Many came to enjoy the fresh air and to escape the oppressive heat of summer back home in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida, Missouri or the Carolinas. For others it was far enough from home to provide a real vacation - to be free from social and work expectations, as many visitors had high-pressure careers back home. In Chester they could kick back and really relax. Hunting and great fishing continued to be a draw. Fishing boats could be rented to take families out to one of the numerous islands on the Mahone Bay for swimming, walks in the forest, picnics, clam digging, or enjoying fresh lobster cooked over a beach fire.

"...Chester is not what one would call a "smart" place, heaven forbid! It has character and grace and beauty and charm. Having these qualities, it could not be pretentious. As yet it is unspoiled... I dread writing too enthusiastically of it, lest hoards infest it, and make it only one more "summer resort", instead of the delightfully quiet spot it is to-day. ...."- Charles Hanson Towne from "Ambling Through Acadia", 1923 p.242