Haven: A Television Show That Calls Me Home.

Posted by Mike Collins on Aug 20, 2010 in Featured, Travel Stories | 4 comments

Perhaps it’s the heat. I’m almost embarrassed to say I have never really been a big fan of summer in the South. Whether it was living in Florida or the Caribbean, summer just drains me to a useless puddle of lazy soup. I lose all desire to get out and do the things I love to do the rest of the year. I end up watching a lot of television, which I have always been opposed to. It is mind numbing and the commercials insult my intelligence. But then I suppose being opposed to something has never really prevented me from doing it. If that were the case I probably would not be carrying those extra 20 pounds right now.

There is, however, one thing that television has always done for me better than any other method; motivation to travel. When I see some unique destination on tv I instantly start Googling as much info as I can on it. Many a trip has been planned by the television muse. I am not the only one motivated by the boob tube it would seem. The Lost series increased travel to Hawaii dramatically. Travel trends increase whenever a show becomes a hit. Even if the destination is a Hollywood backlot, the implied locale sees an increase in tourism.

Hollywood romanticizes these locations to a great extent of course, but that never seems to matter much. A new Haven TV Show based on Stephen King’s Colorado Kid paints a picturesque version of Down East Maine. Lobster boats and red shingles are the backdrop of this little town that seems to be caught somewhere between the Twilight Zone and a never ending case of the X Files.

Haven TV Show

I have always enjoyed Stephen King’s writing because of the realistic portrayal of life in small town Maine; excluding the flesh eating clowns and self aware fog banks of course. Haven is no different; life in Down East Maine is very much like that which is portrayed on screen. Except for the fact that the filming takes place a couple hundred miles away in a little town called Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, the portrayal is quite accurate.

Growing up in Maine I never understood just how different it was from anywhere else on the planet. The people look forward to the summer crowds coming second only to them leaving. Being known as someone “new in town” goes away after 15 years or so. A new shop is considered new until it burns down and another one is replaced. A foreigner is automatically “from” Massachusetts unless they speak French; then of course they are Canadian. Yes Tennessee is part of Massachusetts, so don’t bother trying to enlighten the locals. While I am sure that everyone knows there is a difference between the two states, the subject is moot.

Down East Maine is a place that every traveler should experience. I have been in many European cities where it felt more like the US than a small coastal town in Maine has. The smells, the sounds, the textures and certainly the food will instantly transport you into a foreign land unlike any you have visited before.

This quirky little television show, Haven, has inspired me to travel home to visit family and bath in the senses of my youth. Most importantly I relish the thought of escaping this bloody heat.

Haven TV Show

This is a short video that you will most likely recognize from the show.
After the video head over to Maine-Tourism.com Information about Portland, Bar Harbor, Camden and more there is actually much more to see and do in Maine