THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Lodge to Lodge Excitement Year-round

Appalachian Club Maine Lodges and Maine Huts and Trails offer authentic backcountry experiences on miles of trails perfect for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing with guided and unguided trips available. At the lodges, visitors find roaring fires, home-cooked meals and comfortable accommodations for relaxing and rejuvenating after a day on the trails. During the warmer months, paddling, biking, hiking and bird watching are the activities of choice. And, while you may not need the roaring fire, you can relax and rejuvenate under the stars in the evening.

Maine by Paddle

Hop in a canoe and follow the path poet Henry David Thoreau took in the 1800s over lakes and rivers with his Native guides on the Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail, navigate the 92-mile Allagash Wilderness Waterway by paddling a section, or enjoy the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail, which traverses rivers and lakes through Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. There's no better place to kayak than in Maine's inviting waters. The country's first water trail, created by the Maine Island Trail Association, winds its way along the coast and past islands for 375 miles, from Kittery to Canada. Paddlers can easily island hop and take respite at more than 200 rustic campsites.

Downhill All the Way

Maine has some of New England's favorite ski resorts and best snow. On average, about 100 inches fall annually and with areas complete with easy trails for beginners and thrilling black diamonds, there's no better place for winter fun. Maine's two largest resorts, Sugarloaf and Sunday River, are equipped with high-speed lifts, glades and superpipes, along with exciting nightlife. Dotted throughout the state are several smaller hills perfect for family fun in intimate settings that combine new technology with the nostalgic feel of days gone by:

• The small, community-owned Camden Snow Bowl is on 1,300-foot-high Ragged Mountain and offers downhill skiers views of the Atlantic Ocean and is host to the annual U.S. National Toboggan Championships.
• Shawnee Peak prides itself on providing families with a nostalgic, fun ski experience for the past 80 years while making continual upgrades. The days turn into nights with six lifts servicing 19 trails and three terrain parks under the lights.
• Abram consists of 10 beginner, 21 intermediate and 13 expert trails. It's the perfect spot to learn to ski. Broken up in two parts, Westside is the beginner area where most lessons are taught.

ARTS & CULTURE

2018 Portland Museum of Art Biennial
The Portland Museum of Art (PMA) Biennial is “intended to highlight artists with meaningful connections to Maine and to enrich the cultural lives of the people of the state.” There are 25 artists in this year's Biennial, and all but one will be exhibiting at the PMA for the first time ever. The 10th Biennial exhibition at the PMA and the second Biennial to be organized by an independent curator happens January 26 to May 30, 2018. Portland Museum of Art.

Maine's Native American Culture
Thousands of years before the explorers from the Old World made their way to Maine, Native Americans called it home. More importantly, some still call Maine home today and are known collectively as the Wabanaki. The premier venue for experiencing the Native culture in Maine is the Abbe Museum, the first and only Smithsonian affiliate in the state of Maine. Their spacious downtown Bar Harbor location houses permanent and temporary exhibits with the new core exhibit, People of the First Light, sharing more than 12,000 years of Wabanaki oral traditions, personal stories, cultural knowledge, language, and historical accounts with objects, photographs, multi-media, and digital interactives. For the first time, the Abbe Museum will be host to a new three-day Indian Market in May of 2018. Juried Indian art shows are rare in the Northeast and will draw artists from around the country and highlight Maine's Wabanaki artists who have been nationally recognized.

Film Festivals
With Maine's natural beauty providing the scenic background, it is no surprise that the state has numerous admired film festivals. Held throughout the year, in all seasons and across the state, Maine's film festivals celebrate film genres of all sorts, made in Maine and from away:

• Maine International Film Festival
• Camden International Film Festival
• Maine Jewish Film Festival
• Emerge Film Festival
• Maine Outdoor Film Festival
• Sanford International Film Festival
• Maine Student Film & Video Festival
• Portland Youth Film Festival

Maritime Heritage
Maine's rich maritime heritage can be experienced along the rugged and alluring coastline. There is no shortage of story ideas when you consider the options from lobstering to windjamming and from boatbuilding to working waterfronts. Since 1607, when Maine launched the first English ocean ship built in America — the Virginia — boatbuilding has thrived and its history is on display at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. To enrich the maritime experience, Experience Maritime Maine has recently launched a new maritime culture podcast. The downloadable story topics range from women who lobster, to windjammer cruising and the fish monger of Portland — a perfect accompaniment to touring Maine and learning more about the traditions that still exist today. Check out the Maritime Maine Thing Quarterly for an in-depth look at Maine's past and what awaits today's visitors.

CULINARY

Food Trucks of Maine — Both On and Off the Beaten Path

Unique food trucks serving delicious food have popped up throughout Maine. Here is just a sample of the trucks that grace the state: Portland's food truck scene is as diverse as you'd expect from this foodie city. Trucks can be found all across the city and the surrounding towns, and they offer an amazing selection of culinary delights. Be sure to check out El Corazon on Spring Street for some Mexican street fare. Head to Scarborough Beach and grab some gourmet burgers and sides at Mainely Burgers. Or find the Mami Food Truck serving up Japanese street food on Fore Street. Bite into Maine's truck is located by the Portland Head Light in Fort Williams Park — you can grab a delicious lobster roll and enjoy one of the best views in the state. Further up the coast, one of Maine's most vibrant food truck scenes is blossoming in Brunswick. Danny's Dogs was the first and has since grown into something of a Maine institution. Taco the Town sells authentic California-style street food, all with incredible fresh salsas. The bright red Fox on the Run truck is usually found in Rockport Harbor with something for every palate: Cuban sandwiches, bahn mi, crabcakes, you name it. If you're heading to the twin cities of Lewiston and Auburn, keep an eye out for Pinky D's, serving poutine at events around the area. Over in Bethel, look for the orange trailer for Smokin' Good BBQ — with slow-cooked real pit BBQ. In Bangor, summers are full of food trucks along the Waterfront. The Melt truck serves an array of grilled cheese sandwiches and folks are raving about The Lobstah Buoy. Up north, don't miss out on your first pulled pork parfait at Presque Isle's Rib Truck and if you're looking for a perfect cooked-to-order burger, try the Happy Belly in Caribou.

