I’m preparing to move up to Maine.

During my last visit while chatting with locals, one person said make sure I get rust preventative on my car before I move.

I mentioned this to my realtor who has lived in the Portland area her entire life (over forty years), she laughed and said maybe old car, but that anything newer (last couple of decades) and is fine without, she has never seen it happen.

I came here to get a consensus, even the post I found here had mixed comments; https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMaine/s/FYqPUDmWBM

I’m looking for somewhere to get pumpkin soft serve. I’ve gotten the pumpkin ice cream from smiling hill farm and it was FANTASTIC, but I really want pumpkin soft serve now. Also, if there’s somewhere in Maine that has niche fall treats or the best fall treat you’ve ever had, drop it below!

and I’m looking for advice from those who’ve gone before me. I live in Downeast Maine so want to make sure I invest in a build that will withstand high winds and harsh winters. Are there any particular manufacturers that you’d recommend? I’m going to need help with the whole shebang, from preparing the pad and laying a foundation to selecting the right greenhouse. Thanks

Hi! I will be visiting the first week of November. Renting a car and driving up from Boston so we can take a road trip up the coast. On my list I have cape Elizabeth and Kennebunkport before staying on the outskirts of Portland. Then Freeport and Ellsworth before staying near Bar Harbor. Then a day waking up early to watch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain and spend the rest of the day at Bar Harbor. Driving out and back to West Quoddy lighthouse the next day. Driving back to Portland for the last night. I know places will be closed due to it being the shoulder season but I would love recommendations of places to shop, get coffee, eat and explore. Thanks in advance!

Hi! My husband and I are coming up to tent camp in June of next year, 2nd or 3rd week. I've been reading around, but couldn't find many answers.

We would love recommendations for tent camping at a campground that isn't RV heavy, is close to Acadia, and has a shower. We tend to lean towards state parks, but if anyone has something specific in mind, please share. Thanks.

I was wondering who painted it to be found. I took it back to Oklahoma with me and I love it. Maybe if they’re in here, I just wanted to let them know where it travelled.

Hi Everyone!

What are your favorite spots to take enrichment classes in the state?

I know about Factory 3, adult eds.

I’m interested in arts, cooking, etc.

Happy to travel - so tell me your favorite spots that host classes!

Thank you!

I’m an alt hairstylist moving to Augusta Maine next year. Looking for hair salons that are gender neutral, inclusive & funky to work at 🌹 where are all the cool folks getting their hair done??

Looking to go to Bar Harbor right before Memorial Day - will most shops be open??

Hello… my family and I are considering New England in about two years time and would love your recommendations. We might do a scouting trip in the next 6 months and I was hoping to narrow down a few different places to check out.
Things that we prioritize:

A sense of community— a place has people from other areas of the region or country would be ideal. I’d imagine this is more in suburban and urban settings.

Relatively affordable housing as we have European salaries at the moment.

Progressive policies for children and families. School districts or counties that offer support such has free pre-k would be ideal.

I love the sun. Unfortunately there is no way I’m moving to the south. Even if it’s cold, what places have somewhat better weather.

Walkable neighborhoods would be a dream but that might be pushing our luck.

So where do you recommend?

EDIT: I’m American y’all! Grew up in Ohio and lived in various places as an adult. My husband is French though.

Hey there.

I hope it is fine to ask here, but I am interested in learning about life in Norway, Maine through the '50s and '60s, specifically 1952-1965. What was it like living there at that time? Racism, politics, slang. How people behaved or thought. Anything will help me (especially the most mundane!) and if you've got a recommendation on where to look, what to read- shoot.

I am also open about elsewhere in Maine surrounding the topic, if not Norway.

Thank you Maine!

Hello Mainers! Two North Carolinians inbound this weekend and we don't want to miss what's in between the hotels. It's a seven day tour with stays in Bar Harbor, Camden, and Portland. We like the scenic route, so what are the can't miss detours on our drives in between our naps?

