Maine Fall Foliage Highlights 2021
Every year I spend a week savoring sweet color during my favorite season in Maine, the autumn harvest.
I hope you enjoy these highlights from 2021.
Find out about my Maine Fall Foliage Photography Workshop here.
The 7 Best Beers & Breweries In Maine
Maine’s rocky north Atlantic coast may be short on wineries but it’s rich in breweries. With the most breweries per capita of any state, as of early 2020, Maine is home to 155 active, licensed breweries, representing over 100 unique brands with a deeply independent strain (like its people) ranging from classically elegant to off the hook inventive. It’s become a beer drinkers paradise currently applying for its own internationally recognized style.
Many Maine breweries have tasting or taprooms. A disproportionate number are in Portland. Stop by and try what you can’t find even in the best stores with their limited batches and seasonal varietals.
No store could possibly carry them all so finding specific ones requires considerable hunting and gathering, which just adds to the fun. One of the best selections in the state can be found in Freeport’s Bow Street Market.
Whether you’re a Maniac or ‘from away’, with riches that could be an embarrassment (but we’re not) it’s hard to know where to start. Here are my top picks. (My taste tests are ongoing, so check back for new additions.)
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They excel at Belgians.
Their White is a staple cloudy wheat.
Their Curieux is a stellar bourbon barrel tripel.
2
They do it all without overdoing it … or is it overdoing it just the right amount?
Savor their lush Thirsty Botanist.
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They’re playful, richly rewarding, and sometimes even sweet.
Enter their radiant list with an Epiphany.
4
Their flavors are so in step with the independence of the pine tree state.
Taste the place in their evergreen Brightside.
5
Their creativity runs deep.
Ease into a wild ride with Substance an IPA with an understated name.
6
They excel at IPAs.
Start with their beer Lunch.
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Though their list is deep, with plenty of range, they excel at lighter classic IPAs.
Try their Maine Island Trail Ale.
Maine’s 9 Best Oysters & 5 Places To Find Them
I find it mysterious and wonderful! The same oyster species grown in different places taste different. When you eat oysters you taste the seaweeds and kelps that surround them, the minerals in the rock and mud they grow on, and the salt in the waters they breathe. You even taste the temperature they live in. How is that possible? You’ve got to taste it to believe it.
Today (2021), about 150 oyster farms in Maine, extending from York to Washington counties, raise over 11 million oysters per year for the white table cloth market (an industry worth over $8 million). The Damariscotta River estuary in Maine is the largest site for oyster growth. Most Maine oysters have strong, hard shells, plump full meats, and a beautiful briny sweet flavor of a cold fresh clean ocean.
Maine offers a savory adventure with an impressive variety of oysters to choose from.
Pemaquid Points burst zaftig and briny.
Winter Points remain firm with brothy umami.
Taunton Bays offer a complex minerality.
Belon Rivers glide coppery smooth.
Dodge Coves supply sweet and sour tanginess.
Bagaduce Rivers balance bouquets in small creamy packages.
Glidden Points achieve an unusually crisp density.
North Haven Islands have a hint of honey.
Gay Islands share a touch of sugar.
Find the best selection in Portland at Eventide.
Find the best selection in Boothbay at Mine Oyster.
Find the best selection in Rockland at North Beacon.
Find the best selection in Rockport at 18 Central.
Follow the Maine Oyster Trail here.
Want them shipped to you? Try Maine Oysters Company.
Things To Do In Maine
There are lots of things to see and do in Maine.
Here are some resources to help make your visit even more special.
