Mainers like to say that you are not a “real Mainer” unless you were born in Maine, like me. And by their strictest standards I still don't qualify because my father was from Massachusetts. But I can tell you why Mainers are so obsessed with who's from here is to keep Maine the way it was, because the state has changed a lot lately.
Over the past five years, as many as 126,400 new residents (mostly remote workers from large cities) – the population has grown to 1.4 million people – the line between locals and outsiders has become even clearer. The state has welcomed renowned restaurants such as Twelve And Aragosta in Goose Bayand James Beard winner TO bakeryand expanded its award-winning convoy breweries and food trucks (go to bell And Mr. Tuna). Suddenly Maine was hip.
But the Mainers who were here first still take their slogan “the way life should be” to heart.
Anyone queuing to enter the northeasternmost state is never just passing through. People come here on purpose, and as you pass the border towns of southern Maine and booming Portland, you'll discover a different side of Maine: lobster fishermen dragging pots along the rocky coastline and huckleberry pickers raking the last of the low-brush wasteland. You'll canoe through some of the country's densest forests, such as Banaki did it before everyone else and was transported to the islands of your choice (there are more of them here than in Alaska).
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In a state larger than most of New England combined, Maine's true character can be found on dirt roads without stoplights and in warmly lit farm inns with uneven, creaky floorboards and frosted windows.
Work is being carried out at the Brooklyn Boat Yard. Billy Black
Brooklyn
The seven villages overlooking the cliffs and islands of the dreamy Blue Hill Peninsula have long attracted writers, wooden boat builders and artists. Haystack Mountain School of CraftsFor example. Those willing to drive three hours along the coast from Portland will earn views and real peace and quiet.
E. B. White said, “I would rather feel bad in Maine than feel good anywhere else” before moving to coastal Brooklyn, Maine. farmhouse this inspired Charlotte's Web.
“The Blue Hill Peninsula is home to an amazing group of writers, painters and sculptors, and I’ve always thought of boat building as a kind of very precise sculpture,” says grandson E.B. White's Steve White, who owned and operated Brooklyn Boat Yard for more than 30 years.
“People would come to my grandfather's house and knock on the door and ask, 'Is Mr. White here?' No, he's not here, he'd say, pretending to be the caretaker,” recalls White, whose nephew still plies his trade at another wooden boat building business. Rockport Marine. “He would take me fishing, or turtle hunting, or catching squirrels, skunks, raccoons, things like that. To me he was just a grandfather.”
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The peninsula continues to be home to ever-growing businesses from the artisans who live here. Sleep in a cozy Brooklyn InnStop by Stonington Harbor, one of the state's premier lobster ports, and sample seasonal dishes at Devin Finigan's Restaurant. recognized Aragosta. Take a piece on the way out Tinder Hearthprobe prints And books and in the center of Blue Hill, and spend one last beautiful night in the former home of a sea captain from the 1800s, Blue Hill Innor overlooking Cadillac Mountain at Surry's Restaurant. Under the canvas. Note. If you visit in August, don't miss the world's largest wooden boat regatta. Eggemoggin Reach Regattawhich Steve White started 40 years ago.
Artists paint picturesque plein air landscapes on Monhegan Island. Todd Gipstein, National Geographic Image Collection
Monhegan Island
An hour-long ferry ride from Boothbay Harbor or Port Clyde will take you back in time to Maine's artist colony. Monhegan Islandstill home to a part-time artist Jamie Wyeth. What makes these largely undeveloped 400 acres so special is the fishing community. Monhegan is the only place in Maine where lobstermen have exclusive fishing rights, but only if they become permanent residents of the state and fish during the frigid Maine winters.
This rugged beauty carries over to the island's trails and walkways (no cars allowed), to some of New England's steepest cliffs, and to the galleries of plein air artists like Alison Hill. At the end of the path you will easily find Monhegan Brewing Companyrun by lobsterman Matt Weber, who doubles as the island's constable, and his wife Mary. End the day with food and one of the best sunsets on the East Coast in Island Inn.
