Maine Destinations: Choose a Town or Region

Downeast & Acadia

Bar Harbor

Gateway to Acadia National Park - Cadillac Mountain, puffin cruises, and a harbor town that fills with cruise ships from May to October.

Southern Maine Coast

Kennebunkport

Dock Square boutiques, Goose Rocks Beach, and the Bush family's Walker's Point - the quintessential coastal Maine summer town.

Greater Portland

Portland

Maine's largest city - a working waterfront, Old Port cobblestones, and a food scene that punches well above its weight.

Midcoast Islands

Bath

Shipbuilding heart of Maine since 1743 - Bath Iron Works still launches destroyers past the Maine Maritime Museum on the Kennebec.

Midcoast Islands

Boothbay Harbor

A Midcoast harbor town built around boat trips, with the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens just up the road.

Midcoast Islands

Camden

Where the mountains meet the sea - windjammer harbor, Mount Battie summit views, and an independent village with real soul.

Greater Portland

Freeport

Flagship home of L.L. Bean, open 24/7 - outlets, a tidal river, and surprisingly good eating between the shopping.

Southern Maine Coast

Kennebunk

Postcard-perfect village of sea captains' mansions, Lower Village shops, and easy walks to Mother's Beach and Gooch's Beach.

Southern Maine Coast

Ogunquit

Three miles of sand, the Marginal Way clifftop walk, and Perkins Cove's galleries - southern Maine at its most photogenic.

Lakes & Mountains

Bethel

Western Maine's mountain town, with Sunday River, Grafton Notch State Park and a classic New England common.

Midcoast Islands

Brunswick

Bowdoin College green, a restored Federal-era Main Street, and the Harpswell peninsulas for lobster rolls a short drive away.

Greater Portland

Cape Elizabeth

Home of Portland Head Light - Maine's oldest lighthouse - plus Two Lights State Park and the beach at Crescent State Park.

A black and white photo of clouds over a lake

Highlands

Millinocket

The gateway town to Baxter State Park and Katahdin, and the southern end of the Appalachian Trail's 100-Mile Wilderness.

a group of birds sitting on top of a wooden dock

Downeast & Acadia

Northeast Harbor

The quiet, moneyed side of Mount Desert Island, with a marina, two famous gardens, and fast access to Acadia.

Southern Maine Coast

Old Orchard Beach

Seven miles of sand, a 500-foot pier with carnival games, and summer nights that feel like they belong in a postcard.

a landscape with trees and mountains in the background

Lakes & Mountains

Rangeley

A remote lakes-and-mountains town in western Maine, with big water, dark skies and serious winter snow.

Midcoast Islands

Rockland

Wyeth country - the Farnsworth Art Museum, a working lobster fleet, and August's legendary Maine Lobster Festival on the harbor.

brown and gray rocks by the sea during daytime

Downeast & Acadia

Southwest Harbor

The working harbor on the quiet side of Mount Desert Island, with boatyards, Bass Harbor Head Light and easy Acadia access.

Downeast & Acadia

Stonington

Maine's busiest lobster port, at the far end of Deer Isle, with the mailboat to Isle au Haut leaving from the town dock.

Southern Maine Coast

Wells

Seven miles of beach, a protected estuarine reserve, and the southern coast's densest run of seafood shacks.

Southern Maine Coast

York

Four distinct villages (York Village, York Harbor, York Beach and Cape Neddick) covering colonial history and a classic beach town.

Highlands

Bangor

Hub of eastern Maine - Stephen King's hometown, a riverfront reinvention, and your jumping-off point for Moosehead and Acadia.

Midcoast Islands

Belfast

An artsy midcoast comeback - working waterfront, the Belfast & Moosehead rail trail, and one of Maine's walkable downtowns.

Southern Maine Coast

Biddeford

Reviving mill-town food scene in the Pepperell Mill - Elda, Biscuits & Co., and the Pool beaches five minutes away.

Downeast & Acadia

Blue Hill

A peninsula town with a serious music and pottery scene, a hill worth climbing, and a working village center.

Downeast & Acadia

Bucksport

The Penobscot Narrows Observatory tower, the Fort Knox granite fortress, and the gateway drive to Acadia from the north.

Colorful buildings line a waterfront with a boat.

Downeast & Acadia

Castine

A small peninsula town with an outsized military history, the Maine Maritime Academy, and streets of Federal architecture.

Midcoast Islands

Damariscotta

Oyster country of the Pemaquid peninsula - Edgecomb Potters, Main Street mica, and some of the best raw bars in the state.

