2026 Maine Travel Guide | Hotels, Dining & Attractions

Whether you’re a Maine native or visiting for the first time, the Editors’ Picks in our 2026 Maine Travel Guide highlight the best places to eat, stay, and explore across the Pine Tree State. Curated by the Yankee team with insights from local experts, these handpicked spots showcase the beauty, charm, and character that make Maine unforgettable.

2026 Maine Travel Guide

2026 Maine Travel Guide | Attractions

Best Agritourism Stop:
Nezinscot Farm Store, Turner

Homesteading and sustainable living are the focus at Nezinscot, Maine’s oldest organic dairy farm. The Varney family makes it easy to learn about and practice both. Go for breakfast, lunch, or a pick-me-up: The café serves and the store sells many products made or raised on the farm, including meat, veggies, cheeses, and breads. Perhaps mosey out to the medicinals garden with an affogato made with house gelato. You’ll find everything you’ll need for spinning, weaving, knitting, felting, and crocheting in the second-floor fiber shop, which sells organic wools from the farm’s sheep, angora goats, angora rabbits, and alpacas. Pick up craft supplies, take a workshop, or covet wool socks and hand-dyed yarns.

Best Food Festival:
Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, Dover-Foxcroft

Whoop it up with whoopie pies, a scrumptious sweet made by sandwiching a creamy filling between two cakey cookies. The annual one-day festival, held in June on the Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds, invites you to taste, experience, and discover Maine’s official state treat. In addition to enjoying creatively flavored whoopie pies, the event includes arts and crafts vendors, live music, and eating contests. In 2025, more than 30 bakers each brought 1,500 whoopie pies to the festival.

Best Free Summer Event:
Made in Maine Concert Series, L.L. Bean, Freeport

In July and August, enjoy free outdoor Saturday-evening concerts featuring Maine musicians at Discovery Park on L.L. Bean’s Freeport campus. You’re welcome to set up a chair or a blanket beginning at 4 p.m., but the music doesn’t start until 7 p.m. In the meantime, savor a snack or a picnic dinner from one of the local food trucks on-site. Or, bring a small cooler—just no alcohol. Discovery Park is accessible, ADA parking is available, and an American Sign Language interpreter is provided.

Best Indie Music Store:
Vinyl Vogue, Ellsworth

Matt Manry has created an indie music store with a heart inside the Newberry Exchange on Main Street, a space shared with Trio Gift Shop and Black Moon Public House. That makes it easy to sip a cocktail as you browse rare and collectible records and cassettes or to admire premium guitars and lust after restored vintage audio gear, while friends gift-shop. As for heart: Manry donates 10 percent of profits to local school music programs to make music education more accessible to all.

Best Mountain Day Trip:
Mount Agamenticus, York

Drive, hike, or bike to the 692-foot summit of the Big A, as it’s locally known, and enjoy panoramic views taking in the Atlantic coastline, one of the largest undeveloped forestlands along New England’s coast, inland lakes, and the White Mountains. Rare plants and animal species exist in this biologically diverse 10,000-acre conservation land that’s managed to balance wildlife, water quality, and sustainable recreation. Bring a picnic, check out the interactive displays and activities in the Learning Lodge, and go hiking or mountain biking on the 40-mile trail network.

Best Museum Shop:
Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester

Three residents remain in the world’s last practicing Shaker community, and visiting here immerses you in a slower, simpler time. The property’s two shops reflect the Shakers’ “Hands to Work, Hearts to God” motto. The visitors’ center gift shop, located in the 1850 Boys’ Shop, offers a glimpse into Shaker life with books, goods, culinary herbs, medicinal teas, and locally produced crafts. The Shaker Store, on the main road, displays antique Shaker goods and offers herbs, teas, yarns, and crafts.

Best New Cultural Attraction:
Maine MILL, Lewiston

A grand museum deserves a grand home, and this summer Maine MILL (full name: the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning, and Labor) will officially reopen at the former downtown home of Camden Yarns following an ambitious $14 million renovation. For an institution dedicated to telling the story of the region’s industrial ingenuity, this isn’t just a new address: It’s an entirely new way to share Maine MILL’s collection of more than 10,000 artifacts, including a rare Jacquard loom, through larger exhibit spaces, a learning center, a children’s gallery, and a hands-on interactive design lab.

Best Quirky Attraction:
Umbrella Cover Museum, Peaks Island

When Nancy 3. Hoffman (yes, her middle name is “3.”) discovered she had a handful of umbrella covers that she didn’t know what to do with, she opened a museum dedicated to the “appreciation of the mundane in everyday life”—but this place is anything but mundane. Hoffman’s collection earned a Guinness World Record in 2012 with 730 covers, and now it numbers more than 2,000 and represents more than 70 countries. Hoffman guides visitors through the exhibits, and usually she ends the tour singing and playing “Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella” on her accordion.

