Pura Vida View
Maine
Maine is truly beautiful. I never imagined visiting the northeastern most U.S. state, but my niece chose it has her graduation from high school trip and I was so glad she did! We explored several areas along the coast from Portland all the way up to Acadia National Park which meant we did a lot of driving! With over 500,000 acres of state and national parks and 3,478 miles of coastline, there is so much to see and do and the scenery everywhere is breathtaking
A Few Facts
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​There are over 4,000 islands off of the coast of Maine!
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Lobster, lobster everywhere! I have never seen so much lobster. Annually Main yields nearly 100 million pounds of Lobster!
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If you visit during the summer, you will find lobster shacks open all along the coast and every menu seems to have at least one dish featuring lobster. From June to October, you will surely see fisherman out checking their traps daily because the lobster come closer to shore during the warmer months. But you can get fresh lobster year round because some fisherman still brave the cold icy conditions to catch the lobsters during the winter that have moved 20 to 30 miles off shore.
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The Main Lobster Festival has been around since 1947 and is now an internationally recognized celebration of local seafood. The annual festival takes place the first weekend of August from Wednesday - Sunday​
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Maine is filled with over 30K miles of rivers and streams and is home to 6,000 lakes!​
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It is quite large geographically. 35,385 square miles
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Maine's Portland Head Light is the most photographed light house in the world and is Maine's oldest light, it has been guiding boats into Casco Bay since 1791
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The Nubble Lighthouse at Cape Neddick is also one of the most photographed and painted lighthouse in the world.​
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There are 65 lighthouses all along Maine's coast and islands and 57 of them are active lights.
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It is the single largest producer of blueberries in the United States. ~This was a fun fact I was not expecting. But you will see blueberries for sale everywhere from late July to early September
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Harvesting is still mainly by hand rake!​
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Want to learn and study Lobster? Since 1987 you can do that at the University of Maine​'s Lobster Institute
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It is the first state in the United States to see daylight - and you will not regret getting up early to see the awe-inspiring sunrise! Acadia National Park may be the best vantage point watch it rise.
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About 15 million people visit Maine each year, what are you waiting for?
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Best
Time
To
Visit
The most popular time to visit is during the summer months when the weather is the warmest, temperatures along the coast reach the 80s and inland can get even warmer. However, it is also the busiest time. If you want a quieter less crowded and less expensive vacation, visit Maine during late August and September when it's still warm enough to enjoy and the fall foliage is at it's best.
Getting
There
If you don't live close enough to drive, don't worry there are six commercial airports offering services from other parts of the country. The busiest and largest are Portland International Jet Port and Bangor International Airport. Depending on where you are coming from and also plan to spend your time in Maine, Augusta State Airport or Bar Harbor Airport might be a good option. The airports are all in different regions of Maine, so you should be able to easily fly into an area near where you plan to stay.
Explore
Things to Do in Maine
Visit or stay in Camden, a popular resort town surrounded by natural beauty, excellent restaurants and shops and is full of history. With it's direct access to the harbor, it has long been a popular summer touristy area. It is the self described, "Jewel of the Maine Coast."
We enjoyed exploring the area, the marina is beautiful and the surrounding homes, resorts, shops and restaurants are worth seeing. Camden Harbor located right on Penobscot Bay is home to many schooners that offer daily sailing tours and excursions. We booked a sunset sail aboard the Schooner Surprise and it was truly beautiful and a lot of fun.
There are many delicious restaurants to choose from, we loved Peter Ott's on the water. The food was amazing, and was one of my favorite meals we had on our entire vacation in Maine!
If you love nature, check out Merry Spring Nature Center which is spread across 66 acres and offers specialty gardens and 10 different nature trails.
Do you like to hike? Visit Camden Hills State Park which offers over 30 miles of trails and none are too strenuous. You can watch the sunrise or set from the top of Mt. Battie which gives you spectacular views of Penobscot Bay.
Camden's Ragged Mountain is home to the Camden Snow Bowl, home to the North American Toboggan Championships. The ski mountain is the only Eastern ski area with views of the Atlantic Ocean!
There is so much to do and see in Camden, I can't wait to go back and stay there a few days!
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Take a Whale Watching tour and if you don't see any whales (sadly we didn't that day) you are sure to love seeing one of Maine's most popular wildlife creatures, the Puffin. The ocean islands of Maine are the only nesting sites for Atlantic Puffins in the United States. These adorable little birds with their orange legs and feet resemble a small penguin, but have little in common beyond that. One of the best places to view them is Eastern Egg Rock, your cruise driver is sure to circle the island so you can get a glimpse.
Hopefully you will be luckier than us and also see some whales and other sea creatures, regardless you will enjoy the beautiful boat ride with spectacular views in every direction. Whale watching season in Maine is mid-April and winds down by October. the best places to whale watch are Bar Harbor, Boothbay Harbor, Kennebunkport and Casco Bay in Portland
We chose Cap'n Fish's cruises for our tour out of Boothbay Harbor and really enjoyed it.
Take a Lobster Tour and learn all about the Lobster! We chose Lucky Catch Cruises for our tour. It was so much fun learning about the habits of lobsters, the daily routines of Maine lobstermen, and the conservation efforts that are in place to help keep the industry thriving. We each had an opportunity to hold the lobsters, put the rubber bands on their claws, we helped haul the traps up and learned what was a keeper and what had to go back in the ocean to live another day. We also saw some other creatures and enjoyed the beautiful boat tour. After the tour is over you can purchase one or some of the lobsters that you catch. We purchased several lobsters and they suggested we take them over to Portland Lobster Company just across the pier where they will prepare them for you. This was one of the most affordable lobster lunches we had the entire trip! Lucky Catch Cruises did a great job and everyone had a blast! If you are in or near Portland, I highly recommend this group for your lobster touring experience!
