MAINE
WHERE LOBSTER AND LIGHTHOUSES AREN’T IN SHORT SUPPLY
Maine has been a destination that I’ve wanted to go to for a couple years now. That’s really only because I wanted to try a Maine lobster pulled out of the ocean that morning. I didn’t know anything else (My travel plans typically revolve around one activity). After doing a lot of research, Maine has way more to offer than just lobster and lighthouses. The local houses are beautiful and well preserved. Modern buildings have not made their way to Maine yet. It’s one of the best states to see whales as well! You don’t have to go all of the way to Alaska like we did… You can also see puffins in the summer months and eat lots of blueberries. You’ll see acres of red fields in Maine, and those are all blueberry fields in August! We decided to become leaf peepers too, which I had no ideas what that meant until a week before. Leaf peepers are people that travel up to Maine in the fall to see all of the beautiful red and orange trees. Word to the wise though, if you want to see a moose, don’t go to Maine. Go to Moose Alley in Pittsburg, New Hampshire.
WHERE TO VISIT
Here is a map that I put together of all of the places that Google and other bloggers said were the best. Maine is famous for covered bridges, lighthouses, parks, waterfalls, and quaint towns, so this map will highlight the best of each. We ventured beyond the map, which I’ll talk about at the bottom of the page.
Below were my favorite locations and what we did in each place.
PORTLAND
We don’t typically enjoy seeing much in cities or eating sweets, so this city wasn’t anything special to us. The lighthouse was gorgeous though, so I would still swing through.
I vote you save your lobster roll eating for a non-tourist spot farther north.
excursions
Portland Head Lighthouse ( 30 min south of Portland)
Try a donut
Drink coffee at a local spot
See the warf
FREEPORT
We stopped at Eartha Globe on the way up to Acadia, but it was closed on the weekend. You could see it through the window, and it looked incredible! LL Bean is based out of Maine, and they have a massive shopping complex in Freeport
EXCURSIONS
Eartha Globe
LL Bean Outlet
Maine Beer Company (amazing flights)
Desert of Maine (funny to see)
damariscotta
This is one of the cutest little towns I’ve ever seen. It’s really only one road with shops on both sides of the road. This is when you need to decide if you want to see Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. It’s breathtaking, and the road is even better! There are moose crossing signs too if you get lucky.
EXCURSIONS
Drive through the town
Drive to Boothbay Harbor if you have time
Stop in Wiscasset
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse (go in the museum!)
lubec
This town is a small fishing village that butts up against Canada. Quoddy Head Lighthouse is the farthest east point in the US, so it’s worth the drive to me. We really drove all of this way to go to Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, hoping to see moose. They pretty much only see 2-3 moose a year there though, so don’t waste your time.
TO DO
Quoddy Head Lighthouse
Lubec
Eat lobster fresh out of the sea
Boil your own lobster
Go into New Brunswick
acadia national park
Just get yourself an annual pass. If you go to at least 3 parks a year it’s worth it. We love having ours. Back to Acadia, the park isn’t as cool as I imagined. There are some really neat spots, but I’d want to see it in the summer. Thunder Hole was my favorite in Acadia because you get wet. Just go and thank me later!
EXCURSIONS
The Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
Jordan Pond
Bubble Rock (make the hike!)
Otter Cliff (park your car and walk out to the cliffs)
Thunder Hole
Drive Park Loop Road
Cadillac Mountain Overlook (you can drive to the top)
NORTHERN MAINE
This is where you are more likely to see moose, but there is little civilization up there. It wasn’t worth it to us because we heard New Hampshire had a better probability of seeing moose. Go hiking up in this area though because I was told that Baxter State Park is really neat. The Appalachian Trail starts up there too.
WHAT NOT TO FORGET IN FALL
Passport - Please bring your passport on this trip (which I didn’t), because you’ll be beside Canada so much and Airbnb’s up there are cheaper.
Down/Winter coat - I’m always cold, but the temperature gets to freezing at night
Binoculars - just in case you want to see wildlife from far away
LL Bean duck boots - I don’t own these yet, but EVERYONE will be wearing them
Hiking boots - You’ll be hiking at least some short trips if you want to see the beauty in Maine
Ear muffs or a hat
Adventurous/Patient attitude - you’ll be driving a lot if you really want to see all of Maine. It’ll be beautiful, but there isn’t much to do in the smaller towns.
WEATHER
Every day was around 40-55 F, but it certainly gets colder the farther north you get. We had snow one morning.
THE BIG QUESTIONS
WHICH SEASON SHOULD I GO?
This is one of the hardest questions for me to answer because I know I’ll be going back in the summer soon. Puffin and whale season is in the summer (June-July) as well as the crowds. August is blueberry season as well. In the fall you’ll get to enjoy the gorgeous leaves and less people. The moose also have bigger racks in the fall if you see one.
COASTAL OR INLAND DRIVING?
Realistically, you’re not going to drive all of the way across the state in a day like we did. We just really wanted to see a moose. I’d stick to driving the coast and seeing as many rock cliffs and lighthouses as possible. You’ll see gorgeous leaves especially on the peninsulas where the lighthouses are. Also, the covered bridges are no different than any other covered bridges.
will i see a moose?
Moose are most populated in northern Maine, New Hampshire, and Denali National Park in Alaska. You have a chance of seeing them everywhere in Maine, but the probability increases the farther north. We saw 5 moose when we went to Moose Alley in New Hampshire. You can read about that here.