Finding Maine's Magic

Ah Maine, you are a beautiful state. It’s known for its rocky coastlines, maritime history, and magnificent natural areas, especially their offshore islands of granite and spruce trees. There is so much seafood to eat, so of course I had it at almost every meal.

We were there in October 2019, and I fell in love with all the fall foliage- such brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows! And the temperatures were just right with mostly sunny days and a slight chill to the air; I personally love Autumn camping more than any other season. Acadia National Park is certainly one of the highlights of Maine, as is Portland, so we knew those two locations would be on our road trip list, as well as Bar Harbor, a town super close to Acadia. We also had plans to visit friends in Scarborough, and planned a stop in Rockport to visit a campground we’d heard a lot about. I’m going to give y’all recommendations on where to camp, hike, eat, and drink from all of these locations. But first, a little background on the places we explored in Maine.

Portland: Portland is the most populous city in Maine. This maritime town has amazing food, ample outdoor spaces, a thriving arts scene, and gorgeous Victorian architecture. It’s extremely photogenic, especially with it’s cute cobblestone lanes. It’s charm welcomes you in with a big old New England hug. Being there in the fall gave it such cozy vibes. I give this city the green light! Go check it out; there’s something for everyone.

Acadia National Park: One of the earlier National Parks designated in 1919, it is the crown jewel of the North Atlantic. It covers most of Mount Desert Island and other coastal islands, and features stunning granite peaks, a dramatic coastline, and magical woodlands. There’s hiking, biking, camping, plus ample opportunities to practice your photography skills.

Bar Harbor: This small town right next to Acadia National Park is ridiculously cute and despite it being busy even during the off season, I loved it. This is where to go if you want to stroll a little town, go in and out of stores, view lots of local and hand-crafted art, and sample the cuisine and fun drinks. The town is surrounded by water and islands so the views are stunning. You can even go on a short hike right in town to a barrier island! The tourists are either dressed up in their new England best, or rocking their hiking boots and down jackets. It’s a hip, small town and I guarantee you’ll have a fun time there!

Rockport & Rockland: You guessed it, more cute coastal towns! I combined these two gems because they are super close to one another. We stopped through here on our way from Portland to Bar Harbor. We unfortunately couldn’t stay long, but we did manage to get a stay in at a sweet campground and visit the local brewery.

This is the view from Megunticook campground in Rockport.

Alright, now is the time to show you the specific locations that I loved in all these places! Happy travels. 😊

WHERE TO CAMP

Rockport

• Megunticook Campground by the Sea: This campground is adorable, and offers a gorgeous overlook across the sea to neighboring small islands. Site 48 was ours, and it was just close enough to the ocean overlook and also to the restrooms, with a cute little brook running right next to us. They offer showers at the campsite; both indoor and outdoor, but you’ll definitely want to go for the cedar outdoor showers! The campground store offers a good amount of supplies and better yet, a sweet selection of craft beer! The camp owners Kathy and Scott are so nice and gave us great recommendations for things to do nearby.
  

  

Acadia National Park

• Blackwoods Campground: This forested campground is in the National Park on the southeast side of Mount Desert Island and has over 300 sites, but despite this be sure to reserve ahead since it is a super popular area. We arrived on a Wednesday in mid-October and there were only a handful of sites left to choose from. Unfortunately there are no showers (which is something we like to have since we live out of the van), but the proximity of the campsite to the hikes and sights within the park is a big bonus. (FYI, if this campground is full, try Seawall Campground which is less busy, or one of many private campgrounds on the island.)
  

  

WHERE TO HIKE

Acadia National Park

• BeeHive trail, 1.4-1.9 miles, but steep elevation. This hike within the National Park is stunning, both for it’s views and crazy passages. You’ll hike up 500 feet, using ladders and hand holds to hoist yourself up; the trail goes completely vertical at these points. It can seem dangerous, but there are hand holds when it gets hard and you feel safe. You just need to be confident at your rock bouldering skills as it takes a tad bit of actual climbing. When you reach the top, holy moly, you will be rewarded! And then when you take the trail back down, keep a lookout for the Bowl Trail to Bowl Lake; it adds just 0.5 mile to your overall hike and offers beautiful views of a cute little lake tucked into the mountainside.

Bar Harbor

• Land Bridge to Bar Island, 1.8 miles. Take Bridge Street towards the water in downtown Bar Harbor and you’ll reach the land bridge-- only crossable 1.5 hours before and after low tide! Take this strip of land across the sea to Bar Island, then hike up through the forest to the highest point on the island, giving a sweet view of the town of Bar Harbor. 

WHERE TO TAKE PHOTOS

Acadia National Park

• Sand Beach: This small beach is nestled between a rocky shoreline and a forest-covered mountain, both made up of pink granite, and is located on the east side of Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park. It provides a dramatic beach landscape, so there are ample opportunities to catch that perfect peak wave shot. This spot was magical; I can still smell the salty sea air and hear the big waves crashing among the jagged rocks.

