Maine is stuffed with small-town attraction that always will get neglected when guests flock to the southernmost components of the state. As a Mainer, I all the time encourage vacationers to avoid wasting time for all of the magic that lies north of Portland.
My recommendation usually invitations the query, “Oh, you imply Acadia Nationwide Park?” Whereas Acadia shouldn’t be missed, I am speaking in regards to the in-between cities — the locations with comfort shops that promote a mishmash of groceries, antiques, and garden ornaments; locations the place your server might be additionally the proprietor, and the place “ayuh” is used as an alternative of “sure.”
Advertisement
Listed here are a number of the finest small cities in Maine.
Ellsworth
Fred J. Discipline/Portland Press Herald by way of Getty Photographs
Most know Ellsworth as a spot to drive by way of en path to Acadia Nationwide Park and Mount Desert Island. However there are a number of causes you must do greater than stretch your legs right here. For starters, you should buy cheesecake on the honour system. Momo’s Cheesecakes affords its treats from a storage that has been renovated to maintain up with the demand.
Advertisement
On the opposite finish of Essential Road, 86 This! calls itself “an aesthetic, punk-rock burrito store.” All kinds of artistic wraps are good in your picnic basket. In the meantime, yogis will enjoyment of Steamy Buddha’s choices. And simply previous the Ellsworth line, there is a Maine expertise like no different: Timber Tina’s Nice Maine Lumberjack Present. Watch the present or attempt your hand at log rolling.
The place to Keep: Underneath Canvas Acadia, a luxurious glamping expertise, is a brief distance away in Surry.
Advertisement
Greenville
Getty Photographs
Moosehead Lake is Maine’s largest lake, nevertheless it’s not as frequented as its southern counterpart — Sebago Lake. Greenville is a 1.5-hour scenic drive from Bangor Worldwide Airport and Moosehead is actually the focus of the city. A technique to absorb the lake’s magnificence is by reserving a seaplane journey — best for each the summer season and fall.
Steamboat Katahdin has been round for 100 years and outlived what was a aggressive market of vessels. Guests may be a part of a Registered Maine Information for a singular moose safari. And street trippers will love Lily Bay State Park for its sandy seashore, campsites, playground, and picnic areas.
Advertisement
The place to Keep: Hire a camp. “Camp” is a time period Mainers use instead of lake home, cottage, cabin, and extra.
Swans Island
Getty Photographs
Advertisement
In case you’ve dreamed of staying in a Maine city that is solely accessible by ferry service, Swan’s Island is the place to go for lazy days on the seashore with a view that has no finish. Its attraction lies in its simplicity: one retailer, lighthouse, museum, and library. Whereas swimming is offered at 4 public seashores, the “quarry pond” offers guests the choice of a freshwater dip. Quite a lot of trails, boat charters, and eco excursions are additionally out there for vacationers wanting some exercise. In case you’re already planning a visit to Acadia Nationwide Park, do not miss this close by treasure.
The place to Keep: Trip leases could also be your finest wager right here. Because the ferry leaves from Bass Harbor, staying at The Claremont is usually most well-liked.
Orono
Advertisement
Getty Photographs
After I attended the College of Maine, Orono appeared like a university city. Now as a mom of two, Orono appears like a household vacation spot. These seemingly contradictory vibes boil all the way down to the truth that nobody is an outsider right here. You may by no means really feel like a vacationer (until you need to).
After grabbing espresso and an acai bowl from Nest, cross the road to the Stillwater River Path, which is simply in need of 4 miles out and again. For one thing extra outdoorsy, Maine Certain Journey Middle on the college affords kayak, canoe, and paddleboard leases (together with rooftop kits for transport). Locals additionally love Pat’s Pizza (or the fish tacos at Woodman’s). And in true school city trend, there are many locations to get pleasure from a beverage, with Orono Brewing having essentially the most intensive collection of craft brews.
Advertisement
The place to Keep: Away from downtown, part of Orono is positioned on Pushaw Lake, the place this quaint cottage is positioned.
Camden
Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald by way of Getty Photographs
Maine’s Mid-Coast is lined with charming, can’t-miss cities, like Camden. Whereas the downtown space is chock-full of outlets, eating places, and cafes, remember to seek out some elevation by mountaineering or climbing Mount Battie at Camden Hills State Park. For a singular option to see Maine’s coast whereas capturing its magnificence, take a look at a pictures workshop tour on board the Moon Canine.
Advertisement
The place to Keep: 16 Bay View overlooks the harbor and is centrally positioned to dozens of outlets and eating places.
Castine
Leaping Rocks/Training Photographs/Common Photographs Group by way of Getty Photographs
Advertisement
Dwelling to the Maine Maritime Academy, Castine is likely one of the state’s most neglected locations and in addition one of many oldest, with greater than 100 historic markers all through city, which landed it on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations. To get a way of its attraction, be a part of a strolling tour or meet up with the native crowd on the newly renovated Dennett’s Wharf, which has been a staple locally for 50 years.
