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City guide · Maine, USA

Things to do in Southern Maine Coast

Lighthouses, lobster shacks, and beach towns with working harbors

  • Attractions
  • Tours
  • Eat & Drink
  • Theatre & Events
  • Nearest airport: PWM, about 3 miles
Southern Maine Coast skyline

Start here

Three to see first in Southern Maine Coast

Eat & Drink
Foodie Favorite

The Holy Donut

Under $25

A Portland, Maine bakery famous for dense, made-from-scratch potato doughnuts in inventive flavors.

Tours
Local Gem

Portsmouth Harbor Cruises

$25–$50

Narrated cruises along the New Hampshire Seacoast, from harbor tours to the Isles of Shoals.

Attractions
Family Favorite

Raptor Falls Mini Golf & Ice Cream

Under $25

Animatronic-dinosaur mini golf with local ice cream in Arundel, Maine.

Everything we cover

Everything in Southern Maine Coast, on the map

Filter by the kind of day you want. Tap a card to open the place, or a dot on the map to find it in the list.

Attractions
Family Favorite

Aquaboggan Waterpark

$25–$50

A classic Maine seaside water park with slides, pools, bumper boats, and mini-golf near Old Orchard Beach.

Attractions
Family Favorite

Funtown Splashtown USA

$50+

Maine's biggest amusement and water park combo, with two roller coasters and a dozen water rides in Saco.

Tours
Outdoor Adventure

HatTrick Fishing Charters

$50+

Captain-led sport fishing, lobster-hauling, and sunset harbor cruises out of Saco Bay near Old Orchard Beach.

Eat & Drink
Foodie Favorite

The Holy Donut

Under $25

A Portland, Maine bakery famous for dense, made-from-scratch potato doughnuts in inventive flavors.

Tours
Local Gem

Intown Trolley

$25–$50

Open-air trolley tours through Kennebunkport's historic streets and shoreline.

Theatre & Events
Local Gem

Maine State Music Theatre

$25–$50

Professional summer musical theatre on the Bowdoin College campus in Brunswick.

Theatre & Events
Iconic

Ogunquit Playhouse

$25–$50

Storied summer playhouse on the Maine coast staging Broadway-caliber musicals and plays.

Attractions
Family Favorite

Palace Playland

$25–$50

Oceanfront amusement park on Old Orchard Beach's sand, with rides, arcade games, and a boardwalk feel.

Tours
Iconic

Portland Schooner Co.

$50+

Windjammer sails on Casco Bay aboard classic Maine schooners.

Tours
Local Gem

Portsmouth Harbor Cruises

$25–$50

Narrated cruises along the New Hampshire Seacoast, from harbor tours to the Isles of Shoals.

Attractions
Family Favorite

Raptor Falls Mini Golf & Ice Cream

Under $25

Animatronic-dinosaur mini golf with local ice cream in Arundel, Maine.

Museums
History Buff

Seashore Trolley Museum

Under $25

The world's largest trolley museum, with vintage streetcar rides in Kennebunkport.

Museums
History Buff

Strawbery Banke Museum

Under $25

Ten-acre living history museum on Portsmouth's original waterfront neighborhood.

Sightseeing
Local Gem

Freeport

Free

Coastal Maine outlet-shopping town anchored by the L.L.Bean flagship.

Sightseeing
Iconic

Portland, Maine

Free

Maine's largest city, known for its Old Port district and food scene.

Attractions
Family Favorite

York's Wild Kingdom

$25–$50

Zoo and amusement park near Short Sands Beach in York Beach, Maine.

Shopping
Local Gem

Yummies Candy & Nuts

Under $25

A Route 1 candy shop in Kittery, Maine piled with old-fashioned sweets.

Sightseeing
Local Gem

Portsmouth and the Seacoast

Free

Official visitor information source for Portsmouth and New Hampshire's Seacoast region.

Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure

Maine Camping

Free

The trade association promoting camping across Maine, publishing the statewide Maine Camping Guide.

Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure

Maine's Lakes & Mountains

Free

Regional tourism council promoting the lakes and mountains of western Maine, including Sebago Lake, Bridgton and Rangeley.

Sightseeing
Family Favorite

Wells

Free

Coastal Maine town with seven miles of coastline, sandy beaches and protected estuarine reserves.

Sightseeing
Local Gem

Maine Tourism Association

Free

Maine's statewide tourism trade group, promoting travel and running visitor information services from Hallowell.

Sightseeing
Local Gem

Maine Beaches Region Visitor Information Center

Free

State-run welcome center at the Maine border promoting the seven beach towns of the southern Maine coast.

Sightseeing
Local Gem

Saco

Free

Historic riverside downtown in southern Maine with shops, restaurants and a self-guided river walking tour.

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About

About Southern Maine Coast

Southern Maine strings lighthouse points, wide sandy beaches, and fishing harbors along one unhurried stretch of coast. Ride the waves at Old Orchard Beach, shop the outlets of Freeport, and eat a lobster roll on a working wharf in Portland's Old Port. Every town does the classics its own way, and the pier fries are always worth the line.

Plan the day

Three ways to turn this list into a day