Best Specialty Museum:
Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport

Explore 11 buildings filled with exhibits and trolley cars on the 350-acre campus of the world’s oldest and largest electric railway museum. While here, ride a restored trolley along an original section of the Atlantic Shore Line Railway as often as you wish. Watch volunteers at work repairing cars in the restoration shop. Don’t miss Helen and Buz Beal’s intricately detailed Maine Central Model Railroad, which comprises 300 buildings and 500 cars in recognizable Maine locations. Tip: Reserve in advance for the 90-minute “Be a Motorman” program, during which you’ll operate a vintage streetcar on the museum’s line.

Best Summer Stock:
Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit

Since the 1930s, this summer stock theater has presented fully staged professional musicals and comedies, including premieres. It started in a downtown Ogunquit garage and later moved into the current purpose-built playhouse. A who’s who of Broadway veterans and Hollywood pros—such as Bette Davis, William Shatner, Jamie Farr, Betty White, and Sally Struthers (who usually appears in at least one show each season)—have brightened the stage in a blend of new and familiar shows. The schedule includes five musicals, a holiday show performed at The Music Hall in New Hampshire, and two shows featuring youth actors from the playhouse’s Arts Academy.

2026 Maine Travel Guide | Dining

Best Afternoon Tea:
The Lady Mary Inn at Hurd Manor, North Berwick

This handsome, antiques-filled Queen Anne–Eastlake Victorian, with its ornate woodwork, architectural embellishments, and stained-glass windows, makes a fine background for afternoon tea. You’ll have a leisurely 90 minutes to enjoy a full pot of tea and assorted sandwiches, scones, and desserts served on fine china. There’s no dress code, but you won’t feel out of place in smart casual wear and a tea hat.

Best Bistro:
Isa, Portland

Seasonal ingredients drive chef Isaul Perez’s menu at Isa, a cozy spot off Portland’s well-beaten restaurant trail. Locals know this unpretentious neighborhood bistro is all about food. Perez’s eclectic menu draws from his Mexican heritage, experience cooking French and Italian fare while in New York, and Maine ingredients. The lobster tostada, tagliatelle Bolognese, and local pork chop earn raves. His wife, certified sommelier Suzie Perez, has a knack for discovering big wines at affordable prices. The tin ceiling, brick walls, black-and-white tiled floor, and wooden tables provide an unassuming background for the beautifully presented plates.

Best Bread Bakery:
ZUbakery, Portland

Entering baker Barak Olins’s micro-boulangerie awakens the senses. Enticing aromas of textured rustic breads and French pastries and warmth from the oven fill the air. Just before mixing each dough, Olins mills his whole-grain flours from certified-organic wheat, rye, and spelt grown in Maine’s Aroostook County. Come for the breads, but don’t miss the scrumptious pastries, including to-die-for croissants and Irish scones. Those begin emerging from the oven in the morning, followed by the breads—perhaps still-warm wheat, baguettes, focaccia, or mixed grain.

Best Breakfast Spot:
Buttermilk Kitchen at Marriner’s, Camden

Hey, y’all: Whether you’re a lover of chicken and pimento cheese grits, a fan of buttermilk pancakes, or a plain-and-simple type who prefers good old bacon and eggs, this cheerful Main Street spot, dressed in nautical blue and white and sporting a menu with a Southern accent, has you covered. But don’t even think about leaving without trying the oversize buttermilk drop biscuit, ideally slathered with butter and topped with a generous smear of Buttermilk Kitchen’s signature red pepper jelly. Be prepared to order another to go, perhaps with an espresso.

Best Burger:
Quietside Snacks, Bernard

After hiking on Acadia National Park’s western side, detour to Bernard and refuel at this Airstream camper turned burger shack prized by locals. Sidle up to the window and order The Traveler, a double Angus smash burger with Snack Sauce, or a Caravan Smash, which jazzes up the patties with bacon, cheddar cheese, and baconnaise. Don’t skip the extra-crispy fries. Snag a picnic table or grab your meal to go. One bite, and you’ll understand the love.

Best Coffee Shop:
Gemini Café & Bakery, Bethel

Anna Sysko and Nicole Pellerin chose the name Gemini for their cozy in-town café, located in a former bank, because they worked together like the fabled twin constellation, and it has become a bright star in this western mountain town. Locals linger over coffee drinks and sweet and savory baked goods, including flaky croissants, crunchy-chewy bagels, and pastries worthy of a British baking show. For a heftier meal, opt for a breakfast or lunch sandwich, such as pastrami on rye, jambon beurre, and the always-popular peanut butter and jam.

