A Day Trip to Orono, Maine
Forty-five minutes northwest of the Lincoln School lies Orono, Maine, a college town of 11,000 and the home of the University of Maine flagship campus. It’s a quaint, pretty town with lots of tree-lined streets abutting the mighty (and swollen at this time of year) Penobscot River. There’s a main street with several eating establishments and a microbrewery it seems on every corner. We took the scenic route to Orono. Here’s how.
From the Lincoln School, head north on 180 until you hit State Route 9. Hang a left and go west about five miles. When you see the righthand cut-off for Chemo Pond Road, take it, ignoring the large yellow DEAD END sign. While Chemo Pond Road does dead end, it continues as an unmanaged gravel road called Harper Road. You’ll want a four-wheel-drive truck for this adventure, but trust me, it will pay off.
A short ways after Chemo Pond Road becomes Harper Road, there’s a gravel road to the left called Government Road. The sign says it’s a private road, but that’s only because it belongs to the university, who uses the area for forestry research. Make sure you stick to the road and don’t veer off; you’ll be surrounded on both sides by the Penobscot Experimental Forest, and it’s important to respect that kind of work. Government Road winds through the forest for some time, passing lots of numbered experimental “plots” where different types of research are being conducted. It looks like a moose haven, so although we didn’t see any, keep your eyes peeled!
From this direction, Government Road leads to the Maine Forest and Logging Museum, complete with a gift shop, hiking trails, and a DIY tree ID walk. Stop to take in a steam-powered tractor demonstration or just to use the outhouse. Pets not allowed; service dogs only.
Continuing onto Orono: State Road 178 takes you north to Old Town, where you can visit the Penobscot Nation on “Indian Island” if you like. Otherwise, heading south now along 2A, you’ll first pass the UMaine campus, notable for its leafy quads and well-maintained red-brick buildings. If you go on a Saturday, the large parking lot just across the street hosts the Orono Farmers’ Market, where between 8 a.m. and noon you can find such treats as organic produce, homegrown cut flowers, crepes, live lobster, blueberry smoked salmon bites, and even beef tongue. No one’s selling coffee there, so if it’s a cold day, you might want to swing by the Aroma Joe’s drive-thru on Park Street first.
While at UMaine, leave time to explore the Page Farm and Home Museum, run by students. There are a lot of old-timey exhibits in the main barn there, plus a model carriage house, blacksmith shop, and the very well-preserved Harold and Marion Chute Schoolhouse. The schoolhouse, of course, is why we stopped—it’s an excellent comp property! Built in 1855 in Holden, Maine, and in use there until 1955, it has the same layout as the Lincoln Schoolhouse, including that stovepipe for radiant heat down the center of the room!
For lunch in Orono proper, you have your choice: Thai, halal, Mexican, Mediterranean, and pizza places all line Mill Street, plus a great coffeeshop called Nest. Skip the Orono thrift shop, but don’t miss the library with its lovely “village green” next door.
In sum, Orono makes for a quick and cute day trip. Whether you go searching for a Maine Black Bears ball cap or some fun facts about the history of Maine’s logging industry, you’re sure to have a nice time.
