Find out how to Spend the Excellent Fall Weekend in Maine’s Iconic MidCoast Area

My first go to to the MidCoast area of Maine occurred by chance. My Dad and I had been taking our first journey collectively in years, driving up from Massachusetts the place we each lived on the time to go to Acadia Nationwide Park. I had simply left a restaurant job and I had no concept what to do with my first free time in years, so clearing my head in Maine for a weekend sounded good.

Whereas passing via Rockland, one of many followers in my automobile launched itself via my radiator, abruptly interrupting our journey to Downeast. We broke down proper in entrance of the Rockland Fireplace Division and had been shortly referred over to a mechanic who was miraculously capable of get the work accomplished over the weekend to get us again on the street sooner. 

Through the surprising day that we spent there, we found a few of my favourite locations: Wasses Sizzling Canines and their good peanut oil-griddled franks, a scoop of homespun Grapenut ice cream at Doorman’s Dairy Dream, the expansive gardens and greenhouses behind Primo, and mountain climbing round Owl’s Head Lighthouse to gather extra sumac than we may carry. We by no means made it to Acadia that weekend, however generally accidents occur for a purpose: this misadventure was the very best introduction to MidCoast that I may have had, and humorous sufficient, each my father and I ended up transferring to Maine only a few years later.

Since transferring, I’ve spent numerous weekends deciding to make use of my spare days off to spend a while in MidCoast, whether or not it’s for an in a single day journey or simply for a whirlwind day of consuming round among the greatest eating places within the state. 

The MidCoast area has a number of counties on Maine’s coast, dotted with mountains, lined with rocky shores, and studded with among the greatest seashores within the state — there’s nowhere else fairly prefer it. Summer season is the busiest time to journey to the world, with site visitors in Wiscasset backed up for miles, excessive lodge charges, and slim availability at eating places that require reservations. September and early October are my favourite months for a visit because the leaves are simply beginning to change however just like the temperatures, haven’t but fallen.

Whereas the seaside cities that make up the area are little question quieter than Portland, the communities are tight and residential to an ever-growing and rising meals scene. This is the way to plan your go to.

Locations to Eat

I at all times go via Brunswick when beginning a visit up the coast, and if the timing is in my favor, I plan a fast cease for a bagel at Dutchman’s. The proprietor is an alum of Rose Meals in Portland and began a pop-up throughout the Fort Andross Mill final 12 months. The response was overwhelming and so they’re now serving their completely crispy and chewy wood-fired bagels — really among the greatest bagels within the state — from Thursday via Sunday. They promote out shortly, so some pre-planning through their on-line ordering system or an earlier wake-up time when you’re planning to stroll up could also be required. 

It’s laborious to say Maine to a meals lover not from right here with out talking about The Misplaced Kitchen, Erin French’s extremely sought-after restaurant situated inside a good looking mill in Freedom. Potential diners can solely safe a desk through a postcard lottery system. (After three years of attempting, I nonetheless haven’t been for a meal.) Unfortunate senders, worry not: French affords a small retailer that includes domestically made kitchen wares, residence items, and extra. Whereas it might not be as nice as coming to dine, it’s nonetheless a beautiful alternative to see the property. 

The Place is a micro-bakery in Camden that opened final 12 months. Owned and operated by a duo from Lengthy Island, they bake with native flour and dairy and their pastries are really spectacular. Their menu options cookies, croissants, and rotating specials like savory pastry baked with radicchio jam and celery walnut gremolata. and a yogurt danish with carrot puree, yogurt curd, and low-bush blueberries. They settle for pre-orders 72 hours earlier than decide up, in any other case, plan to get there early. The Place is extraordinarily well-liked for good purpose: I’ve had loads of laminated dough in my life and this was among the greatest. 

Regardless of all the thrill about eating in Portland, my favourite restaurant within the state is in Rockland. Sammy’s Deluxe is the place you inform everybody that you simply like to go, particularly individuals who love nice meals. The menu has some mainstays, just like the Home Smoked Haddock Snacks, Brown Bread — baked in a can, in fact — and my favourite, Sammy’s Cheeseburger. The remainder of the menu is equally unbelievable and ever-changing, based mostly on the season and no matter proprietor Sammy Richman has foraged, like Hen-of-the-Woods Fettuccine Alfredo. 

Once I first began to be comfy sufficient to journey in 2020, we stayed native. Our first lengthy drive was to the MidCoast and our first meal was Lengthy Grain. The restaurant arrange an elaborate system of coolers that may home the baggage of take-out meals — a setup I felt completely protected with. This was the primary takeout I had ordered in months and nothing ever tasted nearly as good as these first bites of crab fried rice. Since then, I’ve been again to eating indoors and every little thing on the menu is at all times excellent. Just like the Kao Soi Gai with thick pickled mustard greens or the Nam Tok beef salad with a broth so scrumptious you merely need to drink no matter is left from the bowl. That is the right place to heat up on colder days or settle down when it’s only a bit too scorching outdoors. 