Best Comfort Food:
Salted Butter Farm, Sherman

Step inside this pinkish-purple gingerbread-trimmed 1890 Victorian for affordable, family-friendly, scratch-made comfort meals made from locally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients. Culinary Institute of America grad Jenny MacArthur and her husband, Jon Purdy, along with their family, dish out generous portions from a wide-ranging menu that offers vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free choices. The eclectic decor includes Tiffany chandeliers, mismatched vintage china and furniture, and bric-a-brac. Service is friendly, and little ones are welcome—one dining room offers toys and an under-the-stairs hideaway.

Best Craft Cidery:
Ricker Hill Tasting Room, Turner

For nine generations, the Ricker family has grown apples on Ricker Hill. These days, they’re all about the Mainiac hard cider produced in the original cidery, where 18 taps pour classic, limited-edition, and seasonal ciders. All are made from apples picked, pressed, and produced in Maine. The farm also grows the blueberries and cranberries used in its ciders. Not sure where to start? Order a flight of four to eight tasting portions to sip and ponder. When you find your true love, bring home a bottle or can or go big with a flagon, a cidery version of the growler.

Best Ice Cream:
Blanchard’s Creamery, Edgecomb

It’s hard to decide which creative flavor—pralines and cream, snickerdoodle, matcha green tea—to order at this handsomely renovated 1800s barn. Mary Blanchard’s staff makes 60-plus flavors of slow-churned, small-batch ice cream, sorbet, and dairy-free items, along with espresso drinks and baked goods. Ask for a tasting, and if you still can’t decide, combine a few flavors in one dish or cone or go for a tasting sampler. They even offer pup cups for your furry friend. You’ll find tables indoors and out.

Best New Restaurant:
Douro, Portland

The Iberian Peninsula’s coastal flavors and convivial spirit inspire every aspect of this newcomer on Portland’s Eastern Promenade. Step through Mediterranean-blue doors and find a seat at a communal table, likely already loaded with platters of oysters and smoked mussels, copper cataplanas steaming with succulent seafood stew, and spicy plates of piri-piri chicken. It’s all about sharing. And pairing: Pours of wine, port, sherry, and madeira are offered in five sizes.

Best Seafood Restaurant:
Dry Dock, Portland

Long an institution on Portland’s waterfront, the Dry Dock was reopened by new owners in 2025 with an updated but still nautical vibe. While choices exist for landlubbers—including a drool-worthy burger—seafood rules here. Start with raw bar selections, and then make your way through the appetizers, such as mackerel toast with dijonnaise and pickled onion, or try the spicy mussel and chorizo stew. Nothing gets too fancy here; rather, it’s comfort fare prepared with care and zing. The dining area covers two floors with seating indoors and on covered waterfront decks.

Best Taqueria:
El El Frijoles, Sargentville

For a taste of Mexi-Cali Maine, pop into this casual, takeout-style taqueria barn, with seating available at a picnic table on the lawn, by the firepit, under the trees, and on a screened-in porch. It’s easy to stick to the favorites, but do ask what specials chef Michele Levesque is cooking in the kitchen. Almost everything on the menu—burritos, quesadillas, empanadas, tacos, soups, salads—is made from scratch daily, with most ingredients sourced locally. Of course, fresh lobster makes its way into the burritos and tacos. And the name? That’s Spanish for L.L. Beans.

2026 Maine Travel Guide | Hotels

Best Affordable Overnight:
Black Elephant Hostel, Portland

A dizzying array of patterns and colors welcomes you to this contemporary hostel, an easy walk from the city’s Old Port and Waterfront. Prepare meals in the communal kitchen; play games, watch TV, or hang out by the fireplace in the lobby; swap stories in the garden-rimmed grassy backyard. But you don’t need to share a room or a bathroom. The 13 guest rooms include cozy doubles, triples, dorms sleeping four to eight, and a studio apartment. Six have en-suite bathrooms; others share private hall ones. The minimum age is 18.

Best All-Inclusive Getaway:
Migis Lodge on Sebago Lake, South Casco

Weaving through mature pines, paths cushioned with pine needles connect the main lodge to the beach-scalloped shoreline and guest cabins at Migis, a 125-acre resort on Sebago Lake. Migis makes vacationing easy: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included, as are most activities and childcare programs for ages 4 to 6 and 7 and older. Go for a paddle or a sail or try waterskiing; cruise aboard the restored 1947 Chris-Craft Cruiser; play disc golf, pickleball, basketball, or tennis. Watch the sunset from the patio while sipping cocktails, go stargazing after dinner, and then retreat to your room or cottage, where a fireplace takes the chill off a Maine evening.

