Christmas by the Sea - Camden

Winter turns this idyllic town in Maine a wonderland every year. Even as the weather turns cold, the special events and activities held annually in Camden will certainly make anyone feel warm and energized all over. Summer is not the only season when getaways and adventures are made in Camden – a vacation in any season is always special and definitely worth experiencing.

Each year in December, Camden’s community organizations and businesses sponsor Christmas festivities for all to enjoy. “Christmas by the Sea,” it’s called; a weekend of free celebration with lots of activities for both young and adult. Santa arrives in a boat in Camden harbor instead of the customary sleigh. There is lots of shopping you can do, good food to eat, musical numbers to be watched, horse-drawn rides to go on, parades, and guided tours to join. There is also a traditional tree lighting ceremony.

Ice Carving

The Camden Public Library hosts the annual Camden Winterfest in late January. Their top crowd drawer is the Community Ice Carving event. Watch as big blocks of ice transform into amazing works of art by participating teams using only traditional ice carving tools. There are also free horse and wagon rides for the whole family. Best of all, free warming soup and snacks are provided, donated by the generous local restaurants of Camden.

For the more active people out there, ice related activities are in plenty to do as well. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are very popular in Camden. Try the trails at Camden Hills State Park or try going to nearby Rockport where the Aldermere Farm holds skiing tours during the full moon.

Camden Snowbowl

Enjoy the best chowders, seafood, and everything else Camden restaurants have to offer. Lobster is a definite must to order. Maine is not called the “lobster capital of the world” for nothing, you know.

Check out the Camden Opera House for schedules of their upcoming winter events if you want to enjoy good music and entertainment while vacationing in town. This Victorian-era opera house hosts performances from well known artists of every kind during the Winter season.

U.S. Toboggan Championships

Camden is also home to the U.S. National Toboggan Championships held annually every first weekend in February. The venue is an iced-over, 400-foot long wooden toboggan chute with a vertical incline of over 70 feet that shoots toboggan riders screaming down the hillside onto the frozen ice of Hosmer Pond below. The single wooden track is constructed similar in style to an Olympics luge run. Over 400 teams compete in several divisions at the National Toboggan Championships. They compete in two-, three- and four-man toboggan teams that race down the hillside of Ragged Mountain. The fastest time down in each team division wins with tobogganers typically reaching speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. The event draws over 5000 people each year to witness this outdoor winter sports competition.

To top off your winter adventure, recharge in front of a fireplace in one of our deluxe oceanview rooms and enjoy a hot cup of cocoa in the comfort of your room while watching the moon rise over Penobscot Bay. There are many special discounts available during the Winter season to make your Maine lodging experience at the Ledges By The Bay a truly memorable one this time of year.