While traveling in Maine with my husband last August, we kept seeing references to “Down East”, and wondered “what the heck does that mean?” After a bit of research, we discovered that back in the day, the name described the direction ships from ports such as Boston and New York sailed to reach the area – downwind toward the east. Some maps show specific borders to the Down East region, but it seems to generally refer to the southeastern part of the Maine coast. And this area is well-worth a road trip!
Here are five reasons you should add this area of Maine to your list of must-see destinations:
1. Acadia National Park
Even after visiting over twenty national parks, Acadia is still one of my favorites. Acadia is located on Mount Desert Island and is the only national park in Maine. The best part about it is that you can see all the state’s natural features all in one place, including rugged granite coastline, mountains, forests, ponds, and marshlands. Cadillac Mountain is a great place to watch the sunrise as it touches the United States for the first time each day. The park is also great for hiking. We loved exploring the coastline and its various beaches. When you are done traversing the national park, check out the town of Bar Harbor to grab a lobster roll for dinner and do some shopping.
2. Quaint Coastal Towns
There are so many little coastal towns in Maine, each with its own charm. We stayed in Belfast, which is about an hour and a half southwest of Bar Harbor on the Penobscot Bay. It is just about as cute of a coastal town as they come. It has an authentic New England feel with a beautiful waterfront and a historic downtown area. Just down the coast is the town of Camden, another quaint coastal town, where we spent some time sitting by the marina watching boats go in and out. This is a great spot to take a boat tour on a traditional wooden lobster boat. If you happen to be in the area during the first weekend in August, don’t miss the Maine Lobster Festival in the town of Rockland.
3. Lobster
Though Maine lobster is shipped all around the world, you’ll find it at its freshest in its home state. If you miss the Rockland Lobster Festival, not to worry, you can still enjoy an authentic lobster experience. Check out a local “lobster pound”. Being from the Midwest, we had no idea what a lobster pound was. Luckily, a friendly couple at the RV park clued us in. They explained lobster pounds are casual restaurants where you order fresh, live lobster and eat it on picnic tables outside (or take it to go). We went to Young’s Lobster Pound in Belfast and brought a bottle of wine. It was nice to chat with some locals as we sat on the deck overlooking the water while watching the sun go down. You can find these places all along the coast. I recommend checking one out to get a true Maine experience.
4. Lighthouses
Maine is known as the lighthouse state. And for a good reason – there are over 60 lighthouses on the coast of Maine. The West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec is thought to be the most picturesque with its red and white candy stripes. It also marks the eastern most point of the United States mainland. While visiting Acadia National Park, we also enjoyed seeing Bass Harbor Head Light. It is located in the southwestern part of Mount Desert Island. If you are already planning on visiting Acadia, it is worth making a stop at this lighthouse. There are four other lighthouses around Mount Desert Island. One of the best ways to see them all is on a boat tour out of Bar Harbor.
5. Outdoor Adventures
One of the main reasons to rent an RV and hit the road is to have a great outdoor adventure. You will find plenty of that in Maine. Maine’s 3,500 miles of coastline offers lots of opportunities for boating or paddling a kayak or canoe. The spring, summer, and fall weather in Maine is great for hiking, biking and bird and wildlife watching. Speaking of wildlife, you can take an excursion off the coast to go whale-watching or see one of the two Atlantic puffin colonies off the Maine coast. You may even get lucky enough to see Maine’s state animal, the moose.
The southeastern coast of Maine is a treasure waiting for you to find your adventure. Start planning your road trip today by booking your RV rental!