The place to Keep: Test into the Pentagoet Inn & Wine Bar, a historic bed-and-breakfast with an on-site pub and quaint woodland backyard with views of Penobscot Bay.
Kingfield
Advertisement
Getty Photographs
Within the winter months, Kingfield comes alive as a ski city of types, located subsequent door to the famed Sugarloaf Mountain. However to solely know Kingfield as a spot to relaxation your head between journeys to the slopes could be lacking out on a special kind of magnificence that blossoms through the summer season and early fall. Outside fanatics convey their bikes and mountaineering footwear to hop on the 80-mile community of groomed paths referred to as Maine Huts & Trails. In case your aim is to cowl as a lot of the Maine woods as potential, reserving a “hut” to sleep in between hikes is an effective way to satisfy native adventurers.
The place to Keep: Take a look at this cute A-frame cabin on Airbnb.
Advertisement
Stonington
Maryann Flick/Getty Photographs
Positioned on Deer Isle, Stonington has every part a customer might need from a historic fishing village. A working waterfront offers vacationers a glimpse into how their famed lobster dinner was made potential. The city is nestled right into a hillside, with sweeping views of the bay. You will get misplaced in nature, busy your self with artwork galleries, or absorb a present on the Stonington Opera Home. After all, it would not be a visit to the island with out stopping at Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies. Eclectic sculptures and items made by Maine artisans accompany the treats.
The place to Keep: Aragosta at Goose Cove not solely affords dreamy oceanfront lodging in cottages and suites, however the fine-dining restaurant serves artistic culinary delights from a famend chef who works straight with native fishermen and farmers to curate the freshest delicacies.
Advertisement
Bucksport
Hal Beral/Getty Photographs
A former mill city, Buckport sits on the banks of the Penobscot River and is residence to a thriving waterfront with picturesque views of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Fort Knox. The paved walkway stretches for nearly a mile, and guests can discover a bench and luxuriate in some fried clams from close by Crosby’s Drive-In. Friars’ Brewhouse Faucet Room serves native beer and is a good place to cease in between looking retailers on Essential Road.
Advertisement
The place to Keep: Take a look at this quiet waterfront Airbnb.
Naples
Brianna Soukup/Portland Portland Press Herald by way of Getty Photographs
Maine’s Lakes and Mountains area within the western a part of the state is residence to a number of idyllic cities, together with Naples, which is nestled between Sebago Lake and Lengthy Lake (with one other 50 lakes close by). Learn to water ski or wakeboard, or take it simple with a pontoon rental. Eating choices are plentiful, too, with many waterfront eating places and eateries (suppose: all of the seafood and blueberry desserts you possibly can eat).
Advertisement
The place to Keep: Lakeview Inn is a bed-and-breakfast the place you possibly can count on ukulele concert events and weekend barbecues.
Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher said “f— you” to a man during a Thursday meeting at which fishermen assailed him for a state plan to raise the size limit for lobster.
The heated exchange came on the same day that Keliher withdrew the proposal, which came in response to limits from regional regulators concerned with data showing a 35 percent decrease in lobster population in the state’s biggest fishing area.
It comes on the heels of fights between the storied fishery and the federal government over proposed restrictions on fishing gear that are intended to preserve the population of endangered whales off the East Coast. It was alleviated by a six-year pause on new whale rules negotiated in 2022 by Gov. Janet Mills and the state’s congressional delegation.
“I think this is the right thing to do because the future of the industry is at stake for a lot of different reasons,” Keliher told the fishermen of his now-withdrawn change at a meeting in Augusta on Thursday evening, according to a video posted on Facebook.
Advertisement
After crosstalk from the crowd, Keliher implored them to listen to him. Then, a man yelled that they don’t have to listen to him because the commission “sold out” to federal regulators and Canada.
“F— you, I sold out,” Keliher yelled, prompting an angry response from the fishermen.
“That’s nice. Foul language in the meeting. Good for you. That’s our commissioner,” a man shouted back.
Keliher apologized to the crowd shortly after making the remark and will try to talk with the man he directed the profanity to, department spokesperson Jeff Nichols said. The commissioner issued a Friday statement saying the remarks came as a result of his passion for the industry and criticisms of his motives that he deemed unfair, he said.
“I remain dedicated to working in support of this industry and will continue to strengthen the relationships and build the trust necessary to address the difficult and complex tasks that lay ahead,” Keliher said.
Advertisement
Spokespeople for Gov. Janet Mills did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether she has spoken to Keliher about his remarks.
Lobstermen pushed back in recent meetings against the state’s plan, challenging the underlying data. Now, fishermen can keep lobsters that measure 3.25 inches from eye socket to tail. The proposal would have raised that limit by 1/16 of an inch and would have been the first time the limit was raised in decades.
