Parks in Lewiston, Maine. Parks in Lewiston, Maine include Great Falls, Railroad Park, Festival Plaza, Bonney Park, Auburn Municipal Beach, Mount Apatite Park, and the Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary. Lewiston/Auburn...
Lewiston/Auburn is going through a little bit of revitalization. The two cities were best known for their textile mills at the turn of the century. Parks are being constructed around many of the old mill buildings. Great Falls is a small waterfall between the two cities. One of the parks is right next to the Great Falls. It's called Great Falls because the springtime snow melts from the mountains gets the water rushing. It's impressive to see. I've seen kayaks and canoes in there, but it's not something we normally like to promote. With mills up and down the river, it was polluted for quite a while. It's slowly being cleaned up. You probably wouldn't want to swim at this point, but canoes and kayaks are certainly fine.
Other Parks Include:
Railroad Park - located on the Lewiston side of the Androscoggin River, Railroad Park is a large green space that is used for many of L/A's major events such as the Great Falls Balloon Festival, Liberty Festival and Festival de Joie. It gets its name from the railroad tracks that used to service the old mills that are next to the park.
Festival Plaza - Located across the river from Railroad Park on the Auburn side of the river, Festival Plaza is a lovely brick area with benches and fountains. It was designed for outdoor performances throughout the summer and fall. Kids like to play in the fountains during special events. Visitors can walk between the two parks across an old steel railroad bridge that has been transformed into an attractive footbridge.
Bonney Park - Walk south along the riverwalk from Festival Plaza to Bonney Park. The kids will enjoy the playground here.
Auburn Municipal Beach - A public swimming and recreation area featuring playground equipment, an outdoor basketball court, volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, and an open field for games like soccer and Frisbee. Picnic tables, barbecue grills and plenty of parking are also available. The site has a concession stand, restrooms and a bathhouse.
Mount Apatite Park - A 325-acre wooded park located in the western portion of the City of Auburn. You might find "Rock Hounds" scanning the park for gemstones that were historically found here like Tourmaline and quartz. The park includes more than three miles of multi-use trails for hiking and biking in the summer and skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.
Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary http://www.avcnet.org/stanton/thorncrg.htm
A 310-acre wildlife preserve within the city limits of Lewiston. Open for walking, hiking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, skating and nature photography, but conveniently located to all the city has to offer.
