FARMINGTON – Daya Taylor has grown up in Wilton and is still learning more about greater Franklin County.

She is sharing her knowledge with visitors to the Maine Mountain Heritage Center and Ski Museum of Maine this summer and helping them plan a trip or learn about the history, culture and natural resources in the region.

Taylor, a senior at the University of Maine Orono studying international affairs and German, with a concentration on environmental affairs, has been hired as the summer intern to keep the center’s exhibits open from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

There are a lot of things you can do, she said.

One of the 22-year-old’s favorite trips is to Smalls Falls along Route 4 between Madrid and Sandy River Plantation. There is a rest area with picnic tables and the sight of a multi-tiered water fall.

“It’s a nice cool pool of water,” she said. “It’s nice for swimming or having a picnic there.”

There is also the Nordica Homestead on Holley Road, off Route 4, in Farmington and the Stanley Museum on School Street, off Route 27, in Kingfield, among many more places to visit in the region.

“It’s a good mix. Everybody wants something different,” she said.

A lot of people are just walking in, she said, but eventually ideas of places to go and driving itineraries will be published on the state of Maine tourism Web site.

They just finished driving itineraries for the Franklin Foothills, which will be posted on the site. The itineraries feature local businesses, places to eat, places to stay and things to do, she said.

“I’m more into eco-tourism,” she said. “I like educating people about nature and natural resources in the Franklin County area.”

As Taylor walked around the center on Church Street, which runs parallel to Broadway, she talked about the features in the room including maps made in the 1800s of the counties of Franklin, Oxford and Somerset, three of the four counties the Maine Mountain Heritage Network serves. The other county is Piscataquis.

Other highlights include maple syrup facts, locally made furniture, pottery and snowshoes; fossils, forest species, skis of yesteryear and a partially mapped walking tour of Farmington. For more information about the center, visit www.mainemountainheritage.com.

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