• Cadillac Mountain: A popular activity when visiting Acadia is to view the sunrise atop Cadillac Mountain in the park. However, beware the crowds and get there early (30 min. Before sunrise or more if it’s during peak season) to score a parking spot. So yes it’s busy, but you can still get a fantastic view of the sun rising over the sea, tiny islands, and the town of Bar Harbor. And it’s quite special since Cadillac Mountain is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard and the first place to view sunrise in the United States from October 7 through March 6. Cadillac Mountain is a beautiful place to visit at whatever time. My pictures are of Cadillac Mountain at both daybreak and the daytime- unfortunately our morning was fogged in and the sunrise wasn't too great, but it was still worth it for the experience.

Sunrise was a bit foggy, but still magical.

WHERE TO EAT

Portland

• The Honey Paw: We only hit up one restaurant in Portland, but it was sooooo good! It’s an asian-fusion kinda place with a unique menu. We started with fried shishito peppers (these are mildly spicy and super delicious, but did you know approximately 1 in 10 is extra spicy?! Trust me, I’ve had one! Not heart attack inducing but definitely uncomfortable. Still.. I’ll risk it ;).) Then we had noodles with crab, pork, and mushrooms.. Oh my god amazing. And our friends got Burmese curry noodles with lamb. The cocktails were fantastic as well; I got the Garden Grove with white rum, aperol, lime, and orange flower water. Fancy! I highly recommend hitting up the Honey Paw for some delicious food and drinks.

Bar Harbor

• Great Maine Breakfast: Really good breakfast spot! First off, when you order coffee, they drop off a whole carafe on the table, which is excellent for people like me who drink at least 3 cups of coffee and hate having to wait for refills. I had the biscuits and gravy cause I feelin’ the cozy Fall vibe, and my boyfriend had a pot roast omelette with homefries, and both meals were outstanding.

• Side Street Cafe: I had mussels and a bowl of their butternut squash-crab soup while my partner had a lobster roll, then we caved and ordered a supremely delicious slice of blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream- it was seriously so amazing I can’t stop thinking about it.

• Rosalie’s pizza: Incredible pizza that deserves all the exclamation marks!!! It wasn’t just because we were starving after an intense hike, the pizza was really really good... NY style, gooey yummy cheese, and perfect amount of sauce.

• 2 Cats restaurant: We went there for breakfast; it was in a cute cottage and they offered lots of options. I went with a veggie and bacon omelet and it came with a biscuit and homemade strawberry butter (yummm) and Theo had a lobster benedict (fancy!). Coffee was great, service was great, all around great experience.

WHERE TO DRINK

Portland: These are all breweries, and all confirmed to allow dogs! 

• Foundation: This brewery I was excited to try a lot of their beers. My favorites are IPAs and sours, so of course I got a mix of those in a flight. All 5 were super tasty. I particularly liked the hazy IPA and the Guava sour called Guava’s My Jam. Sooo good. My friend and I also bought some bottled sours, both an apricot and a raspberry-blackberry one. Amazing! This place had a great outdoors area too with games; we partook in a game of corn hole- my fav.

• Lone Pine: In an area of Portland where there are lots of other breweries, this one stood out for their Portland Pale Ale, and their grilled cheese stand outside. So much yum. Unfortunately I cannot recommend the Brightside IPA- it wasn’t my fave; I typically like more pine-y West Coast IPAs and this one just didn’t cut it.

• Urban Farm Fermentory: This spot is the coolest! There are dried herbs hanging from the ceiling (that I believe are actually used in their brews) and they offer craft beers, kombucha, cider, and mead- all on tap. The place is super cozy with ample seating; we tucked ourselves into a corner with a couple couches, table, and rug- felt like we were right at home! The following day on a Monday, Theo and I came back here to do some work on our computers; I’d say this was my favorite brewery.

• Brewery Extrava: This place has Belgium-inspired ales, which were super tasty! They also had live music on the Sunday afternoon we were there. Despite it being small, they did good with the place and had ample seating with some standing room too next to a bar area. If it were a nicer day we likely would have sat outside on their large patio. 

Rockland

• Rock Harbor Pub and Brewery: Sweet little brewery along Main St. in downtown Rockland, Maine. My favorite beer there happened to be one they were phasing out for the season, the summer IPA. It was served in a can, and was perfectly hoppy with a nice brightness to it (not sure if “bright” is an accepted adjective for beer but that’s what I thought of when drinking this beer). This place had a lot of other options for drinks as well with a full bar. Food is also served here but all we had were chips and salsa. I really liked the feel of the pub, the waiters were super nice and I could tell that although this was a locals kinda place, they were also welcoming to newbies such as ourselves. We had the opportunity to get beers here with the local business owners of Megunticook campground, who also happen to be the parents of one of our good friends. A great time was had by all! 

Bar Harbor

• Cottage Street Pub: Truly amazing craft cocktails. Despite the prices not being shown on the menu (which can be a bad sign), they weren’t too expensive! I started with an alcoholic Thai Iced Tea with vanilla-infused vodka- sooo good- and then couldn’t help but get another, this time a cocktail with strawberry-infused vodka and macerated strawberries. The vibe inside was really cool too, dimly lit and limited seating which added to the exclusive feel of it all.

• Atlantic Brewing: I really enjoyed the IPA, and the raspberry sour was pretty tasty as well. They served food but we didn’t get the chance to order any, but lots of other people were dining. This big, airy space was very modern, and showed a little peek into the back where the brewing took place. They also sold 6 packs of their beer, and I’m still kicking myself for not leaving with a pack of their IPA. It was that good I’m still thinking about it.