The department pulled the limit pending a new stock survey, a move that U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine’s 2nd District, hailed in a news release that called the initial proposal “an unnecessary overreaction to questionable stock data.”
Keliher is Maine’s longest-serving commissioner. He has held his job since former Gov. Paul LePage hired him in 2012. Mills, a Democrat, reappointed the Gardiner native after she took office in 2019. Before that, he was a hunting guide, charter boat captain and ran the Coastal Conservation Association of Maine and the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission.
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Anna Kellar is the executive director of the League of Women Voters of Maine.
This past November, my 98-year-old grandmother was determined that she wasn’t going to miss out on voting for president. She was worried that her ballot wouldn’t arrive in the mail in time. Fortunately, her daughter — my aunt — was able to pick up a ballot for her, bring it to her to fill out, and then return it to the municipal office.
Thousands of Maine people, including elderly and disabled people like my grandmother, rely on third-party ballot delivery to be able to vote. What they don’t know is that a referendum heading to voters this year wants to take away that ability and install other barriers to our constitutional right to vote.
Advertisement
The “Voter ID for Maine” citizen’s initiative campaign delivered their signatures to the Secretary of State this week, solidifying the prospect of a November referendum. The League of Women Voters of Maine (LWVME) opposes this ballot initiative. We know it is a form of voter suppression.
The voter ID requirement proposed by this campaign would be one of the most restrictive anywhere in the county. It would require photo ID to vote and to vote absentee, and it would exclude a number of currently accepted IDs.
But that’s not all. The legislation behind the referendum is also an attack on absentee voting. It will repeal ongoing absentee voting, where a voter can sign up to have an absentee ballot mailed to them automatically for each election cycle, and it limits the use and number of absentee ballot dropboxes to the point where some towns may find it impractical to offer them. It makes it impossible for voters to request an absentee ballot over the phone. It prevents an authorized third party from delivering an absentee ballot, a service that many elderly and disabled Mainers rely on.
Absentee voting is safe and secure and a popular way to vote for many Mainers. We should be looking for ways to make it more convenient for Maine voters to cast their ballots, not putting obstacles in their way.
Make no mistake: This campaign is a broad attack on voting rights that, if implemented, would disenfranchise many Maine people. It’s disappointing to see Mainers try to impose these barriers on their fellow Mainers’ right to vote when this state is justly proud of its high voter participation rates. These restrictions can and will harm every type of voter, with senior and rural voters experiencing the worst of the disenfranchisement. It will be costly, too. Taxpayers will be on the hook to pay for a new system that is unnecessary, expensive, and harmful to Maine voters.
Advertisement
All of the evidence suggests that voter IDs don’t prevent voter fraud. Maine has safeguards in place to prevent fraud, cyber attacks, and other kinds of foul play that would attempt to subvert our elections. This proposal is being imported to Maine from an out-of-state playbook (see the latest Ohio voter suppression law) that just doesn’t fit Maine. The “Voter ID for Maine” campaign will likely mislead Mainers into thinking that requiring an ID isn’t a big deal, but it will have immediate impacts on eligible voters. Unfortunately, that may be the whole point, and that’s what the proponents of this measure will likely refuse to admit.
This is not a well-intentioned nonpartisan effort. And we should call this campaign what it is: a broad attack on voting rights in order to suppress voters.
Maine has strong voting rights. We are a leader in the nation. Our small, rural, working-class state has one of the highest voter turnout rates in the country. That’s something to be proud of. We rank this high because of our secure elections, same-day voter registration, no-excuse absentee ballots, and no photo ID laws required to vote. Let’s keep it this way and oppose this voter suppression initiative.
The chair of the Maine Democratic Party announced Thursday she won’t seek reelection when members select leaders later this month.
Bev Uhlenhake, a former city councilor and mayor in Brewer and former chair of the Penobscot County Democrats, has served as chair of the state party since January 2023. She is also a previous vice chair of the party.
In a written statement, Uhlenhake noted some of the recent successes and challenges facing Democrats, including the reelection of Democratic majorities in both the Maine House and Senate last November, though by narrower margins, and winning three of Maine’s four electoral votes for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Advertisement
“While we have laid a solid foundation from which Maine Democrats can build toward even greater success in 2026 and beyond, I have decided to step away from Maine Democratic Party leadership for personal and professional reasons, and will not seek reelection,” Uhlenhake said.
Party Vice Chair Julian Rogers, who was also elected to his post in 2023, announced he also won’t seek reelection to leadership, but will resume a previous role he held as vice chair of the party’s committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging.
Democratic State Committee members will vote for the party’s next leaders in elections to be held on Sunday, Jan. 26.
« Previous
South Portland debates natural vs. artificial grass at planned athletic facility
/greenville-maine-SMALLTWNME0622-b82ec0fd3c304c4c86e715409a9b76ad.jpg "10 Most Charming Small Towns in Maine, According to a Local")
