The Southern Maine Coast -- Maine's southern coast runs roughly from the state line at Kittery to Portland, and is the destination of most travelers to the state (including many day-trippers from the Boston area). While it takes some doing to find privacy and remoteness here, you'll find at least two excellent reasons for a detour: long, sandy beaches, the region's hallmark; and a sense of history in some of the coastal villages.
Thanks to quirks of geography, nearly all of Maine's sandy beaches are in this 60-mile stretch of coastline. It's not hard to find a relaxing sandy spot, whether you prefer dunes and the lulling sound of the surf or the carnival-like atmosphere of a festive beach town. Waves depend on the weather -- during a good Northeast blow (especially prevalent in spring and fall), they pound the shores and threaten beach houses built decades ago. During balmy midsummer days, the ocean can be as gentle as a farm pond, barely audible waves lapping timidly at the shore.
One thing all beaches share in common: They're washed by the chilled waters of the Gulf of Maine. Except in the very young, who seem immune to blood-chilling temperatures, swimming sessions here tend to be very brief and often accompanied by shrieks, whoops, and agitated hand-waving. Although the beach season is generally brief and intense, running from July 4th to Labor Day, it is stretching out into fall at an increasing number of beach towns (Columbus Day is accompanied by the sound of the remaining businesses shuttering up). But after Labor Day, shorefront communities tend to adopt a slower, more somnolent pace.
On foggy or rainy days, plan to search out the south coast's rich history. Over 3 centuries ago, European newcomers settled here, only to be driven out by Native Americans, who had been pushed to the brink by treaty-breaking British settlers and prodded by the French. By the early 19th century, though, the south coast was one of the most prosperous regions in the nation. Shipbuilders constructed brigantines and sloops; ship captains plied the Eastern seaboard, the Caribbean, and far beyond. Merchants and traders built vast warehouses on the rivers to store goods. Many handsome and historic homes near the coast today attest to the region's former prosperity. The coastal region has been relatively undeveloped compared to coastal Connecticut or Massachusetts, so the sense of history tends to be stronger, and the scale of the buildings suggests an earlier era.
A second wave of settlers came in the mid- to late 19th century: wealthy city dwellers from Boston and New York seeking respite from the summer heat and congestion. They built shingled estates (which they called "cottages"...yeah, right!) with views of the Atlantic. At the beginning of the 20th century, wealthy rusticators were followed by the emerging middle class, who built bungalows near the shore and congregated at oceanside boarding houses to splash in the waves.
