MUSEUMS
Portland Museum of Art
European titans and Maine icons, the Portland Museum has a world-class collection and is the gem of the state’s art museums. Recent renovations have bolstered its collection of Maine artists fascinated with animals, from Bernard Langlais to Dahlov Ipcar. Whether your tastes are tuned to the likes Frederic Church, John Singer Sargent or Winslow Homer (there’s a whole room dedicated to the latter’s paintings of Prouts Neck), or Renoir, Monet and Picasso, it’s impossible not to fall in love with the museum. We could go on (what about the Wyeths?!), but you should just go and see it for yourself.
Farnsworth Art Museum
Christina’s World may be in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but this mid-coast museum is still one of the best places to enjoy Andrew Wyeth’s works. The Farnsworth has many of the family’s paintings (there was Andrew, N.C., Henriette and James), as well as the kaleidoscopic works of Dahlov Ipcar and profiles painted by Charles Lewis Fox.
Bowdoin College Museum of Art
One of the nation’s oldest university galleries, there are more than 20,000 paintings, sculptures and artifacts on display at the Bowdoin College Museum. Many of these are crucial works from the Colonial era, including portraits of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The collection also features work of artists including Mary Cassatt, John Sloan, Andrew Wyeth and mementos from Winslow Homer’s studio.
Colby College of Art
One of the nation’s premier educational institutions for American art Colby College of Art is located in a small central town and has important works from Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keefe and George Bellows, among other painters. Artists who featured Maine in their works, including John Marin, Fairfield Porter and Marsden Hartley, are also heavily featured.
Bates College Art Museum
Bates College‘s permanent collection includes more than 5,000 works, including a significant collection from Maine local Marsden Hartley, as well as modern and contemporary paintings and photographs from American and Chinese artists. Also included are European icons such as Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.
The Ogunquit Museum of American Art
Tucked away in a small seaside town, Ogunquit’s art museum is an understated heavyweight. The village’s famous early 20th century art colony is represented in full here, including works by Edward Betts, Charles Woodbury and Robert Laurent. Sculptures – a wooden lion, a horse and a rhino – by Bernard Langlais are also featured outside, as are works by Marsden Hartley’s circle.
Bernard Langlais Art Trail
Less a museum and more of a treasure hunt, the Bernard Langlais Art Trail crisscrosses the state following the sites where Langlais’ famous wooden animal sculptures are found. The epicenter is the Langlais Sculpture Preserve at Georges River Land Trust in Cushing, Langlais’ 90-acre homestead.
The Tides Institute & Museum of Art
Way, way out of the way (unless you’re coming from Canada), the Tides Institute & Museum of Art in tiny Eastport (with a population of 1,300) looks out at the Atlantic Ocean and Canada from one of Maine’s most easterly points. The collection consists of 4,500 volumes of mostly Maine and Canadian maritime art, Native American basketry, architectural drawings and other documentation and artifacts.
Monhegan Museum of Art and History
Tourists trickling over the the island could do worse than stopping at its art museum, which is dedicated to artists showcasing the natural, social, industrial, cultural and artistic history of Monhegan. The museum started in a disused lighthouse and was later expanded to a nearby home. Prominent works include Andrew Winters, Leon Kroll and Jay Hall Connaway.
University of Maine Museum of Art
Maine’s modern and contemporary art museum, the University of Maine Museum of Art features over 3,800 works of art, focusing on original prints and photography. Showcased year-round here are works by Edward Hopper, Roy Lichtenstein, Picasso, Diego Rivera and Andy Warhol, as are artists with Maine ties – Winslow Homer, Alex Katz and Andrew Wyeth.
PARKS
Viles Arboretum
The Viles Arboretum (formerly known as the Pine Tree State Arboretum) 224 acres (90.6 hectares) is a botanical garden and arboretum located in Augusta, Maine, with 5 miles (8 km) of trails, open year round without charge. The plant collection contains over 300 species or varieties of trees and shrubs. The forested portion of the Arboretum is a certified Tree Farm Demonstration Area containing many of Maine’s native trees.