15 Colorful Things To See During Maine’s Fall Season
6 Great Maine Museums To Visit
The Best Breweries & Beers In Maine
Maine’s Best Oysters & Where To Find Them
Places To Visit
Portland, Portland Museum of Art, 207-775-6148
Brunswick, Bowdoin Museum, 207-725-3275
Waterville, Colby Museum, 207-859-5600
Rockland, Center For Maine Contemporary Art, 207-701-5005
Rockland, Dowling Walsh Gallery, 207-596-0084
Rockland, Farnsworth Museum, 207-596-6457
Rockland, The Strand Theatre, 207-594-0070
Owls Head, Owls Head Transportation Museum, 207-594-4418
Camden, Bay Chamber Concerts, 888-707-2770
Places To Eat
Bar Harbor, Havana, 207-288-2822
Belfast, Meanwhile In Belfast, 207-218-1288
Camden, The Waterfront, 207-236-3747
Camden, Natalie’s, 207-236-7008
Camden, Long Grain, 207-236-9001
Rockport, 18 Central, 207-466-9055
Rockland, Suzuki’s Sushi Bar, 207-596-7447
Rockland, In Good Company, 207-593-9110
Rockland, Café Miranda, 207-594-2034
Rockland, Primo, 207-596-0770
Thomaston, Thomaston Cafe, 207-354-8589
Portland, Empire Chinese Kitchen, 207-747-5063
Portland, Eventide, 207-774-8538
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Places To Stay
Rockland,Hampton Inn, 207-594-6644
Rockland, 250 Main Hotel, 207-594-5994
Rockport, Samoset Resort, 800-341-1650
Rockland, Berry Manor Inn, 207-596-7696
Clark Island, Craignair Inn, 207-594-7644
Monhegan Island, The Island Inn, 207-596-0371
There are many wonderful cottages in Cushing available on Airbnb and VRBO.
Additional Resources
Rockland/Thomaston Area Chamber of Commerce, 207-596-0376
Camden/ Rockport Chamber of Commerce, 207-236-4404
Maine Office of Tourism, 888-624-6345
Maine Tourism, 207-623-0363
Maine Destinations To Photograph
From the solitary summit of Katahdin, to the deeps of more than 22,000 lakes and ponds, to the 3,500 miles of tidal coastline, the wild beauty of Maine is irresistibly beautiful. Inland you’ll find sweeping mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, and farms. Along the rocky coast, you’ll find countless islands, beaches, lighthouses, and fishing villages.
This ebook collects images of Maine made in the locations that I have returned to photograph most often for more than 25 years.
Each image is accompanied by a short description of the location.
Interactive links access Google Maps and additional resources.
This valuable resource will help you make the most of your explorations of Maine.
22 images
22 pages
6 Great Art Museums To Visit In Maine
There’s lots of great art in Maine!
Here are six great museums presented geographically from north to south.
Waterville
A collecting and teaching museum focussing on American art. It houses and displays the largest collection of John Marin and Alex Katz’ paintings as well as Richard Serra’s works on paper.
Rockland
There’s always something new and old on view at the Farnsworth. The museum has one of the nation’s largest collections of works by sculptor Louise Nevelson. Its Wyeth Center features works of Andrew, N.C. and Jamie Wyeth, which is extended by the Olson House (Christina’s World) in nearby Cushing.
Rockland
Center For Maine Contemporary Art
A contemporary arts institution, presenting a year-round program of changing exhibitions featuring the work of emerging and established artists with ties to Maine.
Brunswick
Assyrian reliefs in Maine? And much more! The Bowdoin art collection includes Antiquities, European,and American collections including memorabilia from Winslow Homer’s nearby studio.
Portland
Significant holdings of American, European, and contemporary art, as well as iconic works from Maine, the museum brings it all to life with unparalleled programming, from special events, family activities, and community conversations to PMA Films, curator talks, and tours of the Winslow Homer Studio—it’s all happening at the PMA.
Ogunquit
Ogunquit Museum of American Art
Celebrating its origins in Ogunquit’s art colonies it acquires, preserves, exhibits, and interprets American art.
Looking for more fun things to do?
Rockland
One of the largest lighthouse museums in the United States.
