While I was in New England in July, I decided to make the most of my time and head up to Maine! I had been wanting to visit Maine for awhile, and now I can't wait to go back and see more of Vacationland!

When in Maine, here are a few must-do's...

Eat a Lobster Roll
Take a cruise through Casco Bay
Try a different coffee shop - I loved The Standard Baking Co.
Visit a lighthouse - there are 65 to choose from!
Check out L.L. Bean's flagship store
Enjoy the great outdoors!

Portland, which is Maine's largest city, is essentially still a small town situated on Portland Harbor. I stayed at The Press Hotel, a brand new boutique hotel in downtown Portland whose building used to serve as the printing plant for the Portland Press Herald, which operated there until 2010. This hotel was so cool and unique and I wish I could have stayed longer!

This was my first solo travel experience with the goal of decompressing from a week-long conference so I spent the afternoon wandering through the historic downtown shops and bakeries. I met some old college friends for dinner at Boone's Fish House and called it an early night so I could be prepared for my next adventure...

The next morning I woke up bright and early (4:15 a.m. to be exact) for a sunrise cruise through Casco Bay. Aside from three teenagers and their selfie sticks, I was alone on the boat to enjoy the morning's sunrise. I also made sure to check out the Portland Head Light at Cape Elizabeth before heading on to Boston for the weekend.

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse, Portland Headlight, Maine