Historic areas, museums, hiking trails, shopping – attractions too numerous to mention await us all.

As a Maine resident, you probably know about the rugged beauty of Acadia National Park, the statuesque lighthouses gracing our coastline and the fabulous skiing resorts in our western mountains. You may have even boated around Sebago Lake, hiked Mount Kathadin or experienced the taste of a succulent Maine lobster at a summer gathering.

But did you know that Maine boasts a fantastic museum celebrating our history as a logging state, has plotted a trail through 50 arboretums, parks, gardens and nature reserves statewide, and is home to the site where settlers first panned for gold in the United States?

We Mainers already know why so many tourists enjoy our sandy beaches, scenic vistas and outlet shopping. Yet there’s so much more to tourism in our state than lobsters and lighthouses, and the best way for us to prove that to our visitors is to experience Maine for ourselves.

Tourism is one of the largest industries in Maine and has a major impact on the state’s economy. In 2001, tourism generated $8.9 billion in sales, $344 million in revenues and $2.5 billion in payroll. It is important for residents to become familiar with and support tourism statewide. After all, a Mainer’s dollar spent on products or services at a Maine business is just as valued as a dollar from Massachusetts.

We tend to forget or even take for granted all the opportunities we have before us as Maine residents because we see or hear about them every day. However, for Mainers to visit other parts of Maine is equally important as tourists from out-of-state coming to partake in our natural wonders and wealth of cultural activities.

For example, there’s Maine’s vast system of trails and numerous guides. Few of us may know that our state provides residents and tourists the chance to experience the very best of our distinctive heritage through a number of trails and guides, designed to delight, educate and engage, including the Maine Art Museum Trail, the Maine Maritime Heritage Trail, the Kennebec-Chaudiere International Heritage Corridor, the Maine Garden and Landscape Trail, Maine’s Watchable Wildlife Guide and the Maine Outdoor Sculpture Guide.

The Maine Art Museum Trail highlights our seven major art museums from Ogunquit to Orono, including the Bates College Museum of Art, showcasing 53,000 works of art from every period and artistic movement. The Maine Maritime Heritage Trail features a string of attractions focusing on our long history of shipbuilding, sailing, fishing and related activities.

Historic travels to and from Maine occurred on land as well, as the Kennebec-Chaudiere International Heritage Corridor demonstrates. This historic 233-mile corridor stretching between Quebec, Canada, and Bath, Maine, has been used over hundreds of years as a major thoroughfare by Wabanaki tribes, American forces under Benedict Arnold in 1775, farmers seeking to build commerce and 19th-century French Canadian and Irish immigrants.

Maine’s Garden and Landscape Trail also takes you through more than 50 arboretums, parks, gardens and nature reserves open to the public, including highlights such as Boothbay’s Coastal Maine Botanical Garden and the Pine Tree State Arboretum in Augusta. These are just a handful of the trails that await your discovery.

I’ve stumbled upon a few of these trails and other “hidden gems” of Maine’s tourist attractions that unfortunately I didn’t know about before because I hadn’t taken the initiative to look.

I recently took a trip north to the Maritimes, and on my way back, I traveled through the Maine Highlands. I came upon the Lumberman’s Museum in Patten, which houses and preserves a graphic history of the logging heritage and accomplishments of the early inhabitants of Maine. With 4,000 artifacts in nine buildings, it was completely fascinating.

One of the best-kept secrets of my area of Maine is Coos Canyon, a cozy nook at a rest stop on Route 17 in Byron. Said to be the first place in America where gold was panned, the area encompasses a beautiful natural gorge, with a good picnic area and waterfalls and pools popular for swimming, and gold-panning lessons and equipment are still offered at Coos Canyon Campground Store. It’s a great spot that represents well the type of places many of us are missing out on.

Additional information and guides to sites along Maine’s many trails and other hidden gems are available through the Maine Office of Tourism’s Web site, www.visitmaine.com.

All of these trails, areas and attractions share the common traits of being easily accessible, affordable and fun for all ages. The best part is, while many people from out-of-state have to travel hours by plane or car to reach all these opportunities, we’re lucky to have them so nearby. I encourage all Mainers to rediscover their area and entire state – you may be surprised by what you find.

Rachel Desgroseilliers is a member of the Maine Tourism Commission and owner of the Gooseberry Barn in Auburn.

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