Maine: A Little Piece of My Heart

Can your heart really belong to a place?

I think mine does. As much as I love the Lehigh Valley, I have to say a piece of me is always in Maine. I met my husband there, I spend the summers there and we ski there in the winter. One of the reasons we love it so much is because we absolutely love Portland, Maine. There are a ton of free and almost free things to do in and around Portland. Its historic seaport is fun to wander, the shopping is great and the food is awesome. 

Eating is good in Portland. It’s been called the San Francisco of the East. There are lots of restaurants in Portland, everything from Lobster Shacks to James Beard award winners. We tend to visit family friendly places (with a 3-year-old and an infant) but if you want high end, it’s there. A favorite is Flatbread Pizza. It makes its own pizzas in wood-fired ovens using fresh, local, organic ingredients. Last year, when we had the goat cheese and sausage pizza, we went up to the farmers market and bought the goat cheese and the sausage afterwards (we also bought bacon from the same farm, which was incredible). A family can eat well here for under $30.

J’s Oyster Bar, okay, no longer a local-only place. We’ve been going to J’s for 20 years but a few years ago Anthony Bourdain visited. You can imagine it’s harder to get a table now. Don’t wear your Yankees gear and don’t expect anything fancy. My mother loves the mussels. I love the lobster bisque, and my dad loves the seafood casserole (picture a big lobster claw hanging over the edge of your dish). Not cheap, but totally Portland and delicious.

Two Lights Lobster Shack, this is the place you go when you want to eat somewhere that looks like what you dreamed Maine would be. The “shack” is perched on the edge of the ocean; you literally eat at picnic tables on the rocky coast of Maine. Good seafood, amazing view.  Go early!

There are a lot of bakeries and small ice cream places in Portland. We love Two Fat Cats Whoopie Pies. Its raspberry filling is heavenly. In the fall it makes pumpkin whoopie pies, which are a close second to the raspberry. Scratch Baking Co. has an oven on their deck where it bakes bagels, daily. Plus, my child LOVES the cookies. I’m not a bakery cookie fan but these are pretty special. Across from Scratch is Willard Scoops, an ice cream parlor. Yes, sometimes we do go to both. And yes, we walk a lot to void those calories.

Here's what's free and almost free in and around Portland:

* Portland Head Light State Park, an amazing public park. There is a quintessential Maine lighthouse, run by the Coast Guard, to visit. There are old ruins of a fort for kids to scramble around. There is a playground. Plus, there’s a beach. For free. We usually gather picnic supplies at the various places I mentioned and go to the park for lunch. My child loves to run around. We love the view, the salty air and the sunshine.

* Old Port is the historic seafront. It’s got cobbled streets, lots of shops, a farmers market on Wednesdays, and plenty of eats. You can wander for a couple of hours or for the whole day. If you get ambitious the Portland Museum of Art (Free on Friday nights) and the Children’s Museum (Free on Friday nights) are a few blocks north. And if you wonder if the Portland Museum of Art is worth the money, yes. It’s amazing. Always-superb exhibits.

* This summer I am planning on visiting the new Winslow Homer exhibit with my family. The Children’s Museum includes a place for kids to pretend camp, rock climb, ride in a fire truck or run a flag up a pirate ship. Also in Old Port is the Shipyard Brewery. You can tour the brewery and sample the different offerings afterwards. Right near the brewery is the Narrow Gauge Train. The train offers rides hourly rides along Casco Bay. Afterwards, the kids can climb the trains parked there. If you go just across the bridge from Portland into Falmouth you can get to Mackworth Island. This is the location of the Baxter School for the Deaf, but also home to one of the prettiest hikes in the area. The trail is easy, about 1.25 miles long, but it skirts the island and offers some of the best views of Portland anywhere. Get there early or late because parking is limited.

A few summers ago we did the Maine Foodie Tour of Portland. For about $40/person, we toured eight stops in Old Port and sampled delicacies at each stop. Serious fun for anyone who loves food. The company now offers this tour via trolley if you don’t feel like hoofing it. Portland also now has a Duck Tour available. We’ve never gone but it looks fun. The city has a minor league baseball team, the Sea Dogs. The stadium is wonderful and they always have family friendly activities.

If you need more to keep you busy, you can take a schooner tour of Casco Bay, ride the mail boat or spend a day on a lobster boat. Be prepared with sunscreen.  

If you can’t find enough to do in Portland, the surrounding communities offer a variety. Freeport, outlets galore, is within 30 minutes (also home to L.L. Bean).  You can also take kayaking lessons and eat at Harraseeket Lobster (my favorite). Bath, Maine has a wonderful downtown and the Maine Maritime Museum. Popham Beach State Park is an amazing beach with tide pools and long stretches of sand. I met my husband in Bath, and we usually spend at least a day there every summer. If you want some lake time, Sebago Lake is within 30 minutes and offers every kind of water activity imaginable.  There is so much to do; you won’t have trouble filling a weekend, a week or a month.

I have listed some of my favorites here, but I know if you go you’ll discover your own. There are so many activities, sights and eats that you could spend a long time exploring. The best part to me is that my entire family gets to be part of it. For a low-key, family trip, you can’t beat Portland, Maine.