Larger than New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont combined, Maine is New England on a grand scale. With a coast that wriggles around peninsulas and into harbors for an astonishing 5,500 miles (8,850 km) between Kittery and Calais, there’s plenty to see without abandoning the smell of salt air. Turn off Route 1 down any peninsula, and you enter a world of scenic vistas and small villages, with a lobster harbor at the tip. Beaches stretch for miles along Maine’s south coast. A province of Massachusetts from 1652 to 1820, Maine was famous well into the 20th century for harvesting timber and building tall ships. Even today, the state’s windjammer fleet is one of the world’s largest.
1. The Yorks
Museums of Old York • 3 Lindsay Rd • 207 363 1756
• open late May–early Sep: 10am–5pm Tue–Sat, 1–5pm Sun (early Sep–mid-Oct: closed Tue–Wed) • adm •
www.oldyork.org
York has two very different faces: the historical York Village and the brassy summer playground of York Beach. Maine’s first successful European settlement, York was founded in 1634; the Old York Historical Society chronicles local history. Long Sands and Short Sands swimming beaches are the main draws at York Beach, which also has a carousel and arcade. Drive to the end of Cape Neddick to see iconic Nubble Light.
The 41-ft (12-m) tall Nubble Light lighthouse, built in 1879 at Cape Neddick
2. Portland and Casco Bay
Maine’s largest community has the cultural advantages of a mid-sized city and all the natural beauty of a handsome, well-protected bay. The once-bedraggled maritime area has been reborn in the animated Old Port .
Boats in the harbor at Portland
3. Ogunquit
Plein air painters discovered Ogunquit in the 1890s, and visitors have been seeing beauty at every turn since. Picturesque Perkins Cove bristles with art galleries, souvenir shops, and seafood shacks. Marginal Way, a short trail over a rocky headland north of the cove, is lined with profusely blooming beach roses. The path exits onto Ogunquit Beach .
4. Mount Desert Island
French explorer Samuel de Champlain pinned the name Ile des Monts Deserts on this large island in 1604, and “island of bare mountains” has stuck ever since. The rocky balds that Champlain observed are prized among hikers and climbers in Acadia National Park (for further details see Mount Desert Island, Maine ).
Mount Desert Island overlooking the waters of Frenchmen Bay
5. Penobscot Bay
The west coast of Penobscot Bay is Maine’s best-kept secret, although most of the state’s windjammers (for further details see Mountain Ski Areas ) anchor in Rockland and Camden. Rockland is Maine’s lobster capital and home of the treasured Farnsworth Art Museum ; Camden has a beautiful harbor – a yacht-filled silver bowl at the foot of a mountain; Belfast is a community where artisans set the tone.
Yachts in serene Penobscot Bay
6. Wiscasset
Even simply driving through, you’ll have plenty of time to contemplate Wiscasset’s self-description as “the prettiest village in Maine” because the narrow bridge across the Sheepscot River backs traffic up in midsummer. Better to park and walk around this stunning village where adept 18th- and 19th-century ship-wrights turned their talents to building houses for sea captains (for further details see Wiscasset, ME ).
7. Ski Country
Moist air masses sweeping up the eastern seaboard meet the icy jet stream bringing Arctic air off the Canadian shield in northwest Maine, just east of the White Mountains. The result is massive dumps of snow that guarantee the peaks around Bethel, Newry, Kingfield, and Jackman will be buried in the white gold that skiers crave. In the summertime, long green meadows are transformed into championship golf courses.
8. Bath and Brunswick
Nearly half the US ocean-going sailing vessels launched in the late 19th century went down the ways from Bath shipyards – a history detailed at the Maine Maritime Museum . Nearby Brunswick is better known for making scholars than ships. Bowdoin College educated authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as intrepid Arctic explorers Robert Peary and Donald MacMillan. The college’s Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum displays artifacts and images from their expeditions.
9. Moosehead Lake
Visitor center • 480 Moosehead Lake Rd, Greenville • 207 695 2702
• open late May–mid-Oct: 10am–4pm daily (closed Sun & Mon in off-season •
www.mooseheadlake.org
The largest body of water contained within a single New England state, from the air, the lake resembles the antlers of a moose, and if you take a seaplane tour, you’ll almost certainly see some of these impressive animals out for a swim. The lake is known for hunting, fishing, and winter snowmobiling, but photographic moose safaris are increasingly popular. Inquire at Greenville’s visitor center.
