1. Lobster, Lobster, Lobster
A few years ago, on our epic Maine coastal road trip, we ate lobster every single day. Lobster omelets & lobster eggs for breakfast. Lobster rolls (preferably Connecticut style) for lunch. Giant, freshly plucked, steamed lobsters with a lot of drawn butter for dinner. We ate at lobster shacks (our favorite is Portland Lobster Co. in Portland), roadside stands & sit down restaurants. The good thing about lobster is, if you go easy on the butter, it’s actually not that unhealthy for you. But who wants to go easy on the butter?
2. Mother Nature at its Finest
One of the things I love most about Maine is how different the scenery is, depending on what part of the state you’re in. The dense forests in the interior state perfectly compliment the beautiful rocky coast. Acadia National Park delivers stunning vista after stunning vista. Sea creatures occupy every tide pool & seals pop their heads up in coastal harbors. I’m convinced that there’s no better place to be with nature than in Maine.
3. New England Coastal Culture
DC is kind of a high-strung city. Work hard, play little seems to be the motto here. My daily uniform consists of high heels & suits & pearls. People love working out here – the running community is huge – but even that’s done in make up & designer work out gear. So the cultural of coastal New England was a bit of a breath of fresh air: boat shoes, khaki shorts, hiking boats, cycling spandex, waterproof jackets, & warm fleece dominates our trips to Maine. No pearls in sight!
4. Lots of Lighthouses
There’s something wonderfully romantic about lighthouses – I think it’s their solitude. Maine’s got lighthouses-a-plenty. In Portland alone, you can see six lighthouses in a two hour driving tour.
5. Outdoor Adventures
There’s nothing I love more than a good kayaking trip or a challenging hike & Maine is full of both of those. One of my favorite outdoor adventures to date has been an eight mile paddle around Bar Harbor’s Porcupine Islands. There’s also lots of great cycling in Maine, especially in Acadia National Park – Park Loop Road is a great 40 mile hilly route through the park with some incredible scenery.
Have you been to Maine? What’s your favorite thing about America’s 23rd state?
Fellow DINK here (yay!) LOVE your website! I found you via the Facebook group and I just wanted to drop a quick note before I forget – off to explore more of your site!
The first reason is enough for me to make Maine the next US destination. That and the lighthouses. :)
Maine looks so pretty! We are thinking about doing a road trip around New England in the summer. What was your road trip itinerary?
You will love Maine! We drove from Portland to Bar Harbor, staying two nights in Portland, two (or three?) nights in Camden and three nights in Bar Harbor. We flew in and out of Portland and rented a car. It is one of the best trips we’ve ever done! We did lots of hiking, kayaking, cycling and lobster eating :)