Wiscasset is a lovely riverside town on Route 1, and it's not shy about letting you know: THE PRETTIEST VILLAGE IN MAINE boasts the sign at the edge of town and on many brochures. Whether or not you agree, the town is attractive (though the sluggish line of traffic snaking through diminishes the charm) and makes a good stop en route to coastal destinations further along.
The Boothbays, 11 miles south of Route 1 on Route 27, consists of several small and scenic villages -- East Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, and Boothbay, among them -- that are closer than Wiscasset to the open ocean.
Wealthy rusticators who retreated here each summer in the 19th century discovered the former fishing port of Boothbay Harbor. Having embraced the tourist dollar, the harborfront village never really looked back, and in more recent years, it has emerged as one of the premier destinations of travelers in search of classic coastal Maine. The obvious impact is a village that's a mandatory stop for bus tours, which have in turn attracted kitschy shops and a slew of mediocre restaurants serving baked stuffed haddock.
If Boothbay Harbor is stuck in a time warp, it's Tourist Trap Time Travel back to 1974 -- bland and boxy motels hem in the harbor, and shops hawk mass-market trinkets. However, if you avoid the touristy claptrap of the downtown harbor area itself, some of the outlying areas are strikingly beautiful.
