Maine is the northeasternmost state in New England, surrounded by Canada, the Atlantic Ocean, and New Hampshire. This summer, take a chartered whale-watching tour, visit the coastal botanical gardens, shop at LL Beans, lay or play on the beach, and much more.
At the top of any family’s list should be whale watching. If you have the time and opportunity, it’s just a short ride from Bangor, Maine.
Your family will remember forever the majestic marine mammals who call the Maine coastline their home. Book a cruise for whale-watching. You’re apt to see humpbacks, minke, pilot, and finback whales on almost any day trip out to their feeding waters, though orcas and sperm whales are a rare sighting.
If you’re anywhere around Boothbay this summer, you must take the time to visit these enchanting gardens. The gardens are open from 9 am to 5 pm, from 1 May until 17 October. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, and bug spray. Bring your camera, water bottle, face mask, and your manners.
Call (207) 633-8000 to ensure they will be open for your visit.
Shop Freeport, Maine
Besides the arts and crafts, old New England style, and plenty of restaurants featuring your favorite seafood plates, it is New England’s favorite shopping trip.
Now, you might be thinking, “Yeah right, I’ve never even heard of Freeport.” Until I mention one brand name, L. L. Bean, you’ll understand.
There’s even a convenient RV parking lot on Depot Street. Visit the official Freeport website to plan day trips to museums, like the Maine Maritime Museum, boat tours, and historic tours like the Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum. In case you’re unfamiliar with Chamberlain, he was the hero of Little Round Top in the Gettysburg Civil War battle.
Old Orchard Beach
Old Orchard Beach cannot be compared to other amusement parks on the beach — when you consider Coney Island, NY, Atlantic City, NJ, Virginia Beach, Hilton Head, and others, they’re just too big to be fun.
Old Orchard Beach offers what those big amusement parks can’t, and that is down-home friendliness unmatched anywhere.
Perrys Nut House along Route #1 in Belfast, Maine.Photo bythe author with PowerPoint Design Creation.
Go crazy at Perry’s Nut House
OMG, just about anything you are looking for (and some things you’re not) is here at Perry’s Nut House. You can find oddities like fake dog poo, whoopie cushions, and stink bombs. I remember coming here as a kid. I was amazed at all the exhibits and things for sale.
Love fudge? Many say Perry’s is the best. You can even get a sample just after passing APE-RAHAM, the gorilla that was recently restored or restuffed?
It’s usually open every day from 10 am to 5 pm, but they do have off-season hours, so call ahead to make sure they will be open. Also, it’s only five minutes from Young’s Lobster Pound on Fairview St., so give them a call too. “Kill two bird’s” with one trip. You can’t possibly go to Maine and not have lobster. People just don’t do that unless they have a shell food allergy.
What’s so special about Young’s, you might wonder. You can choose what seafood delicacies you want at this dockside restaurant, tell them how you want it done, take a seat with your favorite drink, and wait for it while you watch the boats coming and going on Belfast Bay.
From Bangor, Maine, to Perry's Nut House in Belfast is about 48 minutes.
Although they show various routes on Google Maps, we suggest US Route 1. Check out this video to see why.
Driving along Historic US Route 1 – Maine
Seek Adventure Now uploaded this video to YouTube. They say, “We explore historic US Route 1 along the northeast up to Bar Harbor, Maine. Stopping along the way at Pemaquid Point and Doubling Point Lighthouse!! We also of course stopped at Foundation Brewery and Allagash Brewery to grab some drinks!!”
This quaint little New England town about an hour and fifteen minutes south of Bangor, ME, has been the setting for almost 20 Hollywood movies, TV series, and documentaries. Starting with Carousel in 1956 and then Peyton Place in 1957, it has also been featured in many short films and Stephen King classics like Thinner.
It is famous for films and TV series because it has exquisite restaurants, cute seaside boutiques, magnificent mansions, and seaside cabins.
Moreover, you can rent or charter a boat, hike up Mount Megunticook, or Battle for lovely views, especially in the fall, for fabulous foliage photographs.
Muirmaiden uploaded this trailer of the 1957 hit Peyton Place to YouTube.
Final thoughts
If you’re from Maine or plan on visiting Maine this summer, I highly recommend you go whale watching and visit Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Camden, Perry’s Nut House, and Old Orchard Beach while you are here.
If you’re interested in making a side hustle from writing about local news, sign up using my referral link, and we can both make more. Don’t forget to use your link when you write.
About the author
Stephen Dalton is a native of Old Town, ME, and a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. He is a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Top Writer in Travel, Food, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, Short Story, and a NewsBreak Community Voice Pro.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
