8 Most Welcoming Towns In Maine's Countryside
Maine is, for many, a quintessential New England state. As a region that was part of the Thirteen Original Colonies, the area — then part of Massachusetts, to which it belonged until 1820 — has helped define America's northeastern edge for centuries. Today, Maine's combination of Atlantic seacoast and endless inland woods makes it a great place to explore and a popular vacation destination for those from New England and beyond. Many of the state's best, most welcoming towns require a trip past its larger cities, like coastal Portland. Some tourists come just to sample the iconic Maine lobster. For a true taste of what Maine has to offer, these and other small Maine towns showcase the reasons why so many come here in summer and throughout the year.
Bar Harbor
The name Bar Harbor indicates Maine luxury of all kinds, yet the town offers points of interest for all budgets. As a historic summer destination for well-to-do families from New York and Boston, the area is long accustomed to welcoming visitors. Many come here to see Mt. Desert Island, near Maine's border with Canada. Others head to Acadia National Park, one of the most popular destinations within the US national park system.
In downtown Bar Harbor, the Abbe Museum illustrates Native American history from across the region. The Village Green is a postcard-perfect green space with shops and restaurants around it. Hungry visitors should enjoy Geddy's, a beloved seafood restaurant here, before a sweet dessert at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream. Agamont Park has a grassy walk, with sea views out to the Mt. Desert Narrows waterway.
Auburn
In southwestern Maine, the town of Auburn has been going strong since its settlement in 1786. That history makes the town nearly as old as the United States, which declared independence only a decade earlier. Auburn was once a hub for shoemaking, and today, its industrial traditions continue in other sectors, from complex plastics and automotive products to electronics.
As one-half of the Lewiston and Auburn twin-towns area, known as "L/A," this town is a convenient base for tourism in the surrounding Maine Lakes and Mountains region. Auburn itself sits on the Androscoggin River, and the town's urban features include a Storywalk, with explanatory signs along a path hugging the riverside. The signs illustrate the town's long history, making those legacies accessible to locals and visitors alike. Each July 4th, the town puts on its Liberty Festival, while the month of August brings the Great Falls Balloon Festival, with hot-air balloons taking off region-wide.
Camden
Camden enjoys the reputation of being Maine's "Jewel of the Coast." The town's High Street Historic District is beloved for its shingled "cottages," often erected by wealthy East Coast families, like those also found in Bar Harbor. The town once focused on fishing and shipbuilding, but the arrival of wealthy vacationers transformed the local economy.
After an 1892 fire destroyed a number of historic Camden structures, the town rebuilt in brick, completing a dozen new buildings, like the standout Camden Opera House. Other natural, must-see locations include Camden Harbor Park and the Village Green. Just outside town, Camden Hills State Park combines walking and hiking trails, and a majestic view of Penobscot Bay from its 800-foot hilltop viewing point.
Kennebunkport
Kennebunkport is perhaps most famous as the summertime residence of the Bush political family, which counts two presidents. Kennebunkport incorporated in 1653, while still an English colonial town. The place's more modern attractions include Dock Square, which shows the local evolution from shipbuilding and fishing to warm-weather tourism.
Kennebunkport's points of interest will interest visitors of all ages. The Seashore Trolley Museum offers a collection of old-fashioned streetcars and a view of a formerly common type of public transportation. St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, built from stone in 1887, offers ocean views from its steps and stained-glass windows. The town hosts gatherings even outside peak tourism season, like its Christmas Prelude, a popular, town-wide holiday festival running since 1982. True to New England form, Santa Claus arrives in town via lobster boat, alongside two "lobster elves."
Kittery
The town of Kittery, forming the southernmost tip of Maine, sits across the Piscataqua River from New Hampshire. The town, Maine's oldest, was incorporated in 1647, more than a century before the American Revolution. Visitors enjoy the Kittery Point area, which features several historic homes built by wealthy ship captains and leaders of the maritime industry. The nearby Pepperrell Cove has more historic buildings and breathtaking water views. For a place to stay, the Water Street Inn offers riverside views and authentic New England decor.
Outside Kittery proper, Whaleback Lighthouse, and the Wood Island Life Saving Station — which preceded the US Coast Guard — opened as a museum last year.
Lewiston
The other half of the Auburn-Lewiston urban area, this town got a big boost in the 1850s, when industrial investment brought riverside mills to the area, transforming the local economy and population. These centers of production churned out cotton and other textiles. Those and other stories ring out at the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor (MILL), operating right here in Lewiston.
For some outdoor adventure, head to Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary, just east of town. Or take a stroll through Sunnyside Park, which offers green space along the Androscoggin River. Auburn lies just on the river's other side. Each September, the town hosts the Dempsey Challenge, a cancer-treatment fundraiser under the direction of actor and Lewiston native, Patrick Dempsey.
Searsport
Searsport sits south of nearby Bangor and abuts the Penobscot Bay on Maine's Atlantic coast. Established in the 1760s, the town offers visitors well-preserved historic sites, with a concentration on developments from the early 1800s, when the town enjoyed a status as a hub of shipbuilding, shipping, and related industries.
Once called the "home of famous ship captains," Searsport today shocases stately homes of wealthy maritime magnates, not to mention other commercial buildings constructed in brick and granite. The town is also the home of the Penobscot Marine Museum. Its premises feature former captains' homes and the former town hall, built in 1845. To sample local delicacies, the Anglers Restaurant serves up lobster, New England clam chowder, and much else.
Van Buren
Van Buren, set on Maine's St. John River and bordering Canada, offers rich insights into the state's onetime status as a home for native French speakers. The Acadian Village, now a national park, has no fewer than 17 structures built in stone, wood, and brick, which illustrate the styles of architecture common in the mid-18th century. The period witnessed the French and Indian War (1756-63), which pushed many French speakers from English-controlled Maine to areas then in French control — including Louisiana and its primary city, New Orleans. (The term "Cajun" derives from a mispronunciation of the word Acadian.)
Van Buren's buildings reflect the legacy of French influence in Maine, not least the residence of Fortunat Michaud, a Queen Anne-style home, finished in 1917, for the prominent Maine politican of the same name. Many of Van Buren's place names reflect an enduring influence of French settlement and heritage on the town, and the region on either side of the US-Canada border.
For Maine's Warmest Welcomes, Head to Its Small Towns
Maine's summer and year-round attractions suggest how much the state has to offer local and not-so-local travelers. A state long used to welcoming guests, local industries and communities have a fine-tuned sense of how to make visitors comfortable. Auburn and Lewiston combine quaint downtowns with modern museums and views of the Androscoggin River. Seaside towns, from Bar Harbor and Kennebunkport to Kittery, provide the best of Maine's best features, including historic architecture, natural wonders like Acadia National Park, and meals of lobster and other seafood. Even small towns like Van Buren wear their history on their sleeve, sharing it with tourists through reconstructed historic villages and the homes of prominent Mainers of French descent. Whatever a traveler's personal tastes, Maine makes every visitor feel welcome.
