Best of Maine | 2018 Editors’ Choice Awards

Planning a Maine vacation, day trip, or getaway? From dining and lodging to attractions that are well worth the drive, here are 30 of our editors’ picks for the best of Maine.

BEST OF MAINE 2018: ATTRACTIONS

CINEMA OR DRIVE IN:The GrandEllsworth

Funded by the city of Ellsworth as part of the community’s rebirth from a devastating 1933 fire, the Grand was a model of art deco elegance when it first opened in 1938. Now a nonprofit performing arts center that draws audiences from throughout Down East, it has retained its original beauty while adding more comfortable seats and a stage extension for concerts and live theater. But cinema remains the mainstay at the Grand, which offers a stellar lineup of first-run art films and documentaries and frequent special repertory screenings. 207-667-9500

FAMILY ADVENTURE:Sunday River Zipline TourNewry

Fearlessness might be the best gift that any parents can give their kids. Every family member bigger than three feet tall (and weighing between 70 and 270 pounds) can join this zipline rush down the mountain at Sunday River. Think of it as summer’s substitute for racing skis. A sequence of six lines, ranging from 100 to 300 feet each, stretches through the woods and over a ravine. The tours last about two hours and reach speeds up to 25 miles per hour, delivering just the right amount of adrenalin to fuel thrill-seekers of all ages. 207-824-3000

FARMERS’ MARKET:Portland Farmers’ MarketPortland

From late April to late November, the Saturday morning market based in Deering Oaks Park celebrates everything that can be grown, raised, tended, or fermented for nearly a hundred miles around. That bounty comes in a rainbow, ranging from more than two dozen colors of cherry tomatoes to a broad palette of peppers, carrots, and beets. Portland chefs are buying from these same agricultural specialists, scooping up ingredients such as wild mushrooms from North Spore and yogurt and fresh cheeses from Swallowtail Farm—which means that your market visit will also tell you what’s really in season on a restaurant’s menu.

GENERAL STORE:Bessie’s Farm GoodsFreeport

A short hop from the outlet stores of downtown Freeport on the way to Wolfe’s Neck, Bessie’s is as tightly focused on local goods and local needs as the outlets are on name-brand bargains. The loving project of former teachers Kathy Heye and Deede Montgomery, Bessie’s is a reinterpretation of what a general store can be. The shelves are positively overflowing with homemade wares (lobster mittens, anyone?), garden produce, locally spun yarn, and more. Folks stop in at Bessie’s as much to chat as shop, and a neighbor might phone in to reserve the last mint brownie. 207-865-9840

HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE:Burnt Island “Living Lighthouse” TourBoothbay Harbor

Being a lighthouse keeper might sound like a romantic adventure in isolation, but the historic interpreters on Burnt Island ground that romance in the quotidian details of eking out a living and keeping the light on for vessels coming into Boothbay Harbor. The 15-minute cruise aboard the Novelty from Boothbay’s Pier 8 takes passengers back to the 1950s to “meet” keeper Joseph Muise, his wife, and their three daughters. Tours operate Monday and Thursday from July to late August. 207-633-2284

LAKE CRUISE:The Birches Resort’s Moose Cruises & SafarisRockwood

Maine’s biggest lake and its biggest land mammal seem to have an affinity for each other. Moosehead Lake is prime feeding ground for moose, the largest member of the deer family, which—despite stretching almost nine feet long and standing six feet high at the shoulder—can prove tricky to spot. But summer is a good time to look for cows and calves foraging at the edges of the lake, especially with these seasoned wilderness guides bringing you close to the feeding grounds via pontoon boat. 800-825-9453

MUSIC CLUB:One Longfellow SquarePortland

This nonprofit performance center located in the heart of the Arts District in Portland’s West End presents more than 200 concerts and other events per year, making it a major magnet for the local music scene. Genres lean heavily toward folk, jazz, and blues with a healthy dose of Celtic and bluegrass thrown in; comedy acts and art films help fill out the roster, too. And full bar service makes the intimate space, which seats up to 185, all the more congenial. 207-761-1757

NATURE EXPERIENCE:Castine Kayak Adventures Bioluminescence Night Paddle TripsCastine

