Your family may well be famished after activity-filled days along Maine's northern coast. Slow down and savor the fresh flavors of Maine at some of the region's notable dining establishments.

Midcoast Meals

Start your day off at Mae's Café (160 Centre Street, Bath, 207 442-8577, www.maescafeandbakery.com), where breakfast is served all day. You may want to stock up on take-out bakery items to enjoy throughout your stay.

Moody's Diner (Route 1, Waldoboro, 207-832-7785, www.moodysdiner.com) opened for business in 1934, and travelers and locals have been drawn to its traditional, down-home cooking and reasonable prices ever since. Whoopie pies for the kids are a must if they eat well.

If you're in Camden at lunchtime, head to the Camden Deli (37 Main Street, 207-236-8343, www.camdendeli.com) for what may be the best views from any deli in America. The restaurant is situated atop a waterfall and offers Camden harbor views, too. You can also enjoy breakfast or lunch inside an 1893 drugstore complete with an original soda fountain at Boynton-McKay Food Co. (30 Main Street, 207-236-2465, www.boynton-mckay.com).

What happens when you turn an early twentieth-century automobile repair shop into a waterfront restaurant? Find out at Le Garage (15 Water Street, Wiscasset, 207-882-5409, www.legarageres-taurant.com), where you can select from seafood, meat, and vegetarian entrées.

By now, you know that lobster is the mainstay of Maine coast menus. At Young's Lobster Pound and Seafood Restaurant (4 Mitchell Avenue, Belfast, 207-338-1160, www.acadiavacations.com/d344/d344-05.htm), select your own from a lobster aquarium that holds 30,000 of the crustaceans! Indoor and outdoor waterfront seating areas are available, and they'll pack seafood to go, too. You'll find ocean views from every table and a children's menu and touch tank at Kaler's Crab and Lobster House (48 Commercial Street, Boothbay Harbor, 207-633-5839, www.kalers.com). Lobster, local brews, and ocean views go together at the Whale's Tooth Pub and Restaurant (Route 1, Lincolnville, 207-789-5200, www.whalestoothpub.com). Watch the lob-stermen hard at work bringing home your dinner at the Lobstermen's Co-op (97 Atlantic Avenue, Boothbay Harbor, 207-633-4900 or 800 996-1740), a casual restaurant where you can eat indoors or out.

On Bailey Island, you'll find Cook's Lobster House (Route 24, 207 833-2818, www.cookslobster.com), a highly regarded, casual seafood spot that's been around since 1955. From the restaurant, you'll have views of the Bailey Island Bridge, a crib bridge that is a civil engineering marvel listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Downeast Dining

For lobster in the rough, Downeast vacationers often make their way to Thurston's Lobster Pound (Steamboat Wharf Road, Bernard, 207 244-7600, www.acadiainfo.com/thurstons.htm), an enclosed restaurant overlooking the fishing boats at work in Bass Harbor. You may not think that your taste buds could ever tire of lobster, but just in case, it's good to know that lobster is prepared ten different ways at Poor Boy's Gourmet Restaurant (300 Main Street, Bar Harbor, 207-288-4148, www.poorboys gourmet.com), where you'll also find affordable early-bird specials and an all-you-can-eat “Bottomless Pasta Bowl” deal. “Lobster 10 Ways” is a claim of Jasper's Restaurant (High Street, Ellsworth, 207-667-5318, www.jaspersmaine.com), too, and there's a motel right there in case you want to stay over and try lobster another way tomorrow.

Save some room for lobster ice cream. Believe it or not, Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium (66 Main Street, Bar Harbor, 207-288-3281 or 800-806-3281, www.benandbills.com) dishes up this cold, creamy blend of vanilla and lobster chunks.

If you want to take something tasty home as a souvenir, head to Nervous Nellie's Jams and Jellies (598 Sunshine Road, Deer Isle, 207-348-6182 or 800-777-6845, www.nervousnellies.com), where you can watch the action in the jelly kitchen Monday through Thursday mornings or shop daily from May through Christmas and most days the rest of the year. If you want to sample before you buy, you can spread Wild Maine Blueberry Preserves, Strawberry Rhubarb Conserve, or one of Nellie's other fruit jams on homemade scones at the Mountainville Café.

Before you leave, have dessert at Helen's Restaurant (Route 1, Machias, 207-255-8423, www.helenspies.com), where home-baked pies have been a specialty since 1950. Helen's is best known for its award-winning wild Maine blueberry pie; you can order one (or two!) online if you can't get to Machias.