Midcoast Islands
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.
Portland & Casco Bay
Portland
Maine's largest city - a working waterfront, Old Port cobblestones, and a food scene that punches well above its weight.
Bath
Shipbuilding heart of Maine since 1743 - Bath Iron Works still launches destroyers past the Maine Maritime Museum on the Kennebec.
Boothbay Harbor
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, lobster-boat cruises, and a walkable harbor that lights up with half a million twinkle lights in winter.
Camden
Where the mountains meet the sea - windjammer harbor, Mount Battie summit views, and an independent village with real soul.
Freeport
Flagship home of L.L. Bean, open 24/7 - outlets, a tidal river, and surprisingly good eating between the shopping.
Kennebunk
Postcard-perfect village of sea captains' mansions, Lower Village shops, and easy walks to Mother's Beach and Gooch's Beach.
Ogunquit
Three miles of sand, the Marginal Way clifftop walk, and Perkins Cove's galleries - southern Maine at its most photogenic.
Downeast & Acadia
Bethel
Sunday River skiing in winter, the Mahoosuc Range in summer - an all-season White Mountain foothills base camp.
Kennebec Valley
Brunswick
Bowdoin College green, a restored Federal-era Main Street, and the Harpswell peninsulas for lobster rolls a short drive away.
Cape Elizabeth
Home of Portland Head Light - Maine's oldest lighthouse - plus Two Lights State Park and the beach at Crescent State Park.
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.
Rockland
Wyeth country - the Farnsworth Art Museum, a working lobster fleet, and August's legendary Maine Lobster Festival on the harbor.
Wells
Four miles of quiet beach, working lobster wharves, and a wildlife reserve where sandpipers still outnumber tourists.
York
Nubble Light, Long Sands Beach, and the oldest English-chartered town north of Virginia - history with salt air and a carousel.
Bangor
Hub of eastern Maine - Stephen King's hometown, a riverfront reinvention, and your jumping-off point for Moosehead and Acadia.
Belfast
An artsy midcoast comeback - working waterfront, the Belfast & Moosehead rail trail, and one of Maine's walkable downtowns.
Biddeford
Reviving mill-town food scene in the Pepperell Mill - Elda, Biscuits & Co., and the Pool beaches five minutes away.
Bucksport
The Penobscot Narrows Observatory tower, the Fort Knox granite fortress, and the gateway drive to Acadia from the north.
Damariscotta
Oyster country of the Pemaquid peninsula - Edgecomb Potters, Main Street mica, and some of the best raw bars in the state.
Ellsworth
Gateway to Acadia - Main Street's shopping strip, the Colonel Black Mansion, and the scenic Union River dam walk.
Kittery
Maine's southern gateway - Kittery Trading Post, the outlet strip, and Kittery Point lobster shacks Bourdain put on the map.
New Harbor
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse - Maine's most-photographed - plus Shaw's lobster wharf and Rachel Carson's former writing desk.
Peaks Island
A 17-minute Casco Bay ferry ride from Portland - golf-cart rides, art studios, and a Civil War-era fort on the shore.
Saco
Funtown Splashtown, Ferry Beach's maritime pine forest, and a tidy Main Street connecting downtown to the ocean.
Scarborough
Seven miles of barrier beaches, the Scarborough Marsh Audubon preserve, and Pine Point's lobster shacks minutes from Portland.
Vinalhaven
Island ferry from Rockland - granite quarries you can swim in, lobster pounds, and a windswept Fox Islands Thoroughfare.
Augusta
Maine's state capital on the Kennebec - the gold-domed Statehouse, Blaine House, and the Pine Tree State Arboretum trails.
Bridgton
Sebago Lakes region hub - Shawnee Peak skiing, Highland Lake beaches, and the drive-in movie theater running since 1954.
Cape Neddick
Home of the Nubble - Cape Neddick Light on its rocky island - plus Short Sands Beach just around the point.
Cumberland
Quiet agricultural suburb north of Portland - the Cumberland County Fair in September still runs tractor pulls and pie tables.
Falmouth
Upscale Portland suburb on Casco Bay - Gilsland Farm Audubon, the Town Landing Market deli, and Mackworth Island walks.
Fryeburg
The Fryeburg Fair every October - largest in New England - plus Mount Chocorua hikes and Saco River paddling all summer long.
