The Christmas Lights Road Trip Through Maine That’s Nothing Short Of Magical
The Maine coast is a wonder any time of year, but there’s something about Christmastime that makes it truly magical. With millions of fairy lights burning bright to show you the way, our cheery coastal road trip takes you up iconic Route 1, through picturesque small towns, quaint Main Streets and into some of the season’s most festive and brilliant holiday displays.
Follow this link for the road trip directions. The total drive time is a little over four hours one way, so you’ll want to factor in time to get back home. Or plan an overnight stay anywhere along the way – you can’t go wrong with any of these beautiful little towns!
During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date.
Here in Maine, it's only natural to start any road trip at a lighthouse. Fortunately for us, the Nubble Lighthouse near York gets all dressed up for Christmas, trimmed in thousands of twinkling lights. Get there in time for the spectacular sunset, then stay to admire the wonderfully simple yet incredibly striking display.
Head a few miles north to adorable Ogunquit, which means "beautiful place by the sea" in Abenaki, and do some serious window-shopping on streets lined with lights.
Kennebunkport's Christmas Prelude was voted the #2 Christmas Town in America by HGTV – and for good reason. The lights, sights and sounds are right out of a Dickens novel. First make your way to Cape Porpoise Square for the famous Lobster Trap Tree – a holiday decoration that's just oh so Maine.
The first of a few stops in Portland, historic VIctoria Mansion is famous for outfitting each room in lights, candles, garlands and other Christmas finery for one of the most pristine period displays you'll find anywhere.
Portland's "Light Up Your Holidays" sees every tree, every pole, every building come alive with colored lights. It feels like Christmas everywhere you turn. Don't miss the free horse-drawn carriage rides from Monument Square!
Hop on 295 and head up to Freeport, where L.L.Bean regularly assembles one of Maine's most spectacular Christmas displays. Their famous "dancing tree" is gone, but in its place is a forest of 400 twinkling trees and myriad other festivities. Also new this year is an Aurora Borealis experience projected on the ceiling of a cool geodesic dome and a timber-frame reindeer barn where you can bump elbows with real (yes, real!) reindeer.
This is it - easily the highlight of our road trip. Gardens Aglow takes the beauty of Boothbay's botanical garden up about a million watts, combining hundreds of thousands of bright Christmas bulbs with other dramatic lighting effects to create a dream-like atmosphere you really have to see to believe.
It's about an hour from our previous stop, but we had to make the trip to Camden's Christmas by the Sea Festival because, well, it's just too cute. Merry Christmas everyone!
Our little jaunt up the coast only scratches the surface of what Maine has to offer in terms of Christmas cheer. Check out our other list here to see some more of the best, brightest, holliest and jolliest displays in the state!
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Michelle has lived in many places, but counts Maine as one of the best. In addition to the smell of ocean water in the air on rainy days in Portland, she loves puppies, photography, funny people, the Maine Red Claws, traveling, fresh tomatoes, Cambodia and filling out forms. For questions, comments and inquiries please email: mstarin@onlyinyourstate.com.
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