Downeast & Acadia

Deer Isle

A granite-and-spruce island connected by a 1939 suspension bridge, home to the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

Downeast & Acadia

Ellsworth

Gateway to Acadia - Main Street's shopping strip, the Colonel Black Mansion, and the scenic Union River dam walk.

black and white mallard duck on body of water

Highlands

Greenville

The town at the foot of Moosehead Lake, gateway to the North Woods and the 100-Mile Wilderness.

Southern Maine Coast

Kittery

Maine's southern gateway - Kittery Trading Post, the outlet strip, and Kittery Point lobster shacks Bourdain put on the map.

white and black boat on body of water under cloudy sky during daytime

Downeast & Acadia

Lubec

The easternmost town in the continental US, with West Quoddy Head Light and a bridge to Campobello Island.

Midcoast Islands

New Harbor

A working fishing village on the Pemaquid peninsula, near Pemaquid Point Light and the boat to Monhegan.

Greater Portland

Peaks Island

A fifteen-minute ferry from Portland: a car-light island of bikes, beaches and a working year-round community.

Southern Maine Coast

Saco

Funtown Splashtown, Ferry Beach's maritime pine forest, and a tidy Main Street connecting downtown to the ocean.

Greater Portland

Scarborough

Portland's southern neighbor, with Higgins Beach, Pine Point, Prouts Neck and the state's largest salt marsh.

Midcoast Islands

Vinalhaven

Island ferry from Rockland - granite quarries you can swim in, lobster pounds, and a windswept Fox Islands Thoroughfare.

Kennebec Valley

Augusta

Maine's state capital on the Kennebec: the 1832 State House, Old Fort Western, and the Maine State Museum.

Lakes & Mountains

Bridgton

Sebago Lakes region hub - Shawnee Peak skiing, Highland Lake beaches, and the drive-in movie theater running since 1954.

Southern Maine Coast

Cape Neddick

The northern village of York, home to the Nubble Lighthouse, the most photographed light in Maine.

Greater Portland

Falmouth

Upscale Portland suburb on Casco Bay - Gilsland Farm Audubon, the Town Landing Market deli, and Mackworth Island walks.

Lakes & Mountains

Fryeburg

A Saco River town on the New Hampshire line, known for canoeing, covered bridges and Maine's largest agricultural fair.

Greater Portland

Harpswell

Three long peninsulas of lobster shacks, tidal coves, and the Basin - Maine's most southerly fjord - south of Brunswick.

Red building with "knickle" sign by a harbor.

Midcoast Islands

Lincolnville

A Penobscot Bay village with a beach right on Route 1 and the ferry to Islesboro leaving from the same spot.

Midcoast Islands

North Haven

Rockland-ferry island of summer cottages and working lobster crews - quieter than Vinalhaven and barely changed in decades.

Highlands

Orono

Flagship University of Maine campus - Black Bears hockey, the Hudson Museum's Indigenous collections, and Orono Bog Boardwalk.

Aroostook County

Presque Isle

The largest city in Aroostook County, at the center of Maine's potato country and its cross-country skiing.

Midcoast Islands

Rockport

Camden's quieter neighbor - Rockport Harbor, the Maine Media Workshops, and Motif No. 1 a few miles up the coast.

Southern Maine Coast

Sanford

York County's inland service center, a former textile city with the Mousam River and a growing trail network.

Lakes & Mountains

Sebago Lake

Maine's deepest lake and Greater Portland's water supply, ringed by state park beaches and summer camps.

Kennebec Valley

Waterville

Colby College's hilltop campus, the Colby Museum's sprawling collection, and the Paul J. Schupf Art Center on Main Street.

Greater Portland

Yarmouth

Home of the world's largest rotating globe at DeLorme, a walkable Main Street, and the long-running Yarmouth Clam Festival.

Lakes & Mountains

Auburn

One half of the Twin Cities on the Androscoggin, with a lake in the middle of town and Maine's shoe-making history.

Kennebec Valley

Belgrade Lakes Region

Seven chain lakes where 'On Golden Pond' was filmed - loon calls, camp meals, and lazy canoe mornings off Route 27.

Highlands

Brewer

Across the river from Bangor - Chamberlain Freedom Park, the Waterfront trail, and Riverside Park overlooking downtown.

Aroostook County

Caribou

Aroostook County potato country - Nylander Museum, the Caribou Country Club, and snowmobile trails all winter long.

Lakes & Mountains

Farmington

University of Maine at Farmington, the annual Farmington Fair, and the drive up Route 27 to Sugarloaf ski country.

Kennebec Valley

Gardiner

Kennebec mill town - Johnson Hall Opera House, the Gardiner Common, and Pine Tree Camp grounds for youth programs.

