The capital of Maine since 1832, AUGUSTA is much quieter and less visited now than it was a hundred years ago. The lumber industry here really took off after the technique of making paper from wood was rediscovered in 1844, and Augusta also had a lucrative sideline - each winter hundreds of thousands of tons of ice , cut from the Kennebec River, were shipped out, as far south as the Caribbean, in a trade now all but forgotten by history. There are informative displays on Maine's landscape and industrial past at the lively Maine State Museum , a short way south of the capitol on State Street (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 1-4pm; free).

If you plan to stay in Augusta, the best-value accommodation is the Best Inn (tel 207/622-3776 or 1-800/237-8466; $50-75), at 65 Whitten Road at the Maine Turnpike's Augusta-Winthrop exit. For food , the lobster rolls at Burnsie's Homestyle Sandwiches (tel 207/622-6425), on Hichborn Street next to the capitol, are favorites with the politicians, while Curly's , 750 Main St (tel 207/933-2745), does good, moderately priced seafood.