Maine’s the Place

Despite the year-round beauty (albeit slightly mind-numbing temperatures in winter), summers in Maine bring effervescent energy, luring bodies of water, infinite excuses for lobster, and simply an experience that must be, well… experienced.

Below are some of our absolute favorites in terms of food, coffee, libations, and outdoor activities. But please don’t hesitate to reach out for other intel.

FOOD

  • Cafe Louis - Fave neighborhood spot - Caribbean-inspired menu with great wine and cocktail options.

  • Leeward - Handmade pasta, natural wines, absurdly fresh everything.

  • Scales for a nice upscale seafood dinner overlooking the bay.

  • Terlingua -  Great Tex-Mex/bbq - brisket tacos are to die for. Cute market and great back patio.

  • Crown Jewel - Cute little restaurant on Great Diamond Island - Good food and cocktails, but half the allure is that you take a ferry to and from dinner.

  • Friends & Fam - Great for small bites and handmade pizza. Great wine selection. The Olive Garden tagline is not their motto, but it should be.

  • Honey Paw - Asian fusion with a focus on local seafood.

  • Crispy Gai - Thai fried chicken and tropical vibes. Sold yet?

  • The Shop - Did you say oystahs? Saddle up.

  • Hot Suppa - Indulgent and delicious brunch.

  • Beckys Dinnnah - Rub elbows with the local lobstermen at this historic greasy spoon diner. 

  • Flat Bread Pizza Co - Wood fire pizza with a view overlooking the working docs.

LOBSTER

(Yes, it deserves its own section…)

COFFEE & BAKED STUFF

  • Scratch Bakery - Next to our house at Willard Beach, great if you want a beach walk with your morning coffee. 

  • Tandem Bakery - Just go and thank us later.

  • Bard Coffee - On Exchange street in Old Port.

BEER & COCKTAILS

  • Brewery Row - Rising Tide & Austin Street, with Bellflower Brewing, Apres, & Lone Pine around the corner

  • Bissel Brothers @ Thompson’s Point - Great food and some of the best local beer around.

  • Maine Beer Co. - Personally, our favorite beer. Brewery is up in Freeport, about 20 minutes north of town.

  • Cocktail Mary’s - Local gay bar that is never a bad time.

  • Jewel Box - Cocktail bar on Congress St. Great late-night joint.

  • Bramhall - Good for food, beer, and drinks

  • Porthole - Live music joint on the fishing docks in town

ACTIVITIES

OTHER EXCURSIONS

  • Surfing! - Higgins Beach (20 min south of downtown) and Popham Beach (hour north of town) are 2 of southern Maine’s popular surfing beaches. Black Point Surf shop has rentals near Higgins.

  • Lighthouse Peepin - Portland Headlight, Spring Pt, Bug Light, and Two Lights are all in South Portland/Cape Elizabeth, just about 10 minutes from downtown. Bike or drive between these local favorites.

  • Kayak or SUP in Casco Bay - Portland Paddle on Easter Promenade in downtown Portland rents all the gear you need right at the waterfront.

  • Island Hopping - Casco Bay Ferries is a great way to travel to some of the local islands. Peaks Island is the most popular for a day trip, or you can travel between a few!

  • Peaks Island Bike Rentals - The Casco Bay Lines ferry goes every hour-ish. The bike rental spot is a block from the dock and it’s 5 miles around the island. There are a few beach coves and walks off the route. Then Il Leone on Peaks is pizza and Island Lobster Co are good for food/drink or bring your own.

  • Freeport Trip - Wolfsneck State Park is beautiful and has hiking trails on the coast. LL Bean headquarters (crucial) and Maine Beer Co. are popular spots to visit.

Maine's tidal shoreline comes in at a whopping 3,478 miles (yes, longer than California’s), there are more than 4,200 islands off our coast, and the state and national park land exceeds 500,000 acres. While we love Portland’s amenities, charm, and community, plenty of Maine’s beauty lies around the state.

If you have a few extra days to explore, here are some of our favorite areas:

Acadia National Park & Bar Harbor

Mount Desert Island - home to Acadia NP, Bar Harbor, and more - is about a 3-hour drive north of Portland. When it comes to national parks, I (Clare) have found Acadia to be one of the most accessible. With plenty of forest trails, beaches, bike paths, and rocky coastlines, you can indulge in just about every activity - then stumble into a bar or restaurant immediately after.

Airbnbs, inns, and campgrounds are aplenty in the area, but I would recommend planning in advance as MDI is known to get a tad busy in the summer months.

Midcoast Maine (Camden, Rockland, Boothbay, etc.)

The Midcoast area is teeming with dramatic coastal peninsulas, quaint towns, lobster shacks on every corner, and access to some of Maine’s most popular islands. Midcoast technically spans a good portion of the state just north of Portland, and includes many areas worthy of visiting, but some of our go-tos are:

  • Camden - Visit Mount Battie in Camden State Park.

  • Take a boat tour from Port Clyde to see the puffins at Monhegan Island

  • Go stay on Vinalhaven or Northhaven Islands (Ferry from Rockport)

  • Some of Maine’s top restaurants are in the area, including Primo, Long Grain, Nina June, Tinder Hearth, and more.

Deer Isle

Deer Isle is a contender for our favorite place in Maine (in fact, we may see you if you venture there after the wedding ;). Still largely occupied by 5th and 6th generation lobstermen and artists seeking utter seclusion, it is a great place to explore Maine by boat or kayak, try one of our most famous restaurants, Aragosta, and simply relax. It’s a 3-hour drive from Portland, then you are a 1-hour drive from Deer Isle to Acadia, so a day trip is doable.

Additionally, Stonington (Deer Isle’s town) is where you can catch the ferry - rather, a mail boat - to Isle au Haut, which is part of Acadia NP.

Moosehead Lake & Greenville

Enough with the coastlines. Maine is also home to some of the country’s most incredible lakes, rivers, and forests. If you’re itching to go inland, Moosehead Lakes are a fan favorite. Greenville is the local town and hiking, boating, and fishing options are essentially endless if the area.