The Very Best of Maine

A Trip to Maine Vacationland

Image: Sebago Lake, Maine

I was born and raised in Maine. Though I have had the pleasure to visit other states over my life time, Maine will always feel like home to me. Maine is nicknamed vacationland because it offers such a variety of options when planning a vacation.
Maine is a beautiful state made up of 16 counties each offering something special. They don’t call it Maine Vacationland for nothing. With such a variety of offerings there is always something for everyone. There are a variety of scenic options including beautiful spots for activities in all seasons. Water to swim or boat in in the summer, Mountains to climb, trails to hike and snowshoe or Ski slopes and snow mobile trails for the winter.

Image: Bethel, Main

When you look at the already existing lists on the internet there are several places that are repeatedly mentioned in every list. The top places mentioned are Portland, Kennebunkport, Rockland, Camden, Acadia National Baxter State Park, Mt Desert Island, Bar Harbor, Boothbay Harbor, OldPark, Orchard Beach, Castine and Ogunquit.

The Best way to take in the bulk of these top towns is by traveling on the Eastern part of the state along the coast on U.S. Route 1. Starting in the Southern part of the state If you like window shopping check out Kittery Trading Post and the Kittery shopping outlets. Heading over to Kennebunkport take in the view at Walkers Point and Ocean Avenue or Saint Anne’s Church. Then stop for a bite at The Clam Shack or go on the Rugosa Lobster Tours. If you want to stay a few days than Kennebunk has plenty of inns or even opt to stay in nature at Sandy Pines Campground.
Continue your travel along to the Nubble Lighthouse in York. Be sure to take the kids to York’s Wild Animal Kingdom. Continuing along the coastal beach tour stop in to explore Ogunquit. Along the coast there are so many beautiful ocean beaches to explore. Stop in at Wells, Kennebunk or Old Orchard Beach.

Photo @ Wells Beach Maine

Old Orchard Beach is very family friendly. When visiting Old Orchard Beach parking can be difficult and we have had the experience of seagulls stealing our food.

Though that was quite entertaining for us not everyone will think so. It is very much worth the stop in our opinion. Continuing a beach tour stop in to visit the beaches in Saco, or if you prefer an amusement or water park check out Fun Town Splash Town.

Then when you get back on the road travel to Scarborough, South Portland and Portland there are endless sights to see in the Portland area. Depending on your interests check out Peaks Island, Portland Museum of Art, Victoria Mansion, Portland headlight. Allagash Brewery, the Old Port. If you are looking for a kid friendly stop check out the Children’s Museum. Along the lines of historic places visit the home of poet and author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
There is also Casco Bay and Casco Bay Islands. I explored the Fort Allen Park one winter day in 2015. It was beautiful and worth a stop if you are in the area.

Fort Allen Park, Portland Maine

When in Portland Bam Bam Bakery is a must stop if you have a family member with a food allergy. Continuing up the coast there are more spots to mention than I have time for in one blog post.
I want to tell you about our Favorite spot in the state. My husband and I like to head to the Northwestern section of Maine. We often stay in Greenville on the Moosehead lake area. I had my first trip up there as a teenager in the early 80’s. My oldest daughter has made this an almost annual trip with her children. We used to routinely camp at Casey’s Spencer Bay Camps and were saddened when they stopped operating. Lily Bay State Park, is a place I have visited and is a great family friendly campground. Seboomac Wilderness Campground is another great option. We stayed there for the first-time last year. They have many family friendly events and the campground was a relaxing and fun place to visit.

Photo Moosehead Lake @ Seboomac Wilderness Campground

Ironically in looking back through memories we discovered that this campground was the first one I ever camped at though it was under different ownership in the 80s. This will be our new favorite campground on our annual camping vacation.

This is just a sampling of our state. To find more information check out these sites…
https://visitmaine.com/
https://www.mainehistory.org/house_overview.shtml
http://mainetoday.com/maine-travel/most-beautiful-places-in-maine/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/maine

About the author:
Laurie Harmon. Laurie is a stay at home mom and Grammy of many. Blogger at Seekingserenityandharmony.com I love to share posts about simplifying life, saving money, spending more time with family.
You can find me at:

https://www.instagram.com/seekingserenity2001/

https://www.facebook.com/pg/seekingserenityandharmony

https://twitter.com/harmony2001

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Laurie thank you for sharing Maine with us! It looks like a beautiful state!