This Maine Town Is Known As 'The Lobster Capital Of The World'

Maine is a global destination for lobster fans — and there's one town that is home to some of the best lobster in the state. Rockland, Maine is known as "the lobster capital of the world," and while this may be a self-proclaimed title (according to the official Maine Lobster Festival website), its annual Lobster Festival is certainly renowned, as are its many top-notch seafood restaurants serving this coastal specialty.

Despite being named after its creepy appearance, the lobster is the star of one of the largest annual culinary gatherings in the U.S. — and Rockland is the longtime site. Starting way back in 1947, the Maine Lobster Festival (which has been around for longer than you'd expect) takes place during the first weekend of August and lasts for five days (Wednesday through Sunday). An average of 30,000 people from around the globe attend every single year, dwarfing Rockland's permanent population of roughly 7,200 residents, and it takes more than 1,300 volunteers to make the event possible. "What started as an idea for a local marine festival to revive Midcoast Maine communities has turned into an internationally-recognized celebration of local seafood," the organization explains on its site. In other words, Rockland has been championing lobster for a long, long time.

Rockland's lobster festival was the inspiration site of David Foster Wallace's iconic 2004 essay, "Consider the Lobster," in which he calls Rockland, "a serious old fishing town" that "draw[s] crowds with the promise of sun, fun, and fine food." The "fine food," of course, mainly focuses around more than 25,000 pounds of lobster, which is prepared in the World's Largest Lobster Cooker and available in lobster rolls, lobster salad, lobster bisque, lobster ravioli, and more, all served on styrofoam trays — unpretentious digs showcasing the world-class local catch. To foodies in Rockland, the festival only represents five days out of a whole year's worth of lobster love. New England news outlet Chronicle 5 WCVB calls Rockland "the real Maine" for its year-round activity with restaurants, galleries, and art venues.

This oceanfront town boasts many attractions for lobster fans, regardless of summer or winter weather. Rockland is located in Midcoast on the Penobscot Bay, halfway between Freeport and Bar Harbor, serving as a crux of the state's lobster fishing industry. The town's vibrant, active harbor is celebrated not just for its utility but also for its rugged, scenic coastline dotted with windjammer sailboats — as well as the Maine State Ferry, which runs to islands on the New England seaboard. Rockland may be charming and largely slow-paced, but it's far from sleepy. 

The town is colored by its history of lobstering, agriculture, and shipbuilding, industrious through and through. Peter Ralston, co-founder of the Island Institute, tells local tourism outlet Visit Maine that the town has always had a blue-collar vibe. "Yachties wouldn't be found dead in Rockland Harbor," he says. "They wouldn't 'sully' their glistening hulls with the waters of this perceived industrial hellhole." Other Rockland residents take similar pride in the town's working-class history. As Rockland's official government website puts it, "Rockland is a muscle town filled with beauty, and the mixture makes Rockland one of the most fascinating towns in Maine." Former Rockland mayor Louise MacLellan-Ruf enthusiastically tells Chronicle 5, "We've got a foodie scene that is to die for [...] There's a combination of the aesthetic and the functional, which is one of the things I love best about it."

Speaking of that food scene: Lobster fans, come hungry. Here at Tasting Table, some of our favorite Maine restaurants include Maine Lobster Club for its no-frills lobster shack fare and double-duty service as a wholesale seafood retailer. Seafoodies might also swing by Claws, which calls itself "The Best of the Best Lobster & Seafood Shack In Maine" and boasts the top spot on Tripadvisor's lobster restaurants in Rockland list. Then there's Archer's on the Pier, which offers the "Throwdown with Bobby Flay"-winning "Triple Deckah King of Clubs" BLT sandwich, stuffed with Maine lobster.