Auburn

This is working inland Maine rather than the coast, with a manufacturing history that shaped both cities and a French-Canadian heritage that still shows in the surnames and the churches.

What Auburn is known for

Shoes and water. Auburn was a shoe-manufacturing center for over a century, and the surviving mill buildings along the river are being converted rather than demolished. The industry drew Québécois workers south in large numbers from the 1870s, which is why the region remains one of the most French-speaking parts of the United States outside Louisiana.

Lake Auburn supplies the cities' drinking water, so swimming is restricted, but the surrounding land is protected and the shoreline road is a popular cycling loop. Taylor Pond and Range Pond State Park nearby take the swimming traffic instead.

Things to do

Walk the riverfront and the falls between the two cities. The Androscoggin Riverwalk connects both sides. Norlands Living History Center in nearby Livermore is a working nineteenth-century farm museum and one of the better living-history sites in the state.

Range Pond State Park in Poland has the nearest good swimming beach. In winter, Lost Valley is a small local ski area within the city: modest, but a genuinely useful place to learn.

Getting here and when to go

Auburn is on the Maine Turnpike about forty minutes north of Portland, and is the natural stop between the coast and the western mountains.

The cities work year-round rather than seasonally, so restaurants and museums keep normal hours in winter, which makes L-A a reasonable base in the months when coastal towns have closed. Autumn colour inland peaks a week or two before the coast.

Common questions

What is the difference between Auburn and Lewiston?

They are two separate cities facing each other across the Androscoggin River, usually spoken of together as Lewiston-Auburn. Auburn sits on the west bank and is the seat of Androscoggin County; Lewiston, on the east bank, is the larger and denser of the pair. The bridges between them are short, so visitors generally treat the two as one place.

Can you swim in Lake Auburn?

No. Lake Auburn is the public drinking water supply for both Auburn and Lewiston, and body contact, including swimming, is prohibited to keep the water clean enough to skip filtration. Boating and fishing are allowed under restrictions. If you want to swim, head to one of the smaller ponds in the area or west into the Lakes and Mountains region.

Is Auburn worth visiting?

It is a working city rather than a resort, so most people stop for a meal or a night rather than a vacation. What Auburn does offer is position. It sits at the doorway to the Lakes and Mountains region, an easy drive from the western lakes and ski country, with far more lodging, groceries and services than the small towns further inland.

Where can you buy fresh seafood in Auburn?

Always Fresh La Rochelle's is the local seafood market, rated 4.6 from 253 reviews, and it is the usual answer for lobster and fresh fish in town. Auburn is inland, so the catch arrives by truck from the coast rather than off a boat at the dock. The seafood is good; the harbor view is not part of the package.