Thomaston
Owl’s Head Transportation Museum
Its mission is to collect, preserve, exhibit and operate pre-1940 aircraft, ground vehicles, engines and related technologies significant to the evolution of transportation for the purpose of education. Special events offer car rallies and air shows.
Bath
It sits on a 20-acre campus on the banks of the Kennebec River in “The City of Ships”. Daily cruises visit some of Maine’s most iconic lighthouses from the water and get an up-close look at Navy vessels under construction at Bath Iron Works.
15 Colorful Things To Look For During Maine’s Fall Season
Maine is beautiful! And it’s never more beautiful than in the autumn during harvest season. The air is crisp and the place comes alive with color. It’s extraordinarily picturesque. Here are a few highlights to look for this fall.
Mountains of color
Color on the water
Color in the air
Color on the ground
Fields of late season wildflowers
Blueberry fields so red they look like they’re on fire.
Sometimes they actually set the fields on fire.
Rocky quarries
Tumbled beach stones
Playful cairns
Quaint lighthouses
Working harbors
Rugged island life
Mysterious misty mornings
Rich evening afterglow
And this is just the beginning. There are so many more reasons to visit Maine in autumn! Who knows what you’ll find.
Find out more about my Acadia Maine Fall Foliage Photography Workshop here.
iPhones Invite Experimentation
I find making images with my iPhone extremely stimulating. For me, the device implicitly offers an invitation to play, reminding myself how important spontaneity is in making good images, and to experiment, growth and innovation require risk. Doing this offers me an opportunity to make images in situations, of things, in ways I ordinarily wouldn’t. It also raises very important questions, “When should I use a more professional tool?”, “When should I return to my standard practices?”, “What’s gained and what’s lost?” I haven’t found a single easy answer. I’ve found many hard ones – and more questions. Simply engaging this process has made me see in more versatile ways and make stronger images, both studies and finished works.
Here are a few of my recent experiments.
Use standard tools as props.
Bring new props.
Make postcards.
Combine photographs and drawings.
Make double exposures.
Create composites.
When I start making images with my iPhone that I would ordinarily make with a DSLR it’s probably time for me to switch tools – again.
Find out more about my Acadia Maine Fall Foliage Workshop.
Learn more about iPhone photography here.
Play With Your iPhone To Improve Your DSLR Photography – Charles Adams
Every year, during my Acadia Maine Fall Foliage Workshop my assistant Charles Adams and I explore making photographs with our iPhones.
Charles talks about his experience.
“Making images with an iPhone can be a terrific creative exercise. If you regularly shoot with a DSLR, the iPhone can simplify things and offer a new experience. I find this to be the case during every fall foliage workshop. I leave my Canon in the car along with all of the photographic requirements and responsibilities that I usually attach to it. It’s a freeing experience. Suddenly the pressure to make the best photographs of my life is no longer there. I’m free to play.
Being able to process your images seconds after shooting them is also key to the iPhone experience. The many apps available make it possible to shoot, edit, share, and get feedback before even getting back in the car. In my case, apps have a direct effect on which pictures I chose to make. If I know I’m going to apply water color and oil painting filters to my images, I try to shoot accordingly. I set out to find good compositions with strong “bones” or solid structures that can benefit from the addition of dramatic effects.
The resulting images are fun to create. Changing the tools you use to make your images can offer new insights into your own photography. I strongly recommend allowing yourself to play.”
Visit Charles’ website here.
Find out about my Acadia Maine Fall Foliage workshop here.
Exploring Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park
While Maine’s Acadia National Park is one of the most visited parks in the nation, most visitors don’t make it up to the lesser known Schoodic peninsula (about an hour and half away from Bar Harbor by road, less by boat).
During my Fall Foliage workshop we immersed ourselves in this enchanting location for two days, staying at the Schoodic Institute.
Balachandar Venkatesan
Kathy Bristor
Al DeValle
Barbara Wrubel
Sherry Teefey
Now that you’ve seen participants’ impressions in images read what they shared in words.
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