Acadia National Park

A land purchase by the Friends of Acadia has closed and cleared the way for the "Acadia Gateway Center" that will greet visitors to Acadia National Park.

If you live relatively near to Acadia National Park, you just might want to make a notation for Dec. 6 on your calendar. That's the day the park kicks off a 50-percent-off sale for its annual pass.

Most folks view Acadia National Park as a summertime destination, a place to head to to flee the Northeast's high heat and humidity in July and August to go in search of fresh lobster and popovers. It's a destination where you can relax in the pines listening to the crash of the surf. Clearly, that high season in the park has passed. But that doesn't mean Acadia is any less appealing during the winter.

With Fall officially under way, it won't be too long before the season's most spectacular colors are daubed, stroked, and splashed across the national park system. The good news is that you haven't missed the peak yet. The bad news is that if you don't already have a room reservation, you probably won't find a vacancy in any of the well-known fall foliage parks.