Maine is great place to visit, but think carefully about the season you choose. Winter is cold, snowy, and dark but offers great opportunities for cold-weather sports, though many small businesses in tourist destinations will be closed. Spring is cool, with wildlife starting to venture out. Crowds are lighter, though seasonal businesses may still be closed (many open in April and May). Summer brings gorgeous weather and bigger crowds; June is often the worst month for black flies and mosquitoes. The bugs are better in July and August, but that’s also when the crowds are biggest. Fall in Maine is fantastic: the weather is cooler but still nice, the crowds lessen after Labor Day, and gorgeous fall foliage begins to color the state.

Itineraries

Eat & Drink

Havana

Havana serves American cuisine with heavy Northeastern and Cuban influences. The food is exceptional; everything we ordered was fantastic. The restaurant also boasts an excellent wine list and tasty cocktails. If you’re looking for a nice dinner in Bar Harbor, look no further.

Earth at Hidden Pond

Fantastic food and setting a short distance outside Kennebunkport – well worth the drive. Arguably the best food in the state of Maine.

Long Grain

Fantastic Thai food in Camden, Maine? You’d better believe it. Long Grain serves up excellent curries, stir fries, house-made noodles, and more.

Crooked Pine

An excellent choice for dining in Ogunquit, the Crooked Pine offers seating in its charming historic building or outside on its beautiful patio. The food is New England fare with French and Italian influences, and it’s all delicious.

The Barnacle

The Barnacle is our favorite bar in Bar Harbor. It offers excellent cocktails aside a great selection of local craft beer in a warm and welcoming downtown space.

Duckfat

Famous for its French fries (which are, not unexpectedly cooked in duck fat), Duckfat is worth the visit to try those alone. But its salads and paninis are also delicious. And if you like milkshakes, be sure to get one of those as well (the salted caramel was fantastic).

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Side Street Cafe

The Side Street Cafe has something for everyone. If you’re looking for a traditional Maine meal, their lobster dinners are tasty and reasonably priced. They also offer a wide selection of salads, sandwiches, and entrees, as well as interesting cocktails and local beers.

Fore Street Restaurant

Delectable American cuisine with New England influences crafted from locally sourced ingredients in a charming downtown space. Fore Street also offers tasty cocktails, local beers, and an impressive wine list.

Eventide Oyster Co.

If you want to try New England shellfish, Eventide Oyster Co. is the place to go. They offer delicious seafood and tasty cocktails, along with a raw bar and lobster rolls.

Mount Desert Island Ice Cream

We don’t hesitate to say that this is the best ice cream in Maine (and we tried a lot). Creative flavors and interesting combinations, all of which are delicious, make Mount Desert Island unique.

Blyth & Burrows

Swanky, romantic bar serving up inventive and incredibly tasty cocktails alongside small plates of food.

Rising Tide Brewing Company

Rising Tide makes a variety of interesting and delicious beers. Their tasting room also has great food; we had an excellent pizza with our beer flights.

The Portland Hunt + Alpine Club

The Portland Hunt + Alpine Club pours truly excellent cocktails (the best we found in Maine) alongside Scandinavian small plates.

Portland Beer Hub

The Portland Beer Hub offers an incredible selection of local beers. It’s a shop where you can pick up a bottle of a local favorite, or sit at the bar and order a draft or flight.

Holy Donut

Portland’s famous potato donut shop has been serving delicious and inventive pastries since 2012. Be sure to stop by for breakfast (or lunch or something) during your visit to Portland.

The Thirsty Pig

The Thirsty Pig offers tasty pub grub along with a great selection of local beers. The restaurant’s main attraction is its sausages, but its sandwiches are great, too.

Central Provisions

This restaurant is regularly listed as a top choice in Portland Maine. They serve local and seasonal fare. The food was good, not great in our opinion. It’s a solid option, but we weren’t dazzled as we were at some other Portland eateries.

Standard Baking Co

Really fantastic and inventive baked items. Everything from bread to rolls to flaky pastries. You can also grab a coffee here to go with your pastry.

Standard Baking Co.

The Standard Baking Co. is a great option for a light breakfast during your time in Portland. The pastries are delicious, their breads are great, and they offer tasty coffee and tea as well.

The Holy Donut

These donuts are fantastic and made from a mashed potato base (but it works, trust us). They come in many inventive flavors. They do seasonal flavors and if you’re visiting in the fall I have to put a plug in for their apple donut.

Bard Coffee

Our favorite coffee shop in Portland, Bard Coffee offers delicious coffee, tea, hot chocolate, lemonade, and more.

The Waterfront Restaurant

In a charming location overlooking Camden’s beautiful harbor, The Waterfront serves up tasty New England fare and seafood.

Vena’s Fizz House

Started as a spot to get deliciously crafted non-alcoholic beverages, Vena’s also offers an equally extensive menu of alcoholic cocktails. Whether you prefer cocktails or mocktails, you’re sure to find something tasty at this charming spot.

Maine Beer Company

The Maine Beer Company makes some of the best beer in the state (and it’s a crowded market, so that’s saying a lot). Their Freeport tasting room may be a little out of the way, but it offers samples of their excellent brews, tasty pizzas, salads, and more.

Thirsty Whale Tavern

This charming pub is a great option for drinks in Bar Harbor. It offers a full bar and a good selection of local craft brews, as well as tasty bar snacks.

The Shop by Island Creek Oysters

The shop is a seafood joint which cells oysters, caviar, and tinned seafood sprads. The oysters are cheap and come on large trays of ice with classic fixings.