Greater Portland

Gorham

University of Southern Maine hilltop campus, Shaw Park's waterfall, and Narragansett-2 Beach on nearby Little Sebago.

Kennebec Valley

Hallowell

Antique-shop row on Water Street, the Hallowell granite quarry, and the Kennebec River rail trail north toward Augusta.

Highlands

Hampden

South of Bangor on the Penobscot - Leonard's Mills Living History Museum, Hampden Academy, and riverfront park access.

Aroostook County

Houlton

Northern I-95 terminus on the New Brunswick border - Market Square, Monument Park, and the Meduxnekeag River paddle trail.

Lakes & Mountains

Lewiston

Twin-city of Auburn on the Androscoggin - Bates College, Kennedy Park, and Maine's most vibrant Somali-American community.

Highlands

Old Town

Old Town Canoe's birthplace on the Penobscot - the Indian Island tribal reservation and access to the Penobscot Experience.

Lakes & Mountains

Poland

Poland Spring bottling country - Ricker Hill Orchards, the former Poland Spring Resort museum, and Range Pond State Park.

Lakes & Mountains

Raymond

Tassel Top Beach on Sebago Lake, the Hawthorne House museum, and Crescent Beach Club - classic Maine cottage country.

Kennebec Valley

Skowhegan

Skowhegan State Fair - America's oldest - the Margaret Chase Smith Library, and the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture.

Midcoast Islands

Topsham

Brunswick's across-the-river twin - Androscoggin riverfront trails, Topsham Fair Mall, and the Coombs Road antique loop.

Midcoast Islands

Waldoboro

Medomak River oyster flats, the Waldoboro 5 & 10 on Main Street, and a drive to Monhegan's ferry at Port Clyde down the road.

Greater Portland

Westbrook

A former paper-mill city on the Presumpscot just west of Portland, with a riverwalk, a waterfall and a growing food scene.

Greater Portland

Windham

Little Sebago Lake beaches, the Mountain Division rail trail, and a suburban hub between Portland and Sebago Lake State Park.

Southern Maine Coast

Arundel

Between Kennebunkport and Biddeford - Arundel Barn Playhouse, the Kennebunk River paddle, and antique-shop row on Route 1.

Southern Maine Coast

Berwick

Salmon Falls River mill town, the Berwick Academy prep school, and quiet country drives into the Great Works River marsh.

Greater Portland

Buxton

Bonny Eagle Dam lake, Pleasant Point Park, and quick access to Portland and Sebago Lake from Route 202 westbound.

Kennebec Valley

China

Four Seasons Club trail network, the China Lake Regional Park beach, and one of the largest Baptist camps in New England.

Highlands

Dover-Foxcroft

Piscataquis shire town - Piscataquis River Grand Falls, Low's Covered Bridge, and a base for the 100-mile Wilderness.

Lakes & Mountains

Durham

Royal River Conservation District lands, Runaround Pond Preserve, and Freeport-border quarry swimming holes locals protect.

Southern Maine Coast

Eliot

Piscataqua riverfront, the Green Acre Bahá'í School, and the cross-river view to Portsmouth's tugboats from Boat Basin Road.

Kennebec Valley

Fairfield

Kennebec River mill town across from Waterville - the Lawrence Public Library, Somerset Speedway, and Fairfield Antiques Mall.

Highlands

Glenburn

Pushaw Lake shoreline north of Bangor - Hirundo Wildlife Refuge trails and a quiet ice-fishing lake in winter.

Greater Portland

Gray

Maine Wildlife Park - rehabilitated moose, bears, and bald eagles on show - plus Dry Mills and Cranwell Preserve access.

Lakes & Mountains

Greene

Rural Androscoggin County farmland - Sabattus Pond's north shore, the old Greene Road covered-bridge marker, a quiet commute.

Highlands

Hermon

Bangor bedroom community - Hermon Pond, Riverside campground, and the gateway drive west toward Moosehead on Route 2.

Southern Maine Coast

Hollis

Tory Hill Meetinghouse historic district, Saco River float trips, and the old Hollis Fire Museum just up the road.

Lakes & Mountains

Jay

Androscoggin River papermill town - Jay-Livermore Chamber, Spruce Mountain, and the old Riley Dam pier.

Southern Maine Coast

Lebanon

Far southwestern Maine in the Salmon Falls Valley - Heath Pond fishing, the 1780 Lebanon Meetinghouse, and Granite State farms.

Highlands

Lincoln

Penobscot River lake chain, moose-and-fly-fishing country, and ATV access to the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

Lakes & Mountains

Lisbon

Moxie Festival every July - Maine's official soda - plus Worumbo mill ruins, Railroad Park, and the Androscoggin Greenway.

