Readers’ Choice

Boatyard
Brooklin Boatyard, Brooklin
Located on the Eggemoggin Reach, this picturesque yard has been constructing, designing, and repairing wooden boats since 1960. 207-359-2236. www.brooklinboatyard.com [1]

Travel Agency
AAA, Northern New England, Portland
Down East readers, like everyone one else, like to go on vacation, and when they do, they choose Triple A, with its regional headquarters in Portland. 800-222-3395. www.aaanne.com [2]

B-and-B
Camden Harbour Inn
With its stunning views of Camden Harbor, it’s no wonder this inn has once more won the best B-and-B. It also doesn’t hurt that Dutch owners Raymond Brunyanszki and Oscar Verest have created such luxurious accommodations, either. 800-236-4266. www.camdenharbourinn.com [3]

Private School
Waynflete, Portland
When it comes to an independent education for your child, Waynflete is the school of choice for Mainers and Down East readers. Founded in 1897 by Agnes Lowell and Caroline Crisfield, it is still firmly grounded in academic preparation, diversity, and the arts. 207-774-5721. www.waynflete.org [4]

Shopping Town
Freeport
Once more, the Greater Portland shopping mecca has won best shopping town. It’s hard to contest with its eclectic mix of outlets at the Village Station, the outdoor clothing giant L.L. Bean, and the dazzling shores of Casco Bay and bucolic Wolfe’s Neck State Park just a five-minute drive away.

Airport
Portland International Jetport
To twist the Frank Sinatra song a bit: Come fly with Maine! That’s what our readers do when they take to the air at the Jetport, which is serviced by the following airlines: U.S. Airways, Delta, United, jetBlue, and Air Canada, Continental Airlines, and airTran. 207- 874-8877. www.portlandjetport.org [5]

Boat Ride
Casco Bay Lines, Portland
Once more the striking gold and black hulls of this year-round ferry service have been voted the best, making traveling to the islands (Peaks, Little Diamond, Great Diamond, Diamond Cove, Long, Chebeague, and Cliff) in Casco Bay feel like an archipelago adventure. 207-774-787. www.cascobaylines.com [6]

Spa
Senator Inn & Spa, Augusta
Voted once more the best place to get a ginger-spiced pedicure, this capital city spa has an indoor mineral swimming pool, steam room, two saunas, and ten spa treatment rooms to make you feel like a pampered queen or king for a day. 207-622-5804. www.senatorinn.com [7]

Outdoor Store
L.L. Bean, Freeport.
Who else? Its flagship store in Freeport is open twenty-four hours, 365 days a year. And the outdoor store that won last year has still got everything from sturdy hiking boots to modish Alex Carleton designs.

Bookstore
Owl & Turtle, Camden
Independent bookstores are a dying breed, which makes the Owl & Turtle’s success for the last forty-one years — and a winner again on this readers’ choice — such a rare bookshop with more than ten thousand hand-selected titles in sections that include Maine, history, fiction, cooking, and more. 207-236-4769.www.owlandturtle.com [8]

Jeweler
Cross Jewelers, Portland
Blue sapphires, Maine tourmaline, diamond rings — with poetic inspirations and even advice for men on how to buy. Once again this hundred-year-old jewelers has been chosen the best, making special occasions extra special with its knowledge of all things precious — metals included. 800-433-2988. www.crossjewelers.com [9]

Furniture Maker
Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers, Auburn
Moser won last year and he’s won again this year. And who wouldn’t want one of the company’s solid wood pieces of furniture crafted by hand in a world where so much is mass produced? 800-862-1973. www.thosmoser.com [10]

Concert Venue
Merrill Auditorium, Portland
It’s the place to go in the city if you want to catch international talent as well as homegrown. With almost two thousand seats to choose from, this venue will get you up close to such celebrities as Steve Martin, David Sedaris, Bill Cosby, and Liza Minnelli. 207-842-0800. tickets.porttix.com [11]

Summer Theater
Ogunquit Playhouse
It all began one warm summer evening in a renovated garage and now it’s known as “America’s Foremost Summer Theatre.” This season catch everything from favorites like The Music Man and Miss Saigon to the groovy new Summer of Love and the children’s classic Pippi Longstocking’s Musical Adventure. 207-646-5511. www.ogunquitplayhouse.org [12]

