Maine: Lobster, Acadia and Stephen King

Capital: Augusta

Largest City: Portland

Population: 1.36 million

Admitted: 1820

Maine is located on the northeastern seaboard. It is often compared to the Maritime Provinces in Canada as they have similar weather, coast and lighthouses due to their locations along the Atlantic Ocean. The state is also well-known for having delicious lobster, which is a definite plus from its ocean location. Further, it is also notable for having the first sunrise in the United State during parts of the year. On January 1, you can hike up to the highest point in Acadia National Park, Cadillac Mountain, and watch the first sunrise of the new year. Though, it does get very cold and snowy, especially in January.

First Look at Maine

My first visit to Maine was in August of 2015 on our driving trip along the eastern seaboard. Searching for a souvenir keychain, we stopped at Wal-Mart. In my time traveling to all fifty states, I have been directed to Wal-Mart multiple times. This was the only Wal-Mart I have ever found a souvenir keychain.

Second Visit: Lobster and An Island

Since my initial trip, I have always wanted a further view of Maine, in particular of Acadia National Park and Bangor. On a return trip from Canada in May of 2024, we stopped in Maine. Our first stop was in Brewer where we had a lobster roll.

Seeing what Maine lobster is all about in Brewer

Directly across the Penbscot River from Brewer, Bangor sits. In Bangor, I had to visit one my favorite writer's mansions. Stephen King, writer of famous books such as It, Carrie, The Green Mile, and The Shining, is from Maine and has several books set in the state. Driving around the state, notable spots from his novels are able to be visited.

I decided to skip the filming locations of his novels and just head to his mansion. Several victorian houses are in the area. These houses are beautiful. Stephen King's has Halloween decorations outside of it. The front of the house looked smaller than expected, but it stretched surprisingly far along the side.

After Bangor, we started the next day at Acadia National Park. When we visited, Acadia had just opened for the season. We drove the park loop and stopped at several overlooks. Because the park had just opened, the visitor centers were still closed for the season. We did not see as much of the park as we would have liked to because of this. Also fog and rain put a damper on our visit.

Exploring Acadia National Park on a cloudy day

Right outside of the park is the scenic city of Bar Harbor. While there, I had to try the acclaimed Maine lobster with a steamed lobster at Geddy's. It was delicious, a fun experience, and well worth every bite.

Eating a Maine Lobster -- claws, bib and all

While enjoying my lobster, I saw we were close to low tide. I was not planning to walk to the nearby island, but since I saw we were within the proper time, we decided to walk to Bar Island. We could not spend long on Bar Island as if you do, you can get stranded on the island once the water levels rise too high. It is expensive to get a boat taxi back. If unable to afford a boat taxi, you have to wait approximately 9-hours before you are able to cross back again during a low tide. They have signs and workers warning you prior, but despite the warnings, people still get stuck there. My husband and I successfully completed the adventure of walking to the island and did not get stranded!

Between Acadia, lobster and the scenic coast, Maine was what I expected, but I enjoyed every aspect of visiting the state and would definitely love to return one day.