Mount Desert Island

Mount Desert Island was named ‘Island of Barren Mountains’ by the French explorer Champlain. It is the largest island that is situated off the coast of Maine. Throughout the island, there are waterside villages that overlook small harbors. You can climb Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the North Atlantic Seaboard. The island is best known for Acadia National Park, where the mountains meet with the land and sea, providing a stunning view.

Maine Maritime Museum

Built on the site of a 19th-century shipyard, Maine Maritime Museum has many exhibits dedicated to Maine’s maritime culture and heritage. Maine has played a fundamental role in regional and global maritime activities, and the museum has preserved that history. The exhibits include materials and artifacts, from clipper ships to maritime art. The museum also has a blacksmith shop and an antique birch-bark canoe which tourists find fascinating.

Augusta

Augusta is the capital of Maine and is quite underrated as a tourist destination because visitors prefer to head off to the beaches. However, there are plenty of activities in Augusta. You will find Victorian mansions along with bed-and-breakfast accommodations. From museums to hiking trails to restaurants, Augusta will not disappoint you!

Pemaquid Point Light

Pemaquid Point Light is one of Maine’s most iconic lighthouses. Built-in the 1830s, the image of this lighthouse was chosen to be on the Maine quarter coin. Alongside the light tower is a keeper’s cottage which preserves the captains’ logs, models, photos, and the region’s fishing heritage.

Victoria Mansion

Maine has many historic homes, but Victoria Mansion is the most popular among tourists. The mansion was built in the mid-19th century and gives us a peek into the life of the wealthy during the pre-civil war era. Italian architecture inspired the structure, and the mansion’s details are equally exquisite. The elegantly carved woodwork painted walls, and ceilings make it one of the most lavishly decorated mid-Victorian houses in the U.S.

Some other notable places and attractions:

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Farnsworth Art Museum
Portland Museum of Art & Winslow Homer Studio
Monhegan Island
The Old Port and Portland Head Lighthouse