Location, location, location. Gorgeous glow-in-the-dark phytoplankton flourish in just a few spots around the world, and luckily for us their favored hangouts include Castine Harbor, where the Bagaduce River meets the cold Penobscot Bay. The best way to experience their magic is on one of Castine Kayak Adventures’ nighttime group trips: Every dip of the paddle makes the night sea glow with the tiny bioluminescent creatures, rivaling the swirl of stars in the Milky Way overhead. 207-866-3506 

NEW CULTURAL ATTRACTION:Center for Maine Contemporary Art Rockland

With its sawtooth corrugated metal roof and array of north-facing windows to let in the coastal light, Toshiko Mori’s stunning design for the Center for Maine Contemporary Art gives it a commanding presence in Rockland. Three galleries house ever-changing exhibitions of contemporary art, much of it heroic in scale. Artists have a Maine connection by birth or by choice, and sharp curatorial choices emphasize both sense of place and aesthetic achievement. The new CMCA joins the Farns­worth Art Museum in making Rockland the art capital of the midcoast. 207-701-5005

SPECIALTY MUSEUM:Abbe Museum Bar Harbor

This splendid museum of Maine’s native peoples shifted its focus a few years ago from archaeology of a vanished world to an emphasis on living culture. Many Wabanaki artists helped design the core exhibit, “People of the First Light,” which explores the 12,000-year continuous history of people living in the Wabanaki homeland. Exhibits bring together archaeological finds with oral histories, personal knowledge, and cultural and artistic traditions. The tales of confrontation, adaptation, and survival paint a picture of a resilient—and very much living—culture. 207-288-3519

BEST OF MAINE 2018: LODGING

BOUTIQUE HOTEL:Whitehall Camden

Though the core of Whitehall may be an 1834 sea captain’s home, the building has progressively accreted rooms since becoming an inn in 1901. Reimagined in 2015 as a chic coastal getaway, the 36-room hotel and its rambling porches sprawl across green lawns between the rounded peak of Mount Battie and the lapping blue waters of Penobscot Bay. Touches like aged barn board and grass-cloth wall coverings produce a breezy contemporary decor that still echoes the leisurely rusticators of a century past. 207-236-3391

FAMILY LODGING:The Lodge on the Cove Kennebunkport

Both retro-cool and budget-friendly, this 21st-century makeover of a motor lodge is colorful and upbeat, with a mix of vintage and contemporary furnishings in 30 guest rooms spread throughout four buildings. The centerpiece of the resort is the main lodge, which has a big lounge on the upper level and a restaurant below that opens out onto the pool. Keeping little ones entertained is a cinch, with complimentary use of beach cruisers and kids’ bikes, lawn games, shuffle puck and Ping-Pong tables, and Saturday-night movies. Plus, the shops and attractions of Dock Square are just a 15-minute stroll away. 800-879-5778

HISTORIC HOTEL:Claremont Hotel Southwest Harbor

The fjord of Somes Sound cleaves Mount Desert Island in two. The 24-room Claremont sits on the take-a-deep-breath-and-exhale western lobe, removed from the bustle of Bar Harbor and the main attractions of Acadia National Park. Since 1884, it has welcomed guests to its six-acre spread at the mouth of Somes Sound with views across to Greening Island. Six modern inn-style rooms and 14 cottages are other options, but stretching out on a sleigh bed in the main inn, with the breeze ruffling the window sheers, feels like visiting the home of the Down East grandma you wish you had. 800-244-5036

LAKESIDE LODGING:The Rangeley Inn Rangeley

A perfect example of Maine’s “serial architecture,” the multiwinged Rangeley Inn was built in pieces in the early 20th century to offer hospitality to the sporting crowd that came by rail. The trains no longer run, but the mountainous woodlands and lakes of western Maine remain as alluring as ever. Well-stocked Haley Pond—just outside the inn’s back door—is a fine spot to practice angling or paddle around for an hour in a loaner kayak. Want to explore the Rangeley Lake itself? Inn staffers are happy to point you to a neighboring cruise company offering scenic outings on one-of-a-kind restored wooden boats. 207-864-3341

LUXURY ESCAPE:Cliff House Cape Neddick

Set high atop a cliff of black volcanic boulders between York and the sandy beaches of Ogunquit, Cliff House has enjoyed an osprey’s view of the ocean since opening in 1872. Recent renovations went beyond mere restoration to create a sleek contemporary hotel with every imaginable creature comfort and an ambitious spa for beauty and wellness treatments. All 226 rooms and suites come with private terraces and those same incomparable views that have been the resort’s calling card since Ulysses S. Grant was president. 207-361-1000

