maine.

Maine is one of the most beautiful states I have been too. If you get a chance to visit Maine in the fall, go. We went to Maine the third week of October and it was perfect weather. The leaves were golden yellow, bright red, and deep orange. Some of the leaves had started to fall but enough leaves covered the branches so that the rolling hills screamed beauty. The temperature was brisk yet comfortable with a scarf and jacket. Have I talked you into going yet? I cannot say enough good things about Maine.

We drove to Maine from Salem, MA. The drive was not too long at all. For the fun of it, we stopped in New Hampshire on our way up. Checked another state off the list!

The first day in Maine we stayed in Wells. We stayed at Logan’s Aunt and Uncles’ beautiful cottage. Wells reminds me of Stars Hollow, any Gilmore Girls fans out there? The town is quaint but festive, and all the locals know each other. Close to Wells, is a small town called Ogunquit. We took the paved, coastal stroll down Marginal Way. This is a must do if in the Wells/Ogunquit area. The trail is a perfect walk right along the coast and there are plenty of photo opportunities. The entire walk smells of clean salt air. The path is out and back but at the end of the trail, there are a few restaurants.

On our way back to Wells, we visited more family in Ogunquit and got to witness some beautiful nantucket styled homes.

I recommend driving the coastal streets of Wells and admiring both the coast and the homes. To me, Wells brought so much peace and much needed relaxation. One night, we stayed in and had wine and ordered pizza while telling stories and watching football. The next morning, I remember walking up to the beautiful smell of autumn mixed with the sea. Wells, is the perfect spot to reflect and relax.

Next, we spent time driving the coast north, towards Portland. We stopped at the Bush compound which is worth seeing no matter your political party. The homes and windy roads along the way are not to be missed.

One of my favorite views of the Maine coast was at Two Lights State Park. Keep in mind, if you go in the off-season, there is no attendant at the park gate. There is, however, a fee per car and it’s on the honor system. Make sure to have cash. Two Lights provided beautiful coastal views and lots of rocks to climb on.

Another great stop on your way to Portland is Cape Elizabeth. Here we saw three different lighthouses and enjoyed more coastal smells and views.

In Portland, locals were extremely kind and were grateful for tourists. Portland is a fun walking town that is quickly becoming a tourist destination. Portland was definitely on the expensive side but flights were surprisingly cheap. If you like beer, seafood, and autumn, Portland is the place to be.

Acadia National Park is another 2.5 hours north of Portland. We really wanted to squeeze this in to our trip but as you can see, we didn’t sit still much! Next time we are in Maine, we will definitely go to Acadia.

Where We Stayed:

In Wells, we stayed with Logan’s Aunt and Uncle at their beautiful beach home. While in Portland, we stayed right downtown at the Holiday Inn by the Bay which was a great location. The hotel was older and was getting renovated but we were able to walk everywhere downtown.

Where We Ate:

On the Marginal Way Trail, we stopped at Jackie’s Too in Perkins Cove for lobster rolls. There’s no going wrong with anything lobster while in Maine.

In Portland, we stumbled upon Luke’s Lobster, where we enjoyed more local beer and the fried Icelandic haddock (amazing). We were blown away by the amount of restaurants in Portland. Any style of food and price range is offered downtown. Portland has the most restaurants per capita in the entire country! I trust that anywhere you choose will be delicious. We stopped at a couple of hole in the wall restaurants for oysters before finishing the night at Fore Sports Bar (the World Series was going on).

Breweries:

Portsmouth Brewery, is a great detour if driving from Massachusetts to Maine. The city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire is a quaint town with a small and walkable downtown.

Allagash White, Logan’s favorites beers is from Allagash Brewing Company and we were so excited to visit. Note, if you plan to stay in Portland and not explore the coast, you definitely do not need a car in Portland. The town is extremely walkable and if you want to go somewhere like Allagash, Uber’s are easy to catch. Allagash is located north west of downtown so I recommend going here first. Allagash Brewing is a must go too. We didn’t do the brewery tour, but this was an option. In my opinion, once you’ve done one tour, you’ve done them all. Don’t waste your time touring when you could be drinking.

Sebago Brewing, we stopped here on our way to dinner. The brewery has been around a long time and has many locations. The location we went to was at the bottom of a hotel and did not have much ambiance.

We walked to Shipyard Brewing Company which is one of my favorites. Shipyard and Sea Dog Brewing are in partnership and their beers are amazing. They have a great selection from fruity sours to dark stouts. Since we were in Portland in the fall, we were there when Shipyard had Pumpkin Head Ale on tap, and let me just tell you, it’s worth a flight across the country to have Pumpkin Head on tap!

Best Time To Visit:

Summer
Fall

24 hours in new york city.

massachusetts.