Road Trip To Maine
9 years ago by
You know that urge we all have sometimes, to jump in a car and just drive?
I love road trips – that liberating feeling of throwing a few things in a bag and traversing across states, through small, unknown towns and toward some vague destination. So last week, I packed about five pairs of denim shorts, every swimsuit I own, some disposable cameras, and my boyfriend, and we hit the road for nine days.
Our general plan was to just take inspiration from Steinbeck’s book Travels With Charley and eat lots of lobster. Done and done. But there was a lot more to it, so I wanted to share a few of my favorites if you ever find yourself in Maine, the capital of lobster and homemade blueberry ice cream…
Eat: When in the land of lobster and blueberries, eat them in abundance. But, if you happen to find yourself in Portland, you can’t go past Vinland. It’s all locally-sourced and organic food, and made in really innovative ways – and one of the best meals I’ve had in forever. I went for the tasting menu, and you can have paired wines (all of the wine is also organic!).
Shop: If you’re looking for some incredible antiques for your home, you’ve come to the right state. There are really unique finds and so much character at all of the markets that pop up any day of the week!
Do: Hike in Acadia. Bountiful trails of all levels take you to some of the most scenic spots on the country’s east coast. You might even come across secret swimming holes and a porcupine (crazy!) like I did…
See: The sunset at Kennebunkport! Every sunset during summer is beautiful on the Maine coast, but the one in this beautiful seaside town is (as cheesy as it sounds) unforgettable.
Tip: Reception in the more remote areas of Maine is patchy, so make sure you have a backup hardcopy of a map and a well-curated playlist ready — Spotify might not connect out in those woods!
Where did your most memorable road trip take you?
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Sympa de mettre en avant le parc Acadia, un super souvenir pour moi aussi. Et pourtant, il me semble que c’est un endroit peu connu par les Européens…
Acadia <3 !!!
it’s so hot right now…. i’d pay to be neck-deep in that lake! :)
http://littleaesthete.com/
Sounds great. There ‘s always something that keeps us away from going to the unknown. But each of us should take a trip like that to reset and make a new start. Really refren. Love your trip
http://lifestylebyola.blogspot.com/
It was THE perfect reset! So nice to be out with nature, and just switch off for one week – just let impulse and adventure take me wherever it may!
Ah le Maine, la petite suissesse que je suis en est tombée amoureuse il y a une 20aine d’années; je volais depuis l’Europe sur Washington, j’ai levé le nez de mon livre et j’ai aperçu sous l’avion ce territoire fascinant, sauvage, ces côtes découpées. Je me suis tournée vers mon mari et lui ai dit que je voulais y aller un jour ou l’autre.
Eh bien c’est chose faite. Nous y sommes allés, plusieurs fois même. Et nous n’arrivons pas à nous en lasser. Même si entretemps nous sommes devenus végétariens et laissons les homards tranquilles.
A Portland, il y a un super bistrot vegan http://greenelephantmaine.com/, délicieux et pas bien cher. Et ils ont une limonade au gingembre à se damner. Laquelle limonade est fabriquée dans une ancienne brasserie de Portland. J’ai essayé de les convaincre d’en exporter en Europe, mais no way, ils veulent rester local.
Au fait, les végéta-r-l-iens qui voyagent doivent absolument utiliser le site happycow.net, une référence.
Et c’est vrai que dans le Maine on n’est pas connecté partout, Dieu merci.
Mon plus beau road trip: Frisco-lac Tahoé-lac Powell-Grand Canyon-Monument Valley-Brice Canyon-Boulder Colorado-North Plate Nebraska (si, si, je suis allée là-bas :-)-Saint-Louis-Concordia Missouri (un bled pour rencontrer une firme avec laquelle je travaillais à distance)-Chicago et retour en Europe. 3 semaines peinarde en voiture fin mai début juin 1994. Un souvenir magnifique
Belle soirée
I need my husband to take me to Vinland… thanks for sharing xx
As a native of the East Coast who has spent a lot of time up in Maine, I want to tell you, Neada, that you got it exactly right. Lobster, lots of it. Though next time, you should try to meet the challenge of a friend of ours from San Francisco, which is to eat lobster at every meal while in Maine. Also, next time, if you go as far up as Acadia, try taking the mail boat from Southeast Harbor to the Cranberry Islands.
Usually this time of summer we are up there on Little Cranberry staying with friends. Sadly, for us, they are on sabbatical in Melbourne through December (maybe you can give us some tips of what to do there if we visit them). In the meantime, thank you for reminding me of the beautiful landscape just a short drive away.
My best road trip? We drove from Concord, Mass to Portland, Oregon last summer with our dog. Best trip ever!
Your road trip sounds like it was incredible, Judith!
I had such a wonderful time in Maine, and can’t wait to go back. I might be able to give you a few pearls of wisdom on Melbourne, too. I’m from Sydney but I always try to make it to Melbourne for a couple of nights when I visit Australia.
I will make it to the Cranberry Islands next time!!
Neada
Do you have any suggestions on where to stay when everything is booked way ahead of time … And dog friendly. Yikes
Thanks so much for the post
A trip to the East coast has been on my bucket list… your article just made my dream look closer on the timeline! yihaayy
I live in Maine! Though it’s kinda different to live here than it is to vacation here, believe me I see beauty in it every day in some shape or form. I’m so glad you enjoyed your stay and are sharing your delight with everyone. Welcome anytime!
A Paris les road trip improvisés c’est plutôt la Normandie ou la campagnes Picardes mais cela fait un bien fou, enfin 9 jours c’est déjà des grandes vacances…
Nice photos. I’ve been to Kennebunkport and had an incredible lobster roll. Just found out my cousin is moving to Portland, Maine so thanks for the Vinland recommendation. On my next visit I’ll definitely go. I’m going on a road trip this month to visit some friends in British Columbia in our Eurovan – always fun. Check my recent blog posts to see some places on Vancouver Island that I’ve visited:
http://girlwhowouldbeking.com/
On a sauté dans un avion direction Nouvelle Écosse avec seulement un carry-on, on a loué une Jeep, ramassé des surfs chez un ami, B&B dans un vignoble et voilà!
Let’s not forget Boothbay Harbor. And Mohegan Island. The fairy houses in the woods. Love Maine.
Thank you for this inspiration. I would LOVE to go to Maine. I have been on many fabulous road trips; the Southwest of the USA was memorable and was the one we took in July, from the Netherlands, through France, northern Spain and then around Portugal. Also lovely was a grant tour of France on the B-roads a few years ago. Plus I come from a country that is wonderfully suited to road tripping: South Africa!! I would like to go to Australia too.
So great that you wrote about Maine! I spent many wonderful vacations over there. There is so much charm in those small towns and so much creativity going on, not to mention amazing restaurants of Portland, Camden, Rockland…
And the Pig and the Poet… So many amazing galleries and of course nature, and tiny islands… I love, love Maine. Thanks for this:)
Ania
http://www.stylecharmer.com
Home!!!!!
Le Maine, un vrai rêve depuis longtemps, surtout depuis que je tombé amoureuse des peintures d’Edward Hopper.
Ton récit de voyage me fait exactement penser à ces tableaux. Bref une raison supplémentaire d’y aller