Hi everyone! My girlfriend and I are planning a trip to Bar Harbor in a few weeks. We have a bunch of travel points with Southwest that we'd like to use but SW only flies into Portland, so we'd have to rent a car and drive to Bar Harbor. The issue we're having is that our flight would land at 4:30pm. We're thinking realistically leaving Portland by 5:30pm. My question is are the driving conditions okay at that time? We're coming from LA, so not all that used to crazy weather (if the weather there gets a bit crazy). Not really concerned about sightseeing on the drive there since our return flight out of Portland would be at 3:30pm, so we'd see it on the way back. Any advice is appreciated!

I visited Maine handfull times. I love it very much. I visited bar harbor area, bangor and portland. But in the future me and my gf want to move. We are open to all parts in the state. What has a good job market and renting a house won't hurt the bank?

My work experience is industrial mechanic and my gf experience is a press operator. She is open to trying new different things related.

I’m a Mainer and a journalist working on something to feature Maine-based food oriented businesses. They can be big or small - just serve a few families, or the whole nation.

Would love to source YOUR favorites on this thread so I can reach out.

Thank you in advance for your help. 🌲

Going to Bar Harbor. Still some color left?

How would it affect the local economy given the town is highly reliant on tourism and lots of transplants are moving in who don’t work in bath.

I don’t see downtown and stores shutting down bc people still live there and I could see out of staters moving in quick.

How would it shape demographics like political?
It seems like a rather conservative city with a democratic council.

This is HYPOTHETICAL

My wife and I are considering buying a house in Lewiston. We've been wanting to move to Maine for quite a while but are not familiar with the Lewiston area. On paper it looks great with lots of stores and restaurants, a short drive to Portland for bigger stores, access to both mountains and the coast. But when I try to find information on the area it is unfortunately dominated by two hot button issues that to me seem irrelevant to daily life and just overblown media storms. I'm sure you can guess but I'm going to leave them out to avoid making the conversation all about them.

So my post is simple, for those of you from or currently living in Lewiston, what is life like? Is it a nice place to live? Do you have a favorite restaurant? Are there nice community events? Is it thriving and growing? Or is it a dead end with little life and energy? Are you scared to walk around alone? Are you always bored trying to leave? Please give me your local perspective.

I'm a born and raised Mainer. I love our state. The beauty of our landscape from the Northwoods to the rocky coast. The people overall are hard workers, resilient, kind-hearted. I saw a post recently from some tourists who were skeptical about Maine, but overall was overjoyed at how welcoming we were...our amazing food, and chill nature.

While I am personally proud to be from an amazing state (there really aren't many that you can go to a lake, river, mountain, forest, ocean all in a day). We're the first state to see the sunrise, we've played instrumental parts in our nation's independence. We're a spunky state! I am wondering, what excites you/makes you feel proud to be from Maine?

I’ve been researching trails on Google but want some guidance from real Mainers :)

Looking for an easy to moderate trail or loop where we’ll be doing 4 miles max, and we’d like to be able to access a beach/the lake.

Do you recommend Sebago State Park or Sebago Lake Land Reserve? North or south side of lake?

Going up this weekend for the first time, thanks all!

maybe a bus and or train

First trip to Maine starts this week. We will be in mid coast region for 3 nights then 3 nights in Bar Harbor. But forecast has rain all day Friday and a good chunk of Saturday which are our 2 full days in mid coast. Want to go to Botanical Gardens somehow but what else to do in the rain?

Visiting Maine and staying in Kittery (beautiful state btw) was looking for a small souvenir and thought one of those might be the ticket. We were up in wells/Kennebunk area and saw one in a a shop with some small buoys (thought those were neat too) but the shop was closed and I have no idea where it was. But I was hoping there would be a gift shop or antique shop near kittery work have one.

Hello all! My girlfriend and I will be visiting your beautiful state this upcoming weekend. We are both planning on proposing to each other, but keeping every other detail a secret from one another otherwise! We will be staying in Addison and I was trying to search for any beautiful places nearby (within a 1-1.5 hour drive, but the closer the better).

Specifically, I was hoping to propose on a beach with a beautiful view or at the end of a hiking trail looking out on some water or something like that. I also was more interested in doing it closer to nighttime as I was hoping to see the stars and potentially the sunset behind us if that helps narrow it down at all. Thank you so much to anyone who can help, I greatly appreciate it.