Oysters Galore

Suddenly, oysters seem to be everywhere in Maine. It's not just the success of Portland restaurant Eventide Oyster Co., where Chefs Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley were awarded Best Chef: Northeast in the 2017 James Beard Awards. Or, the new Ondine Oyster & Wine Bar in Belfast. Or, one of the best oyster deals in Portland at The Shop. It's all the oyster farmers who are making inroads along the coast, ranging from the Damariscotta River to the Piscataqua River and Little Machias Bay in Cutler. Maine's oyster farmers hauled in 2.1 million pounds of oysters worth $5 million in 2016, the highest-value crop on record. Farmers like Glidden Point Oyster Farm, Nonesuch Oyster Farm, Mook Sea Farm and Sweet Pea Farm have become known beyond the state. Visitors can visit some of these producers with the help of the Oyster Trail of Maine.

Farm Field-to-Farm Table Dinners

Farm to table? It got its start in Maine more than half a century ago at Helen and Scott Nearing's Harborside Farm. But its purest form is farm-field-to-farm-table. Across the state, you'll find farms serving creative fare harvested just hours before from the fields around you. They include Flanagan's Table at The Barn at Flanagan Farm in Buxton, a monthly dinner held to benefit the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. There's also Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport, a working organic farm, and The Well at Jordan's Farm in Cape Elizabeth. Then there's Nebo Lodge, on North Haven Island in Penobscot Bay, which hosts monthly barn suppers at nearby Turner Farm, which provides all of the lodge's produce.

DESTINATIONS

Coziest Inns for a Winter Visit

Winter is an ideal time to spend a weekend at a classic Maine inn. In western Maine, The Bethel Inn Resort, not far from the Sunday River ski resort, dates from 1913. It has 40 kilometers of cross-country trails, spectacular views and a great location in one of Maine's prettiest towns. Further north, The Rangeley Inn has been welcoming visitors to explore the Rangeley Lakes region for more than a century. After a day of snowmobiling, ice fishing or Nordic skiing, the inn offers a warm welcome. Wolf Cove Inn, on the shores of Tripp Lake in Poland, is a welcoming bed & breakfast, with rooms that boast lake views, fireplaces and spa tubs. The Greenville Inn, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is basecamp for those who come for the dog sled races, the ice fishing festival and miles of winter trails to explore on skis or snowshoes around Moosehead Lake. Close to the coast, The Brunswick Inn in downtown Brunswick is walking distance to the city's best restaurants and the Bowdoin College campus. The Bar at the Brunswick Inn is one of the warmest places around to relax after a day of exploring.

Five Amazing Maine Beaches

Maine is blessed with some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Here are five of the best. Start with Old Orchard Beach, a seven-mile strand with a classic pier and a waterfront amusement park, arcades and fireworks. For those seeking a little more tranquility, Scarborough Beach State Park has waves that attract local surfers and a wide beach that's ideal for families. Ogunquit Beach is ranked among the top beaches in the United States, thanks to three and a half miles of sand and grassy dunes, with great swimming, bodysurfing and shelling. Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport has three miles of soft sand and moderate surf, ideal for a family day out at the beach. Finally, Popham Beach is a wilder beach in Midcoast Maine in Phippsburg, a beach with offshore islands, such as Fox Island, that can be explored at low tide.

Pick a Theme on a Maine Windjammer

Windjammers may not be on your mind in winter, but now is the perfect time to book a cabin on one of these vintage ships for next summer. The most coveted dates fill up quickly, especially on themed cruises. The 24-passenger J&E Riggin offers “Maine Knitting Cruises” throughout the summer season, as well as a “Rug Hooking Getaway” and a “Maine Quilting Cruise.” The 29-passenger Mercantile offers in-demand fall foliage cruises. The eight ships of the Maine Windjammer Association, which include Victory Chimes and Mary Day, have their schedules posted, so anyone who wants to sail during a race week, a yoga week or during the Perseids Meteor Shower in August would be wise to book now.

Way Off the Grid and Not Far from Home

Picture a remote lake, a cluster of log cabins and the smell of wood smoke and bacon. Waking up here to the call of loons on a glorious Maine morning, you have the opportunity to fly fish for native brook trout or go hiking in a pristine wilderness with a very good chance of spotting a moose. That's the promise of a stay at a classic Maine sporting camp, where century-old rustic cabins and a main lodge are your base camp for days of adventure. These remote camps lie in a vast wilderness of the north woods, some accessible by float plane only, but within a day's drive of major metropolitan cities. There are more than 50 sporting camps and wilderness lodges  in the state, each one a little different. What they all share is the ability to offer a classic Maine woods experience, something found nowhere else in the country.

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