The Maine moose
10. Kennebunk
Brick Store Museum • 117 Main St, Kennebunk • 207 985 4802
• open 10am–4:30pm Tue–Fri, 10am–1pm Sat • adm •
www.brickstoremuseum.org
The town of Kennebunk developed two distinct villages: Kennebunk on the river, and Kennebunkport where the river meets the ocean. Once a shipbuilding center, Kennebunk has now become principally a community of summer vacation homes. Visit the Brick Store Museum for exhibits on the town’s cultural and historic heri-tage. Then head to Dock Square in Kennebunkport to peruse the boutiques and galleries.
Beach at Kennebunk
THE MAINE MOOSE
The official state animal, the moose (Alces alces) is found all over Maine, with the greatest concentrations near Moosehead and Rangeley lakes. They often cross roads at dawn and dusk, so take special care driving through swampy areas. An 800-lb (363-kg) gentle giant makes a considerable impact in a collision.
A DAY’S DRIVE IN WYETH COUNTRY
Morning
The rocky Maine coast has entranced many painters, but Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009) was among the few to chart the quiet country life of the saltwater farms. This drive shows you Maine through Wyeth’s eyes. From Rte 1 in Waldoboro , turn south toward the village of Friendship , famed for its namesake sloop. You’ll see lots of them in the harbor before continuing north toward Cushing . The Olson House was made famous in Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” (1948), and it looks little changed since Wyeth painted it. Continue north to Rte 1, passing through handsome Thomaston , and turn right at High St (Rte 131). Enjoy stunning vistas as you drive to Port Clyde at the tip of the peninsula, where the Monhegan Island ferry departs.
Afternoon
North of the harbor, look for signs to Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum . The light was automated in 1971; the former keeper’s house is a local history museum (for further details see Top 10 Spectator Sports ). Head north again toward Tenants Harbor for dockside lobster at Cod End (Commercial St). Continue north to Rockland, to visit the Maine Lighthouse Museum , and spend time at the Farnsworth Art Museum enjoying art by three generations of Wyeth painters along with the work of modernist Louise Nevelson, who grew up in Rockland.
The Best of the Rest
1. Deer Isle and Stonington
Artists and fishermen seem to flock together in Maine. The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts made Deer Isle famous years ago, while the lobster boats still tend to outnumber pleasure craft in the striking harbor at Stonington.
2. Boothbay Harbor
Regarded by many as the boating capital of midcoast Maine, this picturesque harbor is a great spot to go on a whale-watching trip, kayak excursion, or pleasure cruise.
3. Monhegan Island
Birders and hikers flock to the rocky cliffs of this offshore art colony every summer. After the summer tourists leave, the lobster fishermen return for the profitable winter season.
4. Castine and Blue Hill
A drive down a single peninsula takes you to two great towns: art-minded Blue Hill, with its excellent pottery studios; and Castine, with its rich Colonial heritage and the Maine Maritime Academy.
5. Old Orchard Beach
This sandy beach, with its gentle surf, is the perfect place for swimming. Kids love the amusement park rides, the waterslide, and the pier with its fast food vendors and games of skill.
Old Orchard Beach
6. Lubec and Campobello Island
West Quoddy Head Light Visitor Center: 973 S Lubec Rd • 207 733 2180
• Open late May–mid-Oct: daily •
www.westquoddy.com
America’s first sunrise strikes the barber-pole lighthouse at West Quoddy Head in Lubec. A bridge leads to Campobello Island, where Franklin Roosevelt summered.
7. Bangor
Fine mansions dot this Penobscot River town, once the world’s timber capital and today a jumping-off point to the northern wilderness.
8. Baxter State Park
64 Balsam Dr, Millinocket (office) • 207 723 5140
• Closed Sat–Sun mid-Oct–late May •
www.baxterstateparkauthority.com
Test your mettle by scaling 5,267-ft (1,605-m) Mount Katahdin, set in 327 sq miles (848 sq km) of pristine forest.
9. Rangeley Lake Region
Spruce- and hemlock-clad peaks rise with robust grace from a plateau splashed with 112 lakes and ponds – an outdoors enthusiast’s paradise.