Asticou Azalea Garden
It features a selection of rhododendrons and azaleas, including the Rhododendron canadense, Maine’s native azalea. Styled after a Japanese stroll garden, the fine-gravel paths are raked regularly in a manner that suggests flowing water. There is also a sand garden, where this effect is repeated but with the addition of stones, which are meant to represent islands.
The Farm House
he Farm House is a historic summer estate at 15 Highbrook Road in Bar Harbor, Maine. The estate includes a 19th-century farmhouse which was extensively altered in the 1920s to Colonial Revival designs by Arthur McFarland, who also designed a caretaker’s cottage on the property. The property also includes a series of garden spaces designed by Beatrix Farrand.
Garland Farm
Garland Farm is a historic house and garden property at 475 Bay View Drive in Bar Harbor, Maine. The property, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, is significant as the last home of the noted landscape designer Beatrix Farrand, and is now owned by the Beatrix Farrand Society. The property is open to the public, and houses a research library of Farrand materials, as well as gardens established by Farrand in the later years of her life.
McLaughlin House and Garden
The McLaughlin House and Garden are a historic house museum and associated specimen garden at 97 Main Street in South Paris, Maine. The property includes a traditional New England connected farmstead with house, ell, and barn, all of which date to the mid-19th century, and a landscaped garden area developed beginning in the 1930s by Bernard McLaughlin that now houses more than 500 varieties of flowers.
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden in Boothbay, Maine. Opened in 2007, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (CMBG) invites visitors of all ages and abilities to create and to explore meaningful connections to plants and nature at their own pace. The Gardens has been named one of Maine’s top attractions. Its gardens and landscape include nearly a mile of tidal saltwater.
Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum
Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum is a non-profit gardens and arboretum located on Route 2 in Hermon, Maine, United States. They are open to the public without charge during daylight hours for tours, hikes, and cross-country skiing. The site is home to over 55 gardens containing over 1500 herbaceous species and 130 woody species. The Arboretum contains 280 varieties of trees, including mature stands of Eastern White Pine, White Spruce, Tamarack Larch, Northern White Cypress, Red oak, White Ash, Red Maple, and Quaking Aspen, as well as a marsh.
Fay Hyland Botanical Plantation
The Fay Hyland Botanical Plantation (also known as the Fay Hyland Arboretum), 10 acres, is an arboretum and botanical garden located along the Stillwater River on the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, United States. It is open to the public daily. The Arboretum was established in 1934, named in honor of Fay Hyland, and contains living examples of woody plants from Maine and throughout the world.
Harvey Butler Memorial Rhododendron Sanctuary
The Harvey Butler Memorial Rhododendron Sanctuary 30 acres is a nature reserve located on Route 11A, Springvale, Maine. The sanctuary is open to the public, and is owned by the New England Wild Flower Society, which also maintains the Garden in the Woods. The sanctuary contains a 5.3 acre stand of Great Laurel (Rhododendron maximum), Spice Bush, Clintonia, Painted trillium, and at least 39 species of wildflowers.
Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden
The Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden is located on the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, United States. It consists of two parts: the Littlefield Garden, housing the permanent collection of woody and herbaceous ornamentals; and the Research Center dedicated to research. Since then the Garden has collected over 2,500 woody and herbaceous plants, with special emphasis as follows: 210 crabapple varieties, 180 lilacs, 150 rhododendrons, and 35 magnolias. The greenhouses contain over 200 species of tropical and desert plant species from throughout the world.
Perkins Arboretum
The Arboretum was established in 1946, and in 1969 expanded to its current size. Arboretum trees include Apples, White Ash, Quaking Aspen, Gray Birch, Paper Birch, Yellow Birch, American Beech, Black Cherry, Dogwood, Eastern Hemlock, Hop-hornbeam, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Northern Red Oak, White Oak, and Eastern White Pine. Other plants include Speckled Alder, Cattails, Sensitive Fern, Christmas Fern, Bracken, Clubmoss, Partridge Berry, Trillium, and Wintergreen.
Thuya Garden
Thuya Garden is a semi-formal herbaceous garden, in the style of Gertrude Jekyll. It is open daily from May through October. The garden is laid out as a narrow lawn axis with cross-axes, edged by a rustic pavilion to its north and a shallow reflecting pool to the south. Flower beds contain about half perennials and half annuals, with plantings of rhododendrons and mountain laurels.