Issues to Do

As a pastry chef who occurred to marry one other pastry chef, there’s no scarcity of kitchen wares in my residence. With a predilection for something mid-century, Recycling Retro in Woolwich is a must-stop for a fast browse. They inventory a big selection of classic kitchen gadgets, from percolators to Pyrex. 

One among my favourite retailers once I first began visiting Maine was Extra & Co., a store curated with probably the most stunning objects like blue and white ceramics from native artist Chloe Might Brown and colourful circus stools and prints from CDR. (I’ve fully decked my residence out with work from CDR.) Extra & Co. closed a number of years in the past however Maria Vettesse has not too long ago opened a brand new store in Wiscasset, Angelo Santo, which homes among the identical treasures and new delights as effectively.

Morse’s Sauerkraut in Waldoboro is a German-style delicatessen and grocery that includes items from throughout Europe. They’ve been using the identical sauerkraut recipe and manufacturing course of for over 100 years, utilizing domestically grown and hand-cut cabbage. The kraut is offered in retailers and eating places throughout Maine and for good purpose — it’s the very best I’ve ever had. That is the right cease to refill on snacks for the drive and even for treats afterward. Most eating places shut early within the MidCoast and I can’t rely what number of instances a late-night snack from a Morse’s haul has saved the day. 

Proprietor Joanna Spinks not too long ago opened First Fig in Camden, a neighborhood bottle store and wine bar. The area serves domestically roasted espresso from Kavka, pastries baked simply across the nook from The Place, and hosts reside music and pop-ups, from makers markets to weekly oyster nights and Taco Sundays. 

A visit to Glidden Level Oyster Farm is a should for any bivalve fanatic. You’ll be able to guide a farm tour for a deeper dive into how oysters develop or simply order on the window, have a fast shucking tutorial, and luxuriate in recent oysters at a picnic desk overlooking the water. In spite of everything, studying the way to shuck your individual oysters may simply be the very best memento you’ll be able to convey residence from Maine.

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay are the right place to stretch your legs, discover 300 acres of gardens, and work up an urge for food for a protracted day of consuming forward. The Gardens are open Might via October and repeatedly publish what’s presently blooming and the place for guests to set expectations and benefit from the lush panorama. Set towards the backdrop of fixing leaves, early autumn is a good looking and rather more quiet time to discover the property. 

Mount Battie is simply minutes North of downtown Camden. A part of a 25-mile mountain climbing path via Camden Hills State Park, the mountain affords each an auto street and a 1.1-mile hike to the summit which appears to be like out over the Penobscot Bay and Camden Harbor. The hike is comparatively simple however relying on how a lot train you’re trying to get after a marathon day of consuming, the drive up is fast. The view of the foliage, hills, and Camden beneath is beautiful and an ideal place for fall leaf peeping. 

The place to Keep

Only a fast 10-minute stroll from downtown Camden is Whitehall. The previous ship captain’s mansion was inbuilt 1834 and remodeled into an inn in 1901. Now, the 36-room boutique property is operated by Lark Inns and embellished with brilliant colours and pops of coastal attraction. Whereas there’s no restaurant right here, visitors are served a number of small plates for breakfast — suppose pastries and in a single day oats — plus freshly baked cookies within the afternoon. The rooms are cozy however do take into account that some room varieties have shared corridor loos, so make sure to learn the small print earlier than reserving. The entrance porch, firepit, and shuffleboard courts are the right locations to unwind after a protracted day of exploring the midcoast. Plus, literary buffs will enjoyment of understanding the historic property was the place Maine’s well-known poet Edna St. Vincent Millay was first found in 1912 when she recited her poem Renascence, which was penned from atop neighboring Mount Battie. 

Positioned within the coronary heart of downtown Rockland and steps from the harbor, 250 Principal Resort is a 26-room pet-friendly boutique lodge. The rooms function reclaimed and classic furnishings and outsized home windows and the property is decked out with work from native artists. Small touches like heated toilet flooring and even heated towel racks make this the right retreat for chillier evenings. The roof deck isn’t to be missed, plus the lodge hosts a every day joyful hour with a complimentary glass of beer or wine and small snacks.

The Norumbega is a not too long ago refurbished boutique lodge simply outdoors of downtown Camden. The historic property affords visitors unparalleled views of Penobscot Bay, solely made higher by the pops of foliage that encompass the property within the autumn. The visitor rooms provide personal patios, fireplaces, and even a two-story library suite. The lodge has a small bar that fixes up an ideal Boulevardier, the right cocktail to get pleasure from on the patio whereas the leaves start to fall round you. Don’t miss out on the hearth pit on the property, which visitors can gentle and luxuriate in throughout chilly Fall evenings.