Harpswell
Three long peninsulas of lobster shacks, tidal coves, and the Basin - Maine's most southerly fjord - south of Brunswick.
North Haven
Rockland-ferry island of summer cottages and working lobster crews - quieter than Vinalhaven and barely changed in decades.
Orono
Flagship University of Maine campus - Black Bears hockey, the Hudson Museum's Indigenous collections, and Orono Bog Boardwalk.
Presque Isle
Aroostook County's commercial heart - potato country, the University of Maine's northern campus, and Aroostook State Park.
Rockport
Camden's quieter neighbor - Rockport Harbor, the Maine Media Workshops, and Motif No. 1 a few miles up the coast.
Sanford
Mill-town comeback on the Mousam River - Goodall Park baseball, Heritage Crossing, and the Cirque du Soleil training grounds.
Sebago Lake
Maine's second-largest lake - drinking water for Portland, sandy beaches at Sebago Lake State Park, summer camp country.
Waterville
Colby College's hilltop campus, the Colby Museum's sprawling collection, and the Paul J. Schupf Art Center on Main Street.
Yarmouth
Home of the world's largest rotating globe at DeLorme, a walkable Main Street, and the long-running Yarmouth Clam Festival.
Auburn
Twin-city of Lewiston - Pettengill Park, the Androscoggin River Greenway, and Mount Apatite's tourmaline-flecked trails.
Belgrade Lakes Region
Seven chain lakes where 'On Golden Pond' was filmed - loon calls, camp meals, and lazy canoe mornings off Route 27.
Brewer
Across the river from Bangor - Chamberlain Freedom Park, the Waterfront trail, and Riverside Park overlooking downtown.
Caribou
Aroostook County potato country - Nylander Museum, the Caribou Country Club, and snowmobile trails all winter long.
Farmington
University of Maine at Farmington, the annual Farmington Fair, and the drive up Route 27 to Sugarloaf ski country.
Gardiner
Kennebec mill town - Johnson Hall Opera House, the Gardiner Common, and Pine Tree Camp grounds for youth programs.
Gorham
University of Southern Maine hilltop campus, Shaw Park's waterfall, and Narragansett-2 Beach on nearby Little Sebago.
Hallowell
Antique-shop row on Water Street, the Hallowell granite quarry, and the Kennebec River rail trail north toward Augusta.
Hampden
South of Bangor on the Penobscot - Leonard's Mills Living History Museum, Hampden Academy, and riverfront park access.
Houlton
Northern I-95 terminus on the New Brunswick border - Market Square, Monument Park, and the Meduxnekeag River paddle trail.
Lewiston
Twin-city of Auburn on the Androscoggin - Bates College, Kennedy Park, and Maine's most vibrant Somali-American community.
Old Town
Old Town Canoe's birthplace on the Penobscot - the Indian Island tribal reservation and access to the Penobscot Experience.
Poland
Poland Spring bottling country - Ricker Hill Orchards, the former Poland Spring Resort museum, and Range Pond State Park.
Raymond
Tassel Top Beach on Sebago Lake, the Hawthorne House museum, and Crescent Beach Club - classic Maine cottage country.
Skowhegan
Skowhegan State Fair - America's oldest - the Margaret Chase Smith Library, and the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture.
Topsham
Brunswick's across-the-river twin - Androscoggin riverfront trails, Topsham Fair Mall, and the Coombs Road antique loop.
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.
Westbrook
Portland's working-class neighbor on the Presumpscot - Rock Row concerts, Saccarappa Park falls, and the Stroudwater Preserve.
Windham
Little Sebago Lake beaches, the Mountain Division rail trail, and a suburban hub between Portland and Sebago Lake State Park.
Arundel
Between Kennebunkport and Biddeford - Arundel Barn Playhouse, the Kennebunk River paddle, and antique-shop row on Route 1.
Berwick
Salmon Falls River mill town, the Berwick Academy prep school, and quiet country drives into the Great Works River marsh.
Buxton
Bonny Eagle Dam lake, Pleasant Point Park, and quick access to Portland and Sebago Lake from Route 202 westbound.
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.
Durham
Royal River Conservation District lands, Runaround Pond Preserve, and Freeport-border quarry swimming holes locals protect.