Beach
Popham Beach State Park
There’s a reason this stretch of sand fourteen miles south of Bath has been voted the best beach once again. It’s got rolling Atlantic surf, wildlife, a picnic area, and crowds of sun, surf, and sand worshippers. 207-389-1335. www.maine.gov [13]

Island Getaway
Monhegan Island
No surprise that this rocky island would win again. Plus the boat ride over is just long enough to begin to anticipate the awaiting beauty and ruggedness of this isle ten miles off the mainland. 207-372-8848. www.monheganwelcome.com [14]

Museum
Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland
There’s a lot of art to love at this museum — from the Wyeth clan to Alex Katz to the work of living artists in the region — with its twenty thousand square feet of gallery space and more than ten thousand works in the collection. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org [15]

Resort
Samoset Resort, Rockport
The resort in Rockport wins again! It’s got dining (La Bella Vite and Enoteca Lounge); it’s got a health club, outdoor pool, and spa; it’s got an eighteen-hole golf course; and it’s got splendid views of Penobscot Bay. 207-594-2511. www.samosetresort.com [16]

Nursery
Skillins Greenhouses, Brunswick, Falmouth and Cumberland
When our readers want green thumbs, they have three locations to choose from. It’s no wonder Skillins was picked as the best once again: They know Maine botany that will turn your garden beautiful. 207-829-5619. www.skillins.com [17]

Builder
Cold Mountain Builders, Belfast
This thirty-employee building company started out on restoration and preservation projects in rural areas and downtown Belfast. Now the company does residential work — and our readers seem to agree that it’s the best around for raising the roof. 207-338-4552. coldmtn.com [18]

Golf Course
Samoset Resort, Rockport
Our readers think the Samoset is the best resort, so it makes perfect sense that its golf course would be the best around when those same readers are ready to hit the green. Its eighteen holes wind through seaside vistas, woods, and gardens. 207-594-2511. www.samosetresort.com [16]

Skiing
Sugarloaf, Carrabassett Valley
There’s no “Loaf” like Sugarloaf as far as Down East’s readers are concerned. The second highest peak in the state (4,237 feet) was chosen last year and it’s still a favorite for skiers and snowboarders and those who just want to snuggle in a warm cabin. 207-237-2000. www.sugarloaf.com [19]

Camping
Baxter State Park, Millinocket
How could it not win? With more than two hundred thousand acres of wilderness and public forest to explore, Baxter is the place to camp if you want the basics: no water, no electricity — and real bears! 207-723-5140. www.baxterstateparkauthority.com [20]
[20]
Mountain Biking
Acadia National Park, Mount Desert
It’s got twenty-seven miles of loop roads and vistas and lots of pull-over areas. And then, of course, there’s the rugged Maine coastline and the propane-powered Island Explorer buses that you can race! 207-288-3338. www.nps.gov/acad [21]
[21]
Miniature Golf
Pirate’s Cove, Old Orchard Beach and Bar Harbor
Our readers are particularly savvy when it comes to miniature golf, that’s why they chose Pirate’s Cove. Putt your way through eighteen holes that include challenging mountain caves, footbridges, pirate ships, and waterfalls. Bar Harbor: 207-288-2133; OAB: 207-934-5086. www.piratescove.net [22]

Hiking Trails
Camden Hills State Park and Acadia National Park, Mount Desert
It’s a tie! Acadia won last year, but this year readers wanted to give it a challenger. The Camden Hills signature location is the scenic vista atop Mount Battie, where, coincidentally, on a clear day, you can see Cadillac Mountain, which at 1,532 feet is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard. Camden: 207-236-3109. www.maine.gov. [23] Acadia: 207-288-3338. www.nps.gov/acad [21]

Restaurant
Primo, Rockland
It tied with Fore Street in Portland last year, but this time Melissa Kelly’s farm fresh regional cuisine — much of which is grown right on the restaurant’s property — rules the kitchen. 207- 596-0770. www.primorestaurant.com [24]
[24]
Dinner
Fore Street, Portland
In a culinary switch, Fore Street wins best dinner this year over its rival Primo. And it is hard to resist the Old Port restaurant’s brick and soapstone hearth, wood-burning oven, grill, and turnspit, visible while you wait for your sumptuous meal. 207-775-2717. www.forestreet.biz [25]