10. Allagash Wilderness
Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands:
106 Hogan Rd, Bangor • 207 941 4014
Forever wild, the Allagash is a legendary system of rivers and lakes where the trout (and the mosquitoes) are bigger than anywhere else.
Boat Rides
1. Casco Bay Lines
56 Commercial St, Portland • 207 774 7871
• Ferry year-round; some cruises summer only • Adm •
www.cascobaylines.com
Sunrise, sunset, or moonlight cruises on the oldest ferry service in the US.
2. Three Rivers Whitewater
2265 Rte 201, West Forks • 207 663 2104
• Open May–Oct • Adm • Minimum age 10 •
www.threeriverswhitewater.com
Hold on tight as your guide negotiates the thrilling waves and rapids on this adrenaline-filled rafting trip down the Kennebec River in Maine.
3. Bold Coast Charter Company
Cutler Harbor • Open Jun–mid-Aug • Adm • Reservations essential •
www.boldcoast.com
About 3,000 endangered puffins gather on Machias Seal Island. Bold Coast offers the only sightseeing trips for bird-watchers and photographers.
4. Cap’n Fish’s Whale Watch
1 Wharf St, Boothbay Harbor • 207 633 3244
• Open late May–mid-Oct • Adm •
www.whaleme.com
A shipboard naturalist will help you identify migrating whales. You might spot seals, porpoises, and dolphins.
5. Monhegan Boat Line
Port Clyde • 207 372 8848
• Closed Sun in winter • Adm •
www.monheganboat.com
Drift past lobster boats on the trip out from Port Clyde to Monhegan Island, or opt for a cruise past the Muscongus Bay lighthouses.
6. Schooner Appledore
Bayview Landing, Camden • 207 236 8353
• Open Jun–Oct • Adm •
www.appledore2.com
Get your sea legs with day sails around Penobscot Bay.
7. Maine Daysail
Thompson’s Wharf, Belfast • 207 619 0654
• Open mid-Jun–early Oct • Adm •
www.mainedaysail.com
Sail aboard the beautiful National Historic Landmark pilot schooner Timberwind . Day sails and sunset cruises out of Belfast explore the stunning midcoast Maine scenery.
8. SS Katahdin
12 Lily Bay Rd, Greenville • 207 695 2716
• Open late Jun–mid-Oct • Adm •
www.katahdincruises.com
Moosehead Lake is stunning during the fall foliage and there can be no better way to survey the scene than aboard the gloriously preserved SS Katahdin , a 1914 steamboat.
SS Katahdin on Moosehead Lake
9. Downeast Windjammer Cruises
Bar Harbor Inn Pier, Bar Harbor • 207 288 4585
• Open May–Oct • Adm •
www.downeastwindjammer.com
Historic schooners and a lobster sloop make day sails through the islands of Frenchman Bay.
10. Allagash Canoe Trips
Carrabassett • 207 280 1551
• Open May–Sep • Adm • Apply on website •
www.allagashcanoetrips.com
The Allagash River and Chamberlain Lake offer paddling journeys in the North Woods wilderness and good trout fishing as well.
Lobster Pounds
1. Five Islands Lobster Co
1447 Five Islands Rd, Georgetown • 207 371 2990
• Closed mid-Oct–early May • $
Lobstermen stream in all day as diners at picnic tables crack lobsters, dip the meat in melted butter, and enjoy the view of a perfect harbor.
2. The Clam Shack
On the Bridge, Kennebunkport • 207 967 3321
• Closed mid-Oct–mid-May • $
The namesake fried clams are always good, but the real specialty here is the lobster roll.
The Clam Shack
3. The Lobster Pound
2521 Rte 1, Lincolnville Beach • 207 789 5550
• Closed mid-Oct–mid-May • $
Take a dip, then sit on the deck of this classic seafood restaurant to break down a boiled lobster dinner – or dine inside to escape mendicant gulls.
4. Barnacle Billy’s
70 Perkins Cove Rd, Ogunquit • 207 646 5575
• Closed Nov–mid-Apr • $
The bargain-hunter’s choice in a pricey resort, Billy’s has a full-service restaurant and a bare-bones seafood shack on scenic Perkins Cove.
5. Shaw’s Fish & Lobster Wharf
129 Rte 32, New Harbor • 207 677 2200
• Closed mid-Oct–mid-May • $
A lobster fan’s nirvana, Shaw’s has great views of the harbor, a raw bar, and a full liquor license (for further details see Shaw’s Fish & Lobster Wharf ).
