Maine's Food Trails Offer a Delicious Way to Explore the State This Summer

From award-winning cheeses to world-class oysters, the Pine Tree State has become a destination for artisanal food and drink

Maine's reputation as a culinary destination continues to grow, with the state now home to an impressive network of self-guided food trails that allow visitors to sample everything from handcrafted cheeses to farm-fresh oysters and innovative pizzas.

The concept is simple: visitors download a passport or map, then embark on their own tasting adventures across the state, collecting stamps or stamps and earning rewards along the way. These organized trails have made it easier than ever to discover the breadth of Maine's artisanal food scene.

A Cheese-Lover's Paradise

Maine is home to more than 80 licensed cheesemakers who have earned international recognition for their products. The Maine Cheese Guild maintains a comprehensive map of member creameries and farm operations, many of which offer tours and sell directly to consumers at farm stands.

In Whitefield, Fuzzy Udder Creamery has carved out a unique niche as what is believed to be the state's sole three-milk creamery, sourcing cow's milk from Grace Pond Farm in Thomaston, goat's milk from Pumpkin Vine Family Farm in Somerville, and sheep's milk from Three Charm Farm in Alfred when available. The creamery is known for its Polar Vortex cow's milk blue cheese, a Gournay-style spreadable vache, and Small Craft Advisory, a buttery, earthy brie.

Further north in Sidney, Kennebec Cheesery is celebrating its 18th year of operation, specializing in goat cheeses made from the milk of about 60 dairy goats that graze on 30 acres of pastures and hay fields at Koons Farm. The operation also produces a variety of other styles, and its washed rind cow's milk fontina, Old Speck, won Best in Show at the 2022 Maine Cheese Awards.

In Skowhegan, Crooked Face Creamery has gained global recognition, with its plain whole milk ricotta recently named one of the world's best cheeses. The creamery took home a Super Gold medal at the World Cheese Awards in Switzerland for the ricotta, while their applewood smoked ricotta earned a bronze. Food & Wine magazine also placed the applewood smoked ricotta atop their list of 25 Essential American Cheeses.

Wines From Unlikely Terroir

Maine's climate and soil conditions make traditional grape growing challenging, but the state's nearly 30 wineries have found creative solutions. Some import grapes from other growing regions, others use Maine-friendly fruits like blueberries, raspberries, pears, and rhubarb, and some plant cold-hardy hybrid varietals like Marquette and Frontenac.

The Maine Wine Trail, organized by the Maine Winery Guild in 2008, provides a self-guided tour of these wineries, complete with a printable map and passport system that rewards visitors for their stops.

In Leeds, Tony and Brenda Lyons established their 8-acre Androscoggin County vineyard in 2018. WillowsAwake Winery now offers vineyard tours, wine tastings, and No. 10 eatery, a year-round farmhouse restaurant serving upscale casual dishes designed to pair with their wines. Their offerings include a 2023 Rockless Red Frontenac, 2024 farm blend rosés and whites, and a 2025 blueberry wine.

In Unity, Stone Tree Farm & Cidery maintains about 35 wines in its stable, including reds, whites, rosés, fruit wines, and fortified wines. Their tasting room also offers frozen wines, and the property's picnic grounds include 30 picnic tables with occasional live music and food trucks.

Meanwhile, Oyster River Winegrowers in Warren specializes in low-intervention wines and ciders made from fruit grown on their orchards or sourced from regional growers. Most fermentations begin spontaneously with wild yeast, and their wines and ciders are unfiltered. The winery recently launched Misty, a low-alcohol canned white wine spritz that undergoes a second ferment in the can, creating tiny, frothy bubbles.

Oyster Adventures

Maine's oyster farms have developed their own trail, with the Maine Oyster Trail featuring more than 80 of the state's roughly 150 oyster farms. The concept of merroir—how the specific underwater conditions where oysters are grown affect their flavor—drives the experience, with different farms producing briny or sweet, crisp or creamy characteristics.

