Taste of the USA

DISCOVER MAINE Maine is famous for its beautiful rocky coast that extends into the Atlantic Ocean. Visit small fishing villages that dot the coast or head out on a cruise to see whales, seals, puffins and Maine’s traditional lighthouses. Explore Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, the perfect place to hike or bike (don’t miss the observation deck at the Penobscot Narrows Bridge). Tour New England’s largest botanical garden in Boothbay, or indulge in some retail therapy in the shops at the historic seaport of Portland.

Maine is synonymous with delicious lobster, which appears on restaurant menus everywhere across the state, from white-tablecloth establishments to open-air seafood shacks up and down the coast. Classic Maine lobster is served steamed in the shell with lots of clarified butter for dipping the sweet, succulent meat. But there are as many variations as there are fish in Maine’s coastal waters. You might find lobster bisque, lobster stew, lobster pot pie, lobster scrambled with eggs at breakfast, lobster served with pasta or lobster chopped into a salad and sandwiched between a hot-dog bun (‘lobster roll’). For a close-up look at the lobstering life, take one of the many lobster-boat tours available all along the Maine coast, including Lucky Catch Cruises in Portland.