Rent kayaks, paddleboards, bikes and sailboards from Coastal Maine Kayak.  Guided tours available too, May through October. Or rent paddle boards and surf boards plus take a lesson from Aquaholics, available year-round. 

For the ocean goers Kennebunkport offers numerous options, take a two-hour sail with Captain Rich aboard the Schooner Eleanor, there are three trips daily. The Pineapple Ketch offers a variety of sailing experiences including a sunset sail or roll up your sleeves and pull traps with Lobsterman Captain Bob and Crew aboard the Rugosa, a working lobster boat. Take a whale watching cruise aboard First Chance Whale Watch, a four-hour whale watching excursion, or treat yourself to the thrill and excitement of the Eco Adventures Tours. For fisher folk we have Striker Charter and Libreti Rose Fishing Charters

An entertaining way to earn all about Kennebunkport is on a narrated tour with Intown Trolley Tour Company.

Enjoy the many hiking trails in the region including Kennebunkport Trust, the Rachel Carson Reserve or the Wells Reserve at Laudholme Farm.

Bring your bicycle and ride the Eastern Trail. Guides are available online or at the 1802 House Bed and Breakfast. Bikes can be rented from Coastal Maine Kayak and Bike.

Hop aboard First Chance Whale Watch for a four-hour whale watching excursion, May through October. 

Higgins and Scarborough Beach just south of Portland offer the beauty of white sand beaches and swells for a surfer’s delight. Kayaks are also welcome to put in and paddle up to this inviting spot. And surfers love Higgins Beach year-round for the great wave action.

Mackworth Island offers a quiet respite for the Portland traveler to stop and enjoy a picnic lunch, admire the 360degree access to the Casco Bay while circumnavigating the 1.25mi path on foot, via bicycle or with your favorite furry friend. 

Popham Beach and Reid State Park are worth the trip. These quintessential Maine spots offer stunning views of wide beautiful beaches and islands off shore atop rocky bluffs.  Visitors to Reid can even spot lighthouses on Seguin Island, The Cuckolds, and Hendricks Head.

Other guests are equally attracted to our gorgeous lakes in the area. Sebago Lake situated 24 miles east offers the compliment to a coastal visit with boating, kayaking and seaplane excursions-- a view of the fall foliage in this region from thousands of feet above is worth the trip.

Take the 5 Lighthouse bike tour of Portland with Summer Feet Cycling. Discover Portland Maine and the shores of Casco Bay by bicycle!  This 5-hour bicycle tour of Portland, Maine features the Maine coast, lighthouses, and Portland’s history.

Visit Desert of Maine, a 40-acre tract of exposed glacial silt surrounded by a pine forest near Freeport, Maine, in the United States. The desert was once a fertile farm, but overproduction caused the topsoil to give way to sand. See living trees half covered in sand. Hike the various nature trails and see wild flowers, mushrooms, wild blueberries and many other varieties of nature's wonders.

Attend one of LL Bean’s Discovery School Adventures.  Choose from expert-led classes and enjoy adventures in kayaking, fly fishing, archery, XC skiing, outdoor photography and so much more.

For those who find shopping an adventure, you’ll have 200 outlets and stores to choose from here in Freeport, including the iconic LL Bean flagship store.  

Explore the islands of Casco Bay aboard the Casco Bay Ferries.  Ride from island to island as the ferry stops, or grab a bike and explore the islands via the ferry.

Explore lighthouses with the Lighthouse Lovers Cruise boat. Enjoy a narrated 90-minute scenic cruise through Casco Bay and its innermost islands to see lighthouses, forts, lobster boats, seals, and seabirds.  As many as four lighthouses can be seen including a close-up view of Maine’s lighthouse.

Get up close and personal with the sea in a kayak.  Rent a sea kayak or take guided tours on the Damariscotta River and Muscongus Bay with Midcoast Kayak.

Maine Kayaking also offers options for sea kayaking, lake kayaking and white water kayaking including lessons and tours.

Dodge Point Reserve consists of over 500 acres with more than 8,000 feet of frontage along the Damariscotta River. An extensive trail system offers options for hiking and is the northeast terminus of the River-Link Trail. The DRA maintains a dock on the Dodge Point shore for public use here too.

LaVerna Preserve in Bristol, Maine, is an expansive preserve featuring 3,600 feet of shoreline, 2.5 miles of trails, and a diverse array of wildlife habitat, including mixed hardwoods, coniferous forests, forested wetlands, freshwater marsh, and gently sloping overgrown farmland.

Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature Center comprises 1,000 acres, rich with a variety of habitat and terrain including over a mile of shore front on Little Dyer Pond. Miles of multi-use trails, rolled groomed XC ski trails, several rustic huts and tent sites are available.

Hardy Boat Cruises offers tours dedicated to the environment, sustainability, conservation and education. Enjoy Puffin, Seal and Nature cruises among others.