6. Boothbay Lobster Wharf
97 Atlantic Ave, Boothbay Harbor • 207 633 4900
• Closed mid-Oct–mid-May • $$
In a legendary lobstering harbor, the Lobster Wharf has the shortest possible distance from trap to plate.
7. Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound
1237 Bar Harbor Rd, Trenton • 207 667 2977
• Closed mid-Oct–late Apr • $
Lobster, nutcrackers, picks, and heaps of paper napkins are really all you need, and this pound barely on the mainland side from Mount Desert Island is a bargain spot for authentic experiences. BYOB.
8. Bayley’s Lobster Pound
9 Ave 6, Pine Point, Scarborough • 207 883 4571
• Closed mid-Oct–late Apr • $
Founded in 1915, there are some great specialties offered here, like lobster-stuffed mushrooms and excellent crabcakes.
9. Cape Neddick Harborside Restaurant
60 Shore Rd, Cape Neddick • 207 363 5471
• Ring for winter hours • $$
Sample the steamed mussels or clams first, before cracking into the main attraction on the menu.
Cape Neddick Harborside Restaurant
10. Cook’s Lobster & Ale House
68 Garrison Cove Rd, Bailey Island • 207 833 2818
• $
Enjoy your lobster surrounded on three sides by water, with a view of the world’s only crib-stone bridge.
Restaurants
1. Dockside
22 Harris Island Rd, York • 207 363 2868
• Closed Nov–May • $$
An island location in York Harbor makes fish the natural dish, from haddock, cod, and lobster to diver scallops and clams from nearby beds. Bouillabaisse of Maine seafood is always a good bet.
2. Eventide Oyster Co
86 Middle St, Portland • 207 774 8538
• Open L, D daily • $$
Favored by hipsters, this eatery serves an array of fresh oysters and other local delicacies of the sea. An extensive wine list and craft beers are on offer here.
3. Primo Restaurant
2 S Main St, Rockland • 207 596 0770
• Closed L, Tue, ring for winter hours • $$$
The chef here conjures up culinary wonders from mostly home-grown produce – even Brussels sprouts get to be stars in season.
4. White Barn Inn
37 Beach Ave, Kennebunkport • 207 967 2321
• Closed L • Reservations essential; jacket required for men • $$$
Two 1820s barns make a surprisingly elegant and restful space in which to enjoy the four-course tasting menu.
5. Vignola Cinque Terre
10 Dana St, Portland • 207 772 1330
• Open L, D Mon–Fri, D Sat–Sun • $$
Much of the organic produce that goes into the spectacular Ligurian dishes is grown on a nearby farm.
6. Chase’s Daily
96 Main St, Belfast • 207 338 0555
• Open Tue–Sat B, L, Sun brunch • $
Back-to-the-land farmers launched this high quality combined bakery, restaurant, and art gallery.
7. Moody’s Diner
1885 Rte 1, Waldoboro • 207 832 7785
• Open B, L, D daily • $
Vacationers and Mainers rub elbows in this iconic diner. Try the blueberry muffins, or the turkey dinner followed by walnut pie.
Neons light up Moody’s Diner
8. Fore Street
288 Fore St, Portland • 207 775 2717
• Closed L • Reservations essential • $$
Sample the wildly popular wood-oven roasted mussels from a menu built largely around local ingredients.
9. Rupununi
119 Maine St, Bar Harbor • 207 288 2886
• Closed Nov–Apr • $$
This American bar and grill has steaks and burgers for landlubbers and lobster for seafood fans.
10. Natalie’s
Camden Harbour Inn, 83 Bay View St, Camden • 207 236 7008
• Closed L • $$$
Penobscot Bay seafood and local produce underpin the elegant contemporary regional cooking, offered in 3-course and 7-course menus.
Artisan Shops
1. Tandem Glass
6 Eagle Lodge Lane, Dresden
Terrill and Charlie Jenkins have been crafting attractive hand blown art glass since 2006, at their saltbox barn studio and gallery, located northwest of Wiscasset.
2. Weathervanes of Maine
1451 Rte 1, Wells
Weathervanes once topped every Maine barn. This company helps keep the tradition alive, with its menagerie of hand-crafted copper animals, from a jaunty rooster to a flying pig or a dolphin.
