Quintessential Maine. Camden is often referred to as the “jewel” of the coast, and now we know why. Could we live here? You bet. In a heartbeat.
This place is beautiful, and it is home to Camden Hills State Park, as well as the Camden Snow Bowl. How many towns can boast having a seaside harbor and a ski area? We doubt there are very many.
First settled in 1772, Camden is clean, pretty, and adorned with quaint, well-kept buildings and residential areas. Honestly, there is something pretty to see here, no matter where you look.
Harbor Park is a natural space along the harbor, complete with sidewalks for strolling and benches for relaxing. We could have sat on those benches and stared out at the harbor all day (or set up an easel and spent the day painting scenes from the waterfront), but the road was calling and we had to get back to our trip up the coast.
Everywhere we went, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, had beautiful flora. Whether it was trees (not too many of those where we come from), or shrubs, or the abundant flowers, we were captivated, as you will see as you follow our posts.
From the Native American Indians who once called this area home, to the colonists who settled the area after America’s independence, Camden holds a treasure trove of history. By 1858, Camden had become a thriving harbor town, and during that time of abundant growth six shipyards had been built!
Over the last century, Camden has become the summer home to many who live in large cities along the Eastern Seaboard. In 1892, a fire destroyed most of the town, but amid the devastation, the wealthy summer residents got together and invested in its rebuilding, resulting in the town we see today. Trivia: the Camden Yacht Club was established in 1912.
We almost bypassed Camden, as it wasn’t on our original itinerary. On a whim, we decided to make the jaunt from Maine’s capital city of Augusta to see what all the fuss was about. That decision was probably the best one of our entire trip. We were so glad to have gotten to spend a couple of hours in beautiful Camden, and now we’re able to share it with you.
That’s going to wrap up our visit to Camden, Maine. Stop back by for more posts from our New England road trip, as well as other trips, RV trips, tips and tricks, and perhaps just some pretty pictures. We welcome your input and comments. After all, we post for you!
We are going to close this post with the Maine State House.
Built of Maine granite, the State House was completed in 1832, just twelve years after Maine became an independent state from Massachusetts. Minerva, the Roman goddess of Wisdom stands atop the dome.
Until the next trip…
Travel safe, travel smart, and we will see you down the road!
Mike and Kellye
As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) We aren’t paid for our recommendations, and we only recommend our own tried and true vendors and venues. Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.
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