1 Week Itinerary: Maine Roadtrip

After returning from my 1-week long Maine Road trip, I wanted to share my journey as others may be interested in the same travel experience. It must be said that the “Maine” attraction and the reason I wanted to go to Maine in the first place was to see the Lobster Festival. If you enjoy seafood as much as me, you will love it. You can read my full write-up on Lobster Fest here.

Day 1

7:35a – My Mom, nephew, and I flew in to the BOS airport (because it was much cheaper than flying to PWM airport). We then rented a car an headed to Cape Elizabeth, ME to see the famous lighthouse.
10:30a – It was around 10:30a when we arrived. There were several people already there viewing, but there were plenty of great vantage points to take photos without people in them. While you’re at the lighthouse, there is a museum there that costs just $5 for admission. It’s interesting to spend a few minutes in. You can learn about the significance of the lighthouse and other interesting facts about Maine. There are no inside restrooms here, so I would hold it if you can. Only porta potties around. If you work up an appetite, there is a food truck right onsite called “Bite Into Maine.” Apparently, they have one of the best lobster rolls around! I couldn’t tell ya, since we held off eating here. The weather in August was very comfortable – surprisingly not too hot and not too cold. I don’t think I could imagine coming to Maine during the fall/winter/spring periods.

12:00p – After touring the lighthouse, we headed to our hotel to grab the keys and check in. After changing into some comfy clothes, we  headed to the downtown area for some lunch. I highly recommend DiMillo’s Restaurant. The restaurant is actually on a boat which is pretty neat, and the food is incredible (albeit pricey). My Mom enjoyed the Fish and Chips platter and my nephew and I tore up some Lobster pasta! Great restaurant and parking at their lot is FREE during your time eating (max 3 hours). Afterwards, you pay around $6 per hour. Trust me, you won’t find any better parking deal nearby. It’s not cheap to park in the Old Port area. We needed to walk off all those extra pounds from lunch, so we walked around the downtown area and looked into some cool little shops.
5:00p – We checked in to Lucky Catch Cruises, 30 minutes prior to our cruise departing. Then we embarked on quite the journey! Leaving the Old Port and pier behind us, we headed towards Seal Rock, stopping at different buoys along the way where the crates had been left previously to catch the lobster. Such a fun experience! Felt like we were on Animal Planet’s The Deadliest Catch show – although maybe with a lot less drama. Through the heavy fog, we could see happy and chubby seals on Seal Rock. Waddling their way down the rocks and into the water. The cruise was $35 per person and it included very knowledgeable tour guides, countless photo opps, and a fabulous orange smock.

7:00p – After the cruise ended, you had the option to pick out lobsters that you wanted to eat later that night. It’s so simple. Choose your lobster (cost about $7-$8 each), then head on over next door to Portland Lobster Co where they will cook it for you (for $13) and serve it with some scrumptious corn, roll with butter, coleslaw and different forms of potatoes (fries or baked). You of course must finish it off with some homemade blueberry pie made with wild Maine blueberries. It would be a crime not to. After a hearty and filling dinner, we were off to bed!

Day 2

The Maine Road Trip continued as we headed to Freeport, ME (only about 30 minutes from Portland). We had to stop in at the flagship of the L.L. Bean stores. With back-to-school shopping on the brain, I purchased my nephew a bookbag for school. What I love about this store is that they have a “return for any reason at any time” policy. The store is fun to visit in general – very large! They sell way more than just clothes and shoes as I initially thought. They also sell some very cute cookware items with Lobsters on them. If you get the chance to participate in any outdoor activities, LL Bean does offer a Discovery School where they offer group kayaking trips as well as Stand Up Paddleboarding. Goes for about $25 per person which isn’t bad considering they supply all of the materials.

After our visit to the Outlet mall, we spent the rest of the day in Portland’s Old Port area. Enjoyed some gelato at Gelato Fiasco. SO. MANY. FLAVORS. Then went to dinner Later in the evening, went to the Escape Room which was $20 per person. Proud to say we made it out in time… although the Attendant may or may not have added an extra 5 minutes to our escape time… The room was Egyptian Pharoah themed and included hieroglyphic codes to crack. Very entertaining!

