Shelburne

Shelburne, about two-thirds of the way down the Lighthouse Route, has a real frozen-in-time look that many travelers love. It was settled after the American Revolution, when 10,000 Loyalists briefly made it one of the largest locales in North America—bigger than either Halifax or Montréal at the time. Another temporary influx of Americans (albeit a smaller one) changed the face of Shelburne again in 1994 when moviemakers arrived to shoot Roland Joffe's version of The Scarlet Letter. The film, starring Demi Moore, was an unequivocal mess, but the producers did help tidy up this frozen-in-time town and raise awareness about its rich architectural heritage. Today the waterfront district looks much like it did when it was laid out in the 1780s, and a surprising number of its buildings—some of the best of which have been turned into museums—date from that period.