
As the northernmost New England state, a simple description of Maine is impossible. It is rugged, ocean-sprayed cliffs and it is mellow jazz notes at a summer festival; it is soaring pine trees blanketed in snow and it is sweet lobster paired with golden, drawn butter; it is luxury, modern Maine hotels and it is the most charming, sea-side inns.
The largest city, Portland, is on Casco Bay in southern Maine; it’s a perfect place to begin an exploration of the state’s many historic lighthouses. Just an hour to the north, the inland city of Augusta plays capital and is home to the State Museum and a fine Arboretum. Bar Harbor is a wildly popular tourist destination. Right on the Atlantic Ocean, it is surrounded on its other sides by Acadia National Park, where you can climb the tallest mountain on the U.S. Atlantic Coast to watch the sun rise, take a 20-mile Park Loop Road, watch for whales or kayak the coastline. White Mountain National Forest covers 47,000 acres in Western Maine, a perfect locale for fall leaf peeping.
A great way to explore the entire state is to utilize The Maine Birding Trail’s maps, with over 80 official sites and hundreds of others to boot. You might also enjoy visiting the seven art-filled museums on The Maine Art Museum Trail. The Mainers welcome you year-round to their beautiful state!