MARKETS
Portland Farmer’s Market
One of Maine’s largest and proudest farmers’ markets showcases the best produce from farms surrounding the city. The market features more than 40 vendors selling a host of farm produce and products, from organic dairy, flowers, fruits (blueberries, of course) meat (goat to cow and everything in between) to foraged mushrooms. A convenient shuttle from a nearby parking lot takes you to the market, which is located in Portland’s Deering Oaks Park, the city’s largest and most spectacular.
Rosemont Market & Bakery, Portland, ME
This specialty grocer sells seasonal farm produce, gourmet sausages, cheese and everything else you might imagine. With several locations around Portland and Yarmouth, a warehouse and a bakery supplying local restaurants, Rosemont replaces the need to go to the supermarket. In addition to pieces, breads and other treats, Rosemont also sells a catered selection of beer and wines. If you’re on an island, they’ll even provision the local ferry so you never have to miss a locally-sourced meal.
Harbor Fish Market
Portland’s freshest seafood market (as evidenced by the salty smell) has been chef’s go-to source for lobster, salmon and mussels since the 1800s. This purveyor of clams, scallops and oysters features shellfish caught that morning and ready to go into your pot for a clambake in the evening. But should you need your dose of seafood outside of Maine, don’t worry: not only do they sell wholesale, but you can have the seafood shipped direct to many states.
Browne Trading Company, Portland, ME
Portland scenic waterfront has no shortage of fish markets, and this local source for the day’s catch is among the best. In addition to sourcing pristine seafood from local fishermen and lobstermen, Browne Trading Company carries a selection of smoked fish and shellfish, including harder-to-find items like Spanish octopus and urchin. Do as Portland’s celebrated chefs do (many of them getting their seafood straight from Browne’s) and pair fish with artisan cheeses and hand-picked wines for a memorable meal.
Bow Street Market, Freeport, ME
Founded in 1946, Bow Street Market is a hidden gem set outside the hubbub of outlet shopping in Freeport. Although the new store (now located in a modern barn) has moved, the market is still as popular with locals and tourists alike. It’s easy to see why: in addition to the range of food locally sourced that you’d expect to see in a traditional supermarket, the store has a full selection of local beer and wine, plus average to-go foods in hot and cold buffets. The in-house butcher cuts to order and always requires queuing in a line. The seafood draws from local fishermen, and if you don’t feel like cooking, don’t worry: there’s a full slate of sandwiches and pizzas made to order.
Micucci Grocery
There are two important things to know about Micucci‘s that involve the same premise: the Italian pastas, sauces, olives and errata are world-class, and the pizza served from a secret window outback is the (controversially) best in the state (being so good, the market had to open an entire restaurant – Slab – just to meet demand.) For more than 60 years this has been Portland’s go-to grocer for imported Italian goods, and due to reasonable prices and a great selection of meats and cheese you won’t find in other stores, you can expect another 60.
Tiller & Rye
Recently opened, this 9,500 farm goods and natural grocery store sells humanely raised meat, eggs and produce sourced locally. Set in northern Brewer, just outside Bangor, this shop offers artisan dairy products, wines, ciders and beer. The shop sells natural beverages, eco-friendly soaps and cleaning products and, for those on the go, coffee, juices and sandwiches.
Morning Glory Natural Foods
This family-owned natural food store has been selling organic, locally-grown foods and bakery goods for more than 35 years. Maine has no shortage of natural and organic produce, but Morning Glory has stayed a cut above the rest by cooking and preparing a range of soups, salads and other meals to-go, as well as selling bulk homecare and body products, plus women’s clothing.
A&B Naturals
A&B Naturals in Bar Harbor is at the heart of the island’s local food network, a jam-packed store full of everything local, organic and natural. Frequented as much by health-conscious tourists as locals skirting the big Hannaford’s supermarket located across the street, Mount Desert Island residents are among the hardiest and fiercely independent. The coffee is a hidden secret in a town with no shortage of brunch spots, and the organic smoothie and juice bar will keep you going after a long day of hiking in Acadia National Park.
