Destinations

Destinations in Maine

Maine destinations range from compact coastal villages to inland lake communities and city bases. Choose the kind of visit first: walking to meals, spending time on the beach, exploring museums or leaving town for a day outdoors. Then compare the places that put those plans within a workable route.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.