Southwest Harbor, ME

Although I spent many great summers as a teenager on my parents’ boat in Hadley Harbor off Cape Cod, today, my favorite place for boating is my current summer home—Southwest Harbor, Maine. This is home to Hinkley, Ellis, Wilbur, and other boat builders. The surrounding islands make perfect spots for a day “picnic” as they’re close enough to get to easily, but once you are there, you are far from the crowds visiting Acadia. SWH is still a working harbor with an active fishing fleet, and in the winter, after all the summer people leave, it is very quiet and friendly. It is the type of place where you are likely to meet your neighbors in the supermarket, or congregate at the post office just after the mail has gone out so you can catch up on all the local gossip. Yes, we get some fog, but summers are about as good as it gets here. —Andrew Peterson