Weathervanes of Maine
3. Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers
149 Main St, Freeport
You might pick up some home decorating tips in this restored 19th-century home, where contemporary paintings and photography are displayed next to the cabinetmakers’ furniture.
4. Edgecomb Potters Gallery and Studio Complex
727 Boothbay Rd, Rte 27S, Edgecomb
Richly colored glazes are the hallmark of Edgecomb porcelain, which is on sale here alongside pieces by other artisans, working in wood, metal, and glass.
5. Maine Artisans
2518 Atlantic Hwy, Lincolnville Beach
Representing the creativity of midcoast Maine, this cooperative gallery of local artisans sells colorful knitted socks and driftwood lamps, delicate glass orchids, and paintings on slate, among other wares.
6. Swans Island Blankets
231 Rte 1, Northport
An elegant pure-wool Swans Island blanket is the ultimate word in cold-weather luxury. The Northport showroom-studio is set in a lovely converted 1780s farmhouse.
7. Bluejacket Ship Crafters
160 E Main St, Searsport
The oldest ship-modeling company in the country has more than 100 historically accurate examples on display. Select a kit for a sailing sloop, or radio-controlled lobster boat.
8. Rackliffe Pottery
130 Ellsworth Rd, Blue Hill
Stop off at this workshop overlooking Blue Hill Bay and you might see artisans throwing dishware on a potter’s wheel. A blueberry bowl makes a perfect souvenir of Maine.
9. Abbe Museum
26 Mount Desert St, Rte 3, Bar Harbor
The gift shop of this small museum has highly prized sweetgrass, ash, and birchbark baskets made by Maine’s Native peoples.
10. Columbia Falls Pottery
150 Main St, Columbia Falls
It seems as if the artists at this pottery simply look out the window for inspiration for their tiles, clocks, lamps, and crocks, all decorated with painted blueberries, lupines, sailboats, and shore birds.
Antiques Shops
1. York Antiques Gallery
746 Rte 1, York
Dealers at this gallery specialize in fine 18th- and 19th-century furniture and accessories. You probably won’t find a bargain, but you might pick up decorating ideas.
2. Hutchins’ Antiques Etc
166 Main St, Ogunquit
After a lazy morning on Ogunquit beach, peruse the offerings in this nearby family-owned shop. Dealers lean toward small objects of desire – jewelry, glass, porcelain, linens, and nifty little kitchen items.
3. Douglas N. Harding Rare Books
2152 Post Rd, Rte 1, Wells
You’ll find volumes on everything from circus arts to UFOs in this 14-room shop with more than 100,000 used and rare books.
4. Smith-Zukas Antiques
1755 Post Rd, Rte 1, Wells
Each of the buildings in this inviting complex has a distinctive personality, with an eclectic mix of offerings from formal furnishings to shabby-chic accessories, and architectural ornaments to garden statuary.
Items for sale at Smith-Zukas Antiques
5. Victorian Lighting
29 York St, Rte 1, Kennebunk
Despite the name, this illuminating shop carries high-quality lighting fixtures from the 1840s right through to the 1930s, restored and rewired for modern homes. Select a simple sconce or a showpiece chandelier.
6. Marston House Antiques
101 Main St, Wiscasset
The proprietors also own a home in a French village, so the shop’s furniture, soft linens, clay pots, wire garden stands, and stoneware serving pieces all have Gallic flair.
7. Pumpkin Patch Antiques
15 Rte 1, Searsport
Country furniture and a lovely selection of mid-20th-century quilts highlight the domestic antiques in this small shop. Nautical items and Chinese porcelain are reminders of Searsport’s maritime heyday.
8. Cabot Mill Antiques
14 Main St, Brunswick
This restored brick textile mill has 160 booths that feature folk art, nautical antiques, furniture, art, pottery, and jewelry.
9. Antiques USA
Rte 1, Arundel
Route 1 from York to Arundel is dense with antiques shops. Antiques USA is one of the largest, bringing hundreds of dealers with different tastes and interests under one roof.
10. Big Chicken Barn Books & Antiques
1768 Bucksport Rd, Ellsworth
The proprietors of this gigantic emporium encourage browsers to bring a picnic lunch. It takes hours to peruse the thousands of magazines, rare books, and antiques.