MAINE COAST

Pastries in the barn. Pizzas in the garden with Downeast mushrooms, carrot top pesto and chile oil.

Train-car diner with 15-seat center segues from flapjack stacks and omelets to double burger and fried chicken.

Fresh, local oysters with coastal vibes. Choose bivalves to eat in or take out from numerous local farms. Shucking classes and farm tours, too.

Scratch-made potato donut, blueberry-lemon or maple-bacon. Denser dough. Sweet glaze and salty bits.

Takeout spot with flavor dialed high. The pho ga Maine winter demands.

Crowded for good reasons. Like sticky buns, banana cake.

Chef Nakjaroen's takes on classics with house-made noodles and local greens are revered statewide. Take home small-batched bottles of their dumpling sauce.

Post up in a seaside cottage and dive deep with chef Devin Finigan's read of sea and farm.

On a back road and surrounded by farmland, this spot has a seasonal menu and curated goods in a cozy setting. Fresh flavors, rural charm.

Heartfelt family spot. The house stew is a power elixir: sweet potatoes, plantains, chickpeas.

A landmark, brimming with produce from the Chase family farm.

Prix fixes channeling Maine-rooted flavors in an old shipbuilder’s house.

Melissa Raftery and Megan Dewey-Wood custom roast organic Arabica beans in Deer Isle.

Cozy 1930s brick outpost serves as cafe and roastery; West End location is a bakery, too.

Specialty coffee demystified in a formal mill town.

In the heart of Holden, morning coffee and New York bagels.

Charming shop on stilts juts out into the harbor. Donuts, too.

Ethically sourced, organic beans roasted using a wood-fired vintage Italian Petroncini.

Sip an espresso with views of Belfast Harbor.

Roasted on the coast in Brooklin, this shop is a community hub for the people of the Blue Hill peninsula.

Beans are purchased from the same globe-spanning farmers every year at this Old Port staple.

Bright and modern coffeehouse, an all-electric, zero emissions roaster.

Beloved, worker-owned gathering place.

Sticky buns and coffee from Coffee by Design, just a short stroll from iconic L.L. Bean flagship.

A raucous, friendly place to connect with Damariscotta's distinctive oyster variety (and likely some salty local banter).

“Most absurd bar in the world.” Packed with weird sculpture.

Find IPA for dad, that wine from Instagram and Belgians to open your mind.

Enter through the alley for an abundance of globe-sourced craft beers—and the best Maine has to offer, too.

Craft cocktails, queer-friendly ethos. Dress cute.

Craft cocktails, queer-friendly ethos. Dress cute.

Excellent year round and seasonal beers and standout comfort food to go with it.

Wines and ciders from wild yeasts and on-site orchards.

Rare finds to sip in or carry out, helmed by Peter and Orenda Hale since 2015.

In East Bayside, Lost Leaf, Gilded Meadow and Azaleas flow.

An introduction to Maine's natural world. Stroll through salt marsh and shrub forest, named for the iconic environmentalist writer.

Gain access to 374 watery miles and 240 island campsites.

A horseshoe-shaped road loops from Blue Hill south to Brooklin. Land, water, sky and towns in a dazzling blend.

Wander deep forests and the Great Bog. Managed by an ambitious land trust.

Nonprofit-run necklace of 15 waterfront reserves.

Watch the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain. Then drive Park Loop Road, 27 miles along America's wild edge.

Packs and gear, USA-made from deadstock fabric. Think L.L. Bean with punk flavor.

Two lanes curl across peninsulas, bridges and islets. Deer Isle to Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

Lessons for many skill levels, ages. Get certified on a J/22.

Guided Penobscot Bay paddles. Evenings, see bioluminescence.

Exactly what it sounds like, island to island in Casco Bay.

Since 1947, the first weekend of August is all about lobster dinners, the seafood cooking contest and the great-floating-wooden-lobster crate race.

Gorgeous 1902 home for plays and touring performances.

Rare collection of vintage presses, turning out beautiful books, art prints and posters.

Channeling Maine’s illo traditions with shows, residencies and in-depth videos.

Sustaining arts and artists with ties to Maine since its founding in 1952. Bright, gorgeous space.

Verdant research center with native butterfly house, graced by big wooden trolls from Icelandic sculptor Thomas Dambo.

Exceptional collections, especially on the Wyeth legacy.

Perched 80 feet above Penobscot Bay. Visitors spy windjammers and isles off Rockland. Built in 1825, the keeper's house now serves as an interpretive center.

Preserving and interpreting collections that record and reflect the stories of the island.

Just four rooms inside a 1920s bungalow. Dining program features the best of local land and sea.

Warm hideout named for Prohibition slang for a speakeasy. Cellar billiards. Mysterious tower.

Classy indie boutique anchored by an 1880s mansion.

Flow to the rhythm of the ferry, farms, sea and the tight-knit, year-round community.

Get that Vacationland vibe in smartly spruced-up 1950s bungalows.

A history that dates to 1884 with modern renovation, this storied gem has a dockside bar and restored croquet court.

Rewind with candlepin bowling, lighthouse rooms. Main lodge rooms or cottages.

Airy, midcentury-inspired design. Hit museums and galleries on foot.

Spots on salt-air promontories don’t get much more stunning.

Just nine rooms, provisioned by organic powerhouse Turner Farm.

Vintage cabins by the coves, each distinct. Angle for Red House.

Underground music of many genres in an old tanning salon. Does it get better?

Overlooking picturesque Rockland Harbor, some of the top names in the blues genre.

Bring a picnic and a blanket; shows are framed by the backdrop of Casco Bay.

Airstream roams for small shows.

Arthouse features and docs, plus diverse concerts.

Live music, dancing and barbecue in an old legion hall.

Annual seaside festival has two days of music on two stages; founded (and headlined) by Guster.

Smart original collaborations and top designer brands, such as Leigh Miller's sculptural jewelry inspired by the natural world.

Get your Lone Pine and “Dirigo” banners, or order up a custom burgee.

Take an hour-long ferry ride to Vinalhaven, then browse antique textiles, French furniture, art and very cool espadrilles.

A picker’s paradise: 15,000 square feet. Everything is here–somewhere.

Hand-shaped since 1858. World’s prettiest SUP paddles, too.

Rare yarns from Maine mills. Hand-painted rugs, too.

A cozy outpost by the water. The Instagram is worth a peek.

Old Port storefront packs in gear and expertise. Plus: coffee and beer.

Stable-turned-grocery, opened in 1923. Beer, wedding gowns and firearms (as a famed sign notes), most everything in between.

Japanese, German and Maine-made blades, plus sharpening and hard-to-find kitchenwares.

Since 1971, an abundance of local delights and practical needs: homemade fudge, windbreakers for days on the bay.

Small but stocked. A local artists’ fave.

Rummage among ancient doors, sinks and oddities [a peanut roaster?].

A bright hub for new books and the creative scene. Trust the staff recs.