Last updated: April 21, 2024

I love that I was able to take nine days and explore New England. While that’s definitely not enough time to thoroughly visit Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, it was enough time to get just a taste to know I want to go back!

My “main” reason (pun intended) for visiting New England was to see Maine’s Acadia National Park. I actually thought this would be one of the last parks I would visit due to it being over 1,400 miles from my house, however, my obsession to visit all 50 states motivated me to take the trip sooner rather than later so I could knock out six states in a little over one week. While the National Park stole the show, there were several things to explore while in Maine and I was introduced to my first bed and breakfast as well as lobster rolls… neither of which disappointed!

First things first, let’s talk about Maine. It’s the north-easternmost state and the 12th smallest. It’s the only state that has one syllabus and to be boarded by only one other US state (New Hamphshire). Their state song is literally titled “State of Maine”. Some things about Maine that made me smile is:

• Established: March 15, 1820 as the 23rd state
• Insect: Honey bee
• Cat: Maine Coon (yes, they have an official state cat!)
• Mammal: Moose
• Slogan: The Way Life Should Be
• Drink: Moxie (it’s a soda)
• Food: Blueberry whoopie pie
• Famous for its lobster – supplying nearly 90% of Americas lobster supply
• State bird: Chickadee
• Nickname: Pine Tree State / Vacationland
• Highest mountain: Mt. Katahdin (5268 ft)
• 65 lighthouses
• Motto: Dirigo – Latin for “I lead”, “I guide”, or “I direct”
• Median household income: $56,277
• The only state with one syllable
• The only state that boarders just one other state (New Hampshire)

Of course, I had to have a whoopie pie… how could I not? I mean, it IS the state food and all. It would just be disrespectful not to partake. 😉

Bed and Breakfast: Mountain Chase Lodge (Mountain Chase, Maine)

Mountain Chase Lodge was a delight and I could not be more pleased with my experience. The bed was comfy, there were thoughtful touches throughout, but what stole the show was breakfast. I was not expecting an outdoor meal with reserved tables. Such a lovely experience. I would love to go back here and spend a few days rather than just one night.

I was happy to have a visitor buzz by during breakfast and decided to share my strawberry jam with them. 🐝

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (Millinocket, Maine)

For all the National Park Service nerds, the most important thing you need to know about Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is that there is no visitor center to get your stamp at this location. You need to go to one of the two places to get your stamp:

Shin Pond Village
1489 Shin Pond Road
Mt. Chase, ME

Katahdin Chamber of Commerce
1029 Central Street
Miilinocket, ME

I went to Shin Pond Village because it was right next to the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed.

So what is Katahdin Waters and Woods National Monument? Spanning 87,563 acres, this national monument showcases spectacular views of Mount Katahdin. While I do not recommend taking the entire loop (it’s not very developed and is a lot of woods), I do recommend checking this one off your list as the mountain view is pretty and it’s part of the National Park System. Interestingly enough, it was donated to the federal government in 2016 by the co-founder of Burt’s Bees along with 40M for future development. So, it’s not much now, but who knows what it will be after 40M.

High Tide (Brewer, Maine)

Lobster and shrimp while in Maine? Yes, please! I have never had a lobster roll and what better place than Maine to have your first lobster roll? The rental car agent recommended this place and specifically the lobster roll when Kris and I picked up our vehicle. Kris is not a huge seafood lover but does enjoy shrimp. Neither one of us offered to share and we both had clean plates afterward. Needless to say, this was magnificent and we’d go there again.

Portland Head Lighthouse (Cape Elizabeth, Maine)

For our final stop, we visited the Portland Head Light Fort Williams Park which houses the gorgeous (and I do mean gorgeous) Portland Head Lighthouse. The park closes at 6pm each day and we got there at 5:30pm. I was literally sprinting with my camera to get some shots of the lighthouse before they kicked me out (and they do kick you out). I loved this and would REALLY like to go back and get a sunrise shot.

Bangor, Maine

Bangor is known for the King of horror, Stephen King. King grew up in Maine and moved into his Bangor house in 1980. It’s one of the most photographed-from-the-street celebrity homes in America, trailing perhaps only Graceland.

The 19th century Victorian mansion is on Bangor’s nicest historic block and in addition to it looking like a classic Gothic haunted house, King surrounded the property with a spiky iron fence with a spiderweb front gate topped by two iron bats.

King now has other residences where he spends most of his time but still owns this house. The red balloons tied to the gate were the perfect touch.

The city of Bangor holds the cemetery where Pet Cemetery was filmed and has adopted somewhat of a horror theme due to having a famous horror author live there. There’s also other non-horror things to do. Overall, it’s a nice town to visit.

Visiting Maine wasn’t something I thought I’d do for a while but I’m really glad we planned a trip and just did it! If you’ve been to Maine, I’d love to hear what you recommend. There are so many more lighthouses I want to visit so I plan to go back one day during autumn to witness the beauty that is New England. If you haven’t been, go see lighthouses and eat lots of lobster!