Waterville, a city in south-central Maine, lies along the western banks of the Kennebec River on land that was used as a trading post as early as 1660. Incorporated in 1802, today Waterville is home to a downtown with dining and shopping, two colleges, a historic library, museums and other cultural and recreational attractions. Even better, you can experience many of the city's top draws free of charge. If you're planning to stay overnight, the city has a variety of budget-friendly accommodations, including a campground and economy hotels.
Libraries and Museums
- Spend a few hours perusing the books, audio books, films and other publications at the Waterville Public Library, founded in 1896. The library's Richardsonian Romanesque structure, constructed from granite and copper after a donation from Andrew Carnegie in 1902, includes a tower, semicircular arches and Flemish brick work. The Colby College Museum of Art, open to the public, has nearly 8,000 works focusing on American art from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, plus a sculpture gallery and collections of Chinese antiquities and European paintings.
Downtown Delights
- Immerse yourself in Waterville's past by taking the Downtown Waterville Historic Walking Tour, which passes more than 40 architecturally or historically significant buildings and sites, primarily along Common, Main, Water, Silver and Elm streets. Among them are the library, the circa-1826 First Baptist Church and the Two Cent Bridge, a 700-foot-long suspension footbridge over the Kennebec River that gets its name from the toll charged to walk across after its 1903 construction. The toll reached 50 cents before being discontinued in 1960. It is thought to be the last existing toll footbridge in the U.S. After your tour -- or even in the middle of it -- browse a variety of collectible shops or refuel in a downtown restaurant or tavern.
Walk a Trail
- A good way to enjoy the scenic nature of mid-Maine is to traverse some of the hiking trails in Waterville and the surrounding area. The Colby College campus has several trails that wind through the Perkins Arboretum, a bird sanctuary and forests that are part of a wildlife management area. The self-guided Yellow Trail has more than a dozen learning stations that tell about the ecology of the arboretum. At Oxbow Nature Preserve, which lies off Cool Street, paths take hikers through woods, ferns and wildflowers and along Messalonskee Stream, where you might even glimpse a beaver or muskrat. The Merritt Nature Trail, off West River Road, winds along the banks of the Messalonskee and through hemlock, fir and Northern hardwood forests.
A Day at the Park
- Waterville's North Street Recreation Area and Quarry Road Recreation Area also have trails that walkers, joggers and mountain bikers can use in the summer, then cross-country skiing in the winter. But the parks also include plenty of other amenities, so pack a picnic and spend a day at either or both city-owned facilities. The North Street park includes a municipal pool with a children's pool and play area, playground, picnic shelters, soccer fields and basketball, shuffleboard and tennis courts. At Quarry Road, you can launch a canoe or kayak for a paddling adventure on Messalonskee Stream, and other wintertime activities include sledding and snowshoeing. Both areas are free to the public, although the municipal pool charges a nominal fee and Quarry Road asks users to consider a donation to help upgrade the trails.
