Attractions in Maine may lay claim to more famous pictures than most states. When you think of that part of New England, images of fully rigged Windjammers, waves crashing against rocky shorelines, fishing harbours brimming with brightly coloured boats, lighthouses, and tall pine trees quickly come to mind.
The countless kilometres of moose-inhabited backcountry possess their own allure, conjuring visions of a lone canoe just riffling the mirror-like surface of a lake surrounded by forest or rainbow trout leaping from clear waterways.
Maine is amazing because it doesn’t let down visitors who come with these romantic expectations. From York to Quoddy Head, lighthouses stand atop the points, and in between are numerous quaint fishing harbours and miles and miles of rocky, wave-battered shore.
Windjammers tangle between the fir-covered islands just offshore, and lobster boats scurry between brightly painted lobster buoys to haul traps.
10 Top Attractions and Places for Travelers in Maine
But not all of Maine’s attractions are depicted in famous pictures. With its museums, gorgeous gardens, art heritage, historic sites, outdoor activities, and natural wonders, you have a wide variety of things to do while on vacation in Maine. Our list of the top attractions in Maine will help you find the greatest locations to visit.
1. Acadia National Park & Mount Desert Island
Acadia National Park’s untamed and stunning coastline encircles a sizable inland region that is home to lakes, streams, and forests. It offers a playground for residents and guests that enjoy being outside. The ideal way to explore the park by driving is to take the picturesque Park Loop Road, which winds its way around the principal sights.
While bikers and pedestrians can follow the network of dirt carriage roads, which are a component of the more than 100 miles of hiking paths for all skill levels, the convenient Island Explorer buses also connect the various attractions. There are routes leading up to Cadillac Mountain, the park’s tallest mountain at 1,530 feet, from where you can see the coast and islands.
The stunning chasm of Thunder Hole and Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse are two more features of the park. Further north, on the Schoodic Peninsula, there is a second, less-frequented area of Acadia National Park where there are more hiking routes, coastal views, and kayaking options. The park has a number of picnic spaces and two sizable campgrounds.
2. The Old Port and Portland Head Lighthouse
Portland, the largest city in Maine, receives a lot of visitors who always go straight to the Old Port, the city’s harbour area. They might locate a cruise ship there or see the tall masts of a sailing ship there, as Portland is still a bustling port, complete with fishing boats, busy docks, and seafood restaurants. The brick and stone structures that supported one of the busiest ports on the East Coast from colonial times through the 19th century line the winding alleys that rise from Commercial Street, which is located dockside.
If you arrive early enough, you can watch the fishing boats unload and local cooks pick the menu at the city’s restaurants while shopping for nautical trinkets in a ships’ chandlery and dining on seafood on the dock. You’ll find Fore Street parallel to Commercial.
3. Marginal Way and Ogunquit Beaches
A lovely route to view the rocky shoreline and its pounding surf is along the paved walking path that runs down the shore from Ogunquit’s long sandy beach to Perkins Cove. Small sandy coves that provide a more private beach experience than Ogunquit Beach, one of the busiest beaches in Maine, can be found among the rocky cliffs. From April to October, the path travels about a mile and a half to the picturesque Perkins Cove wharves and is exclusively open to pedestrians (no bikes, no pets).
A narrow peninsula here protects a tiny harbour, providing a sanctuary for small boats. Initially a tiny fishing port, the harbour is now surrounded with eateries and boutiques, today the harbor is overlooked by restaurants and small shops, but you’ll still see plenty of fishing boats.
4. Pemaquid Point Light
Mid-Coast Maine’s Pemaquid Point is home to one of Maine’s most recognisable lighthouses, which is so well-known that it was selected as the design for the state’s quarter currency. It was constructed in 1835, and the brick sound signal house, keeper’s cottage, and light tower have all been maintained. The odd striped metamorphic rock formations in the ledges below heighten the dramatic setting.