Lunch
Duckfat, Portland
Duckfat sees itself as a small sandwich shop; our readers see it as the best place to get Belgian fries made with local Maine potatoes all fried — you guessed it — in duck fat. 207-774-8080. www.duckfat.com [26]

Brunch
Harraseeket Inn, Freeport
The Harraseeket continues its winning streak as the best place to Sunday brunch. Around these parts it’s called “Maine Lobster Sunday,” for obvious reasons. But there’s a lot more on the table than just bugs — try meats, pastas, soups, salads, side dishes, and desserts. 800-342-6423. www.harraseeketinn.com [27]

Breakfast
Becky’s Diner, Portland
Becky’s on Commercial Street won last year as the breakfast place par excellence, and it seems as though our readers still hanker after those early-morning (think the unsightly hour of 4 a.m.) omelets and $1.65 cup of joe. 207-773-7070. www.beckysdiner.com [28]

Lobster Roll
Red’s Eats, Wiscasset
Best bugs on the coast two years running! So say our readers. And if you still haven’t got your fill from the buttery rolls, then Virginia M. Wright’s book about this famous red-and-white shack should do the trick. 207-882-6128.

Wine Shop
Rayr, Rockport
The wine overfloweth in Rockport, according to our readers. This is the second year that this vino shop has won. Not only does it have more than five hundred wines, but the sommeliers here know their vintage. 207-230-7009. www.rayrwine.co [29]m [29]

Candy Shop
Wilbur’s of Maine, Freeport
Chocolate-covered wild blueberries and a Maine Lobster Basket will give anyone a sweet tooth, but this Maine candy maker is especially loved by our readers. 207-865-4071. wilburs.gourmetfoodmall.com [30]

Seafood Market
Jess’s Market, Rockland
This small, year-round family-run market started filleting fish back in 1986. Since then, it’s the place our readers go on the midcoast for fresh fish with no chemicals or preservatives ever added. 207-596-6068. www.jessmarket.com [31]

Maine Cheese
State of Maine Cheese Company, Rockport
When it comes to cheese, our readers love it, and once more (they stole the cheese last year, too) you chose this midcoast store with its mild and sharp cheddars, Welsh Caerphilly, cheese curds, fresh mozzarella, and more. 207-236-8895. www.cheeseme.com [32]

Beer
Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland
Our readers once more raise their mugs to the Shipyard brews. English Sudmaster Alan Pugsley’s signature brews include: Old Thumper, Export Ale, Shipyard IPA, Summer Ale, and Longfellow Winter Ale. 207-761-0807. www.shipyard.com [33]

Cocktail
Natalie’s, Camden
The eating establishment at the Camden Harbour Inn makes some of the best cocktails around, and when mixologist Tom Laslavic serves you up a Fuzzy Navel or a Cuban highball or a simple Bourbon and water, you can always spend the night at the inn. 207-236-7008. www.nataliesrestaurant.com [34]

Coffee Shop
Rock City Coffee Roasters, Rockland
These roasters are the top beans once more. Our readers know that the java here will keep them going all day as they visit the Farnsworth, catch at movie at the Strand Theatre, or browse the Lighthouse Museum. 207-594-5688. www.rockcitycoffee.com [35]

Whoopie Pie
Isamax Snacks’ Wicked Whoopies, Freeport and Farmingdale
Whoopies are now Maine’s official state treat (which is apparently upsetting a lot of folks in Pennsylvania). And our readers certainly agree when it comes to the sugary snacks. Baker Amy Bouchard has to crank out around five thousand to seven thousand of these cream-filled cakes per day. 207-582-7007. www.wickedwhoopies.com [36]

Hospital
Maine Medical Center, Portland
Our readers are not the only ones to appreciate the value of this Portland hospital. It was recently rated the fourth safest hospital in the U.S. and its staff rated in the top 3 percent in the world for nursing excellence. But then our clued-in readers have known this all along! 207-662-0111. www.mmc.org [37]