Muse of The Northeast Coast: An Inspiring Maine Excursion

Start your journey in vibrant, walkable Portland, nestled against the backdrop of glistening Casco Bay. To help visitors see the sights, the non-profit Greater Portland Landmarks provides tours, both self-guided and volunteer-lead, to see historic landmarks and attractions, including the noteworthy Portland Observatory, a one-time maritime signal tower now museum with observation area.

You can spend days exploring the Arts District’s galleries, theater companies, museums and schools. Stretching across several city blocks, it’s a creative neighborhood that aims to give all artists time in the spotlight. One of nine museums on The Maine Art Museum Trail, the Portland Museum of Art & David E. Shaw Sculpture Park features over 18,000 works from Andy Warhol, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and more. Swing by the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design. This dynamic museum hosts five exhibitions each year and a series of public events, artist talks and graduate student exhibits. The Maine Jewish Museum houses permanent art collections as well as rotating exhibits, which change every 6 weeks. Creative Portland, the official arts agency for the city, serves as a multi-use community and gallery space for juried art exhibits. Bus stops come alive through the Creative Bus Shelter Program, where artists of all stripes create one-of-a-kind designs for shelters.

Time your visit to experience a First Friday Art Walk, so you can tour galleries, museums and art venues for free and wander streets filled with local performers, musicians and artists. For more of the performing arts scene, catch a show at the Portland Stage Company, a professional theater putting on spectacular live shows year-round, including the Theater for Kids geared toward audiences ages 4-10. Portland Ovations also puts on a diverse range of shows including classical, jazz and pop music, plus dance, opera, theater and Broadway. Meander through off-the-beaten-path art centers such as Mayo Street Arts, a circa 1890 church now known for a creative space for Portland’s youth and their inhouse puppet theater puts on the International Puppet Festival annually. Housed in another church built in 1897, St. Lawrence Arts is a hub for comedy, improv and performance art. Cove Street Arts’ sleek space champions contemporary Maine art, with multiple and new exhibitions happening every month. The Indigo Arts Alliance, a Black-led studio, provides art and display space for artists from every background and skill level. Give yourself plenty of time to discover each slice of Portland’s exciting art scene before your next stop with more of a small-town feel.

Less than an hour’s drive northeast from Portland, Brunswick’s charming riverside downtown is a designated National Main Street. Take a photo-worthy stroll across the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge built in 1892 for Cabot Mill workers. The view of the river below is beautiful year-round, but especially captivating when fall colors are at their peak. Always free and open year-round, The Bowdoin College Museum of Art is home to more than 25,000 art pieces by artists from around the world. Housed in a building constructed in 1894, it’s included on the National Register of Historic Places and your second stop on The Maine Art Museum Trail. On summer evenings, catch diverse shows and events at the Maine State Music Theatre, operating since 1959, including national tours, musicals, concerts and theater series for young audiences. The Bowdoin International Music Festival is a six-week long summer concert series, which presents 20+ shows showcasing top classical talent. A truly unique experience, the Peary-MacMillan Artic Museum is the only museum dedicated to artic studies and exploration in the contiguous United States.

Ten minutes down the road, you’ll find Bath, also a National Main Street and home to the Maine Maritime Museum on the banks of the Kennebec River. This museum features the only surviving wooden shipyard in the USA with five original 19th century buildings, exhibits and artifacts from 400 years of shipbuilding. Included in the collection is the Wyoming, a full-size replica of the largest wooden sailing vessel ever built in North America. It’s also the largest sculpture in New England. Upriver you’ll find Maine’s First Ship, a replica of the 1607 pinnace Virginia, widely considered the first ship built by Europeans in the New World. Just half an hour’s drive toward the coast, history buffs will love exploring both Fort Baldwin, the Naval defense opened two years before the outbreak of World War I, and Fort Popham, a Civil War-era naval defense turned historic site.

After your introduction to Maine’s maritime history, pick up a one-of-a-kind piece of art at Edgecomb Potters in Boothbay, just a short 40-minute drive down the road. Family owned and operated since 1976, it sells an eclectic mix of hand-crafted-in-Maine jewelry, glass, metal and wood art. Other notable pottery studios in the area include Sheepscot Pottery, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, Georgetown Pottery and AE Pottery. Next, get lost among towering wooden trolls at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, with 102 hectares to explore in addition to classes, lectures and parties. Hop aboard a Cap’n Fish’s Cruises boat tour and relax along scenic Boothbay Harbor. Naturalists at heart can choose from 12 different excursions including whale, seal and puffin spotting.

For a day trip that blends art, history and seafaring, take a ferry or boat charter to the no-cars-allowed, National Natural Landmark Monhegan Island – known for its artist colony dating back to the mid-19th century and the Monhegan Island Lighthouse. Check out the classic Maine depictions at the Monhegan Museum of Art & History, another stop on The Maine Art Museum Trail.

Back on the mainland, drive 30 minutes along the Damariscotta River to Damariscotta. Learn about and sample fresh Maine seafood while on a tour at Glidden Point Oyster Farm, one of 80+ stops on The Maine Oyster Trail. You might also spot seals in action as they flit through the tidal playground. Another must-see near Damariscotta is Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site, home to the reconstructed Fort William Henry. Discover archaeological remains from the 17th and 18th century, and tour the on-site museum showcasing artifacts found on site. For incredible views, climb to the top of the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, commissioned in 1827, and explore the adjacent keeper’s house, now the Fisherman’s Museum at Pemaquid, displaying artifacts of local maritime history.

Start the final leg of your trip in the area around Rockland, which packs a powerful punch of art and history in its small size, including the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Langlais Sculpture Preserve and Farnsworth Art Museum. The Langlais Sculpture Preserve, located in Cushing, houses several of Bernard Langlais’ massive wooden sculptures. Your last stop on The Maine Art Museum Trail, the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland specializes in American art with a nationally recognized collection of more than 10,000 works. The museum also owns the Olson House, a 14-room colonial farmhouse about 30 minutes away in Cushing. Make a side trip to tour this famous home, which appears in multiple works by American artist Andrew Wyeth.

At the Owls Head Transportation Museum, see more than 200 antique aircrafts, motorcycles, bicycles and automobiles all dating to before 1940. Next, venture to Owls Head State Park, home to Owls Head Lighthouse, a serene picnic grove and small rocky beach. The American Lighthouse Foundation runs an on-site interpretive center where you can learn about Maine’s lighthouses and maritime intrigue full of ghost stories and shipwrecks. In the evening, catch a film, musical and theatrical production at The Strand Theatre, built in 1923 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Before you wrap up your visit, take a 1.5-hour ferry ride across West Penobscot Bay to Vinalhaven Island, known for its thriving lobster fishery and more than 10 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Spend some time exploring the island and grab a lobster roll from Greet’s Eats, run by a seventh-generation islander. For your last stop, don’t miss Camden Hills State Park, located directly north of Camden on the bay. Capture scenic views of the surrounding waters, trek along 48 kilometers of hiking trails or even arrange to camp on-site. Take a short drive to the top of Mount Battie for sweeping panoramic views of Camden Harbor and Penobscot Bay. It’s the perfect way to remember Maine before you drive just over an hour to Bangor International Airport (BGR) to begin your return trip home.