BANGOR METRO • July 4, 2022
Maine’s past is brimming with vacation stories featuring visitors “from away” on the loose in Vacationland, a nickname that first appeared on license plates in 1936. In 1947, the first section of the Maine Turnpike linked Kittery with Portland. By the mid-1950s, the Turnpike Authority had extended the highway to Augusta, greatly improving highway travel. Eventually, I-95 would stretch north to Houlton. By then, Maine had the twin gems Baxter State Park and Acadia National Park to lure travelers and a growing network of mountain and seaside trails.