Maine travel guide
By New England standards, much of Maine is a mysterious wilderness. A land of jagged coastlines and vast pine forests, it’s larger than the other New England states combined. While the southern coast and its lobster shacks are popular, inland and northern Maine remain off the beaten track (and locals would like to keep it that way).
Places to visit in Maine
Portland
By far the biggest city in Maine, Portland has taken its licks but made strong comebacks. It has been burnt to the ground three times, once in each of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Each time, a blank slate allowed for a new, well-planned urban center on a peninsula jutting into Casco Bay. Now it’s known for a thriving cultural scene and a large number of excellent restaurants.
The atmospheric Old Port district, fronting Commercial Street, is both a working waterfront and a social hotspot. While the wharves stay busy, warehouses have been transformed into restaurants and shops. The Arts District, a few blocks in from the Old Port, is anchored by the I.M. Pei-designed Portland Museum of Art. Its collection of American paintings is notable.
Acadia National Park
Cobbled together with privately donated land, Acadia National Park pulls together craggy coastline and a large section of Mount Desert Island, just off the coast from the mainland town of Ellsworth. High society discovered this remote spot in the mid-1800s. Over the next 50 years, several wealthy philanthropists were moved to contribute land to what would evenually become the national park.
The one-way Park Loop Road, open from mid-April through November depending on weather, makes a circuit of the most scenic spots in the park. A highlight is Cadillac Mountain, at 1,530ft (459m) the highest point along the coast, with amazing views of Frenchman Bay.
Bar Harbor is Mount Desert Island’s main town. It is perhaps overdeveloped, but has a pretty town green and tempting shops and restaurants. Sailing charters and whale-watching boats set off from the wharf.
Maine Lobster Festival
The sight of colorful lobster buoys dotting the coast is one of the classic images of Maine, as more lobster is fished here than in any other state. Homarus americanus is the real deal, with large, meaty front claws, unlike the crustaceans found in warmer water. Maine’s lobsters account for about 80 percent of the nation’s catch, but most lobsters are still caught by individual fishermen in small boats. Though lobstermen stay close to shore, it’s dangerous work, and economic challenges have made it a difficult life.
Lobsters molt every year, shucking off their old shells and growing ever-larger ones. Molting happens when the water is warm, usually in June or July. New-shell lobsters can taste sweeter, while hard-shell lobsters are bigger. Every year, Rockland hosts the Maine Lobster Festival, which the late author David Foster Wallace described as ‘a deliberate collision, joyful and lucrative and loud.’ The festival offers cooking contests, craft stalls, and live music.
Sebago Lake
With its easy access from Portland via Route 302, Sebago Lake is the state’s second largest lake and the most popular of the Western Lakes, offering swimming, boating, camping, and fishing in 1,400-acre (160-hectare) Sebago Lake State Park.
Wiscasset
Wiscasset claims, with some justification, to be the “prettiest village in Maine.” Two handsome houses reflect the style of life of successful sea captains. The Federal-era, Nickels-Sortwell House and the 1807 Castle Tucker. Built in 1807, its furnishings are an intact vision of Victorian life.
Another offbeat tourist attraction is the Old Lincoln County Jail and Museum. This is an 1811 hoosegow with granite walls up to 41 inches (over 1 meter) thick. Considered a model of humane treatment in its day because prisoners were afforded individual cells, this grim repository was used until 1953, and has the graffiti to prove it.
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