Southern Maine Coast

Lyman

Rural York County with Kennebunk Pond - Goat Hill Farm, tractor shows, and quiet drives along Old Alfred Road through farmland.

Kennebec Valley

Madison

Central Maine mill town - Skowhegan State Fair drive, Lake George Regional Park, and the Upper Kennebec's smallmouth bass.

Greater Portland

New Gloucester

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village - the last active Shaker community in the US - plus Pineland Farms pastures and cafes.

Highlands

Newport

Sebasticook Lake beach, Newport Village Historic District, and the Moosehead Trail drive north from I-95 up Route 7.

Southern Maine Coast

North Berwick

Hussey Seating Company hometown - Logan's Sub Shop whoopie pies and Mousam River paddling access on the back roads.

Lakes & Mountains

Norway

Oxford Hills village - the Norway-Paris Grange, Stephens Memorial Hospital, and the Butters Conservation Area on Norway Lake.

Kennebec Valley

Oakland

Messalonskee Lake beaches just west of Waterville - Cascade Park falls, Belgrade Lakes access, and walks at Memorial Park.

Lakes & Mountains

Oxford

Oxford Plains Speedway NASCAR night races, the Oxford Casino, and quick access to Shepard State Park on Thompson Lake.

Lakes & Mountains

Paris

Paris Hill's white-clapboard common - Hannibal Hamlin's hometown - plus McLaughlin Garden and Oxford Hills foliage drives.

Lakes & Mountains

Rumford

Androscoggin River mill town under Pennacook Falls - Mt. Zircon, Rumford Whitecaps, and Smallpox Island view from the bridge.

Lakes & Mountains

Sabattus

Sabattus Pond's shallow weedy shoreline - ice-fishing derbies, the Androscoggin County 4-H grounds, and cornfield drives.

Kennebec Valley

Sidney

Rural Kennebec Valley farmland - Sidney Drive-In Theatre, Messalonskee Lake access, and dairy herds along Route 27.

Southern Maine Coast

South Berwick

Sarah Orne Jewett's 18th-century home - Salmon Falls River corridor, Hamilton House, and Vaughan Woods state forest trails.

Lakes & Mountains

Standish

Northwest shore of Sebago Lake - Sebago Lake State Park's Songo Lock, Standish Corner's white church, quiet country roads.

Lakes & Mountains

Turner

Nezinscot River farmland - Turner Center Cemetery's old stones, Turner Ridge's long views, and the Turner Gorge swimming hole.

Kennebec Valley

Vassalboro

China Lake and Webber Pond beaches, Monmouth Academy's grounds, and Kennebec Highlands trails west of Augusta.

Midcoast Islands

Warren

Goose River oxbow and quiet country roads between Thomaston and Union - blueberry barrens and Georges River trail access.

Southern Maine Coast

Waterboro

Lake Arrowhead cottages - East Waterboro dairy farms, Ossipee Hill fire-tower trail, and access to the Saco River Valley.

Kennebec Valley

Windsor

Windsor Fair - one of Maine's oldest agricultural fairs - plus the Windsor Historical Museum and Sheepscot River headwaters.

Kennebec Valley

Winslow

Across the Kennebec from Waterville - Fort Halifax Park, the Head of Falls trail, and the Benton-Fairfield dam walking bridge.

Kennebec Valley

Winthrop

Cobbossee Lake beaches, the Winthrop Commercial Historic District, and the Wayne Road loop through apple and dairy country.

Midcoast Islands

Bowdoin

Rural Sagadahoc County farmland between Brunswick and Augusta - quiet side roads and the White Tail Farm Store on Route 125.

Aroostook County

Mars Hill

Aroostook wind-farm ridgeline - Big Rock ski area, the Potato Blossom Festival parade, and the first US spot to see sunrise.

Aroostook County

Portage Lake

Aroostook County lake country - bald-eagle spotting, summer camps, and snowmobile trail access to northern Maine wilderness.

Rugged coastline with a lighthouse under cloudy sky

Downeast & Acadia

Mount Desert

The quiet middle of Mount Desert Island: Northeast Harbor, Seal Harbor and Somesville, plus Jordan Pond and Somes Sound.

A black and white photo of a lighthouse on a rock

Downeast & Acadia

Tremont

The working end of Mount Desert Island: Bass Harbor, Bernard, and the most photographed lighthouse in Maine.

Downeast & Acadia

Trenton

The mainland gateway to Mount Desert Island: the causeway, the airport, and a run of lobster pounds on Route 3.

A bird flies over a rocky coastline with waves.

Downeast & Acadia

Winter Harbor

The Schoodic side of Acadia: the same granite coast as Mount Desert Island, with a fraction of the visitors.