If May 2024 temps are an indicator for how hot the summer is going to be, then we need a place to escape the heat. How about the beach? Three websites have done a great job researching and reviewing Maine’s best beaches to visit.

I picked one from each that will personally be my first to visit, but I hope to one day see them all. I had no idea that Maine’s coast offered so many different unique experiences and has beaches literally for everyone. From surfers, to hikers, to sunbathers, and explorers, here are Maine’s best beaches.

Visitmaine.net Has Provided Their Top Ten Maine Beaches

Visitmaine.net has sold me on all ten of their top Maine beaches that they consider the best, but I said I would only choose one, and this will be the first beach for this California guy to visit. Sand Beach is located in Acadia National Park, and even though it’s only 300 yards long, the views that I am seeing in photos look spectacular.

Visitmaine.net promotes how soft the sand is, and how remarkable the surrounding Maine coastline views are. They do warn that the water is “freezing” year round but refreshing to locals (Mainers). I never got in the water in California because it was too cold, so I have no problem being a transplant in these situations and enjoying the Maine views and sun.

U.S. News Travel Has Compiled Their Top Ten Maine Beaches

U.S. News Travel and Visitmaine.net share a couple of the same opinions on what are considered Maine’s best beaches, but one appealed to me immediately on this list. Cape Elizabeth.

Before I did a little research on beach in Maine, this is how I imagined all Maine beaches to look; rocky cliffs, little to no sand, and a lighthouse. I’m glad I was wrong, but also want to enjoy my ignorant fantasy of a “Maine beach,” and Cape Elizabeth is perfect.

For a small fee, you can sunbathe, swim, and search for crabs. Being a history buff, one of the biggest selling points is that Cape Elizabeth is the home of Maine’s oldest lighthouse, Portland Head Light. This will be a little bit of a drive for me to get to, but it is the second beach in Maine that I look forward to exploring as things heat up.

Trip Advisor’s Top Ten Maine Beaches Are Reviewed by Visitors

I love tripadvisor.com’s top ten Maine beaches list because they are reviewed and rated by everyday people who actually visited them. This made it extremely easy to choose the third beach that I will visit this hot summer.

Out of 416 reviews, Popham Beach, ME has received 5 out of 5 stars. That’s unheard of and has convinced me to check this place out immediately. Another selling point, it is fairly close to Boothbay Harbor, another Maine destination on my bucket list. I can check off two in one day.

Reviewers have shared that walking on Popham Beach is like being on a different planet. One minute you’re walking on soft sand, and the next a little rocky island. Many reviewers have also shared that this is a great beach for kids to explore and run freely.

Read More: Children’s Books on Maine to Read This Summer

Don’t forget your sunscreen and whether you’re a Mainer or a “from away” as myself, have fun exploring “new” Maine beaches this summer!

MAINE -The summer tourism season starts this weekend for the long Memorial Day holiday weekend, and traffic on the Maine Turnpike is expected to be very busy.

The Maine Turnpike Authority said Wednesday they expect traffic will be up by more than 2% compared to last year when 1,008,927 transactions were recorded over the four-day weekend.

As usual, Friday is expected to be the busiest day of the four-day weekend this year, especially headed north between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Traffic is also expected to be busy midday on Saturday in both directions and Monday afternoon and evening headed south.

All construction and maintenance activities on the turnpike will be suspended over the long weekend, though there are several construction areas that include narrowed lanes and reduced speed zones.

Turnpike officials are also sharing information with travelers about the new, dynamic part-time shoulder use (PTSU) system that is now operational for drivers on I-95 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Kittery. This PTSU system is in place on approximately three miles of I-95 – between Exit 5 in New Hampshire and Exit 3 in Maine – including the Piscataqua River Bridge. Designed to reduce congestion and improve safety, the PTSU system will be used during peak travel periods from May through October, during unplanned incidents, and as traffic conditions warrant.

Based on real-time travel conditions, crews at the Maine Turnpike Authority’s Transportation Management and Communications Center in Portland will determine when to allow the right shoulder of the road southbound to be used as an open travel lane, while New Hampshire will manage the PTSU northbound. When the PTSU system is activated, drivers will see the system’s messaging components (beacons and lane-use signals) turn on to indicate when the shoulder is open for travel. There will also be warning signs with flashing beacons at the on-ramps approaching the system to alert merging traffic when the shoulder lane is open for travel and to use extra caution when merging into the highway.

Traffic operators from both states will close the shoulder to traffic when congestion eases, if there’s a motorist in the breakdown lane, or if any other emergency situation warrants the closure of the shoulder. Safety patrols will be increased when the PTSU system is in use.

Copyright 2024 WABI. All rights reserved.

This sounds absolutely absurd. This is right up there with the moment we all decided that we were going to ban plastic straws and replace them with paper straws that disintegrate in your mouth before you can finish your drink. I’m not going to make this entire article political (rather it’s going to be more opinionated), but I have to get the logistics out of the way first.

According to WGME, voters approved a ban on plastic utensils, straws, and stir sticks this past Saturday. As you’d expect, it’s said to be about protecting the planet and our health, since micro plastics apparently threaten that.

Here we go. Look, I am all for saving the planet, keeping our community as healthy as we can, and saving the animals. But don’t we think this is a little too far? First we tried to do the paper straw thing, which took away at least 50% of my joy while drinking an iced coffee in the car. But now we’re going to do what, create paper forks? I think the concept is cute, and I’d like it better if it was a guaranteed solution. But the fact of the matter is it doesn’t feel like it is. Just because one town bans them doesn’t mean the rest of the world will follow suit, and then it’s just inconvenient for one town. However, as a disclaimer, this is just one opinion, and everybody is entitled to theirs.

Paper is anywhere from 4 to 5 more times expensive than plastic, so that translates into a lot of extra money in terms of the cost of doing business. The paper forks and knives, they don’t do really well but, we’ll figure it out. I’m not worried about it.

Let’s hear your opinions in the comments!