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In late June we spent a week exploring the rugged coastline of Maine, a trip so epically wonderful that Big Brother nearly wept as we crossed the bridge over the Piscataqua River into New Hampshire. Never fear: we have already booked lodging for a return trip next summer.
Our destination? Acadia National Park, which needs to be its own post. Or three. But the joy of this trip was that there were fun things to stop and explore every mile or so of the journey. If at all possible, I highly recommend taking the “long way” up the coast along U.S. Route 1, instead of heading inland and sticking to Interstate 295, unless you are in an absolute rush. At minimum, it adds a couple hours to your ETA, but in reality it makes the drive day-long and transforms it from a chore to an adventure.
Here are a half-dozen of our favorite stops along the way.
Roadside Fruit Stand
If you’re traveling in the summer months, you will pass dozens of opportunities to purchase incredibly fresh produce. We were lucky enough to be in the midst of strawberry season and gorged on delicious berries along the way. Get enough to share generously. And be sure to use one of those water bottles sitting around your care to wash your bounty off before you hit the road.
Glidden Point Oyster Farms
In Maine, lobster is king, but oysters are delicious too and plentiful too. Plenty of oyster farms in the mid-coast region welcome visitors, either for tours or tastings. We were lucky and found the Glidden Point Oyster Farms, which does both. There’s cute little store where you can select your own bivalves — and a tank full of lobsters too — and a few other snacks too. If there is nobody behind the counter when you arrive, you mark your selections on a clipboard for inventory purposes and pay on the honor system. Branded apparel is available for the whole family, and after your idyllic stop, there’s a good chance you’ll want to bring some home.
Once you have selected your oysters — which range from good-sized to very-nearly-the-size-of-a-four-year-old’s-face — and borrowed some shucking gear, you adjourn outside to picnic tables set with lovely flowers. No alcohol is available for purchase, but going the BYOB-route is perfectly welcome. And given that Maine feels like the center of the craft beer universe, you’re likely ready to indulge. We took a few clean shells home as souveniers, but you can also add them to the pile that will be recycled on site.
Glidden Point has an organized tour of its farming operation at 1:00 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. But everyone was so friendly that I bet they might let you sneak a peek or answer questions at other times.
Maine Maritime Museum
The city of Bath’s incredible shipbuilding legacy continues through the today — crossing the Kennebec River, you may be able to see the Bath Iron Works building new Zumwalt-class destroyers for the U.S. Navy — but if you want to explore earlier eras, the Maine Maritime Museum is fantastic. Frankly, we could have spent a whole day. Particular favorite displays and exhibits included the panoramic video of seasons on a Maine lighthouse, the detailed navigational maps of the coastline (we could show exactly where we were headed, which was apparently fascinating!) and, of course, the large grassy lawn with ship-themed play structure.
The Town that Bean Built
I feel like entire odes have been written to the wonder that is the LL Bean complex in Freeport, but until you see it, you really don’t understand how impressive it is. Sure, you can pick-up whatever clothes or gear you forgot to pack. But I highly recommend stopping even if you aren’t in the market for anything specific (check out the outlet and see what great deals you stumble across — hello monogrammed and returned boat bags, meet my seam-ripper!), or for anything at all.
If you’re just sightseeing, keep an eye out for the displays of Maine wildlife, the trout pond, the outdoor waterfall, the iconic giant boot and, especially, the indoor salmon tank. Each and every member of the family loved popping up inside the “bubble” to get a fish-eye look at the world. On summer weekends there are outdoor concerts and other special events in the evenings — we have actually used Freeport as an overnight stop to break up the drive.
Scenic Seafood Shack
This is another category where you have plenty of options. Don’t believe me? Consult the handy reference book that we keep in our car. (PS: The Chesapeake Bay version is there too.) Many placed have a devoted following among tourists and locals alike, so you’re likely to find a popular choice whenever you get hungry. Just remember the two main criteria: solid Yelp reviews and a view — you have no excuse for settling for just one out of two.
On a previous trip before kids, we bought into the hype and waited for a lobster roll at Red’s in Wiscaisset. Don’t get me wrong, it was stellar. But I have yet to meet a small child who will wait in a physical line two blocks long just to place an order and then wait for the food. This time, we went across the street to Sprague’s and got a delicious meal off an extensive menu and enjoyed an even better view closer to the water. Wait time to order? Well, I had to ask the cashier to give us a minute to decide. And the thing that took the longest to put on the table was the boiled-to-order corn on the cob. Consider me a convert.
Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery
I have a firm belief that if you see a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service visitor center, you should stop. In about a decade, I have never failed to enjoy myself at one! Craig Brook dates to 1899, making it oldest salmon hatchery in Maine. The facility raises and releases juvenile salmon into seven specific river systems in the state — each of them is a unique breeding stock and listed as endangered.
While early summer wasn’t the busiest season for the salmon hatchery and things were fairly quiet, we enjoyed stretching our legs in the small museum and walking down to the lake. We even got an up-close view of two bald eagles flying low over the water. There are also lovely spots for picnics.
If you’re shocked that we didn’t make more historical stops, rest assured that we did. But I recognize that the Henry Knox Museum in Thomaston and the Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain House in Brunswick are rather niche interests. If you love beautiful old homes, lovely antiques or lesser-known, bookish American military heroes, then both are absolutely worth visiting.
LL Bean Flagship Store
