15 Things To Do In Maine (Near Me) - Fun Activities, Adventures & Attractions

Maine is a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. With so many amazing places to choose from, it can be hard to know where to go. To help make your decision easier, we’ve compiled a list of the best things to do and places to visit in Maine based on traveler ratings and reviews. So whether you’re looking for a romantic getaway spot or an adventure playground, there’s something for everyone in this metropolis!

The 15 Things to Do in Maine

Acadia National Park

Address: Maine, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.9 (17524)
Phone: +1 207-288-3338
Website: Link
Opening hours:

Monday: Open 24 hours

Tuesday: Open 24 hours

Wednesday: Open 24 hours

Thursday: Open 24 hours

Friday: Open 24 hours

Saturday: Open 24 hours

Sunday: Open 24 hours
Reviews:

One of the prettiest National Parks I’ve visited. I loved being able to climb Cadillac Mountain and greet the sunrise. Otter cliffs were stunning. Jordan Pond was picture perfect. The trails offered varied in length and intensity. So glad to cross Acadia off my bucket list. My young son thoroughly enjoyed the trip too. Would love to visit again in the Springtime or Summer.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Elana Goldstein (a month ago)

Amazing place! We did a lot of hiking and really enjoyed just sitting on the rocks while taking in the views. We stayed at the Holiday Inn resort and then rode the free park hop on hop off bus. The bus made it so much easier to enjoy the park as we didn’t have to worry about finding parking at each stop. We left our vehicle at the hotel and the bus picked up right outside the lobby. So many places to see.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Cam D (4 months ago)

Amazing park with non-hiking highlights that can be seen in two days. Lots of non-strenuous trails for younger and older alike and those with short attention spans. Ample handicap parking. Beautiful sights. Friendly and helpful rangers. Convenient bathrooms. Walking on the sandbar bridge at low tide was a wonderful family experience. Hitting the boardwalk trail in the meadows was a good way to stretch our legs. Thunder Hole was awe inspiring and peaceful. Cadillac Mountain featured incredible views. Sand Beach and Seal Harbor were kid favorites and great for family time.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Billy Hall (2 months ago)

Between the amazing, the challenging hikes, and the accessible viewing locations this is a bucket list visit. From Cadillac Mountain to the Bubble Rock you will not be disappointed. Tip if you do the Great Head Trail go counterclockwise, you will thank me later.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Randy Wilson (5 months ago)

This national park is absolutely beautiful, and I 100% percent recommend you go visit. I was here for a week, and it was one of the best times I have had. I went on countless hikes, and each was very enjoyable. The views were amazing, and made each hike worth it. I stayed in Bar Harbor with some friends, and it was such a cute town. I have not been to many different national parks, but this one was one of the best!!

✭✭✭✭✭ By Alex Hatola (a month ago)

Portland Head Light

Address: 12 Captain Strout Cir, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.8 (11422)
Phone: +1 207-799-2661
Website: Link
Opening hours:

Monday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Thursday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Friday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Saturday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Sunday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Reviews:

Be prepared for absolutely stunning views of the ocean as far as your eyes can see, waves crashing against the jagged rocks of the cliffs and a beautifully restored historic lighthouse perched high above it all. This is definitely one that you want to see if in the area. It was quite busy on the weekend and we could hardly get any photos without a ton of people walking in them. If you really want some great views of this lighthouse, make sure to take the cliff side trail. It’s well worth the short time it takes and you’ll be rewarded with spectacular views.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Rōbi Ventures (Rōbi Ventures) (5 months ago)

The surrounding view is breathtaking! Climbing around is fun. We wore hiking shoes and felt quite comfortable climbing the rocks. I saw some people managed with sandals and sneakers but I totally recommend wearing hiking boots. There is a small gift shop here and an ice cream truck nearby. We parked at the 1st lot we saw but there are more parking nearer to the light house. Self paid parking.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Loann Nguyen (4 months ago)

You must visit this exquisite place. You will pay for parking but it’s nominal, I think we paid $4 for a couple hours. Get the Passport Parking app and you can pay right from there. You are able to explore the grounds and get right up to the Lighthouse. The views are unbelievable especially in the winter. Although the last time we saw it was in July from a boat so I could be wrong! I believe the actual Lighthouse was closed when we went so we just explored the trails around it. There is a Cliff Walk which runs along the cliff’s edge that you can take. Be careful in the snow; it’s very slippery! There is also a sledding hill with perfect unobstructed views of the ocean. Additionally there are many flat snowy areas to build snowmen or have a snowball fight. In the summer I can imagine picnics or just strolling around to enjoy the views. The neighborhood it’s located in has beautiful homes if you’re like me and enjoy looking at dream homes.

