Want more Maine? There is so much to do and see you might consider extending your stay or arriving a few days earlier to include a few extra experiences.

 

Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor

Drive time from Camden, 1 hour, 46 minutes.

Acadia National Park is a 47,000-acre Atlantic coast recreation area primarily on Maine's Mount Desert Island. Its landscape is marked by woodland, rocky beaches and glacier-scoured granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the United States’ East Coast. Among the wildlife are moose, bear, whales, and seabirds. The bayside town of Bar Harbor, with restaurants and shops, is a popular gateway.

 

LL Bean

No trip to Maine is complete without spending a few hours browsing the sprawling campus of LL Bean in Freeport. In 1911, an avid outdoorsman named Leon Leonwood (L.L.) Bean returned from a hunting trip with cold, damp feet and a revolutionary idea. L.L. enlisted a local cobbler to stitch leather uppers to workmen’s rubber boots, creating a comfortable, functional boot for exploring the Maine woods. This innovative boot – the Maine Hunting Shoe® – changed outdoor footwear forever and began one of the most successful family-run businesses in the country. Today, LL Bean is a $1.6 billion (2015) revenue company that employee over 6,000 people.

 

 

Island Exploration

There are literally hundreds of public and private islands off the coast of Maine many of which accommodate year-round residents. Six of the largest and most interesting/ thriving include:

 

Chebeague Island

Chebeague (pronunciation: “shuh big” is one of Maine’s most beautiful islands, located just north of Portland. At almost five miles long and 1½ miles wide, Chebeague Island, which means "isle of many springs", is the largest island in Casco Bay and is home to over 360 year-round people and more than 1,600 summer residents. Chebeague Island has a storied history of sailing, notably the stone sloopers, men who carried ballast for the sailing ships of the 19th century America and later granite for many of the country’s most spectacular buildings, including the Washington Monument. The many lovely Greek Revival homes on the island were built by these sloopers. The Chebeague Island Inn is a classic old hotel built in the 1880s, it burned down at the turn of the century and was rebuilt in 1920. Set on a hill overlooking the harbor this remodeled and beautiful hotel is a real charmer.

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Islesboro Island

Islesboro is a small island as well as a well-known resort community that is located 3 miles off of Lincolnville Beach. Positioned near the top of Penobscot Bay, Islesboro stretches for about fourteen miles but is a fairly narrow island with a width of about one and a half miles across at its widest point. The island has about 650 year-round residents which roughly triples in population during the summer. Access to this island is mainly governed by the "Margaret Chase Smith," the Maine State island ferry that makes the three mile journey in about 30 minutes and runs daily from Lincolnville Beach.

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​Matinicus Island

A little over two hours from Rockland by ferry, Matinicus is the most remote of the inhabited year-round islands. The island is located about 22 miles out to sea, south of Rockland, and marks the entrance to Penobscot Bay. The island is an important stop for migratory birds during spring and fall. A puffin colony is located on nearby Matinicus Rock. The island's natural features such as secluded sandy beaches and meandering walking paths make Matinicus an ideal venue for hikers and bird watchers. The island is about two miles long and a mile wide with a year round population of 55, mostly working lobster fishermen and their families.

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​Monhegan Island

Once described as the “Crown Jewel of Musconsgus Bay,” Monhegan Island is a tiny, rocky island (barely a square mile in size) located about ten miles southeast of the fishing village of Port Clyde. Monhegan Island is the most famous of Maine’s island communities, thanks in large part to its setting for and inspiration of important works of art by many celebrated artists who found inspiration in the island’s overall unspoiled charm and scenic beauty. Monhegan is accessible only by boat, and cars are not even allowed on the island. A major part of the island is designated as a wildlife sanctuary with more than 500 varieties of flowers and 200 species of birds.

 

​Vinalhaven Island

A 75 minute ferry ride from Rockland, Vinalhaven is the largest of the main islands in Penobscot Bay. Vinalhaven, located 12 miles out of Rockland, has a year-round population of over 1,300 inhabitants that swells to between 5,000 and 6,000 people during the summer months. The island can be reached year-round by air or by ferry. Penobscot Island Air makes multiple daily flights to the island and the Maine State Ferry Service makes six runs daily with its car ferry service from Rockland. The island's ferry landing leads to an active village of gift shops, restaurants, and galleries with the island's historical society, museum, library, and town preserve on the village's periphery. The island is also home to over 10 public parks and land preserves.

 

​North Haven Island

North Haven is a year-round working island community located in the center of Penobscot Bay, about 12 miles from Rockland. About a 70 minute ferry ride from Rockland, North Haven lies just north of Vinalhaven. The year-round population of North Haven is approximately 400 people, which triples in size each summer. The island is a retreat for a number of wealthy individuals who have built large private summer residences tucked along the shoreline. Like the other islands in Penobscot Bay, lobster fishing plays an important role in the island's economy, but the island also caters to summer visitors with a few lodging facilities, two gift shops, two restaurants, a grocery store and summer cottage rentals.