The arts

In Portland, visit Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's house (he wrote the poem Paul Revere's Ride) or take a Stephen King tour of Bangor to see places that inspired his spooky tales. In Cushing, tour the Olson House where Andrew Wyeth painted Christina's World and see Wyeth paintings at Rockland's Farnsworth Museum. The Portland Museum of Art offers tours of painter Winslow Homer's waterfront studio and house on Prouts Neck. Music festivals abound as well, from classical to folk.

Boat rides

Rent a kayak or canoe, or take a ferry, like the ones to Monhegan Island or from Portland to the islands of Casco Bay. There are fancy yachts, schooner rides and dinner cruises, along with lobster boats where you can watch a lobster trap being pulled in. Many port towns also offer nature boat rides. Just know that you could pay a lot of money to spend a few hours on the ocean and not see the whales, seals, eagles or puffins pictured in the brochure.

Seafood

Everybody has a favorite place for lobster rolls and chowder. Mine include the Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Company in South Freeport and The Lobster Shack at the end of Two Lights Road in Cape Elizabeth.

Lodging

Take your pick: campsites, B&Bs, motels, hotels, even upscale resorts. Or rent a rustic cottage, what Mainers refer to as a "camp". If you're lucky enough to be on the water, sit back and listen for those loons.

Associated Press