~ Top 10 Places to visit in Maine, USA ~

[MysteRy]

Top 10 Places to visit in Maine, USA

With Canada immediately to the north and New Hampshire to the south, Maine is the northernmost east coast state of the USA. Never overlook Maine, with its dramatic glacial coastline dotted with islands and inlets, rich history and small, beautiful towns. Much of the state is farther north than Montreal and Nova Scotia but it has a great summer climate. The temperatures in summer range from the high sixties to the low eighties; with snow in winter but not the numbing extremes you might expect. This is wilderness country with wide open spaces to be embraced and enjoyed away from the crowds.


1. Acadia National Park   



Some two million people visit this superb park each year, following in the footsteps of the Wabanaki peoples, who first settled here before the Europeans came here in the seventeen hundreds. The park offers breathtaking views of the Gulf of Maine and the scores of pretty islands in the bays surrounding the main Mount Desert island. The generosity of the Rockerfellers provided some fifty miles of carriage trails ... though these days, people are encouraged to go car free and so these are designated for walking, cycling and shuttle buses. There are over 73 square miles of protected landscape here and 120 miles of walking trials, through diverse woodlands, the sea and the highest mountains on the Atlantic coast. Some forty species of mammals live here on the land, including black bears, moose, coyotes, beaver and bobcats. You can hike over the granite massives, sunbathe on Sand Beach and enjoy the seventeen stone bridges that cross creeks and waterfalls. Simply a great park, it is only seventeen miles south of Ellsworth on route 3.

[MysteRy]

2. Desert of Maine, Freeport   



An incredible phenomenon, this glacial desert covers some forty acres in fine silt amidst the pines. It may look like sand, but this isn't a beach. This isn't a natural desert; it was formed when a family farmed it too extensively in the late 1700s, eroding all the top soil to the silt below. There is a barn from the 1780s full of antique farm equipment and a gift shop, and you can ride an open-sided bus trailer around the site. There's loads to do for all the family including a treasure hunt for the kids amid the sand. There is also a campground here designed to suit families, so you can extend your stay. The desert is just outside of the town of Freeport, about three and a half miles south west.

[MysteRy]

3. Old Fort Western, Augusta   



This is the oldest wooden fort in the USA, having been built in 1754.  This colonial outpost, once manned by James Howard's garrison is at the head of the Kennebec River in Augusta and it gives a great insight into how the frontiersmen lived in the early days in the mid eighteenth century. Now serving as a museum since the 1920s, this dominating 100 foot long building complex has been a British fort and then a trading post, and was Benedict Arnolds base for the assault againt Quebec. Only a mile from the state capitol, the fort had an incredible position on the river front and the exterior and interior furnishings are superbly preserved. You don't need to pre book and the admission charges are a very reasonable $6 for walk-in visits each afternoon in the summer and less for the children.

[MysteRy]

4. Old Orchard Beach   



When you're looking for a seaside town that takes you back to your childhood days, you can't beat Old Orchard Beach for charm. With a wooden pier, clam shacks, great little shops and an amusement park this 'garden by the sea' has been popular since the 1630s with summer visitors. The oldest carousel in the USA, the Noah's Ark, was first opened here and the amusement arena of Palace Playland still thrives and has a wonderful ferris wheel. On the wooden pier, the casino has played host in the past to such legendary acts as Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman. It's a really fun, old-style resort with a beautiful seven-mile long beach with lush grassy landscapes behind. Away from the centre of it all, which is the pier, you can enjoy whale watching, excellent fishing and birdwatching. Old Orchard Beach is on a wide sweeping Atlantic bay just twenty-five minutes drive south of Portland.

[MysteRy]

5. Bar Harbor   



Within the Acadia National Park (see above) on Frenchman Bay is the little port of Bar Harbor. This is a world-famous summer resort with an historic main street, the Porcupine Islands and the highest peak on the east coast. Cruise ships often stop here to let visitors enjoy the whale and seal watching, the wonderful views and beaches and the fishing for lobster - which is second to none. If you're looking for a resort with high rise condos and all the hotel chains... look elsewhere. Instead you are going to find a charming village, sailing and kayaking, plenty of walking trails that are served by shuttle buses, lots of traditional eateries (focusing largely on seafood) and old-style quaint shopping quarters and cottages.

[MysteRy]

6. Baxter State Park   



In the north east corner of the state is a park of pure tranquility. Over 20,000 acres encompasses the Mount Katahdin range, with nearly fifty individual mountains, the high point of which is Baxter Peak at just over 1,600 metres. This is the end of the Appalachian Trail and as well as the mountains there are lakes, ponds, rivers, campgrounds and forests. This is pure wilderness, with no traffic or built up areas... just nature to entertain you. You can truly get away from it all here and fish in silence or camp out under the stars. Your companions could be moose, black bears, otters and racoons as well as your family and friends. The park is accessed from highway 95 near Island Falls.

[MysteRy]

7. Cape Elizabeth   



Only nine miles south of Portland and the breathtaking Casco Bay is the peninsula tip of Cape Elizabeth. Here, just over 9,000 people live year round on the wild Atlantic coast, amidst the lighthouses and protected state landscapes of Two Lights State Park, Crescent Beach State Park and Fort Williams Park. The rocky shores necessitated the building of some now famous lighthouses, including Portland Headlight, which is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world. There are unhindered views of the beautiful Casco Bay and its islands and the beaches are superb: wild, clean and safe for summer swimming thanks to the crescent shape of the bay keeping the big Atlantic rollers out.

[MysteRy]

8. Rockland   



When you want salty sophistication, you can't do better than Rockland! It was a fairly secluded fishing area, but now it has opened up and become a major tourist draw. Home of the Maine Lobster Festival, it boasts a great art museum - the Farnsworth - with over 10,000 American works and an award-winning collection of old homes by the sea. The whole area is a National Historic District with a whole host of colonial buildings and schooners that sail majestically in Penobscot Bay. Hop aboard for an unforgettable, wind powered cruise. Just 8,000 people live here, making it a quiet city by the sea that will delight all visitors.

[MysteRy]

9. Maine State House, Augusta   



The state capitol of Maine is situated in Augusta. Built between 1829 and 1832 by noted architect Charles Bullfinch this is a granite, white edifice with a grand 180 foot dome, columns and a dominating position in the town. It lies between the Maine State Museum and Blaine House on State Street. The Museum includes over 2,000 artifacts that chronicle over 12,000 years of the state's past, from the last Ice Age to the present day.

[MysteRy]

10. Moosehead Lake   



The biggest lake in the state lies just to the west of the Baxter State Park, under 260 kilometres east of Quebec city. With over eighty islands, the lake which measures some forty miles long by ten miles wide, has incredible cliffs rising vertically over 200 metres into the sky, 400 miles of shoreline and yes - moose. In fact, probably more moose than there are people. Between the mountain ranges is a real hidden gem, known until recently only to the Maine residents and intrepid skiers. Ecotourism thrives here, with low impact activities including kayaking, fishing, old fashioned lake cruises on steamers and just walking through the undeniably pretty countryside. This is one of the best places in North America to watch moose plus a whole host of other wildlife and birds. Moosehead Lake is genuinely a year-round destination. From whitewater rafting to snowmobiling, birdwatching to ice fishing, this little corner of Maine has it all. And plenty more.


For families seeking outdoor delights and some real peace and quiet away from the cities, Maine is an ideal vacation spot. Don't expect skyscrapers and amusement parks, crowds and traffic jams: this is what people come here to escape from.