Hello and welcome to A Newsletter! If you’ve found your way over by some miracle but are not yet subscribed, here, let me help you with that:
Hello and happy weekend! Don’t you just love a little surprise newsletter treat? Someone recently told me Costco’s whole raison d'etre for carrying products is “surprise and delight,” which, god, if that doesn’t resonate with my style of newsletter publishing!
I’ve been going to Maine annually for almost as long as I’ve lived in New York (15 years!). I’m lucky enough to have a very close friend who’s from there (hi, Sigrid!), who I think is the absolute best tour guide anybody could ask for in both her and her husband (and their excellent group of friends). My list of recommendations is good because they are generous and good.
As with all my lists, this list is built by a solid combination of others lists/recommendations (private texts, public Googles, etc.) and dumb luck/enthusiasm for exploration. While having a list to start from can be helpful, nothing beats asking a local their favorite place for XYZ, nothing beats giving yourself the freedom to ignore a list, nothing beats stumbling into a place you’ve never heard of and finding out for yourself if you like it or not. You should use this as a guide for additional independent exploration, not a punch list.
More on my thoughts re: recommendation culture/travel lists in general (plus, a good, if not year-old list) here in my “I Went to Paris” post.
This list is not exhaustive or definitive. I will not be listing every place I’ve ever been or even loved (the state is simply too large and full of too many wonderful places for that). Think of it as an extended version of my Google Doc/maps and, now, a permanent resource for people when they text me asking for a few recommendations. Some places you probably heard of, some maybe not. I am not including any nature related things (i.e. hiking) because that’s not my specialty, nor am I including beaches/swimming holes or spots (is my speciality) because sadly you must ask someone in person to get that information. Sorry if you think that's “gatekeep-y”. Maybe it is, and maybe that’s okay!
Okay, here are a few wonderful places to go in Maine: