Traveller’s Guide: Maine
The Maine attraction?
The "Pine Tree State", in the far north-east of the United States, offers pretty, laid-back seaside towns as well as spectacular scenery, superb seafood and a gentle pace of life. Maine is so relaxed that it feels more like Canada – with which it shares a much longer land border than with neighbouring new Hampshire.
Originally part of Massachusetts, Maine officially became a separate state in 1820. while part of new England – along with Vermont, new Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island – Maine is larger than all the rest combined. Indeed, it is the same size as Ireland, with a population of only 1.3 million people – which means there is plenty of scope for wilderness adventure.
Evidence suggests that the Vikings were regular visitors to Maine, paving the way for intrepid fishing fleets from Europe. Many subscribe to the theory that the state’s official feline, the Maine Coon cat, is descended from domesticated Norse cats.
The names of many of Maine’s towns and cities, such as Bangor, Belfast, York, Camden and Calais, bear witness to the European migrants who arrived on its shores around the 17th century. One of the first groups was that of Samuel de Champlain, a Frenchman who settled in Mount Desert Island in eastern Maine around 1604. Eight miles south of Calais, you can visit the International Historic Site of Saint Croix Island (001 207 454 3872; nps.gov/sacr ), which was one of the first places French explorers made landfall in Maine before heading south. You will need to hire a boat to get to the island, which opens from sunrise to sunset throughout the summer. Admission free.
Maine State Museum (001 207 287 2301; mainestatemuseum.org ) offers exhibits and artefacts chronicling Maine from pre-history to more recent times (Tuesday-Friday 9am-5pm, Saturdays 10am-4pm, closed Sundays and Mondays, admission $2/£1.30).
Where to start?
Maine’s stunning 3,500-mile coastline, which stretches from the Piscataqua River on its border with new Hampshire right up to the Canadian province of new Brunswick. It is a fractured mosaic of craggy coves, rocky peninsulas, beaches and estuaries peppered with more than 2,000 islands. US Route 1, which runs the length of the Maine shore, and continues down the East Coast to Key West in Florida, is the perfect artery from which to explore.
Maine has a string of more than 60 lighthouses that protected ships from its picturesquely indented coastlines. Lighthouse fanatics can take Route 1 from the southern reaches of Maine, starting at Cape Neddick, and travel north as far as the Canadian border, to the candy-striped Quoddy Head lighthouse, which is also the easternmost point of the United States.
Just south of Portland on Cape Elizabeth is probably one of Maine’s most photographed lighthouses. Sitting on a craggy outpost framed by the crashing waves of the Atlantic, the Portland Head Lighthouse, 1000 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth (001 207 799 2661; portlandheadlight.com ) is the oldest in Maine; it was commissioned by George Washington in 1790. next door there’s an informative museum housed in the former light keeper’s quarters (10am-4pm daily, admission $2/£1.30).
Halfway along the coast, Camden is steeped in colonial history and one of Maine’s most alluring seaside towns. A clapboard house-lined main street sweeps down to a picturesque harbour clogged with boats. its prosperity was built on seafaring and shipbuilding in the early 19th century. Stay at the Camden Harbour Inn, 83 Bayview Street (001 207 236 4200; camdenharbourinn.com ), a pretty veranda-wrapped boutique inn perched on a hill at the edge of town with sweeping views of the bay; doubles from $175 (£117) including breakfast.
Another atmospheric inn is the Black Point Inn at Prouts Neck in Scarborough (001 207 883 2500; blackpointinn.com ), with views of the Atlantic on three sides and rooms in the style of old-school chintz. From the hotel you can amble around the Prouts Neck peninsula and soak up the inspiring scenery. Doubles from $420 (£280), including dinner and breakfast.
Retail therapy?
Maine may not immediately strike visitors as a bargain-hunter’s dream destination, but it is. The southern coast plays host to both Kittery and Freeport, two large "outlet centres" that attract hordes of eager shoppers. stranger still, Maine imposes a 5 per cent sales tax while neighbouring new Hampshire is tax-free.
A short detour off the I-95 freeway north of Portsmouth, new Hampshire, you can find discounts at Kittery’s numerous outlets, which include Nike, Banana Republic, Gap, Carhartt, Burberry, North Face and Patagonia. For more information see thekitteryoutlets.com.
Further up the coast, Freeport may have played an important role in Maine’s colonial history, but it is probably best known as the home of outfitter LL Bean, 95 Main Street (0800 891 297; llbean.com ), which was founded here in 1917. The centre of town is home to its giant flagship store encompassing anything you might ever need for a visit to the great outdoors. Go for one of its classic canvas totes so beloved of preppy East Coasters, which can be monogrammed with your initials while you wait. there are plenty of other bargains to be had among Freeport’s 200 or so other shops, like at the outlet store of fashionistas and First Lady favourite, J Crew. For more details see freeportusa.com. V Gourmet capital?
C Maine’s principal coastal town, Portland, has been quietly establishing itself as a bit of a gastro centre and lays claim to having more restaurants per capita than any other US city after San Francisco. Overlooking the scenic Casco Bay and with an ordered grid of charming, cobbled streets, quirky shops, a handful of micro breweries and a thriving fishing industry, it makes a perfect base for a couple of days.
Join the locals propping up the U-shaped bar in the pier side J’s Oysters, 5 Portland Pier (001 207 772 4828; jsoyster.com ; open 11.30am-11.30pm, except Sundays, noon-10.30pm). It serves freshly shucked oysters and steaming bowls of chowder to a convivial mix of regulars and tourists.
Reservations are a must for one of the city’s hottest tables: Fore Street at 28 Fore Street (001 207 775 2717; forestreet.biz ) – all exposed brick walls and wooden furniture, set in a former warehouse close to the seafront. It champions locally sourced ingredients and the menu changes daily, but the spit-roasted local pork and wood-fired oven-baked mussels are always on the menu.
Duck Fat at 43 Middle Street (001 207 774 8080; duckfat.com ; 11am-9pm daily, to 10pm Thursday-Saturday) is another foodie hotspot although as the name suggests, it’s not the healthiest. It is most lauded for its Belgian frites double fried in artery clogging duck fat (the doughnuts are excellent, too).
Half-an-hour outside Portland you can get back to nature, or at least agriculture, at Pineland Farms at 15 Farm View Road, new Gloucester (001 207 668 4539; pinelandfarms.org ; 8am-6pm daily, until 7pm from 1 June to 6 September). this picture-postcard 5,000-acre working farm has an education centre, a creamery as well as various activities like hiking and, in winter, cross country skiing. there is also a market where you can stock up on vegetables, fruit and maple syrup; the Dish Creative Caf
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