In Georgetown, OystHERS Sea Farm was founded in 2018 by Sadia Crosby, one of Maine's growing number of woman-owned oyster farms. The farm produces oysters described as sweet with a slow-fading, watermelon-like finish. Crosby and her sister Lauren opened OystHERS Raw Bar and Bubbly in Bath in 2023, where diners can enjoy the farm's oysters alongside other Maine-farmed halfshells and plenty of sparkling wine.

In Bremen, Community Shellfish Co. operates a genuine working waterfront at the mouth of the Medomak River, selling and distributing seafood sourced from local harvesters. Their flagship oyster, the Cora Cressy, named for a 1902 ship scuttled next to their oyster lease, offers a briny and sweet flavor with a subtle seaweed finish. The operation also offers tours by appointment.

Downeast in Ellsworth, Pemetic Sea Farms grows signature American Beauty oysters in Union River Bay, where micro-algae in the waters produce plump, sweet, and briny oysters with a clean, fresh finish. Owners John and Annie Noll lead weekend farm tours throughout the summer that cross Union River Bay with views of Acadia National Park's mountains.

Craft Beer Central

Maine has long been recognized as a craft beer-lover's paradise, ranking second only to Vermont in the number of breweries per capita. The Maine Beer Trail, launched by the Maine Brewers' Guild in 2009 with 25 breweries, now features more than 100 establishments.

In Vassalboro, Sidereal Farm Brewery sits on a 22-acre regenerative organic farm that grows many of its own ingredients. The operation produces hard cider, mead, wine, and approximately 600 barrels of craft beer annually, including Belgian saisons, fruited sour ales, hazy pale ales, imperial stouts, and IPAs, all poured from a dozen rotating taps. The property also houses Maillard Kitchen, a locally sourced, open-fire restaurant.

In Lewiston, Baxter Brewing Co. launched its brewery in 2011 and opened The Pub, an adjoining restaurant in the historic Bates Mill, in 2018. The space features a horseshoe-shaped bar and full menu of beer-friendly dishes, with tap offerings that may include their flagship Stowaway IPA, Coastal Haze, Blueberry Ale, and Staycation Land lager. The brewery is also among those producing THC-infused beverages.

In Newcastle, Oxbow Brewing Co.'s flagship brewery occupies a converted barn tucked into a forest between rivers. The operation specializes in Belgian-style farmhouse ales, saisons, biere de gardes, and mixed-fermentation beers, made with spring water drawn from an artesian well next to the brewery. The tasting room serves rotating beer selections along with light snacks, and nearby The Alna Store offers an acclaimed farm-to-table dining experience.

A Pizza Renaissance

While Maine's pizza makers lack an official guild or trail, they have cultivated passionate followings and sparked spirited debate among aficionados. Biddeford has emerged as a particular hotspot, giving Portland competition as the state's pizza capital.

Peng's Pizza Pies opened in Biddeford in 2023 and quickly made a name for itself under chef-owner Chris Daniels. The operation landed on a hybrid style that incorporates the char-blistered crusts of New Haven pizza, thin and crispy textures of New York pizza, and the leoparded bottoms of classic Neapolitan pies. Their signature Pistachio and Pickled Fresno pizza offers a Thai-Mediterranean mashup that has drawn fans of spicy heat.

In Bath, The Cabin Restaurant has been serving pizza for 53 years, located across from Bath Iron Works. The old-school, cash-only eatery claims to be home to the only real hand-tossed pizza in Maine, serving floppy, thick-crusted, abundantly topped pies with a devoted following. Those in the know swear by the white pizza with its garlic butter sauce.

In Brooksville, Tinder Hearth began as an artisanal bakery selling wood-fired bread and pastries on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. However, their thin-crust, wild yeast-leavened pizza brought them national attention when The New York Times named them among the 50 places in the United States most exciting at the time. Their menu includes classics like cheese and pepperoni alongside creative offerings like chile and garden mint or lamb sausage and parsnip baba ganoush. Reservations are strongly advised at this popular spot, where pizzas are served in an adjacent barn dining space.

These trails and destinations represent just a fraction of what Maine's food scene has to offer, but they provide an excellent starting point for anyone looking to explore the state's culinary treasures during the warm summer months.