 Rockland calls itself the "Lobster Capital of the World," and the hardy fishing port makes a strong case for itself with its fleet of lobster boats and bustling commercial waterfront.
The home of the annual Maine Lobster Festival is also a burgeoning arts and retail community. It's the site of the Farnsworth Museum, which has an exceptional collection of Maine art and is home to the Wyeth Center - the largest facility devoted to the works of that famed art clan. Owl’s Head Light, one of three lighthouses in the area, is visible on the trip out of Rockland Harbor. At the town of Camden, between Penobscot Bay and the Camden Hills, vacationers can take an easy hike up Mount Battie. In the winter, skiers at Camden Snow Bowl on Ragged Mountain can simultaneously glide down challenging ski slopes while enjoying a thrilling ocean vista. Another must-see town is Rockport, which has a thriving arts community and a 19th-century opera house.  With a new public boardwalk constructed by credit-card giant MBNA, Rockland is also the homeport of most of the Maine windjammer fleet and provides access by state ferry to the bay's populated islands - Vinalhaven, North Haven, and distant Matinicus. Due south of town, Port Clyde is the mainland link to the famed artist's colony on rugged Monhegan Island. Several tiny harbor hamlets - Owls Head, Tenants Harbor, and Spruce Head are located on the peninsulas that jut into the bay.
At the southern end of Knox County, Thomaston's tidy main street is lined with graceful white Federal and Colonial homes. Its compact downtown is flanked by Montpelier, the reconstructed estate of General Henry Knox, George Washington's secretary of war. | 