Day 3

After checking out, we said good bye to Portland, loaded up the car, then headed for Rockland. For those who don’t know, Rockland is where the annual Maine Lobster Festival is held. It just so happens that this year marked the 70th anniversary so it was exciting to be a part of that. It’s important to note that this festival is much smaller than most US festivals, and I think coming from Virginia made me the farthest festival go-er there. But, nonetheless, it was a great time. CHECK OUT MY EXPERIENCE AT THE MAINE LOBSTER FESTIVAL HERE.

Early in the morning, there was an intense seafood cooking competition. Felt like I was watching Food Network’s Chopped. Afterwards, we got to sample bits and pieces of what was made during the competition. Of course that wasn’t filling enough, so we went to the tents and chowed down on a lobster lunch plate ($20). After lunch we enjoyed some fun carnival rides. Maybe not the best thing RIGHT after eating, but luckily everything stayed down. There’s tons of vendors around selling an assortment of items, lots of booths to help cure a sweet tooth (think funnel cake and cotton candy). It’s also dog friendly – so bring Fido.

Fun fact: Did you know, this festival is home to the largest lobster cooker, which can cook up to 1600 lbs of lobster at a time?

After the festival, we continued the Maine Road Trip and headed up to Bar Harbor. Went to a little cheap pizza place for dinner and rest of the night just hung out at the hotel.

Day 4

Early in the morning, we grabbed some breakfast at 2 Cats which had some scrumptious sweet and savory menu items. Then, we walked on down to Bar Harbor downtown. It is very small and walkable. Lots of cute souvenir shops with trinkets. There’s also a few restaurants along the way.

We then headed into Acadia National Park to catch some crabs – one of my nephew’s favorite things to do. This little guy has a barnacle on his like he’s wearing a crown. Please note: No crab was harmed during the photo, we put this little guy back in the water after we took the pic.

The rest of the day was pretty much spent frolicking around Sand Beach in Acadia National Park. You could tell the tourists from the locals. The locals had swimsuits on, swimming in the water like it was 90 degrees F outside; meanwhile, all of the tourists had on scarfs, pants, and wouldn’t touch the water. It’s so crazy how everything is relative. I’m sure the locals felt it being hot outside in August but I’m used to much hotter weather in August, so… bring on the SCARF.

Day 5

9:00a – After breakfast at Jordan’s, We headed back into Acadia National Park, because it really is a 2-Day trip. There’s plenty to see and explore. We ended on a great note – the top of Cadillac Mountain which allows for some great views. And yes, I was not playing about the scarf. Was kind of freezing in August…

1:00p – After Acadia National Park shenanigans, I made the long drive back down to Portland, ME. Stopping at Perry’s Nut House in Belfast, Maine of course. The most delectable pieces of fudge. They give you great size FREE samples. Guess they know you’re going to fall in love.
5:00p – We arrived back in Portland, ME, just in time for dinner. Since we still didn’t have the famous Duck Fat yet, we decided to go here for dinner and enjoy the paninis, fries, and milkshakes. Worth all of the hype for sure.

Day 6

9:00a – Early in the morning, we had a nice breakfast and headed for blueberry picking. I did a little research before coming on the trip so I already knew Goss Berry Farm was a great choice. What a relaxing time it was outside in the fresh air collecting (and maybe sampling a little too much) blueberries. Travel tip: go for the big fat ones. They’re much sweeter!
1:00p – Stopped by a spot for lunch, then headed back to BOS airport. Funny enough, my Mom got searched at BOS airport due to the blueberries. Apparently we were over the Liquid amount haha

Overall, this was a nice trip. We couldn’t stop talking about how nice the locals were at pretty much every destination, how fantastic the weather was (though it was in August…), and how delicious the food was. It is a seafood foodie’s dream. Pig out on as much lobster, potatoes, and blueberries as your little heart desires. Travel calories don’t count! Right?…