adside Tour of the State's History, Culture, Food, Funk & Oddities" is lavishly illustrated with nearly 450 photos, all taken by the author, during a five-year, thousands-of-mile journey exploring and documenting all corners of the state.

In this colorful exhibition, award-winning photojournalist Tim O'Brien ventured far off the beaten path to explore the lesser known aspects of the state's historic and significant attractions, while keeping an eye out for interesting and often hidden roadside oddities and attractions. The results provide the reader a robust understanding of the diversity of what "Vacationland" has to offer.

The book has been designed as an illustrated "off the beaten path" guide that highlights, through photos and dialogue, more than 400 locations and events in the state. Many of which you won't find in the most popular guides. Some are beautiful, some are quirky, some are odd, some are tasty, and some are downright historical and cool and need to be explored.

Presented here is a fresh and unique approach to a travel guide. Instead of short and "to the point" facts and statistics, the author provides his up-close and personal observations to go with each of his photos, while combining witty and whimsical dialogue with his knowledge of each, to not only enlighten and inform, but to entertain as well.

In his introduction, Maine Humorist Tim Sample writes that "Tim has taken a deep dive into Maine's rich historical and cultural backstory and dredged up enough fascinating "I didn't know that!" stories to take even a few of us "Native Experts" down a peg. His well-honed skills as an observer and chronicler of the most obscure aspects of life, history, and culture, make him the perfect tour guide for this fabulous jaunt across our beloved Maine."

While exploring the destinations and landmarks within the book, the reader is encouraged to not only focus on the destinations, but to also savor and appreciate the journey - just as the author did. That's how many of these hidden jewels of Maine were discovered.

Readers don't need to leave their cozy couch or their Adirondack chairs to enjoy the fun and colorful contents. This exhibition of original photography provides a diverse visual image of the state not often seen.