Rangeley
Rangeley was a summer fishing destination long before skiers started flocking there. Saddleback Mountain. In the western mountains of Maine, on crystal clear lakes, Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby tied her world-famous fly fishing knots (pictured) a century ago. Rangeley Outdoor Sports Heritage Museum). For lovers of fresh air, Rangely has it all.
The best views of Maine roadside fall foliage can be seen from above the Earth or Quill Hilland the longest hiking trail in the world, the Appalachian Trail, runs straight up Saddleback. Stay in Rangeley Inn & Taverneat with the locals in Sarge's Sports Pub and Snack Barand hit the waterfalls –Angels Falls And Smalls Falls– on the way home.
Camden
On a cloudless day from the top of Mount Batty, above the lobster boats and the nation's oldest fleet Windjammersyou can see 80 miles to Acadia National Park. This is typical Maine. Penobscot Bay is also breathtaking fishing boat Maine guide Don Kleiner, who will help you cast your line before passing by lighthouse more beautiful in person than in photographs, and a real coastal scene exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, painted by Mainer Andrew Wyeth.
On a clear day, you can see all of Acadia National Park from Camden. Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic Image Collection
Visit Camden Opera House stroll along the historic Riverwalk and public wharf, then end the day with a delicious local seafood meal while taking in views of the harbor and mountains from the side Natalie inside Camden Harbor Innone of Maine's luxurious colonial farm hotels (where the nobility came by steamship in the 1800s). Before heading home (Camden is an hour and a half drive from Portland), visit nearby Rockland and the surrounding area. Farnsworth Art Museum and eat at Long Corn or Alna Store.
Bar Harbor
This small town is no secret. Visitors have been heading to Mount Desert Island since the protection of Acadia National Park and its roadways in 1915. Beehive Trailenjoy a classic lobster dinner at Stewman's lobster pound. Hit clay tennis courts Harborside Hotel or the spa at the historic Bar Harbor Club, built by J.P. Morgan and frequented by Joseph Pulitzer. Try glamping on Earthmore under the stars before seeing the country's first sunrise from the top of Acadia.
Pro tip: Avoid the crowds and take a ferry to a charming fishing village Winter Harboroffering a less visible and impressive view of Cadillac Mountain in the rear.
(This is the most scenic route through Acadia National Park.)
Brunswick
The Brunswick and its surrounding brackish rivers, bays, inlets and bays provide vibrant habitat for a sustainable catch. Mere Point Oyster Company And Maine Coast Fishermen's Association. No wonder the restaurant's seafood is so fresh. Noble kitchen and bar V Brunswick Hotel. Not far from the city center you will find Maine State Musical Theaterthe forefront of the state's theater scene since 1959, and new venues such as Abbey And Brewery on the flight deck also worth a visit.
What really makes this little-visited college town so appealing is its waterfront location, because when people talk about Maine's incredible beaches, they usually mean nearby Popham Beach State Park. Don't leave without combing the coast of Bailey Island or harvesting and drinking water from Love Point Oysters.
Moosehead Lake, located in Greenville, is Maine's largest lake. Heather Perry, National Geographic Image Collection
Greenville
Watch the sun sink into Moosehead, Maine's largest lake, from an Adirondack chair on a deck built in 1891. Blair Hill Inn. Give up your phone for a few days; Maine as it once was – when local children rode floating logs on the lake for fun. Board Katahdin Cruises and cross a lake carved by glaciers during the last Ice Age to Mount Quineo to learn about the commercial logging that dominated Maine until the 1970s (90 percent of the state is still forested).
Want to see a moose? Rise and shine for moose tour. Your chances here are pretty good, as Maine has the most elk in the lower 48. On your way out, take a final detour to where the state's famous rafting rivers meet at Moxie Falls, which inspired Maine's unofficial drink, Moxie Soda.
Anna Fiorentino is a 20-year journalist based in Portland, Maine. Her stories about science, nature and travel have also been published in magazines. National Geographic Science, AFAR, Outside, Smithsonian Magazine, BBC, Boston MagazineAnd Boston Globe Magazine. Anna also writes and edits articles and reports for leading research institutions. Follow her Instagram.
