By some estimates, Maine has more than 3,000 miles of coastline. It is the most of any state in the lower 48. Given so much proximity to water, here are the best places to visit along the Pine Tree State’s seacoast in the summer.
Visiting Maine’s big cities and small towns
The Maine license plate has had the slogan Vacationland printed on it for the longest time. Considering that the state’s population swells nearly 20 times in summer — some 22 million tourists visit Maine each summer for vacation — that slogan makes sense.
Much of that vacationing occurs along the Maine coast. Before getting into the details of where along the coast you should visit, first get a primer on how Mainers describe their coastal areas. Starting in the far north, Down East Maine is where well-known towns like Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park are located. Why Down East? Sailors from the Canadian Maritimes used that term because they had to sail down east to reach Maine.
Just below there, you have the Midcoast of Maine. The Midcoast catchment area includes well-known coastal towns of Rockport, Rockland, Camden and Boothbay Harbor, plus Brunswick, home of Bowdoin College and Maine State Music Theatre.
Go further south, and you’ll be in Portland, Maine. Then, the remaining parts of the state to the New Hampshire border are referred to as the Maine seacoast. That’s where you’ll find most of the beach communities.
Best places to visit in Maine
If you’re planning a summer vacation in Maine this year, here are some of the best places to visit along the coast. These are places where you can spend a day at the beach soaking up the sun, as well as coastal towns where you can soak in arts and culture and everything in between.
Rockland and Camden, Maine
If you’re looking for quintessentially New England towns, Rockland and Camden are it. Rockland calls itself the art capital of Maine. That’s partially because of the Farnsworth Art Museum, located right in downtown. It has an extensive collection of Wyeth paintings from Jamie, Andrew and N.C. Wyeth, who lived nearby at one time.
Camden is about eight miles north of Rockland. Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant’s Table recently returned from Camden, and can’t wait to go back. “It’s full of lovely little restaurants and boutique shops and some of the prettiest architecture I’ve seen along the coast,” she recalled.
Freeport, Maine
Freeport is a shopping mecca of sorts. That’s because it’s where L.L. Bean is headquartered. The flagship store now encompasses more than 200,000 square feet across multiple buildings on Main Street in Freeport. Some 3 million people shop there every year. The store is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So, if the shopping bug hits in the middle of the night, L.L. Bean will be open to help with your retail therapy.
Also, in the summer, L.L. Bean sponsors events in the park adjacent to its retail campus. This includes free concerts, yoga in the park and outdoor movies.
Portland, Maine
When visiting Portland, you’d better come hungry. That’s because the Old Port section of the city, still a working waterfront with fishermen coming and going all day, is filled with restaurants worth saving your appetite for. They range from lobster shacks literally situated on the city’s piers — Luke’s Lobster has great outdoor seating and a very good lobster roll — to high-end eateries like Eventide. The typical wait for a table is one-plus hours, but it’s worth it. Also within walking distance are the Portland Museum of Art and Merrill Auditorium if you’re looking to pair your eating with some culture.
Ogunquit, Maine
When it comes to summer stock theater, there is the aforementioned Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick, and then there is the Ogunquit Playhouse. Since 1937, the Ogunquit Playhouse, which is on the National Historic Register, has put on Broadway musicals of all stripes. The 2024 season includes “A Little Night Music” as well as “Little Shop of Horrors.”
While in Ogunquit, you must take a walk along the Marginal Way. This is a cliff walk of sorts, with the Gulf of Maine below you on one side and majestic homes above you on the other side. It’s a short hike, only about a mile long, but worth setting aside time to do. If you time your visit with low tide, you can walk down to Little Beach. That spit of sand disappears once the tide comes back in, so pay attention to the time. You have about six hours between low tide and high tide.
Getting to Maine
There’s an old saying in Maine: “You can’t get there from here.” You can drive to Maine via Interstate 95. And if you keep going, you’ll reach the highway’s terminus at the border of Canada in Houlton, Maine. Even so, it is the single interstate highway in the entire state. There is one spur around Portland that will take you to Freeport and Brunswick. So, unless you’re planning a road trip to a location along I-95, you’ll be taking slow, local roads, especially along the coast.
You can fly to Maine and rent a car. The only international airport in southern Maine is the Portland International Jetport.
Perhaps a better option is taking the train from Boston. The Amtrak Downeaster stops at popular towns along the Maine coast. This includes:
- Wells
- Saco
- Old Orchard Beach
- Portland
- Freeport
- Brunswick
Traveling with children
If you’re visiting with children, they’ll love the train option. Get off at Old Orchard Beach if you want something reminiscent of beach towns of yore. Old Orchard has a boardwalk, amusement park and large arcades, plus kitschy shops and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. It also has some of the prettiest white sand beaches in the state. Most Maine beaches are rocky.
Or continue on the train to Portland. You’ll be able to walk to the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, which is adjacent to the Portland train station. Note: the city is considering moving the train station closer to Old Port in the future.
Final thoughts
When visiting Maine in the summer, the weather will likely feel warm enough to go swimming in the ocean. However, the Gulf of Maine may not cooperate. Typically, the water isn’t warm enough to go in until late July or early August, especially if it’s been a chilly, rainy summer. So bring a sweater and maybe a rain slicker, just in case. But also pack your sunscreen.
This article originally appeared on Food Drink Life.