There's a reason foodies are flocking to Portland, Maine, right now

There's a reason Maine is often called "Vacationland." Though the winters are bitterly cold, during the summer and fall the state's coastal cities buzz with tourists looking to make the most of the state's beaches, harbors, and growing culinary scene.

Portland, especially, has become a destination for food-loving travelers, with innovative local restaurants like Eventide, with its 10 varieties of Maine oysters, and the wildly popular sandwich shop Duckfat.

Maine is an enormous state packed with towns worth visiting, but for the purpose of this story, we're focusing on what you can get done in a late summer weekend in Portland, the state's biggest city. Many say that September is the best time of year to visit.