Best Places to Visit in Maine
Bar Harbor / Acadia National Park – Undeniable beauty and more tourists than you can count if you go in July or August. The best time to visit, as the ocean water is too cold for swimming, would be June, September and October. In June, you may find some insects that want you to give them a blood transfusion, so you need to carry plenty of insect repellent. You will always want to bring layers of clothing; weather on the coast of Maine can fluctuate dramatically in ten minutes, so be prepared. Oh, you should know that it is illegal to remove rocks from the National Park. That sounds strange, but when you see these smooth round granite rocks, you will think about how great they would look as a doorstop or in your flower gardens and maybe think about putting one or two in your pocket. Believe me, Guardians have eyes everywhere.
Moosehead Lake in central / northern Maine is the largest lake in Maine and much of it has no houses or campgrounds. If you have a boat, there are several places to put it on the water in Greenville, Greenville Jct, and Rockwood. You will discover secluded coves and, occasionally, some with a beach. Fishing is good around the lake and there are many islands to explore. If the sign says stay away, the owners are serious. My favorite time to spend time in Moosehead is August. There are places where you can rent cabins and if you can afford it, you should. You will be so relaxed by the end of the week that you will need to use jumper cables to ignite your heart in the morning.
Old Canada Road in western Maine is a national scenic byway that offers glorious scenery. There is a high chance of seeing elk and white-tailed deer in this area, and an even higher chance of seeing loaded logging trucks taking up most of the trail. In Forks, look for signs to go to Moxie Falls; you won’t want to miss one of the tallest and most beautiful natural waterfalls in Maine.
Orono is a very cool city thanks to the University of Maine. It’s always fun to drive around campus, and if you attended UMO, you’ll have a great case of homesickness. Downtown Orono offers great places to eat; my favorites are Pat’s Pizza, Margaritas and Bear’s Den. The Bear’s Den is a sports pub that offers excellent food and hand-brewed beer.
The Old Port of Portland is a place of entertainment at any time of the year. So many pubs, shops, restaurants and cafes. It’s very cold by the water, so dress warmly. If you are a people watcher like me, you may never leave!
Eastport is a fascinating place that many people don’t venture to because it is a long haul. Eastport and Lubec are the easternmost cities in the US And it’s almost like stepping back in time. I don’t mean to say that people are the other way around, they certainly aren’t, but it’s like the entire Maine coastline was 30 years ago; unpretentious, cheap and friendly people. Real estate prices show it too.
Baxter State Park is a great wilderness area that a former governor, Percival Baxter, gave to the people of Maine and part of that exchange was that it would always stay wild. Don’t try to go to the park with your caravan without calling first; the roads are very narrow and if your caravan is too long you will not be allowed to enter. Baxter State Park surrounds Maine’s tallest mountain – Mt. Katahdin, which is also the end point of the Appalachian Trail, which begins in Georgia. There are numerous hiking trails to the many mountains you can climb here in the park and you are likely to see moose many times in a single day. It is a wild and wonderful place. Thank you Governor Baxter!
Here are just seven highlights of the state, and there are many more!