Portland, Mainenew england charm

A half-hour ferry ride from the Casco Bay terminal takes you to Peaks Island, part of the city of Portland and once known as the Coney Island of Maine. Locals (and plenty of out-of-staters) have summer homes here in the warm months, and day-trippers come out to the island for its picturesque, maritime New England flavor. Fishing boats bobbing in quiet harbors before old brick storefronts lend the island a certain charm. The ferry will take cars, but Peaks is just two miles long, easily and more pleasantly crossed on a bike, which you can rent for about $15 a day on the “main drag” of Island Avenue. There are some cozy pocket-beaches found around the island, along with the largest U.S. military battery every built, now decommissioned and fascinating to explore as part of the Peaks Island Land Preserve.