Eliot
Piscataqua riverfront, the Green Acre Bahá'à School, and the cross-river view to Portsmouth's tugboats from Boat Basin Road.
Fairfield
Kennebec River mill town across from Waterville - the Lawrence Public Library, Somerset Speedway, and Fairfield Antiques Mall.
Glenburn
Pushaw Lake shoreline north of Bangor - Hirundo Wildlife Refuge trails and a quiet ice-fishing lake in winter.
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.
Hermon
Bangor bedroom community - Hermon Pond, Riverside campground, and the gateway drive west toward Moosehead on Route 2.
Hollis
Tory Hill Meetinghouse historic district, Saco River float trips, and the old Hollis Fire Museum just up the road.
Jay
Androscoggin River papermill town - Jay-Livermore Chamber, Spruce Mountain, and the old Riley Dam pier.
Lebanon
Far southwestern Maine in the Salmon Falls Valley - Heath Pond fishing, the 1780 Lebanon Meetinghouse, and Granite State farms.
Lincoln
Penobscot River lake chain, moose-and-fly-fishing country, and ATV access to the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
Lisbon
Moxie Festival every July - Maine's official soda - plus Worumbo mill ruins, Railroad Park, and the Androscoggin Greenway.
Lyman
Rural York County with Kennebunk Pond - Goat Hill Farm, tractor shows, and quiet drives along Old Alfred Road through farmland.
Madison
Central Maine mill town - Skowhegan State Fair drive, Lake George Regional Park, and the Upper Kennebec's smallmouth bass.
New Gloucester
Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village - the last active Shaker community in the US - plus Pineland Farms pastures and cafes.
Newport
Sebasticook Lake beach, Newport Village Historic District, and the Moosehead Trail drive north from I-95 up Route 7.
North Berwick
Hussey Seating Company hometown - Logan's Sub Shop whoopie pies and Mousam River paddling access on the back roads.
Norway
Oxford Hills village - the Norway-Paris Grange, Stephens Memorial Hospital, and the Butters Conservation Area on Norway Lake.
Oakland
Messalonskee Lake beaches just west of Waterville - Cascade Park falls, Belgrade Lakes access, and walks at Memorial Park.
Oxford
Oxford Plains Speedway NASCAR night races, the Oxford Casino, and quick access to Shepard State Park on Thompson Lake.
Paris
Paris Hill's white-clapboard common - Hannibal Hamlin's hometown - plus McLaughlin Garden and Oxford Hills foliage drives.
Rumford
Androscoggin River mill town under Pennacook Falls - Mt. Zircon, Rumford Whitecaps, and Smallpox Island view from the bridge.
Sabattus
Sabattus Pond's shallow weedy shoreline - ice-fishing derbies, the Androscoggin County 4-H grounds, and cornfield drives.
Sidney
Rural Kennebec Valley farmland - Sidney Drive-In Theatre, Messalonskee Lake access, and dairy herds along Route 27.
South Berwick
Sarah Orne Jewett's 18th-century home - Salmon Falls River corridor, Hamilton House, and Vaughan Woods state forest trails.
Standish
Northwest shore of Sebago Lake - Sebago Lake State Park's Songo Lock, Standish Corner's white church, quiet country roads.
Turner
Nezinscot River farmland - Turner Center Cemetery's old stones, Turner Ridge's long views, and the Turner Gorge swimming hole.
Vassalboro
China Lake and Webber Pond beaches, Monmouth Academy's grounds, and Kennebec Highlands trails west of Augusta.
Warren
Goose River oxbow and quiet country roads between Thomaston and Union - blueberry barrens and Georges River trail access.
Waterboro
Lake Arrowhead cottages - East Waterboro dairy farms, Ossipee Hill fire-tower trail, and access to the Saco River Valley.
Windsor
Windsor Fair - one of Maine's oldest agricultural fairs - plus the Windsor Historical Museum and Sheepscot River headwaters.
Winslow
Across the Kennebec from Waterville - Fort Halifax Park, the Head of Falls trail, and the Benton-Fairfield dam walking bridge.
Winthrop
Cobbossee Lake beaches, the Winthrop Commercial Historic District, and the Wayne Road loop through apple and dairy country.
Bowdoin
Rural Sagadahoc County farmland between Brunswick and Augusta - quiet side roads and the White Tail Farm Store on Route 125.
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.
