When you have guests, how do you best enjoy your time together?

Jasmine Pellerin, Auburn, ME

“We feed them lobster, of course, at our home! During the Balloon Festival in August, we go listen to the different live bands and maybe eat out on the deck at Gritty’s. Then we might take in the Balloon Glow at night. The great thing about Central Maine is being close to everything. We can bike to Bradbury Mountain, camp in Acadia, or head to the coast, Popham Beach or Pemaquid Point.”

Denise Alivero, North Auburn, ME

“When we entertain guests from out-of-state, we usually head for the coast for fried clams. We’re really kind of home bodies though, so we like to entertain at home, keep things simple. Maybe plan a picnic, tour our gardens; we love to kayak the area lakes and make a day of it and we’ll golf anywhere!!”

Chris Foss, Lewiston, ME

“We like to plan lobster bakes and BBQ’s at our home when we have company. Sometimes we’ll take them out to dinner at FishBones or Mac’s Grill. The Balloon Festival is one event we try to take in and we really enjoy bike riding and hiking in some of the centrally located areas including Bradbury Mountain or the bike routes in Topsham/Brunswick. Further from home, we like to take in the Blues Festival in Rockland in the summer and visit the rocky coast in Reid State Park. And of course, everyone who’s visiting wants to shop in Freeport.”

Lucille Hawley, Minot, ME

“Locally, we enjoy going out to dinner at FishBones. Outside we might take friends for some miniature golf at Roy’s near the lake or plan a day picnic at Range Pond. Lunch at the Harraseeket Lobster Shack in Freeport, of course, goes hand-in-hand with shopping at L.L.Bean’s. I love to spend the day on the coast with friends, going to Cabbage Island in Boothbay or visiting Bar Harbor and Jordan Pond in Acadia.”

Susan Hilton, Warren, ME

“When I visit my sister in Auburn, we always have a car full of children so we head for easy-to-reach places like Crescent Beach right in Auburn or Range Pond State Park. We like to plan short hikes, day picnics, anything that allows the kids opportunity to play outside. As far as summer events, we love taking in the big balloon launches at the Balloon Festival and attending area parades when they happen.”

Lane & Anna Feldman, North Auburn, ME

“Impromtu get-togethers for a BBQ or potluck at home is our style of entertaining but we also enjoy going out to dinner at Davinici’s – the renovated old mill atmosphere is great. For outdoors, there are lots of great hiking/walking trails along the Androscoggin River, like Five Pitch Park, that provide some scenic views of the falls. Mostly, we like taking in the summer concerts outside. Freeport has a great concert series so when friends come to town, we head for LL Bean; we hang out on the green, hear some good music, and hit the store all in the same visit.