Things to Do in Maine

1. Portland Head Light & Fort Williams Park

Located in Cape Elizabeth, perched on the headland above the rocky shores of Fort Williams Park, Portland Head Light was completed in 1791 to guide a safe passage through the main shipping channel into Portland Harbor.

• Originally, the lighthouse used whale oil lamps for illumination. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in 1855 and in 1991 it was updated with an aero beacon.
• The former keepers' quarters are now a museum featuring various lighthouse lenses and with an interesting interpretative display.
• There is also a shop selling Maine souvenirs.
• The head light is part of Forth Williams Park, which is popular for hiking, picnics, sports, and gazing over the ocean. Click here for a fishing license which you can purchase online.
• Where You'll Find it: 1000 Shore Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107-1916, Phone: 207-799-9574, Map

Cape Elizabeth is an easy 20-minute day trip from Portland (8.5 miles via ME-77 N).

2. Hamilton House

A National Historic Landmark and a popular local venue for weddings and other festivities, Jonathan Hamilton House, or Hamilton House, is a beautiful late-Georgian mansion completed in 1788. It sits on 50 acres of land on the banks of the Salmon Falls River between Rollinsford and South Berwick. It is made of wood on two and a half stories, with clapboard siding and a hip roof.

It has four brick chimneys and gabled dormers and it was originally owned by a merchant from Portsmouth. The house has changed hands many times since then, but has fortunately survived almost intact, with very few alterations. It is now a well-preserved historical house museum owned by Historic New England. It is open for tours from June to October.

40 Vaughans Ln, South Berwick, ME 03908-1711, Phone: 207-384-2454

3. Eastern Trail

The Eastern Trail is a 28.9 mile rail trail which takes visitors on an interesting journey through Southwestern Maine, from historic Kennebunk to the harbor lighthouse in South Portland. The rail trail switches between packed dirt, asphalt and sand surfaces and is used by cyclists, hikers, walkers, in-line skaters (as well as cross-country skiers in winter).

As you make your way along greenways, rivers and streams you will find two gaps in the trail where you will need to proceed along sections of urban streets and sidewalks before re-joining the trail. You will also cross the beautiful wetlands at Scarborough March, perfect for observing the abundant bird life.

4. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Located on the Boothbay Peninsula close to Portland and Augusta, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a 270-acre lush green oasis with diverse plant families stretching along a mile of waterfront. The garden was opened in 2007 and also contains a visitors center, a gift shop, and a café. One of the most popular areas is the Giles Rhododendron Garden, which has a spectacular multi-level waterfall on Barters Island Road.

Kids love the waterfront Fairy House Village and the Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden, which was inspired by children’s literature penned by Maine authors. There are also the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses, the Burpee Kitchen Garden, the Perennial and Rose Garden, Slater Forest Pond, the Haney Hillside Garden, the Cleaver Event Lawn and Garden, and the Vayo Meditation Garden. There are a number of permanent sculptures scattered across the gardens as well as artworks by Maine artists that are part of temporary exhibits.

105 Botanical Gardens Dr, Boothbay, ME 04537, Phone: 207-633-8000

5. Ogunquit Museum of American Art

Founded in 1953 by Henry Strater, the Ogunquit Museum of American Art is a small art museum in Ogunquit surrounded by 3 acres of gardens that is exclusively devoted to American artists. The museum’s permanent collection has more than 1,600 pieces that wonderfully represent American art, especially Maine artists.

Some of the artists featured in the museum are Marsden Hartley, Childe Hassam, Charles Burchfield, Rockwell Kent, George Bellows, John Marin, Peggy Bacon, and Robert Henri. The museum has the complete graphical works of Jack Levine, a number of ceramics by Carl Walters, and many other significant works. Many of the larger sculptures are exhibited in the museum garden.

543 Shore Rd, Ogunquit, ME, Phone: 207-646-4909

6. Farnsworth Art Museum

The Farnsworth Art Museum, built in 1948, is a 20,000-acre facility that features more than 15,000 artworks from some of America’s most influential artists, many of them from Maine. The museum complex includes the Farnsworth Library, the Farnsworth Homestead, the Rockland home of its founder Lucy Farnsworth, the Olson House, and Julia’s Gallery for Young Artists.

The museum’s permanent collection includes works by great American artists such as Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Eakins, Thomas Sully, Eastman Johnson, Frank Benson, Fitz Henry Lane, Maurice Prendergast, and Childe Hassam. The museum’s collection of works by Louise Nevelson is one of the largest in the country and its Wyeth Center showcases works by N. C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth.

16 Museum St, Rockland, ME 04841-2867, Phone: 207-596-6457

7. Schooner Stephen Taber

There are plenty of different cruise ships, yachts, and schooners out there, but none are quite like the Stephen Taber. This is a truly historic vessel that was actually sailing back in the 19th century. The decks and cabins on board have played host to countless people over the years, and the Stephen Taber has so many stories to tell.

Traveling on such a truly historic schooner is a big part of why these cruises are so special and unique, and you can really feel the history coming to life around you as the Stephen Taber sets off across the waters of Maine for new adventures. Guests can really feel like they’re a part of history and learn a lot about the past exploits of the vessel from the captain and crew.

8. Seashore Trolley Museum

Located in Kennebunkport, the Seashore Trolley Museum is the oldest and largest mass transit vehicle museum in the world. While its main focus, and most of the collection, consists of trolley cars or trams, the museum’s 250 exhibits also include trolley buses, rapid transit trains, and motor buses.

The museum is owned and run by the New England Electric Railway Historical Society. Of the museum’s 250 vehicles, 10 trolley and railroad cars that once operated in Maine are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. While most museum exhibits are from New England, there are also trolleys from Canada, Japan, Australia, Germany, England, Hungary, Italy, Scotland, and several other countries.

195 Log Cabin Rd, Kennebunkport, ME04046-5219, Phone: 207-967-2712

9. The Colby College Museum of Art

The Colby Museum of Art is the premiere art museum of Waterville's Colby College, originally founded in 1959. Today, the museum spans more than 38,000 square feet of exhibition space over five wings, showcasing a permanent collection of more than 8,000 works of art, with a focus on American and contemporary art, Chinese antiquities, and European paintings.

Major collections include the Alex Katz Collection, which showcases more than 800 pieces by the noted American figurative artist, and the John Marin Collection, which highlights the multimedia artist's paintings, watercolor works, etchings, and photography.

Traveling and rotating exhibitions showcase the works of major modern and historic American artists. The museum is also home to the Skowhegan Lecture Archive, which showcases more than 500 recorded talks from prominent American artists on post-war American art.

5600 Mayflower Hill Dr, Waterville, ME 04901, Phone: 207- 859-5600

10. Asticou Azalea Garden

The Asticou Azalea Garden is located in Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island, near Acadia National Park, and was created by Charles Kenneth Savage in 1956. The beautiful 2.3-acre garden with its serene pond is open to the public from May to October. The garden has various species of azaleas and rhododendrons planted all over its landscape, including the state's native Rhododendron canadense.

It is designed to be similar to a Japanese stroll garden, with gravel paths that are raked to give the impression of flowing water. The garden is home to 86 bird species. While the best time to see the azaleas in full bloom is between mid-May and mid-June, there is beauty at any time of the year. A flowering cherry tree marks the beginning of the season in mid-May, while Japanese iris, rosebay rhododendron, smoke bush, and the sweet fragrant azalea bloom in July. August brings water lilies, and September and October herald the explosion of fall colors.

3 Sound Dr, Northeast Harbor, ME 04662, Phone: 207-276-3727