NEW LODGING:Sandy Pines Campground Kennebunkport

For those looking to rough it like a raja in the Maine woods, Sandy Pines’ 12 luxurious glamping tents offer designer decor in 18-by-24-foot canvas “rooms.” Each has its own meditation garden and king-size bed, some have adjacent tepees for the kids, and all share a communal fire pit for making nighttime memories (and s’mores). More traditional overnight setups are available, too: The majority of the 300-plus wooded sites here allow for RV camping, with 100 nice tenting spots as well. Bordering the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge, Sandy Pines’ 60 acres ensures everyone has room to spread out. 207-967-2483

OCEANSIDE LODGING:Spruce Point Inn Boothbay Harbor

Diffuse ocean light surrounds this 1892 inn and cabin community at the southern end of the thumb-shaped peninsula separating Boothbay Harbor from Linekin Bay. Seven inn rooms feature private decks where you can sprawl in Adirondack chairs to watch sails billow on the bay below. Other options include oversize rooms in modern lodges and woodsy housekeeping cottages, many with multiple bedrooms for family getaways. The village is a 1½-mile bike ride away … assuming you can tear yourself away from the view. 207-633-4152

ROMATIC GETAWAY:The Inn at Diamond Cove Portland

You and your significant other can leave both car and cares on the mainland when you hop a Casco Bay Ferry to Great Diamond Island, where bicycles and electric golf carts are the chief alternatives to walking. An inspired redeployment of the former barracks of the 1890s Fort McKinley, the 44-room Inn at Diamond Cove offers a plush and tranquil retreat. To up the intimacy factor, ask for a parlor suite with fireplace for snuggling on a cool night, and reserve a waterfront table at the inn’s sister restaurant, Diamond’s Edge. 207-805-9836

ROOMS WITH A VIEW:The East Wind Inn Tenants Harbor

A prime waterfront location on the St. George peninsula south of Thomaston guarantees that all 19 rooms at the East Wind Inn have views of the lobster boats anchored in the harbor and the islands offshore. Guests can choose between two adjacent buildings: a 19th-century former sail loft or an erstwhile sea captain’s mansion. The rooms are simply furnished with finds from local antiques dealers, striking precisely the right note for this unpretentious working stretch of the Maine coast. 207-372-6366

WILDERNESS RETREAT:Little Lyford Lodge & Cabins Greenville

So far off the grid that you have to ski in during the winter, Little Lyford is a complex of nine log cabins, a bunkhouse, and a main lodge in the middle of a 66,000-acre forest owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club. The AMC also operates the restored 1874 camp. It’s definitely rustic: propane lights, woodstove, cold running water. BYO sheets or sleeping bag, but canoes and kayaks are provided—as are three squares a day. Reserve fishing gear ahead, as you’re one landlocked salmon away from nirvana. 207-280-0708

BEST OF MAINE 2018: DINING

BREWPUB:The Liberal Cup Public House & Brewery Hallowell

Brewer Geoff Houghton wants customers to linger in his Hallowell incarnation of a classic English country pub, so he makes a generous pour. The seven-barrel brewery produces a rotating list of English-style sips, mostly session ales and bitters, served in 20-ounce Imperial pint glasses (hence the name of the establishment). The kitchen dishes out innovative pub grub most of the time but offers fancier gastropub specials on weekend nights, sometimes using mushrooms foraged by the chef himself. 207-623-2739

CHOWDER:Erica’s Seafood Harpswell

A good chowder should have far more fish than liquid, and the liquid should be creamy without added thickener. Andrea Hunter is the cook at Erica’s (named for her daughter), and she always packs the seafood chowder with lobster, shrimp, haddock, and clams. Sometimes she also adds scallops and sweet threads of crab meat. The cash-only takeout shack has the usual lobster and crab rolls, but a bowl of chowder will leave you perfectly full. BYOB. 207-833-7354

DOUGHNUTS:The Holy Donut Portland

It has long been a tradition in Maine potato country to add mashed spuds to doughnut batter, yielding a fluffier, moister dunker. So when Leigh Kellis decided to open a doughnut shop in Portland in 2012, it was only natural that she would make her rounds with potatoes. The results not only nail the perfect texture but also come in 20-odd flavors that are uniformly excellent. Don’t miss the chocolate glazed sprinkled with sea salt, the ideal foil to all that sweet, chocolatey goodness. Locations in Portland and Scarborough. 207-775-7776

