Looking for some incredible yet underrated parks to visit this summer? Check this list below…
Why you need to go to Maine NOW!
Growing up, I spent my summers in Maine.
By that, I mean waitressing at the local fried seafood restaurant earning tip money for college. I love the all the cool things to do in Coastal Maine. The ice cream is creamier, the beaches more Idyllic, and the locals have a salty but heartfelt demeanor. It also has a food scene that goes beyond boiled lobster and popcorn shrimp.
However, once school lets out it becomes Bu-ZEE! Even though there’s always room for your blanket on the beach, the time between April to June is a perfect, crowd-free time to go (and the locals won’t hate me for giving away “our” spots).
Long Sands Beach, York
Go to the beach? In April? Yes because even in August you won’t be going in the water. I still bring a sweater with me in July, just in case. At 1.5 miles long, this is the ultimate “lets go for a long walk on a beach” beach. Before May, dogs and even horseback riders are allowed, and there’s always a few local surfers in the water. Kids will love the few rocky outcroppings that create a magical world of tide pools, with tiny sea creatures and seaweed so briny and pristine you can eat them right off the rocks. Be mindful of hightide, which can make the beach a fraction of its size.
Tributary Brewing Company
Tod Mott is a New England Legend on par with Tom Brady and Paul Revere. A Brewmaster he created the original recipe of the famous Harpoon IPA as well as the cult favorite Kate the Great Russian Imperial Stout. He and his wife Galen now have their own Tributary Brewing Company. Stop by a pick up a growler of one of the fresh brewed beers on tap, then head over to…
Chauncey Creek
Even though this doesn’t open up until Mother’s Day, I thought you should know where the locals eat their lobster. Established in 1948, this little red wooden pavilion, nestled along a peaceful creek, is where families for generations have sourced their lobster and shellfish. House rules are you can bring anything that’s not on the menu (alcohol included), which is why this is a local favorite. For those traveling, they have plenty on the menu for a full lunch or dinner.
Flo’s Hot Dogs
Anyone who knows me knows my love for this small roadside stop on Route 1. Opened in 1959 by Flo Stacey, this business was built around feeding traveling salesman. There’s only one thing on the menu and that’s hot dogs, and there’s really only one way to get them: with Flo’s relish, mayonnaise and a generous dashing of celery salt. Get a bag of salt and vinegar chips and wash it all down with a can of Moxie soda. Welcome to Maine.
A walk along the Marginal way
In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, there’s a slim (marginal) walking path with perfect Maine summer houses on one side and the crashing Atlantic Ocean on the other. With robust sea breezes, and salt spray in the air, this treasured cliff walk simply makes you feel good to be alive. This is much tougher to do in the summer, unless you are staying nearby since parking is very limited. However before summer crowds arrive, you can park you car in the lot with one entrance to it and go for a lovely walk. Then come back and have a late lunch here….
M.C. Perkins Cove
When I was a waitress in Maine, everything came with a choice of baked potato or rice pilaf. Boy, have things changed. There are a number of great restaurants in Maine, creating some fabulous food. M.C Perkin’s Cove is one of them. I love the simple furnishings that don’t detract from the amazing view of the water and rocky coast. I love to order their Maine chowder and creamy celery root salad. In April and May, it still gets dark early, so make sure you make a reservation while the sun is up.
Check out more of what to do in our “Coastal Maine” episode of Season 3’s “Places to Love.”
What are your favorite spots in Maine? Share in the comments!
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I truly enjoy watching Samantha Brown’s awesome travel adventures, she is the best travel guide ever hands down. She definitely my most favorite travel Icon persona.
I agree 100%. Samantha has such a great personality, she befriends everyone she meets. Still watch a few of her long ago European travels, on “demand”.
Places to Love is enjoyable currently. Keep ’em coming, Sam. Please!
Thanks for the Maine love! Lived here for almost 25 years and I’m still so grateful that I can beach walk whenever…it seriously never looses the magic for me.
Love Maine. We always go to Wells Beach for our anniversary in early July.
MC Perkins cove does have great atmosphere, but we have forud the service and food lacking it’s former
greatness in recent rears.
There is a lot of Maine north of York and Ogunquit! Go North. Fave lighthouse—Pemaquid. Fave place to eat lobster—at the Fisherman’s Co-op in New Harbor. Go to a lake and listen to the loons. The list goes on and on.
Maine in Spring is the absolute best! Went to Acadia the first week of June and felt like we had the park to ourselves! The Azalea garden outside of Bar Harbor was in full glorious bloom. The seals were pupping in the cove! Weather was perfect. 70’s during the day, 50’s at night.
Been to Maine a few times. It’s a favorite.
I love watching and reading about your travels!
I visited Maine in Octobet of 2016. I had a lovely time. I visited the Shrimp Shack, very small place, right on the water. I’m not a person who likes Lobster, but I had to try a Lobster Roll just because I was in Maine!
Having vacationed in Maine for over 45 years my wife and I have been almost everywhere in southern Maine. Thirty miles to the north is the great city of Portland. It has a vibrant restaurant scene and lots of shopping opportunities. There is also the Seadogs, a minor league baseball team. Nothing like a great meal and nine innings of America’s pastime.
Maine is a bucket list for my family. Lobster and more lobster is top of the list
My family and I have been attracted to the North Woods of Maine! The Allagash Wilderness Waterway and the Moosehead Lake area. We have been going there since 1982.
“The Way Life Should Be” , that’s our Maine!!