✭✭✭✭✭ By M. Travels (11 months ago)

A very popular historic site during most seasons. Parking can be challenging during tourist season and it can be crowded at peak times. Despite that, it is well worth a visit. The grounds and the house are nice and the views all around are spectacular. The adjacent park has trails for walking and it’s a great place to picnic as well. Plenty of vendors to grab a bite from nearby. A good one not to miss if possible.

✭✭✭✭✭ By c “cfl” lane (a month ago)

Not much to see up close if you go when the lighthouse is closed, but it is beautiful to see from the rock beach nearby. The park itself is great. There’s a nice hiking trail, lots of wildlife, it’s clean, and the views are nice. There’s also an unnamed beach/picnic area a little ways down with super clean sand and water. We went on a beautiful Monday evening and there were barely any people, which is great, because we love a secluded beach.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Heather Surma (3 months ago)

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Address: 105 Botanical Gdns Dr, Boothbay, ME 04537, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.8 (4557)
Phone: +1 207-633-8000
Website: Link
Opening hours:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: Closed

Thursday: 4:00 – 9:00 PM

Friday: 4:00 – 9:00 PM

Saturday: 4:00 – 9:00 PM

Sunday: 4:00 – 9:00 PM
Reviews:

We spent 3 hours and didn’t even hit all the trails. I can’t imagine how much work it takes to keep it all up. I loved that the plants and bushes etc all had plaques so you knew what they were. We enjoyed all the hiking trails that there were to offer. Really loved the trolls… the information signs were very inspiring! Thanks for a great experience. Lot’s of stuff to do if you have kids too!

✭✭✭✭✭ By Kathy (5 months ago)

Absolutely beautiful! Great for all ages! My son and I spent four hours here and can’t wait to come back! Highly recommend bug spray and sunscreen! Cafe food is pricey so better off packing your own. Overall it was a great experience!

✭✭✭✭✭ By Eleni P (6 months ago)

We had a great time here. Went with my girls age 3&5 in the later part of the day. Earlier in the day there are kids activities so don’t miss those like we did.
It was a lot of walking for my 3 year old but my 5 year old kept up and was excited to find all 5 trolls. She enjoyed the puzzle and finding the clues.

Cafe had a nice variety of snacks and pre-made sandwiches and salads (although a little pricey- $13 for a ham and cheese sandwich with lettuce and tomato). I’d recommend bringing a picnic if allowed as there’s plenty of scenic seating.

What really stood out to me during our visit were the park employees. Every single one was so kind and helpful and willing to entertain a conversation with my inquisitive 5 year old. I appreciate how each troll has an attendant to help with photos and keep the park guests moving. The shuttle around the park was also extremely helpful for tired legs big and small.

Overall it was a beautiful day and experience and I would definitely make the drive to come back here in the future. Really cool spot with lots of educational opportunities. Gardens are extremely well kept, you can tell there’s pride of ownership here. Clean bathroom facilities.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Ana M (3 months ago)

This botanical garden was even better than I expected. We only had a few hours in the morning to squeeze in a visit and were still able to see a large portion of the property. We would love to go again when we could spend more time and take our time walking through. Every garden was unique and was absolutely worth the money spent even for a couple hours. We happened to go when the dahlias we’re in full bloom which was amazing. Finding the trolls was a fun, unexpected adventure too. It looks like it would be a far walk on the map, but really didn’t take that long to go all the way around. In two and a half hours we saw all the main gardens, and all the trolls.
We went in the morning before it had a chance to get super hot, but I can imagine it would be incredibly hot if the sun was out more. Plan on bringing hats, sun glasses, sun screen, etc.
We did not have to pay for parking and because we got there early we didn’t have to walk far.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Elizabeth Thompson (3 months ago)

Stopped here on our way to visit family. Excellent garden. Lots to see and do. We spent several hours walking around. My wife loves flowers and she really enjoyed Coastal Botanical. Advance purchase tickets are required. We were running late due to traffic and the staff were fantastic. Def worth a stop. The trolls provide a different experience. Particularly for those that might have kids.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Mark Johnson (4 months ago)

Baxter State Park

Address: Millinocket, ME 04462, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.8 (741)
Phone: +1 207-723-5140
Website: Link
Opening hours:

Monday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Thursday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Saturday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Sunday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Reviews:

Baxter State Park was absolutely beautiful! It was such a wonderful day to hike, filled with much fun and awesome views! Was my first time hiking to Katadhin. Started at Roaring Brook, then to Chimney Pond and onto Cathedral then to the peak. Went down Knife’s Edge, Dudley back to Chimney Pond and Roaring Brook. Highly recommend for an all day adventure!

