A lot of our couples are either planning their Wedding in Maine from a distance, or they live here but a lot of their family and friends are coming in from out of state. Part of what we help our couples with is finding fun and exciting things for their family and friends to do on the days they’re here but not at the wedding. We want everyone to come and experience all Maine has to offer.
Dean and I did this for our own wedding and created a brochure to send to all of our guests with their Save The Dates so they could plan on spending a few days or more in the area. We are happy to help with anything in specific areas as well. Below is a general overview of what to do in Maine, but feel free to comment on the post and we can help with any area specific attractions/restaurants/hotels!
Lakes Region
Sebago Lake State Park: Family Friendly, Pet Friendly (semi)
Swimming, Picnicking, Sport Fishing, Camping, Boating
Seacoast Adventure Park: Family Friendly.
Mini Golf, Go-Karts, Giant Hill Slides, Sky Swing, “Crazy Apes” Adventure Park/Ropes Course, Small waterpark for kids 3-12.
Smitty’s Cinema: Family Friendly
Located in Windham. A full movie theater that serves food and beverages (including adult beverages) inside the theater during the movie.
Dingley’s Wharf: Teens/Adults
Watersports rental company. Pontoon Boats, Jet Ski, Kayak, Wakeboarding and Waterskiing – Lessons too.
Portland & Southern Maine
Known as the foodiest foodie town in New England. If you love dining out, Portland and Southern Maine are the place to be!
Portland’s Old Port: Family Friendly during the day/Adult at night
Filled with restaurants, bars, boutique shopping and hotels.
Bull Feeney: Family Friendly Restaurant
A traditional Irish pub in the heart of the Old Port. Music nightly
Gelato Fiasco: Family Friendly Ice Cream
Delicious gelato with many unique flavors. Dairy Free Options
High Roller Lobster: Family Friendly Restaurant
A MUST for lobster lovers. There’s the lobster grilled cheese! And for the gluten free crowd – a lobster roll in a cheese taco shell. And always pick the garlic mayo dipping for your fries!
Foulmouthed Brewing: Family Friendly Microbrewery & Restaurant
This one is our favorite! We may be biased because our friends own it, but they really do brew the best beer around and the food is to die for. I spend days pining for their nachos – the chips are handmade and so crispy.
Old Orchard Beach: Family Friendly/Adult Night life
This is where we live so it has to make the list! In the summer it’s a bustling tourist town with a little bit of everything. We have a finer dining restaurant: Joseph’s By The Sea, along with amazing breakfasts at JJ’s Eatery Too, All located along 7 miles of sandy beach. In the middle you’ll find the Pier with several restaurants on the pier itself. This is quite the busy area, for a more quiet beach experience we recommend keeping a few blocks away from the pier and downtown. You can find paid parking lots in the central town and then on street parking throughout the town.
Funtown/Splashtown: Family Friendly
Located on Route 1 in Saco. An amusement park and waterpark rolled into one. You can get tickets for either or a combo ticket. Rollercoasters, large waterslides, Kids area.
Aquaboggan: Family Friendly
Located just up the road from Funtown/Splashtown. Another waterpark with smaller attractions. Wave Pool! I find in the summer this is the less busy park great for smaller kids or just cooling off in the wave pool with a $10 pool pass.
Kennebunkport: Family Friendly
A beautiful, oceanfront village filled with shopping, restaurants and hotels.
Federal Jacks: Family Friendly/Adult Nightlife
A great brew-pub/restaurant nestled in Kennebunkport. Try the wings with the blueberry buffalo sauce!
Kittery: Shopping
So much shopping! Filled with outlet stores and a few restaurants. Great way to spend a day or if you need any last minute clothes for your trip. When you’re done shopping til you drop, head north on route 1 and stop at Henry Viii for prime rib sandwiches and then up into York for a stop at Wiggly Bridge Distillery and the Stonewall Kitchen store right by the 95 on ramp.
Midcoast Maine
Rockland/Rockport:
A classic Maine town! Boat tours, Maine Lighthouse Museum, seafood restaurants.
Mt. Battie: Family Friendly/Accessible
Located in Camden, just north of the town. Easy hiking trails along with a paved road to the summit. Observation tower and gorgeous views of the ocean.
Camden:
Classic Maine town filled with shopping, restaurants and small hotels. Things tend to close early in the evening, even in the summer in this area so plan accordingly.
Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Island/Acadia National Park
Really – what isn’t there to do here? We love it all.
AllTrails:
A great source for hiking inside the park and gives accurate trail descriptions along with pictures so you can see what you’re getting into before you take off on a trail.
Jordan Pond House:
is the ultimate stop for food. They offer a full lunch menu, afternoon tea (Lobster Stew and Popovers are our fave), and then dinner. All overlooking the gorgeous Jordan Pond and the Bubble Mountains in the background. There’s also a 3mi trail that circles the pond so if you arrive a bit early for your restaurant reservation you can hike as much or as little of the loop trail as you want. There’s also public bathrooms (real bathrooms) located on the lower level of the building around back. A lot of the bathrooms in the park are proper outhouses so if there’s real plumbing, I’ll let you know!
Downtown Bar Harbor:
There’s so much to do in town from shopping, to dining, grabbing ice cream and sitting in one of the several large parks. Our favorite restaurant is Paddy’s on the first level of the West Street Hotel. They have a few seafood options but also Whiskey Flights and lots of non-seafood options for lunch and dinner. With indoor & outdoor seating right on the corner, it’s perfect for people watching.
Whale Watching Tours:
There’s a few of these in town so finding the one that works with your timeframe and budget is pretty easy. Most even guarantee whale sightings, and if you don’t see one you get a coupon for a free tour which you can schedule for another day.
Western Maine & Mountains
This is the place to be if you love hiking and finding random wooded swimming holes. For this area I can’t recommend the app All Trails enough! You’ll be able to find trails of any level along with waterfalls and swimming holes.
The Forks:
Home to white water rafting! Where the Dead River and the Kennebec River meet. If you want a thrilling ride down the river, Northern Outdoors is your guide.
Bethel:
A great mountain village with amazing views! If you love ridiculous burgers with a side of beer – Sunday River Brewing is where it’s at!
Boston
Just a short trip from Southern Maine – you can even hop on the Downeaster Train from Brunswick, Portland, Old Orchard Beach, and Wells and head into the city for a day if you don’t want to drive.
What isn’t there to do in Boston? Again, this is just a list of our faves (and we couldn’t fit them all in) so don’t forget to explore!
Mike’s Pastry
Yes. It’s touristy. Yes on the weekends there’s a line around the block. But weekdays? No line! Best cannoli ever.
New England Aquarium
A fun aquarium within walking distance to a lot of attractions like Faneuil Hall, Duckboat tours, etc. If you don’t have a full day to spend in the aquarium you can check out their seal exhibit outside.
Faneuil Hall
Indoor and outdoor shops and restaurants. The Hall itself is a long food court with lots of options. Outside street performers are always entertaining!
Beacon Hill
If you’re up for strolling some of the historical areas of Boston with gorgeous homes and well done front porches, Beacon Hill is the place. Easy parking can be found in the garage below Boston Common. There’s walking trails along the Charles River at the Charles River Esplanade and gorgeous city views from the Longfellow Bridge.
Brittany and Dean are creative Maine Wedding Photographers who not only capture your wedding in candid and lightly posed, true to life images – we also love helping our couples plan their weddings with vendor suggestions, timeline assistance, coordinating family portrait lists. Contact us – Maine Wedding Photographers