Great article, Sam. Fantastic pictures. We’ll have to make a drive on I-95 North to Ogunquit, this Spring – most likely late May. We love visiting the New England costal States especially Maine. A lot of our trips are on Celebrity Cruise Line when they offer a discounted rate on cruises from New Jersey to New England and Canada with port calls in Bar Harbor and Portland. Portland is our favorite. So, when the ship docks we are off to Becki’s Diner a short walk from the pier for their home cooked meals – fresh seafood and especially their chowder, craft beer & lobster roll. Wheater we drive or visit Maine on a cruise – most times in September for the changing color of leaves it’s a wonderful adventure away from our home in Midtown Manhattan. After reading your article – it’ll be a Spring drive to Ogunquit, a drive through other towns on the southern coast & Portland.
I am a Californian and have visited Maine a handful of times. Great surf and turf at McLaughlin’s at the Marina in Hampden on the Penobscot River. They have a lovely open space with comfy Adirondack chairs where you can have drinks and listen to great music. Maine is a great state to drive around in and see the beauty of nature. No place looks prettier flying into than Maine with all it’s lakes and rivers. Such a beautiful part of our country!
Samantha, I grew up going to Maine, too! Being from Burlington, VT, and visiting my relatives as my Dad grew up in Skowhegan, was always a treat! For some reason, it was only us kids that would swim in that cold, cold ocean surf!! We later camped in Raymond NH and drove to the coast each day, and frequented Chauncey Creek, The Weather Vane, and Captain Simeon’s Galley among others as we browsed the NH and Maine coastlines. What a great set of memories for us as a family!! I can’t wait to return from the West to enjoy these places again!!
This is perfect as I’m currently planning my first trip to Maine for late June this year. I’ve spent only a few hours in Portland up until this point. Looking forward to taking the time to explore it properly, and thanks for the suggestions!
I’m originally from the UK. Lived here in Maine for the last 12 years. Absolutely love being here. Actually, owning a B&B in the centre of the State so it’s our job to know where a lot of the good things are so that we can share with all our guests and show that Maine is more than just a coastline. Love the fact that the scenery is so diverse as you hit different parts of the State. Rugged coastline, sandy beaches etc but as you move inland, you get other things. The lakes, mountains, forests and highlands, the B52 crash site, “bird boxes” on the 201, Orono bog walk, Katahdin steamboat, Moosehead Lake and all that there is to see and do up there, covered bridges, the “world sign, Gulf Hagas, waterfalls, Fort Knox, sandy beaches on lakeshores.
You have so much opportunity for outdoor recreation whether it’s great hikes, ATV’s, snowmobiling, skiing and snowshoeing, kayaking, white water rafting. It’s an amazing State to live in and we are very proud to be part of it.
I’m originally from the UK and have lived in Maine for the last 12 years. My wife is from KY and we absolutely love being here. Owning a B&B in the center of the State, it’s our job to know where a lot of the good things are so that we can share with all our guests. It’s important to show that Maine is more than just a coastline. We love the fact that the scenery is so diverse as you hit different parts of the State. Rugged coastline, sandy beaches, etc., but as you move inland, you get other things. The lakes, mountains, forests and highlands, the B52 crash site, “bird boxes” on the 201, Orono bog walk, Katahdin steamboat, Moosehead Lake and all that there is to see and do up there, covered bridges, the “world sign”, Gulf Hagas, waterfalls, Fort Knox, sandy beaches on lakeshores, and so much more. There’s so much opportunity for outdoor recreation whether its great hikes, ATV’s, snowmobiling, skiing and snowshoeing, kayaking, white water rafting. It’s an amazing State to live in, or visit, and we are very proud to be part of it.
mid coast/ Lincoln Co where our beloved South Bristol home located. Further up coast wonderful Penobscot Bay which includes beautiful Camden
I have meet Sam two times on trips and she is just as friendly as she appears to be. Absolutely great advice if you like to travel. My husband and I traveled to Maine a couple years ago. I had lived at Loring Air Force Base as a child and we had Maine on our bucket list for some time. A doctor I worked for in the 70’s actually had retired and he and his wife opened up a B and B in Castine. They sold it before we went, but this was actually a very quaint New England town. We traveled in the fall so we became a member of the “leaf peepers club”. Memories are so very special!
The photo here of Nubble Light is right by Fox’s Lobster House. We took our grandchildren there, who were absolutely thrilled to find lobster on the children’s menu. The setting right over the water was quite serene.
When we lived in MA we used to rent a cottage on Wells beach. We went the end of July every year with 4 daughters and a dog. We enjoyed it so much and walked the beach to get the morning paper. The girls went in that cold water with no fear. We stopped when my husband became sick and passed away. I miss it very much and the shopping in Kittery. We visited Ogunquit with my daughters and grandaughters for a weekend last year. I’d like to go again but will have to wait because of the virus. We have gone to Flo’s hot dogs. I tried to email them and Guy Fieri to get on his show but haven’t heard anything. Thank you for your show we used to watch it frequently.
We are in Belfast, Maine today. Of course I wanted lobster for dinner, so we merely selected the place nearest to our hotel. Young’s Lobster Pound looked like a warehouse. Actually, that’s what it is. You place your order at the counter, and they throw all your items to be steamed in one bag. You wait at a picnic table outside, and when your bag is cooked they call the number on the bag. It was a unique experience, and one you certainly cannot find just anywhere. The price is fantastic, and the food delicious. Can’t beat the setting either.