Maine's coast gets the crowds, the lobster rolls and the postcards. But about ten miles inland from Bangor sits Levant, a small farming town of roughly 3,400 people that most tourists blow right past. That's exactly the appeal: there's barely a downtown here, just a post office and a convenience store, which makes it a genuine escape rather than a sightseeing circuit.

The reason to come is Treworgy Family Orchards, a family-run farm started in the 1980s with a handful of fruit trees and one cornfield. It has since grown into one of the most-reviewed pumpkin patches in the US, with more than 60 pumpkin varieties spread across roughly 8 miles of farmland. Pick your own by twisting it off the vine, pay at the register, then grab a hot cider and a pumpkin donut at the on-site café. If pumpkins aren't your thing, the pick-your-own calendar rotates through apples, berries, peaches, flowers and even Christmas trees in winter, so there's a reason to visit in almost any season.

The other big draw is the corn maze, a fixture at the farm since 2001. It covers about 4 acres of 60,000 corn plants that can reach 10 feet tall, so you won't be peeking over the top for shortcuts. Each year brings a new design, with past shapes including a whale, Winnie the Pooh, a rabbit and Paul Bunyan. Answer the quiz questions at stations dotted through the maze correctly and you earn a free ice cream cone. Kids under 2 go free, weekday tickets are cheaper than weekends, and in October the farm runs a Night Maze after dark, complete with costume-friendly atmosphere and treat stations.

Levant itself peaked in autumn foliage glory between September and October, when the leaves turn and the pumpkin harvest is in full swing. The farm is open daily except Mondays from late July through the first week of November.

Practically speaking, you'll base yourself in Bangor, which is only about a 20-minute drive away. Bangor has the accommodation options, including the historic Tarrantine Inn and the upscale Phenix Hotel, plus restaurants and an international airport where you can pick up a rental car. That makes Levant an easy half-day or full-day trip, and you can pair it with other small inland communities in Maine's Northern Highlands region.

This one is for travellers who like their autumn outings low-key: families after a classic corn maze and pumpkin-patch day, photographers hunting for that pumpkin-on-the-lawn shot, or anyone who wants a taste of rural Maine without fighting coastal traffic. Skip the weekend rush, go midweek, and leave with a pumpkin you picked yourself.

Story via Islands.