The Fisherman’s Museum, which is housed in the keeper’s hut and features captains’ logs, models, dioramas, photos, artefacts, and details on the shipwrecks off this point, preserves the region’s rich fishing legacy. The picturesque point is a well-liked location for picnics.
5. Old Orchard Beach
Old Orchard Beach is a proudly traditional beach town that takes pride in the slightly gaudy honky-tonk vibe of its pier and thrill rides at New England’s sole remaining full-scale beachside amusement park. So take off your shoes, relive the summertime joy of the 1950s, and indulge your nostalgia.
Palace Playland contains all the typical family-friendly rides, including a Ferris wheel that is directly over the waves, a roller coaster, a vintage carousel, bumper cars, and perhaps a dozen more. Fries, soft ice cream, saltwater taffy, and fried dough are offered from pier stands and storefronts on the sidewalk.
The seven miles of free public access golden sand beach are the pinnacle of all of this. There is no beach cleaner than this one because volunteers sweep the sands every night.
6. Wiscasset
Driving to the northern Maine Coast will take you via Wiscasset’s orderly centre. There is no way around the well-known bottleneck on Route 1 if you’re going to Boothbay Harbor or other coastal destinations north. However, Wiscasset is definitely worth the detour to see its historic homes, peruse the art galleries, and shop at the antique stores.
The Nickels-Sortwell House, one of New England’s finest Federal mansions, sits above the main thoroughfare, Route 1. It has been wonderfully restored, with antiques, works of art, and decorative elements from the era filling the rooms. To their original layout and vegetation, the gardens are currently being renovated.
7. Bowdoin College Museum of Art
On the grounds of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, the museum’s permanent collection of more than 20,000 works includes everything from ancient Greek ceramics and a Fra Angelico painting from the 15th century to 17th-century New England furniture and Charles Eames mid-century modern furniture.
The collections include numerous pieces by Rockwell Kent, Gilbert Stuart, John Singleton Copley, Maurice Prendergast, as well as those by Bierstadt, Inness, Eakins, and Corot. This cultural centre is active throughout the year with a variety of rotating temporary exhibits, gallery talks, tours, and lectures.
8. Victoria Mansion, Portland
The magnificent Victoria Mansion was constructed in the middle of the 19th century in the Italian style. It is one of the most opulently adorned mid-Victorian residences in the nation, with painted walls and ceilings and intricately carved woodwork. The architecture and interior decorations are stunning. Together with the home itself, the majority of the furniture give an impression of how affluent Portlanders lived in the years prior to the Civil War.
While there are numerous historic mansions in Maine that you can see, reflecting various time periods and way of life from the colonial era onward, Victoria Mansion provides an unmatched representation of Victorian art and culture.
9. Monhegan Island
The small island of Monhegan, which is 10 miles off the coast of Maine, is one of numerous inhabited coastal islands, yet it has grown to become famous through time. This is mostly because of its lengthy history as an artists’ colony and the numerous anecdotes of its resilient residents and their life on this storm-battered enclave.
The 75 year-round residents of the island work primarily in fishing and lobstering and there are no automobiles or paved roads there. Visitors can make day trips to the island during the summer from Boothbay Harbor, New Harbor, and Port Clyde, although they will only spend three to four hours there.
10. Portland Museum of Art & Winslow Homer Studio
The impressive holdings at the Portland Museum of Art stretch far beyond the typical paintings by local artists like Winslow Homer, Rockwell Kent, and the Wyeths. Over 18,000 works of fine and decorative art by artists including Monet, Degas, Picasso, Warhol, Sargent, Whistler, Mary Cassatt, Gilbert Stuart, Joshua Reynolds, Alexander Calder, George Bellows, and Edward Hopper are included. These items date from the 1700s onward.
The museum hosts seasonal, roving, and temporary exhibitions as well. A historic home that was once occupied by a well-known Portland family is attached to the museum and features exceptional examples of period furniture, artwork, and decorative accents.
