Things to Do in Maine

An inlet on Maine’s southern coast, Casco Bay is a rich maritime area spotted with lighthouses, historic forts, and seven small islands. Calm conditions make Casco Bay an ideal spot for boating, sailing, and kayaking, while the islands each have their own unique communities to explore. 

Keep an eye out for birds, seals, and the occasional whale while you hike along the coast, sail through the harbor, or hop on the ferry to visit Casco Bay’s seven accessible islands. 

Most bay tours leave from nearby Portland, Maine’s capital city, and sometimes include a city tour along with a coastal sightseeing excursion. You can also opt for a private charter vessel in order to see Casco Bay’s lighthouses and historic forts at your own pace. 

Casco Bay is located just north of Portland, Maine. Ferries operate daily between Portland and the islands of Casco Bay, and private charter vessels travel through the harbor as well. 

You can visit Casco Bay year-round, but summer is a lovely time, when the days are usually sunny and warm. Head out onto the water at dusk to see colorful sunsets over the bay. 

The Casco Bay Islands 

Don’t miss Peaks Island, which is home to beaches, restaurants, and an art community, while Long Island is known for its hiking trails and conservation areas. Bailey Island is also a good hiking spot, while Diamond Cove (located on Great Diamond Island) is home to Fort McKinley—a structure designed to defend Portland Harbor during the Spanish-American War. 

There’s a certain romance to wind-whipped lighthouses set out off a rocky coast, and the Cape Neddick Nubble Lighthouse in York Bay is arguably the most romantic of them all. Believed to be America’s most photographed lighthouse, the Cape Neddick Nubble even had its picture delivered all the way to space, when Voyager II in 1997 sent a photo fluttering out into space to represent the American Lighthouse. Today, Cape Neddick Nubble lighthouse is an iconic sight along Maine’s spectacular southern coast, and has warned passing ships of the nearby rocks since 1879. At Christmas time, the town of York lights the house itself with bright and festive lights, which shine in brilliant, stoic contrast to the inky black backdrop of night. In summer months, when coastal Maine is teeming with beachgoers, sailors, sightseers, and tourists, thousands flock to Sohier Park across the strait from the island, simply to photograph and experience in real life the iconic American spire.

Rising Tide Brewing Company serves up one of Portland, Maine's most beloved beers alongside live music and food trucks. The lively tasting room features artisan craft beers produced by the small-scale, family-owned brewing company, which has since grown to be one of the area's top brewers. There's a local feel to the taproom, and a long bar for tastings that looks into the production area.

Try four different beers on a tour of the brewery, or make an outing out of your visit on a craft drink tour through the city.

Dating back to 1755, Portland, Maine's Tate House Museum is the only existing example of pre-revolutionary architecture open to the public. In its heyday, it was the residence of Captain George Tate, a senior mast agent in the British Royal Navy, though it's now a museum, complete with period furnishings, an herb garden, and a gift shop.

This beautiful pre-revolutionary home provides an excellent introduction into what life was like in 18th-century colonial Maine.

Many visitors opt to go on one of the special topical tours offered by the museum, many of which are available with 24 hours' notice. One tour focuses on architecture, complete with a visit up to the attic of the house to see the rafters, while another takes visitors to the nearby Stroudwater Cemetery, where Captain Tate himself is interred.

 

 

The Tate House Museum is located on Westbrook Street in Greater Portland, right on the edge of the Stroudwater Historic District and a few minutes from Portland International Jetport. It's about a 10-minute drive from the city center to the museum (via Interstate 295), or a 20-minute bike ride. Bus #5 stops here about every half-hour Monday through Saturday, with limited Sunday service.

 

The Tate House Museum is open June through the end of October. The best time to visit is during the summer months of July and August, when the weather is at its best. Springtime is also nice here when many of the flowers and herbs in the surrounding garden are in bloom.

 

The Tate House offers a handful of special events, including a 5k trail run and an annual Christmas party. History buffs won't want to miss the Tate House Museum's annual lecture series, which focuses heavily on local area history. Topics run the gamut from the Revolutionary War to English paper piecing quilting.

Standing tall on the jagged, rocky coastline of Maine, Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse that has operated since the 18th century. It's the oldest lighthouse in Maine, and also one of the country's largest and most visited (and photographed.) It's an iconic state landmark with incredible views of the Maine shore. It has even been called the "most photographed" lighthouse in the world.

The lighthouse is also a beacon of early U.S. history, having been commissioned by George Washington and initially lit by whale oil lamps. The original tower was being constructed as the federal government was being formed. It was here that guards once looked out for British soldiers as America defended its independence from Britain. The Museum at Portland Head Light (located in the historic Keepers' Quarters) goes into further detail about the location's history and significance.