YORK, Maine - It’s hard to choose among York’s summer delights. I’m standing between six ancient wooden lanes of candlepin bowling and Short Sands Beach, where little kids are shoveling wet sand into neon green pails for castles that will soon wash away. Singles and couples are ambling along the water’s edge, and clusters of teens eye each other in the timeless rituals of a day at the shore. Freshly made saltwater taffy beckons around the corner. Being here takes me back to childhood when my favorite uncle, Murray, brought my cousins and me to a beach much like this for ice cream cones, swimming, and 25-cent games of Skee-Ball. I hear the thump thump of Skee-Ball now, at Fun-O-Rama next door.
The deal about York
Seaside and dense with activities, the Yorks have plenty of everything
The Yorks - York Village, York Harbor, Cape Neddick, and York Beach - with their three ocean beaches, two camera-ready lighthouses, folk and contemporary art, historic homes, river byways, and forested mountain trails, offer plenty of retro relaxation for two people on a two-day getaway with $200 to spend (not counting gas). In July and August, lodging makes the budget a challenge, but it can work.
DAY ONE
Morning: Mount Agamenticus (186 York St.): Pack bug spray and a lunch for this half-day hike with panoramic views. Mount Agamenticus Conservation Region (www.agamenticus.org) off Route 1 is a 10,000-acre forested wilderness with 40 miles of hiking, equestrian, ATV, and mountain bike trails. It’s the largest unfragmented coastal forest between Acadia National Park and the New Jersey Pine Barrens. At the 692-foot-high summit, on clear days you can see from the White Mountains to the Atlantic. Trails are rated easy to moderate on free maps at trailheads.
If hiking isn’t your thing, head to Long Sands Beach (Route 1A), a 1.5-mile sweep of shoreline with a split personality. At low tide, this smooth expanse of coarse gray sand, pebbles and boulders, accented with tidal pools, is perfect for long walks and kite flying. When the tide rolls in, the beach disappears. Surfers love this beach. Nearby is Cape Neddick Light Station, or “Nubble Light,’’ among the most photographed beacons in Maine. And bring plenty of quarters. In season, York’s beachfront parking meters annoyingly demand 25 cents for 15 minutes, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. No lunch in your bag? There’s a deli in The General Store tucked among the cottages and motels that parallel Route 1A.
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