THE BEST BEACHES FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: It is Memorial Day weekend, the first big weekend of summer and many families head for the beach.  If you happen to live in northern New England you traditionally head for Maine and the Maine sea coast.  From the Massachusetts, New Hampshire lines all the way to the Canadian border you will find fantastic and fun places to hang out for your three day Memorial Day Weekend holiday but you probably better make reservations ahead of time if you aren't just planning a day trip.  You will also want to get parking permits or have a couple rolls of quarters in your pocket for parking privilege.  The State and Community park beaches are the best this early in the season and it is difficult if not next door to impossible to get access to the private beaches. 

Once you get there and hit the beaches though you are in for a great time.  It is still early enough in the season so the beaches aren't yet overly crowded and if you are into just sitting, wading and enjoying the surf most any of the beaches will probably suit your fancy just fine since most all of them are kept well groomed and a good percentage have life guards on duty but there are some who just stand out head and shoulders above the rest especially if you happen to be into beach-combing, getting a close up look at what the mighty Atlantic leaves behind on the outgoing tide in the pools and among the dunes, the rocks or on the beach itself.  You will want to get there early and stay late and if you need a break from the beach the seaside villages have some wonderful shops, restaurants and museums to visit or just walk the streets and get a taste of downeast flavor.

If you are into beaches, lighthouses, beachcombing or just enjoying a day or a weekend at the seashore you won’t want to miss visiting these places…

The salt marshes and rocky shoreline at Casco Bay often holds many a wonderful treasure washed ashore with the tide and hidden among the rocks and dunes as well and a chance to acquaint yourself with an abundance of sea coast wildlife that makes their home in the salt marshes and the hemlock and pine forest.

Cobscook Bay and Cobscook Bay State Park near Dennyville, Maine; the park is surrounded by the bay on three sides and is a great place for the beach comber and you can even dig your own soft shell clams as well as get acquainted with hundreds of different shore birds.  Bring your camera, your metal