Spend a Day in Gray, Maine
You might have already exhausted the pleasures of Portland. But there’s another town, less than half an hour from the city, where you can spend the day basking in the sun, coming face to face with fascinating wildlife, and eating delicious food. Just take the turnpike up to exit 63 and there you are — welcome to Gray.
At the Maine Wildlife Park, you can visit a moose, feed a deer, and much more. The Wildlife Park is a sanctuary for all kinds of native animals. Most of the animals were brought in because they were orphaned or injured, and could no longer survive in the wild, or because they had been raised in captivity. The Park boasts a wide range of native animals, including porcupines, black bears, coyotes, owls, and bobcats.
Maine Wildlife Park, by Jeff Hawkins
For families with children, the Wildlife Park in Gray, Maine is a wonderful destination. Not only will your children love to see the wide range of animals, but they’ll have the chance to feel different types of fur, and to create their own animal prints in the Nature Center sandbox. Adults won’t be bored, either — you’ll love watching the bears swim in their pool, or seeing the wild turkeys strut their stuff. Each week, the Park hosts various events — upcoming events include meeting a live eagle, and a “creatures of the night” hike through the Park’s spacious woodland trail system.
If you love to photograph wildlife, you’ll have an amazing opportunity with the Park’s photographer’s pass. For $50, you’ll have an hour to take photos of the Wildlife Park’s animals up close, free of any fences or barriers — the Park’s staff will give you access to many of the animals’ enclosures. If that price seems a little steep, for a mere dollar per person on top of the regular admission charge, you can take a guided tour with one of the Park’s dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers, who can give you all the dirt on each of the fascinating species on display.
Maine Wildlife Park
56 Game Farm Road
Gray, Maine 04039
Email: mainewildlifepark@maine.rr.com
(207) 657-4977 ext. 1
http://www.maine.gov/ifw/education/wildlifepark/index.htm
After you’ve finished your tour of the Park, your stomach might be rumbling. Have no fear — you’re just down the road from one of Maine’s oldest and best family restaurants, Cole Farms, which has served home-style New England food for more than fifty years. The restaurant’s daily specials include traditional dishes like Yankee pot roast, chicken pot pie, and fried or baked stuffed haddock. If you’re there on a weekend, don’t miss their prime rib dinner special — with a huge slab of beef and all the fixings for less than $15, you’re onto one of the best deals in Maine dining. They’ve also got a great kids menu with all the favorites, like cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. After you’ve finished your main course, make sure to try one of their famous pies, baked fresh every day.
Cole Farms Restaurant
64 Lewiston Road
Gray, Maine 04039
207-657-4714
www.colefarms.com
If you’re not quite full after all that, stop by the Ice Cream Dugout for a baseball-themed sundae. The owners, avid Red Sox fans, have named many of their dessert offerings after past and present players on the famous team — it will be tough to choose between the Fudge Pudge Fisk, the Bronson O’Reo, and the Doug-Mint-Kay-Chip, but all are delicious, served with a heaping drizzle of hot fudge, a mountain of whipped cream, crunchy peanuts, and a cherry. If this isn’t the perfect end to your day in Gray, nothing is.
Ice Cream Dugout
263 Shaker Road
Gray, Maine 04039
207.657.RSOX
http://www.icecreamdugout.com
Written by Kathy Hawkins on April 29, 2007
Filed Under Maine, Portland, Wildlife
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