Explore Maine, the Pine Tree State

Hi friend,

Along the coast of Maine, there are so many great beaches, small fishing villages and beautiful parks. Our trip was packed with adventures!

We were excited to visit the town of Ogunquit. In the 1800s, artists discovered this town and settled here to paint the white sand beaches and rocky cliffs that surround the town. Ogunquit Beach is one of the town’s main attractions. It is very popular with summer vacationers. We loved playing in the sand and collecting seashells. Then Sofia suggested we go for a walk along the coast. As we were chasing seagulls, we noticed a strong smell of seafood in the air and saw a man on a small fishing boat pull up to shore. That was how we met Tuck, the lobsterman.

We were curious what it was like being a lobsterman and Tuck was happy to share more with us. He said he keeps a strict routine every day, waking up before dawn, packing his lunch and boarding his boat at 4:30 a.m. Out in the ocean, he puts bait in the traps and drops them into water hoping for a good catch. “I was on my feet for some 10 hours today. You’ve got to be in good physical shape to be a lobsterman,” he said.

We told Tuck that we learned a lot about lobsters during our trip and even made a lobster roll. (Did you try out our recipe in the journal?) Tuck said that his kids love lobster rolls too. He had to go unload his catch and wash his boat so we said goodbye to him and continued with our trip.

Our next stop was Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. The park offers so many fun activities that we could stay here for the entire week! Hiking mountain trails, cycling, bird-watching and boating are just some of the activities offered here.

Cadillac Mountain is one of the major attractions in Acadia. At more than 1,500 feet, Cadillac Mountain is the tallest mountain in the park. Luckily, we didn’t have to hike all the way up. You can drive to the top of the mountain to enjoy the views of the island! A park ranger told us that during certain times of the year, this mountain is the first place in the USA to see the sun rise. She then recommended that we explore the scenic carriage roads in the park.

The carriage roads were a fun way to end our trip to Maine. These roads have been built in the park in the 1900s for hikers, bikers and horse-drawn carriages. You can still catch a ride in a horse-drawn carriage and that was what we did!

See what else we did in Maine by scrolling down to the Favorites, Photos and Activity sections.

Your friends,

Sam and Sofia

DIY Lighthouse Nightlight

More than 60 lighthouses have been built along the coast of Maine. They used to be “guardians” of the seacoast helping ships get safely to shore. Today, some lighthouses in Maine remain part of the U.S. Coast Guard, while others have become popular tourist attractions. Following the steps below, build your own lighthouse and use it as a nightlight.