Popham Beach, what else to see near it?

I%26#39;m planning a trek to Popham Beach. Any pointers? (someone told me to bring a fleece).

Also, is there anything to do near Popham besides the beach?

Thanks!

Popham Beach, what else to see near it?

Popham is very close to the towns of Bath and Brunswick, so I suggest you look at posts under those areas to see things to do in the area. However, I will mention that Bath has a nice, old-fashioned downtown if you%26#39;re inclined to do a little shopping. It%26#39;s also home to a maritime museum and you can go on some boat tours from Bath. There are evening band concerts on some nights in both Bath and Brunswick. Both towns also have farmer%26#39;s markets. Brunswick%26#39;s is on Tuesday and Friday on the town green. Bath%26#39;s is on Wednesday (I think) and Saturday on the waterfront. Brunswick has a larger farmer%26#39;s market on Saturdays at Crystal Springs Farm, which is between Brunswick and Freeport.

Loads to do in Brunswick. If you like theater, check out the Maine State Music Theater.

Popham is gorgeous. It can be pretty chilly anywhere on the Maine coast, depending on conditions, so bringing a fleece on your trip is always a good idea. Popham can be crowded on weekends and holidays, so if it%26#39;s a great looking beach day and it%26#39;s a weekend or holiday, don%26#39;t wait until too late in the day. Also, at high tide there is actually not all that much beach at Popham, though it%26#39;s still a beautiful place to see.

Anna%26#39;s Water%26#39;s Edge is a seafood diner close to Popham. See www.thewatersedgerestaurant.com.

Reid State Park is another beach in the vicinity. Unlike Popham, it has a lot of rocky areas that are fun to wander around on and that make great classic Maine photos. It has a mile-long sandy beach and a half-mile beach. It also has a lagoon where the water is warmer. Reid sometimes has a lot of sand flies. It is rare that Reid runs out of parking, so if you have any problems with Popham, consider Reid as a backup. Another attraction of Reid is the Five Islands wharf, which is just a mile from the turnoff to the park. There is a good lobster shack and takeout diner with fried seafood and burgers, hot dogs, etc. Also an ice cream place. It%26#39;s a gorgeous site and you can take your food and eat at an outdoor picnic table while enjoying the beautiful views.

If you re-post with some information about the kinds of things you enjoy, I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll get more suggestions of Popham-area attractions.

Have a great visit!

Popham Beach, what else to see near it?

Popham has two forts. The first is Fort Popham, a big stone fort very easy to find at the end of the beach overlooking the Kennebec River (drive past the state park entrace to the end of the road to the other public access point to the beach.) Also, less well known, is Fort Baldwin, which is sitting in woods about a half-mile up the road from Fort Popham. See …about.com/cs/mainebeaches/a/PophamBeach.htm To get to Fort Baldwin, drive back abour 1/4 mile from Fort Popham and look for a road that turns off to your right. Go to the end of that road, look for a small parking area and a sign and then hike up the hill. The bunkers built into the hill would probably be fun for little kids to explore.

Also in the Popham area is the Morse Mountain Conservation area, see http://www.bates.edu/morse-mountain.xml

On the ride to or from Popham, detour thru itsy bitsty center of Phippsburg village. Mapquest your route and look for Parker Head Road. There are some lovely old homes, and very old cemetaries, on this route. Parker Head Road will take you thru the tiny village center. Park at Church Lane and get out and look at the gorgeous little church.

The Martime Museum in Bath is a good stop, and you should ride by the Bath Iron Works and gawk at the operations there. http://www.gdbiw.com/ Most times you%26#39;ll see a range of vessels on the waterfront from teeny red tugboats to huge naval destroyers.

If you like architecture, explore Bath byfoot or by car. it%26#39;s streets are lined with impressive old sea captains%26#39; mansions in a whole range of architectural styles from Federal and Greek Revival to Carpenter Gothic. The best two streets are High and Washington.

Forgot to mention that if you can plan you Popham visit around low tide there is an island along the beach (roughly midway between the state park entrance and the Fort Popham entrance) that is accessible only at low tide. Definitely walk out and explore there. Also, there is a very photogenic converted lifesaving station (sort of like a light house, but not really) on the Fort side of the beach.

Because of Maine%26#39;s very pronounced tides, I prefer to visit Popham around low tide. Much more beach is revealed making walks more interesting.

As you might be able to tell, I%26#39;m much more partial to Popham than to Reid, tho I do like the Five Islands Area and the little lobster pound there has to be one of the most scenic places you can eat lobster. http://www.fiveislandslobster.com/

(P.S. If you are travelng with a dog, you%26#39;ll have to use the entrance by the Fort, as the state park restricts dog traffic.)

Just found the tide chart online

http://www.maineharbors.com/julpop07.htm

being from a more landlocked area...i admit I%26#39;m not too confident in my tide chart predicting or reading. For example the best time to go low tide on July 7th would be between 10:55am and 5:20pm correct?

thanks for the pointers!

10:55 is when the tide will be the lowest and the most beach will be exposed.

I%26#39;m not a expert on tides, either, but I%26#39;m guessing that from about three hours before 10:55 to about three hours after 10:55 would be the time to catch the most exposed beach (and access to the island).

Maybe take an early picnic lunch to the island?

the thing with popham is it takes a while to drive out there and its beautiful and all but by the time u get out of the peninsula half the day is gone

u get the same expansive ocean feel if u go to two lights in south portland or portland head light or the northeast shoreline of peaks island

you%26#39;re right...it does take awhile to get there. i was planning on going to freeport on the way back, then downtown portland things. but i%26#39;d have to start super early in the morning to get that all in.

would crescent beach be a nice substitute for popham?

found this link - its reeeeally complete

just click on the drop down menus for greater portland and midcoast

http://travel.mainetoday.com/todo/beaches/

crescent is nice becuz its protected and it has a snack bar and changing areas - not nearly as big as popham but much closer

Just got back from this area. We planned to go to Popham, but a wrong turn brought us to Reid State Park instead. It is on the next peninsula and we were told, just as beautiful.

We loved the beach at Reid, especially the views from the rocks.

We were surprised at the difference in temperature though. It was about 20 degrees cooler on the beach than it was in Freeport, where we were staying. We wished we had sweatshirts.

We would visit again. We would also like to find Popham next time!