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Visit Acadia National Park, with 4 million visits a year, it's one of the most visited parks in America. It is truly breathtaking. With more than 48,000 acres of Atlantic coast landscape to explore, you could spend days even years coming here and never take it all in. There are lush majestic forests, rocky beaches, granite mountains, including Cadillac Mountain, the tallest peak in the park and highest point in the NE United states (also the most spectacular first views of the first dawn of our nation each morning), tranquil lakes and ponds, and an abundance of wildlife. The busiest time to visit coincides with with the busy summer tourism season, but the most beautiful time to see Acadia National Park is in the fall when the autumn colors are in full bloom. A fascinating fact worth noting is that Acadia is the only national park created solely from donations of private land. To this day conservation efforts are still in place to help keep this beautiful land protected and thriving. While we were there my husband met a lady encouraging us to join Friends of Acadia which is a huge part of the ongoing conservation of this magnificent park.
When visiting the park make sure to stop into Jordon Pond House for lunch and especially their famous popovers. Keep in mind, parking is challenging and limited a shuttle or car service may be much better option than trying to find parking.
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Try some of the amazing restaurants!, there are so many excellent restaurants you really cannot go wrong. Of course you will find lobster on almost every menu but you will also find fresh seafood, clam chowder, crab cakes, fresh blueberries, and lots of locally sourced ingredients. Have a sweet tooth and love for chocolate? try a whoopie pie, the official state treat! Or check out Needhams candies, an odd combination but beloved treat, invented in 1872 by John Seavey, the candy combines mashed potatoes, coconut, sugar and vanilla and is then coated with chocolate.
We enjoyed every meal we had and of course ate lots of lobster! Below are a list of the restaurants we enjoyed:
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We stopped in here on our way from the airport to our rental home. We were tired and hungry after travelling and found this great spot located on the water in Bath. The Crab cakes were the perfect start to our Maine vacation. I loved the Blackened Haddock Sandwich!
Located in Camden overlooking the bay, Peter Ott's is one of the best restaurants we enjoyed while in Maine! The diverse menu offers something for everyone. We enjoyed everything we tried. The fish tacos, lobster quesadilla, lobster blt and lobster corn chowder were amazing!
DiMillo's is located on the water in Portland's Old Port. The historic floating restaurant offers delicious cuisine with beautiful views of the harbor. We loved the ambiance and everything we tried was delicious. The lobster club pictured here was amazing!
The Landings Restaurant in Rockland is located near Penobscot bay and offers an extensive menu with a large variety of options. The grilled brie with pepper jam was delicious, we also enjoyed the lobster roll and the fish tacos
Visit a Lighthouse, there are over 60 historical lighthouses, many are open to the public, some even offer you a tour of the keepers quarters and quite a few have attached museums.
If in the Portland area be sure to visit the oldest lighthouse in Maine, Portland Head Light is in Cape Elizabeth and is next to Fort Williams Park which is a beautiful 90 acre park with walking trails, ocean views and a children's garden area. This is a beautiful lighthouse and the former keepers' house is now The Museum of Portland Head Light.
We visited the Owl's Head Lighthouse in Rockland. This light sits 100 feet above Penobscot Bay offering spectacular views and includes the Maine Lighthouse Museum where you can learn about the history of lighthouses and the U.S. Coast Guard.
In the Main Beaches area you will find Cape Neddick Light (Nubble Lighthouse) one of the most painted and photographed lighthouses in the world.
You can book tours of several lighthouses at one time, or just drive along the beautiful coast and find some you'd like to see. And if touring isn't enough for you there are actually a few that you can stay at! Like the Whitehead Light Station that offers rentals by the week. This seven bedroom lightkeepers house is on 11 acres.
Other lights houses that offer accommodations are: Burnt Coat Harbor Light, Little River Lighthouse, Isle au Haut Lighthouse.
Coastal Prime Seaside Restaurant is located in Boothbay Harbor at the Boothbay Harbor Oceanside Golf Resort. We were searching for somewhere nice to have lunch before heading to the airport on my daughter's birthday. This was the perfect place to end our Maine vacation, the food was all delicious and the location was beautiful. We enjoyed sitting at a table overlooking the water.
Jordan Pond House in Acadia has been serving diners since 1893! They are well known for their fluffy popovers and tea, but also have a wide variety of other cuisine. You will want to plan ahead, make a reservation (up to a month in advance), and note that parking and cell service are both in high demand and can be difficult to get. Parking was an adventure when we were there! We enjoyed lunch and then walking along the beautiful trails surrounding the restaurant and shopping in their souvenir shop.
Moody's Diner has been around since 1927, what started as a couple of cabins has evolved into 18 cabins, a diner and a a gift shop and is still run by the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the founders Percy and Bertha Moody. The diner clams to have served over a million people and has become a national icon. The gift shop offers lots of fun local items and their famous, "I'm a Moody Person" shirt. We enjoyed the blueberry cobbler!
Primo located in Rockport is an upscale farm to table restaurant with an award winning chef. The food is fresh, creative and delicious. We enjoyed several appetizers, mouthwatering entrees and decadent desserts.