Best Luxury Overnight:
Shoreside Rooms at The Viewpoint Hotel, York

The Atlantic Ocean dazzles outside the Shoreside Rooms at The Viewpoint, the hotel with spectacular views of Nubble Light, aka Cape Neddick Light Station. These seven guest rooms are built into the hillside on two levels. All Shoreside Rooms feature walls of glass framing the open Atlantic, and all have views of the lighthouse. Thanks to strategically placed mirrors and glass facades, you can enjoy the views from the bathroom, too—but shades allow privacy. Guest amenities include a beach shuttle, saltwater pool, food truck, spa facility, cedar sauna, firepit, outdoor shower, and hot tub.

Best New Lodging:
Camp DeForest, Lincolnville

Hold onto your clipboard because summer camp is back, with all of the phone-free magic of scavenger hunts and bonfires, and all of the comforts that ’50s kids only dreamed of when they parked their trunks under bunks. You’ll be writing home about warm banana bread, seven hot dog options (including elk dogs), indoor climbs when the weather’s uncooperative, and nights at the tiki bar. “Cabins” are available year-round, but why kick the can until fall or winter?

Best Ocean View:
The Bayview Hotel, Bar Harbor

Don your robe and slippers, brew a cup of coffee, and greet the day on your private balcony looking across Frenchman Bay toward the mainland mountains and the Schoodic Peninsula. A hot-and-cold breakfast buffet and afternoon grazing board with cheeses, charcuterie, fruit, baked sweets, and other treats are presented in the fireplaced lounge, with its own sea-view balcony. The 26 spacious, art-infused guest rooms offer sublime bedding and seating indoors and outside. Thoughtful extras include a goodie-stocked guest pantry to sustain you during Acadia adventures … if you can tear yourself away from that view.

Best Off-the-Grid Retreat:
West Branch Pond Camps, Frenchtown Township

You won’t have a cell phone signal, Internet, or TV at this traditional, all-inclusive Maine sporting camp comprising cabins and a main lodge on remote First West Branch Pond. Instead, you’ll experience peace and quiet, enjoy home-cooked meals, have use of canoes and kayaks, and immerse yourself in an edge-of-civilization location northeast of Greenville in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness. Rediscover connections with friends or family while spending the day swimming, fly-fishing, paddling, hiking, or simply relaxing.

Best One-of-a-Kind Rentals:
West Quoddy Station, Lubec

When Bill Clark acquired this decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard life-saving station, many of the buildings were condemned. Over the years, he’s rescued, renovated, and built new buildings on the five-acre property, designing and decorating all in 1950s style to honor the station’s maritime heritage. The location is an easy one-mile walk from West Quoddy Head Lighthouse or sandy Jones Beach, and many of the accommodations provide views over the Quoddy Narrows. Lodging options range from studios to a five-bedroom house; all are dog-friendly. Guests have use of water-view decks and a firepit.

Best Romantic Inn:
Wolf Cove Inn, Poland

Relax and indulge at this secluded, dog-friendly inn fronting on Tripp Lake, in the foothills of Maine’s western mountains. After a hearty breakfast sourced from local ingredients, explore the lake by canoe, swim from the dock, wander around colorful perennial and kitchen gardens and under towering pines, sip cocktails and savor dinner at the guests-only bar and restaurant, and watch the sunset from the firepit. For a truly romantic escape, luxuriate with breakfast in bed, massages, a session in the panoramic sauna with ice baths, and a four-course dinner in the private boathouse perched on the lake.

Best Solo-Travel Escape:
Windjammer Lewis R. French, Camden

Sailing aboard a Maine windjammer delivers an adventure, and the 20-passenger Lewis R. French with four single cabins (and no single supplements), is an excellent choice for solo travelers. You’ll easily meet others aboard this stately 1871 schooner over three hearty daily meals, all served family-style, and during activities. You’re invited to help trim the sails, haul the anchor, coil lines, or do nothing but enjoy what each day brings: islands and fishing villages to explore, birds and sea life to spot, and the crowd-pleasing lobster bake, usually on a deserted beach. And at night: the best stargazing ever.

Best Sunset View:
The Quarters at Lyman-Morse, Camden

The sunset views over Camden’s inner harbor, downtown, and the rolling countryside are just one reason to stay at The Quarters at Lyman-Morse, crafted by one of Maine’s premier boatbuilders. Three guest rooms, all decorated in a bright and airy industrial-chic style with a nautical motif, share a common living area with a fireplace and a full kitchen. A harbor-front boardwalk connects the lodging with dining and drinking hot spots and boutiques that share the sunset views. While it’s an easy walk into town, a shuttle operates between the boardwalk and the town dock most days.

Honorees were selected by Yankee editors with contributions from Hilary Nangle, the author of several Maine guidebooks, including Moon Coastal Maine with Acadia National Park.

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