Where lobster is king
Like any popular destination, Maine makes its mark because there are so many things to do as well as an abundance of natural beauty to savor.
Visitors can be as active as they wish, in the mountains, on the rivers or on the Atlantic coastline — or they can take the mellower approach, going for arts and heritage, award-winning restaurants and shopping. Lodging styles range from gorgeous luxury coastal resorts to quaint B&Bs or the campgrounds.

About Maine
When the state’s fans rave about its beauty, they mean Maine’s rugged, rocky coastline, but they also like the laid-back ambience and the great food. The people they meet are friendly, but uncrowded areas are singled out for mention; more than one visitor noted his or her appreciation for “nice people, and they leave you alone.”
Having said that, let’s note that Maine also has popular attractions that don’t fit with those generalizations. Shoppers head for Freeport, site of one of the largest outlet malls in the country, and the L.L. Bean store. In communities like Kennebunkport or Bar Harbor, celebrity hunters might catch a glimpse of a former president or a wealthy captain of industry.
However, most visitors characterize Maine as an uncrowded haven of spectacular forest and mountain scenery, fresh air, small New England towns and friendly people who don’t fuss. New England hospitality seems relaxed, neither formal nor overwhelming, and Maine hosts are quick to suggest sights and activities that may not be in the guidebooks.
The more active centrics delight at how many things there are to pursue in a small area, such as viewing historic sites, museums and galleries, hiking, fishing, swimming and boating. Mellow centrics talk about shopping for antiques and gifts in quaint, picturesque towns, the wide range of good accommodations and the natural, unspoiled beauty of Maine’s rocky shoreline.
Active travelers love its forests that grow right down to the rocky shoreline, the “natural, unspoiled” mountains and the abundant wildlife. And they love the isolation from large numbers of humans. Visitors are busy folks! They follow bike and hiking trails, they sail, they camp, they play golf and watch whales.
At the other extreme, authentic visitors applaud Maine not only for its beauty but also the quaintness of the small towns and the sense that this is a place where tradition is in place and respected.
All Maine’s tourists appreciate the inns and hotels, the shopping and the dining — especially when it is seafood. There is nothing like lobster pulled out of Maine waters and straight onto your dinner plate.

• Go whitewater rafting on the Kennebec or Penobscot River.

• If you are an ambitious cross-country skier, you can break trail of your own in one of Maine’s state parks or on public reserve lands where the land is open to public access.

• Hunt for big game or waterfowl, taking note of hunting regulations, of course.

• Spend a weekend as a live-in at the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center in Livermore. You will become a member of a 19th century farm family living in the historic Washburn family home and taking on your share of farm chores, cooking and cleaning, as well as playing period games and attending school.

• Learn rock climbing or sharpen the climbing skills you already have at the Atlantic Climbing School, based in Bar Harbor.

• On Columbus Day weekend, enter the annual North American Wife Carrying Championship held at the Sunday River ski resort and golf club. Or, at appropriate seasons, ski or play golf at Sunday River.

• Overnight at the Keeper’s House Inn, a functioning lighthouse station on the remote Isle Au Haut, atop rugged cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Or, consider a week at the Keeper’s House on the cliffs of Pernaquid Point.

• See something of Maine by snowmobile. The state boasts 12,000 miles of snowmobile trails maintained by more than 280 snowmobile clubs.

• Travel with the freight from Port Clyde aboard a boat operated by Monhegan-Thomaston Boat Line in the waters of Muscongus Bay to Monhegan Island. Look for porpoises, seals and small whales — and lobstermen busy at their work.

• Kayak on Penobscot Bay, and look for bald eagles, loons, ospreys and harbor seals.

• Maine is one of the most important lobstering areas in the world. Most coastal communities have lobster boats that will take you out on the water, teach what you want to know about lobsters and how to catch them.

• The Maine Coast Railroad offers tourist excursions, from Wiscasset, along the scenic Maine coast.

• Camp right on the ocean at Searsport, between Bar Harbor and Camden.

• Attend theater in Bangor during the Maine Shakespeare Festival in July and August. Or, for something quite different, make that the Figures of Speech Theatre puppet productions in Freeport.

• Go whale watching. With Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company in Bar Harbor, you can take a combined puffin and whale watching excursion which also offers the prospect of spotting dolphins, eagles and porpoises.

• Lighthouses, predictably, line a rugged coast. Visit the Portland Head Light and its museum at Cape Elizabeth; it is adjacent to the 90-acre Fort Williams Park with its fort and recreation areas.
Or, take one of several coastal cruises highlighting lighthouses.

• Besides the state’s downhill skiing choices, there are 21 Nordic ski areas offering cross-country skiing and snowshoeing for all ability levels.

• Plan a fall foliage tour. The state’s official site to assist with planning is at www.maine.gov/doc/foliage.

• Visit America’s only surviving Shaker community in Sabbathday Lake. Six of the 18 existing Shaker structures are open to the public, and their 27 exhibit rooms comprise the community’s museum. Sunday services are open to the public.

• Attend the Maine Canoe Symposium at Winona Camps in Bridgton, a weekend event in June. Learn about North American canoeing and develop some skills of your own in workshops and during hands-on training.

• Shopping is a special pleasure around Freeport, a lovely coastal village. It offers quaint antique stores and is headquarters for some of the finest outlet stores in the U.S. Rockport Shoes and L.L. Bean are the best known.

• In Portland, see the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, boyhood home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and the Portland Museum of Art, displaying artists associated with the state, like Homer and Wyeth.
Also, see the Nathaniel Hawthorne boyhood home in Casco.

• Plan a trip around a selection of quaint New England bed-and-breakfast establishments. A couple of sources for ideas: www.MaineBandB.net and www.bedandbreakfast.com.

• Have a lobster dinner. Have several.

• Visit the Boothbay Railway Village in Boothbay. This nonprofit organization operates a narrow-gauge coal-fired steam train in a historic village created by assembling a number of locally significant historic structures. Don’t overlook the museum and its collection of antique vehicles.

• Learn something else about the Maine story at the Maine Forest and Logging Museum in Bradley.

• Attend Rockland’s lobster festival in August, and shop for jewelry, artwork, clothing and other items featuring the lobster.

• Attend the Arts in the Inns Festival in Kennebunkport, but the event isn’t just about fine art — it’s a foodie’s event, as well.

• Tour Rockport’s State of Maine Cheese Company, maker of handcrafted cheddar, jack, caerphilly and fresh cheddar cheese curd. The company asks that you call ahead (800-762-8895) to schedule your tour.

• Participate in Maine Maple Sunday, the fourth Sunday in March. Each year maple producers open the doors of their sugarhouses and members of the public can watch them make maple syrup. Some sugarhouses offer a variety of treats and activities, including syrup on pancakes or ice cream, sugarbush tours, sleigh or wagon rides.