FARM-TO-TABLE:The Fiddlehead Restaurant Bangor

From spring’s first asparagus to autumn’s bounty of pumpkins and squashes, it helps to have your own farm if you run a restaurant serving farm-to-fork cuisine. Late each winter, chef Mel Chaiken and her partner’s husband, Aaron Peppard, who oversees the greenhouses and gardens, choose the seeds with which to plant the summer menu. Meats, seafood, and cheeses come largely from Maine farms, fishermen, and cheese makers. Raised in Japan by a Malaysian mother and an American father, Chaiken brings some innovative Asian treatments to otherwise recognizably New England food. 207-942-3336

HOT DOGS:Simones’ Lewiston

Loyalists here are split between ordering their hot dogs grilled or steamed, but in either case they’ll get a classic Maine red snapper—a beef and pork frank in a natural casing that “snaps” when bitten. (The startlingly bright hue is harmless food coloring.) The family business launched in 1908 on the other side of Chestnut Street but moved into its current quarters in 1966. With the next generation already in the kitchen, Simones’ could be here for another 110 years. Steamed dogs are a dollar on Wednesday. 207-782-8431

NEW RESTAURANT:Drifters Wife Portland

Launched in 2016 as a small, quirky boîte where patrons could dine while they tasted the great wines sold in the back at Maine & Loire, Drifters Wife truly came into its own this winter when it and its sibling wine shop relocated to a bigger space next door. With the move came a full kitchen, a full bar, and nearly double the seating. It’s terrific news for fans of chef Ben Jackson, who cooks with a lusty palate, contrasting and concentrating strong flavors in a constantly changing menu. Think mackerel with aioli, scallions, and paprika, or crispy duck with kimchi and lardo. 207-805-1336

OYSTER BAR:Eventide Oyster Co., Portland

The bar’s huge block of granite and ice topped with oysters signals you’ve come to the right place. Eventide made the old-fashioned oyster bar cool again by offering at least a dozen varieties—mostly from Maine but a few from “away”—on the half shell along with a sassy cocktail program. (The Dirty Dirty Martini pairs the booze with olive brine, oyster brine, and hot sauce.) The fried fish is often hake, an underutilized species this side of the Atlantic but a Parisian favorite. 207-774-8538

SEAFOOD SHACK:McLoons South Thomaston

When people all over the world dream of eating Maine lobster on the coast, they probably imagine themselves in a place like the modest red-clapboard waterfront shack of McLoons. The surroundings are quintessential midcoast Maine, right down to rocky Spruce Head Island, where the seafood shack and its parent commercial lobster wharf sit. (It’s connected to the mainland by a causeway but also welcomes boaters.) The simple lobster salad roll at McLoons is the best in the state, but many diners also love the roll of sweet hand-picked crab. Burgers and grilled cheese feed the pescaphobic. 207-593-1382

SUSHI:Suzuki’s Sushi Bar Rockland

Keiko Suzuki Steinberger certainly changed local attitudes about raw fish when she opened this Japanese restaurant in downtown Rockland. The seafood that’s used in sushi and sashimi creations is as seasonal as any other harvest, and Suzuki eagerly awaits the herring and mackerel runs, the brief window in which to catch tiny northern shrimp (ama edi), and the late-summer run of bluefin tuna (toro). She’s on a mission now to get more Mainers to eat uni, the roe of the ubiquitous sea urchin. The day’s local catch is posted in the sushi bar’s front window. 207-596-7447

WATERFRONT DINING:Nina June Rockport

Rockport has the prettiest slot harbor on Maine’s coast, and Sara Jenkins’s Mediterranean restaurant occupies the prime perch overlooking it, at the corner of Central and Main in the old red-brick Union Hall. Angle for a table on the back porch for views of the lobster boats, sloops, and schooners while you enjoy great risottos and pastas or Italian or French treatments of Gulf of Maine fish. During the height of summer and fall, Jenkins marvels that her only nonlocal produce ingredients are lemons, limes, and oranges. 207-236-8880

SEE MORE: Top 10 Maine Summer Events of 2018 Best of New England | 2018 Editors’ Choice Awards