mid-Coast Region, Maine

It's not really a desert, as the climate isn't truly arid, but this 40-acre expanse of sand, a glacial deposit created during the last Ice Age, is nevertheless intriguing. In the 1800s, erosion caused by farming removed the thin layer of top soil and revealed the dune field, which has been a popular roadside tourist attraction since the 1920s. More than 40 interpretive signs along a mile-long, self-guided walk explain the geology, history, and ecology. You can dig for fossils using the tools and techniques employed by paleontologists. Kids love the gemstone village, with fairy houses and a hobbit house, where they can hunt for (and keep) polished gems hidden throughout a maze. Rounding out the offerings are a miniature golf course and occasional open-air theatrical productions.

Near the tip of Bailey Island, a short side road takes you to a parking area and access to a mostly flat, graveled path along the ocean's edge to an intriguing cut in the rocky shoreline. The southern terminus of the trail leads across some rocky ledges. There is additional parking at that end. Known as an intrusive volcanic dike, the vertical rift looks like a staircase built for giants. The views are as compelling as the geology.