Back in 2010 the Maine Department of Agriculture celebrated its 75th Anniversary, and along came the State of Maine Passport. It was designed to get people out of the house and explore the state they lived in. The first year of its arrival, State Park attendance went up 36%!!(MISSING) The first day the passport launched, was the same day David and I moved in together. We were young, broke, and so much in love; so it was pretty much our entertainment and travel plans for the good part of three years.
Heres the overall gist of the Passport.The state of Maine has 48 State Parks and Historical Sites all through out the state. (No Baxter State Park isnt run by the state... its actually owned by a Each location has a lock box, usually hidden in the park. Inside these lock boxes are stamps which you place on the page for the park. Go to all 48 places, and get 48 stamps and the passport (and successfully traveled through out the whole state)
So youre probably wondering; why someone would want to spend hundreds in gas, pay admission into all of the state parks, use a lot of
Well first off; if you plan on going to a lot of them in one year, its best to get an annual vehicle pass. (Saves you a ton of money!) Plus, it is a lot of fun. Each location has something to do; even if its just looking at the view. Some State Parks are a bit more well known with a lot of events; like Camden State Park or Wolfe Neck. You learn so much about the states history and agriculture. You also get your family outside, maybe geocaching, or meeting fellow Passporters. Some stamps require you to go on crazy canoeing adventures, or scavenger hunts. These trips we took together, are still some of our favorite travel stories.
Secondly, you do get little prizes on the way certain thresholds. If 8 you get a magnet, all the way up to 40 you get a weekend camping trip, and if the whole passport you can send in for a free annual pass. Yes it costs way more than this to the passport; but it does feel
Thats just a little bit about the Passport, but dont worry there is more In posts Ill go into detail about my favorite places from the passport, most difficult to get to locations, and more stories on our adventures around Maine.
