Ellsworth and Trenton

For those on their way to Mount Desert Island [1] (MDI), the towns of Ellsworth and Trenton are better known as summertime traffic bottlenecks. Ellsworth has been working hard to gentrify its gritty downtown; aside from a few historic homes, however, it still has a ways to go.

Trenton, meanwhile, has pinned its fortunes to the passing parade of cars. The five-mile-long gauntlet along Route 3 offers a bewildering assortment of mini-golf courses, waterslides, paddle-boats, petting zoos, gift shops, lobster pounds, blueberry stands, and other enticements. Blindfold the children if you don’t want to stop!