Prime time in midcoast Maine

There's a sign outside Rock City Books & Coffee in Rockland, Maine, that reads:

The air has a freshness . . .

The mornings are cool . . .

The light . . . well, it makes everyone

Want to be a painter or photographer

This is autumn's love song

Nowhere is that song more sweetly sung than in midcoast Maine, a region that encompasses such postcard-pretty communities as Camden, Rockport, Rockland, Lincolnville, and seven others. Through Columbus Day and often beyond, activities include sailing, golf, visiting world-class museums, browsing shops for everything from antiques to kitsch, and consuming the state's fabled lobsters. Here are some packages and possibilities:

• The Samoset Resort in Rockport, where I stayed for a travel writers' conference this month, has a golf course outside its doors and views aplenty of Penobscot Bay. Many of its specials are available year round, such as the Coastal Break, which begins at $99 a person and includes a night's accommodation, dinner in the Breakwater Cafe, and breakfast in Marcel's overlooking the bay, or delivered to your room.

  Visit samosetresort.com and click on Featured Packages (View All) or call 800-341- 1650.

• The Cellardoor Vineyard in Lincolnville is the largest in Maine, with an impressive wine and gift shop in a restored 1790s barn. In association with the vineyard, the Youngtown Inn in Lincolnville offers a Food and Wine Package in the Camden Hills. The package includes two nights' lodging, a full breakfast each morning, dinner for two one night at the inn's restaurant, and a vineyard tour. Prices for two start at $399.

  Visit youngtowninn.com and click on Maine Travel Packages or call 800-291-8438. For Cellardoor Vineyard information, including the Romp & Stomp Grape Harvest Festival Oct. 18, visitmainewine.com.

• Rockland is home to the Farnsworth Art Museum, filled with works by the Wyeths, Robert Indiana, and many more artists. Overlooking Rockland Harbor, meanwhile, is the Maine Lighthouse Museum, jammed with lighthouse models and artifacts. This month, the Premier Historic Inns of Rockland - the Captain Lindsey House, Berry Manor Inn, and Lime Rock Inn - are featuring a three-night Seniority Has Its Privileges package for those 50 and older. Included are two Discovery Coast Museum Passports with free admission to six cultural attractions including the Farnsworth, the lighthouse museum, and the Owls Head Transportation Museum in Owls Head, whose current special exhibit is "Tin Lizzie in Maine"; a tour of Rockland's Breakwater Lighthouse by author Ted Panayotoff along with an autographed copy of his book; a tour of Rockland's Historic District; two tickets for a sailing on Captain Jack's Lobster Adventure or two tickets on the Maine State Ferry to Vinalhaven; and other amenities. Prices range from $500-$750.

  Visit historicinnsofrockland.com or call 877-762-4667.

Which phone?

Those of us who use pay-as-you-go phones can find ourselves frustrated when they sometimes don't work at our destinations. Although I haven't experimented with every brand, my experience has been that Tracfone models work where some others don't - in parts of midcoast Maine, for example. This is because Tracfone outsources its network to regional and national providers. However, you cannot get the true mobile Internet, including e-mail, on a Tracfone as you can with some other pay-as-you-go phones.

New adventures

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Mountain Travel Sobek adventure company has added 40 more trips, ranging from an Uncharted Kenya Walking Safari to Discover Wild Thailand to a Cruise to the North Pole. Prices vary.

Visit mtsobek.com or call 888-687-6235.

Meanwhile, Adventures by Disney, which adds a family twist to its travels, has added eight itineraries for 2009. Among them is one close to home: Beantown & The Big Apple (which also visits Newport, R.I.). The other newbies are Alpine Magic, Bella Italia, Gateway to the Galapagos, Golden Path to Yosemite, Rocky Trails and Mountie Tales, Safari to South Africa, and Taming the Last Frontier (which is Alaska). Prices vary.

Visit adventuresbydisney.com, call 877-728-7282, or see a travel agent.

The return of Israel

Perillo Tours is once again including Israel as a destination. Its all-inclusive, eight-night Israel and the Holy Land tour includes Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Nazareth. The tours will begin in March and cost $2,249 plus airfare, which is $970 from Boston.

Visit perillotours.com or call 800-431-1515.

When not included, hotel taxes, airport fees, and port charges can add significantly to the price of a trip. Most prices quoted are for double occupancy; solo travelers will usually pay more. Offers are subject to availability and there may be blackout dates. Richard P. Carpenter can be reached at car penter@globe.com.