Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Maine, when I was offered to go I obviously jumped at the partnership with Visit Maine. They had a great schedule planned and I had always wanted to Visit Maine as a result of my love for Stephen King. I went for the Lobster but stayed for the Foliage and grew to love Maine so much that I truly believe EVERYONE should add visiting Maine to their bucket list.
The food, DUH.
Portland,Maine boasts to be the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year per Bon Apetit Magazine and let me tell you it doesn’t disappoint. As a foodie myself, I challenged myself to try as many places as I could and each and everyone of them was not only filled with character, but reasonably priced and delicious food. My must hit spots if you visit Portland are:
They have a yacht right on the waterfront with deliciously fresh food, daily specials and wonderful service. I suggest making a reservation if there are more than 4 of you as tables fill up quickly especially on a nice day as the views are breathtaking.
The Holy Donut can be found on Park Ave. and is a definite Portland MUST. The lines are definitely worth the wait for their savoury & sweet donuts. They have just about every flavour imaginable to man kind, and are absolutely delightful!
With a prime spot on the water, they offer up a fresh take on everyday American food — they artfully use seafood to recreate fan favourites such as a crab cake burger, fried popcorn shrimp and locally made Maine blueberry pie!
The Shop at Island Creek Oyster has an extensive fresh Oyster menu that showcases Fresh Oysters from all around Maine. At around $1.50 an Oyster you can pick and choose whatever you like and sample as many as you want. The Shop itself serves up cool nautical vibes and a fresh open space.
The Little Giant offers up a chic spot for dinner & cocktails with your friends. It’s also been named by GQ one of the best new bars in America in 2018! The prices were reasonable and the plating was beautiful. I definitely recommend going here for a night on the town in Portland.
Portland, Maine
Portland, the city itself was definitely one of the reasons I absolutely fell in love with Maine. I stayed downtown and it was fabulous for being able to see the touristy and non-touristy parts of Portland. We were surrounded by restaurants, cute cafés and shops. Many shops are Portland local shops as well as the have a few “big box” stores. The streets in certain areas were cobblestone which gave it this very distinct European vibe & it was easy to navigate downtown on foot. Everything you could need was within walking distance while still being close to the water.
LOBSTER.
LOBSTER, duh. I literally went to Maine with the hopes of eating copious quantities of Lobster and I wasn’t disappointed. The lobster was fresh, buttery and finger lickin’ good and believe it or not CHEAP too! I ate lobster in as many forms as I possibly could with 0 regrets. I definitely recommend a true “Lobster Pound Experience” while in Maine. For me that was definitely my favourite way to eat lobster, by the water, fresh as can be and with great company.
The culture.
The culture of Maine was something I was surprised about, I loved the amount of history that was preserved while also keeping the cities and Maine feeling new, vibrant and modern. I would recommend spending at least a few days in Portland or in the cities and then taking a road trip (like I did) up the Bold Coast. I found Maine to have the best of both worlds: appreciation for nature and enough going on to not be dull. With easy drives up the coast and tons of things to do in the towns, it was a magical blend.
Nature.
The Bold Cost is the place to be if you want to re-connect with nature, after visiting I felt refreshed, rejuvenated and relaxed. It has beautiful scenery, perfect fall weather and stunning views. The drive up the coast would have been great any season of the year and the houses along the way were beautiful to look at as well. I found myself surrounded by nature everyday on the coast, whether we were hiking, boating or exploring I found myself in awe of the total beauty of Maine. If you like hiking I recommend hiking the Fairyhead Trail.
The ocean.
No explanation needed, the sunrises were some of the best I’ve ever seen and shockingly the sunsets were too!
Scenery.
Autumn for me was the best time to visit they have beautiful weather, stunning colours and everchanging scenery. They had something for everyone to look at in awe from lighthouses to the blueberry barrens I consistently found myself staring at something beautiful.
The Oysters.
The Oysters in Maine are a thing on their own, like Lobster the Oysters are as fresh and can be and they have tons of different varieties, tastes and ways to consume them. Around Portland Oyster bars are plentiful and served at many restaurants with their own unique take on a plain oyster. I had never tried so many different types of Oyster ice in my life.
The Breweries.
While I was in Portland I very quickly learned that Portland Maine is home to some of America’s best local craft breweries. The beers I found were widely accessible at restaurants and something “Mainer’s” were very proud of. They have so many options and tons of award winning breweries, the craft-beer scene was a beer lovers dream and was such a neat culture to explore while we were there. My favourite place was OxBow!
The Foliage.
The Foliage was something I heard about but didn’t truly understand how cool it was until I got to Maine. People from all over the world come to Maine for Leaf-Peeping, yes you read that right Leaf-Peeping. Leaf-Peeping is something hard to explain until you see Maine’s fall for the first time. The foliage is magical, so magical that people come from everywhere to see it. The colours are divine and the scenery and outdoors becomes a true work of art– after spending 4 days touring the Bold Coast I now consider myself an official leaf-peeper.
Thank you to Visit Maine for sponsoring this post, as always all thoughts and opinions are my own.