Come explore the exquisite beauty of the tranquil Damariscotta River, on the 49-passenger River Tripper, with Damariscotta River Cruises.  Choose from the daily Maine Oyster Farms and Seal Watching Tour or relax with a drink in hand on the Happy Hour Cruise at 5, or learn from experts about how to pair the sumptuous Damariscotta River oysters with wine, sake and beer during one of the Tasting Cruises.

Take a self-guided lighthouse tour to visit Owls Head Lighthouse, Marshall Point Lighthouse or Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, accessible almost year-round. Ask your innkeeper for directions.

There’s plenty of hiking available year-round in Midcoast Maine, near Rockland.  Take in the views of Camden Harbor from the trails at Camden Hills State Park or enjoy 50 miles of low impact footbaths maintained by the George’s River Land Trust along the George’s River Highland Path.  Birders may also enjoy the Beech Hill Preserve, one of the featured stops on the Maine Birders Trail and open year-round.   

A nice way to see Midcoast Maine is via bikes.  Bike rentals are available year-round from Side Country Sports, and Maine Sport Outfitters, which also offers mountain biking tours and programs seasonally.

For kayaks and paddleboard rentals, try Port Clyde Kayaks, open year-round and offering rentals, lessons and tours May – October. Breakwater Kayaks specializes in nature tours by kayak in summer months and Maine Sport Outfitters also offers seasonal kayak and Stand up Paddleboard (SUP) rentals, tours and lessons.

Golfers will find two courses nearby. In Rockland, the 18-hole Championship Samoset Resort Golf Course is the closest to the Inns Along the Coast and is open from late may through mid-October. The scenic and challenging, Goose River Golf Course in Rockport is one of Mid-coast Maine's hidden gems with several holes offering spectacular views of nearby Mount Battie and Ragged Mountain.   Mini golf is another option nearby too at Golfers Crossing Mini Golf, also open seasonally May through October.

Bufflehead Sailing Charters offers totally customized sailing charters on Penobscot Bay in a 32-foot wooden gaff-rigged sailboat.  Additionally, the Maine Windjammers Association has a fleet of fabulously restored schooners offering anywhere from two-days to seven day sailing trips which can also be combined with stays at Rockland Inns Along the Coast  in conjunction with the Historic Inns of Rockland’s Land and Sea package.

After all the adventure, consider some time and a treatment or massage in one of Rockland’s Day Spas including Green with Envy Salon and Spa  or Skin Klinic and Day Spa.

Enjoy a day on the Bay on schooner rides aboard the Schooner Surprise or Maine Schooner, Olad.  Most offer two hour trips including some themed events like wine, dessert or lobster bake cruises.   

The Lively Lady leaves from Camden Harbor offering Eco-tours, lighthouse tours, and morning haul tours where you help haul lobster traps with a Maine lobsterman.

Maine Outdoors offers guided fishing trips in local lakes and rivers

Learn all about rock climbing from an experienced rock and ice climber offering demonstrations and lessons through Northern Vertical Guide Service.

Year Round, the Camden Snow Bowl offers great recreational opportunities with a view over Penobscot Bay from the top.  Enjoy the skiing trails in the winter and the hiking and biking trails at Ragged Mountain Recreational Area located at the Snow Bowl in the warmer months.

Camden Hills State Park offers 30 miles of hiking trails and incredible views of Camden Harbor from the top of Mount Battie. Look forward to hiking, biking and cross country ski or snow shoe jaunts here.

Take a “flightseeing” tour of Penobscot Bay and the islands on Penobscot Island Air. Lighthouse tours are one of their specialties!

Take a ferry to one or more of the Islands in Penobscot Bay aboard the Maine State Ferry, leaving from Rockland to Vinalhaven, North Haven and Matinicus Islands, and from Lincolnville Beach to the island of Islesboro. then spend the day biking or hiking.

There are 110 miles of hiking trails at Acadia National Park.  Hiking the park is simply a must-do when you visit the region.  Click here for more info on hiking in Acadia year-round.

How about taking to the air to see aerial views of Acadia National Park.  You have two options: Scenic Flights of Acadia offer many different packages for those who’d like to see the park from the air.  Another option is to enjoy a biplane ride over Acadia National Park with Scenic Flights of Acadia.  Both operate seasonally in late spring, summer and fall.

You’ll definitely want to bike the 45 miles of interconnected car-free carriage roads at Acadia National Park.  No need to bring a bike; you can rent one from Bar Harbor Bike Shop, open from May – October in Bar Harbor.

Get up close and personal with marine life and the coastal waters surrounding Bar Harbor via sea kayaks.  Aquaterra Adventures offers two and four-hour guided kayak tours around Bar Harbor. National Park Sea Kayak offers four hour tours around the western part of the park.

Enjoy a half or three-quarter day fishing trip with Acadia Fishing Tours.

Whale watching, seabird or Puffin Tours and Nature Tours are all offered by Bar Harbor Whale Watching Tours.  Check out the options here.

Check out seals basking on the rocks, bald eagles overhead and the splendor of Somes Sound, a natural fjord on the Sea Princess Scenic Nature Cruises.  Full information is here.