✭✭✭✭✭ By Sarah Grover (3 months ago)

Can we rate it a 12? Amazing. So much wildlife (most sightings were by ponds), lovely group campgrounds, and the mountains! I even like that all trash must be carried out. Every trail is super well signposted, rangers all over and friendly.

✭✭✭✭✭ By NFN Scout (5 months ago)

Katahdin is a bucket list hike for any avid hiker. The constant boulder scrambles make it harder than it might seem. Everyone on the trail was super-friendly. We took Helon Taylor to the Knife Edge then back down the Saddle.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Michael Chady (3 months ago)

Baxter State Park has an abundance of trails available for all levels. We did North Brother Loop and Blueberry Ledges.

Pictures posted are the waterfall at the end of the Blueberry Ledges trail- easy trail with a lot of variety along the way.

✭✭✭✭✭ By David T (8 months ago)

Absolutely a fan of this state park. Even with the lack of water and electricity (or maybe because of it) the stay at this park was unique for our trip to Maine. The rangers were always friendly and the leaves in early October were breathtaking. My. Katahdin (highest peak in Maine) was moderately hard but a good bit of scrambling.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Zans Garrett (Zarkovi) (2 months ago)

Louvre Museum

Address: Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.7 (259183)
Phone: +33 1 40 20 50 50
Website: Link
Opening hours:

Monday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Thursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Friday: 9:00 AM – 9:45 PM

Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Sunday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Reviews:

It was a great visit! We had a lot of fun during the 3 hours we spent on our visit to the museum and we saw a lot of great sculptures and paintings. Definitely recommended to buy the tickets in advance so you have to wait less time at the entrance queue and bring some food of your own so when you finish your visit you can have something to eat (if you don’t want to spend any money in the cafeteria).

✭✭✭✭✭ By Sergio Martínez (in the last week)

Our family of seven (ages 8 to 69) planned in advance and bought tickets to the “My First Louvre” private tour led by museum staff, directly from the Louvre website. The 90-minute tours are Saturdays and Sundays at 11 o’clock. It’s just a brief overview to get you started. I was most impressed by the below ground viewing of elements of the castle remains on which the Louvre was built. Tour included a history of the museum before we set off. Make sure you allow plenty of time to find the starting place of the tour within the museum. It took us awhile to find where to enter the museum, and then to find our way to the location to pick up our headsets and the room to wait. So allow at least 30 minutes. Trust me! A stop to view the Mona Lisa is included, but there is a Disneyland-type queue to get close enough to snap a photo. We enjoyed our brief taste of the museum very much. We also enjoyed that there were places in the pyramid section to purchase beverages and baguette sandwiches.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Sue Martindale (3 months ago)

Amazing place! And also an amazing palace! The most famous tourist place in the world has various surprises for visitors. You’ll be impressed by the view from the balcony of Cafe. Don’t even try to see all of the expositions for one day. Be ready to fight against crowds near the Mona Lisa. Try to find your own secret of that place. Go for it!

✭✭✭✭✭ By Eugène Fedorov (in the last week)

You probably need five weeks to cover the immense Materials in here. It’s incredible collection. I highly recommend at least one full day and to get the audio guide. Start with the masterpiece trial to get a good introduction. Left the museum by buying a guidebook that I’m still perusing at this point. Total mind blowing experience.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Z Lee (3 months ago)

What can you say… It’s the Louvre. Fantastic but very large museum. Do some homework before you arrive to get the most out of the visit. The staff is very helpful and we were able to get through a see most of what we wanted to see. We tried a later in the afternoon time to beat the crowds, but the Mona Lisa had a large line to get in front of it. I think being there on the opening hour may be the best or definitely during a slower tourist season.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Steve Chitsey (4 months ago)

Palais Garnier

Address: Pl. de l’Opéra, 75009 Paris, France
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.7 (33765)

Seashore Trolley Museum

Address: 195 Log Cabin Rd, Kennebunkport, ME 04046, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.7 (648)

Portland Museum of Art

Address: 7 Congress Sq, Portland, ME 04101, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.6 (1569)

Crescent Beach State Park

Address: 109 Bowery Beach Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.6 (830)

Old Fort Western

Address: 16 Cony St, Augusta, ME 04330, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.6 (223)

Funtown Splashtown USA

Address: 774 Portland Rd, Saco, ME 04072, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.5 (2523)

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad

Address: 49 Thames St, Portland, ME 04101, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.5 (522)

Palace Playland

Address: 1 Old Orchard St, Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.2 (2085)

Catacombs of Paris

Address: 1 Av. du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris, France
Map: Click here
Rating: 4 (7489)

International Cryptozoology Museum

Address: 32 Resurgam Pl, Portland, ME 04102, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 3.8 (778)

Thank you for reading! If you have any additional information on the best things to do in Maine, please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you!