Bramhall

A modern speakeasy with inventive cocktails, a huge selection of whiskey and rum, and a good wine and beer list. Also serves a good menu.

The Honey Paw

New England inspired Asian cuisine with a strong cocktail game.

Rose Foods

An upscale bagel shop, open for breakfast and lunch.

Chaval

A tapas restaurant with French and Spanish inspired tapas using seasonal ingredients. Also offers great cocktails and good wine list.

Atlantic Brewing

We weren’t impressed with Atlantic Brewing. The beer was uninteresting and sub-par. The food was fine, but nothing special. If you’d really like to visit a brewery while you’re in Bar Harbor, this is a fine option, but otherwise you can skip it.

Austin Street Brewery

If you love hazy IPAs, you’ll probably want to try Austin Street Brewery. We love hazy IPAs, but we still found their menu repetitive and a bit uninteresting, but the beer was still pretty good.

Blaze Brewing Company

This brewery offers interesting beer and tasty food. They have locations in Bar Harbor, Camden, Bangor, and Biddeford.

Scales

This restaurant is a mainstay in Portland, ME. It’s large with a huge bar, but offers great New England seafood and classic cocktails. Reservations strongly suggested.

Miyake

Miyake is a Japanese restaurant in downtown Portland. If you’re getting tired of New England cuisine, this is a great spot. It uses seasonal ingredients. Definitely try their take on a lobster roll wrapped in sushi rice.

Recommended Portland, ME Eateries

Food Eventide Oyster Co Duckfat Fore Street Central Provisions Honey Paw Scales Rose Foods Miyake Izakaya Minato Chaval The Shop by Island Creek Oysters Luke’s Lobster Standard Baking Company Holy Donut Tandem Bakery Drink (Breweries) Rising Tide Goodfire Shipyard Allagash Foulmouthed Austin Street Oxbow Lone Pine Bissell Brothers Drink (Non-breweries) Portland Hunt and Alpine Club […]

See

Nubble Lighthouse

This is perhaps the most scenic lighthouse among a state full of scenic lighthouses.

Victoria Mansion

This is a sumptuously decorated Italianate Mansion built between 1858 and 1860 which has large intact interiors from one of the most famous interior designers from New York. Get reservations for your tour in advance.

Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park

This picturesque lighthouse is only about a 20 minute drive from downtown Portland, and it’s a great introduction to Maine’s many lighthouses. The lighthouse on this site dates to around 1791, and a small museum houses exhibits on the history of the lighthouse and its keepers.

Portland Museum of Art

An impressive collection of works by famous artists from around the world, as well as some by local artists. The building was designed by I.M. Pei, and it includes an outdoor sculpture park.

Farnsworth Art Museum

Along the route of scenic coastal Maine, stop by this museum with a fantastic collection of three generations of Wyeths and other Maine artists.

Owls Head Lighthouse

Built in 1825, Owls Head Lighthouse overlooks spectacular Penobscot Bay, offering an incredible view of the seascape and islands. It’s well worth the short walk out to the lighthouse for the view. There’s also a small museum and gift shop.

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Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Observatory

The Penobscot Narrows, near where the Penobscot River flows into the Atlantic Ocean, were a strategically important site during early American Republic. An impressive fortification, Fort Knox, was built on the west bank of the Penobscot River to defend against a potential British naval assault.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

Built in 1827, Pemaquid Point Lighthouse stands guard over a craggy, rocky shoreline. Visitors can climb the tower and walk along the surrounding coast.

Wadsworth-Longfellow House

Built around 1786, the Wadsworth-Longfellow House was the home of one of New England’s most prominent families. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow grew up here. Today, it houses a museum containing numerous original items and artifacts, as well as the Maine Historical society.

Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse

Perched at the end of a breakwater about seven eighths of a mile long, Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is a picturesque lighthouse in Downeast Maine. To reach the lighthouse, you must walk the length of the breakwater, which can be treacherous during high tide and large swells.

Do

Bar Harbor Nature Cruise

A fantastic way to experience Acadia National Park’s natural beauty is to take a boat cruise. You’ll get stunning views of the park’s landscapes and an unparalleled opportunity to view wildlife, including bald eagles, cormorants, dolphins, seals, and more.

Camden Hills State Park

This park offers numerous hiking trails and a campground, but the main attraction is Mount Battie. You can hike or drive to the summit, which offers an incredible panoramic view of Penobscot Bay.

Ogunquit Marginal Way

This easy 1 1/4-mile walk boasts excellent views of Ogunquit’s dramatic shoreline. You’ll also see some of the beautiful hotels and homes along the city’s coast. It’s definitely worth taking the time to walk this path and take some photos of the waves crashing on the craggy shores.

Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park

This picturesque spot about half an hour northeast of Portland boasts beautiful nature walks along an estuary and rocky coast. If you’re lucky, you might see Ospreys gliding above or nesting among the trees.

Stay

Abigail’s Inn

Our favorite place we stayed in Maine, Abigail’s Inn is a charming bed and breakfast in an historic (built 1849) building. It combines the history and glamour of its historic roots while adding modern amenities and avoiding the frumpy, dated look of so many historic B&Bs. Hosts Kent and Dave are welcoming and extremely friendly, and they’ll provide comfortable lodgings and an excellent breakfast for their guests.

AC Hotel by Marriott Portland Downtown/Waterfront

A charming boutique this is not, but we think this Marriott property is a great option to stay in Portland. It’s clean and comfortable and has a nice bar with a surprisingly good happy hour. Most importantly for us, it’s in an excellent location and offers reasonable rates.