More Ways to Explore in Maine

Ways to Explore Maine

Maine rewards the curious. This is far from a complete list — just a beautiful place to begin planning the kind of day you'll remember long after you've gone home. Ask us anytime; we're glad to help you build the perfect itinerary.

Art, History & the Stage

Spend a morning with the American and European masters at the Portland Museum of Art — Maine's oldest, and home to Winslow Homer's restored studio. Step into the Gilded Age at Victoria Mansion, one of the finest Victorian restorations in the country, or tour the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, birthplace of Portland's own beloved poet. In the evening, take in a production at the storied Ogunquit Playhouse or Portland Stage.

On the Water

Maine is meant to be seen from the sea. Board a Casco Bay Lines ferry to Peaks Island for an afternoon of biking and a harborside lunch, or set sail aboard a historic Windjammer tall ship. For quieter water, paddle the Saco River with Saco River Canoe & Kayak in Fryeburg. And with photographers in mind, southern Maine's lighthouses — Portland Head among them — are all an easy drive away.

Coast & Countryside

Walk barefoot along one of southern Maine's fine sandy beaches, or take in Casco Bay from the Eastern Promenade Trail and the perimeter path on Mackworth Island. For stillness, the Wells Reserve and Maine Audubon's Gilsland Farm offer some of the loveliest quiet in the region.

Tastes & Treasures

Browse the year-round Portland Farmers' Market — named among the country's best — for locally harvested fare. Wander the boutiques of Portland's Old Port, or make the pilgrimage to the L.L. Bean flagship in Freeport, which never closes. Ever.

A View from Above

For something unforgettable, see the coast from a hot air balloon with Balloons Over New England, with flights near Kennebunkport.

• On your way to Freeport to visit LL Bean? You must stop and check out the world's largest revolving globe, at the headquarters of map maker DeLorme in Yarmouth, Maine.

• View the outstanding collection of American and European paintings and other works at the Portland Museum of Art: Maine's largest and oldest public art museum. Winslow Homer's restored studio is the museum's most exciting recent addition.
• See Maine in a unique way: from a hot air balloon! Balloons Over New England has flights available near Kennebunkport.
• Paddle the quiet waters of the Saco River with Saco River Canoe and Kayak in Fryeburg, Maine.
• Pick a winning harness racing ticket at Scarborough Downs late March through mid-December.
• Take in a spectacular star show or laser light display at the University of Southern Maine's Southworth Planetarium in Portland.
• Shop 'til you drop at the outlet stores in Kittery or Freeport or explore the unique boutiques in Portland's Old Port, and don't miss the L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport, Maine: It never closes. Ever.
• A perfect rainy day activity for kids of all ages. Spend the day at the Children's Museum of Maine in Portland, where hands-on exhibits--including a lobster boat, space shuttle, and tidepool touch tank--will fascinate and entertain them.
• Step back into the Victorian Age on a guided tour of the beautifully furnished Victoria Mansion in Portland, open May through October and for special holiday tours in December. The mansion is one of the best examples of Victorian restoration there is.
• Take a walk along Casco Bay on the Eastern Promenade Trail, or walk the one-mile perimeter trail on Mackworth Island, offering views of Portland and the islands of Casco Bay.
• Cheer on sports teams including the Portland Pirates hockey team at the Cumberland County Civic Center or the Red Sox farm team, the Portland Sea Dogs baseball team at Hadlock Field or the Boston Celtics D-League team, the Maine Red Claws basketball team at the Portland Exposition Building.
• Explore an old 18th-century fort such as Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth, Fort McClary in Kittery, or Fort Popham in Phippsburg (near Bath).
• Enjoy quality theater productions at John Lane's Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Portland Stage in Portland or The Portland Players, also in Portland.
• Tour the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, the birthplace of influential poet and famous Portland son Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
• Maine has over 3500 miles of coastline but only a few sandy beaches. Take time to walk barefoot along one of the fine sandy beaches in southern Maine.
• Make our islands one of your destinations. Our favorite is to take a Casco Bay Lines short trip over to Peaks Island and spend a few hours biking around the island and following up the fresh air with a nice lunch and pint of Guinness. Or try a scenic cruise, or, for a real taste of Maine, book passage aboard a two-hour Windjammer voyage aboard a historic tall sailing ship.
• See a life-size chocolate moose and indulge your sweet tooth at Len Libby Chocolates in Scarborough, Maine. Imagine that, 1700 lbs of pure indulgence in the shape of a moose.
• Get back to nature in one of the beautiful parks or nature preserves in southern Maine, such as the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve in Wells or the Maine Audubon Society's Gilsland Farm in Falmouth or Scarborough Marsh in Scarborough.
• Peruse the year-round Portland Farmers' Market, named one of the top 10 markets in the country, for locally harvested and produced foods.
• Experience an odd natural phenomenon at Freeport's Desert of Maine, a 40-acre natural desert.
• Learn a bit about regional history at one of southern Maine's many museums, including the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath or the Museums of Old York in York.