COASTAL MAINE

Updated 3/12/21

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Three Great Reasons to Make a
Three-Day Detour to Coastal Maine in August

Howie and I had a few days after his August 2019 high school reunion in the Boston area, so we agreed that a short Maine trip could be fun. Although we lived in Massachusetts twice, we had never ventured as far downeast as Acadia National Park. It was always too far to go (5+/- hours). But Howie had just driven from Arizona to Texas (15 hours) in May and then from Los Angeles to the DFW area in August (20 hours), so I knew that he had it in him.

There are many reasons to visit coastal Maine in August, but we longed to see the ocean, savor fresh seafood, and admire the historic architecture. If you’re planning a short trip, this article highlights the best experiences from our three-day detour to coastal Maine.

A. Acadia National Park

One of Maine’s greatest draws is its natural beauty. You can be surrounded by nature, whether it be forests, mountains, beaches, lakes, ponds, or the ocean. Acadia National Park alone offers 38,000 acres of rugged coastline, lakes, ponds, meadows, mixed coniferous and deciduous forest, and Cadillac Mountain, which is the highest peak on the east coast.

We wanted to see the ocean, so our goal was to hike along the water in Acadia National Park. We arrived at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center to buy our day pass and get a map. If I had to do it all over again, I would have bought our pass online, consulted the “Plan Your Visit – Hiking” section of the NPS Acadia website, and printed out the maps provided by the https://www.mainetrailfinder.com at home. I had downloaded the free AllTrails app, but I didn’t realize that cell service in the park was extremely limited. With the pro version of the app, I could have downloaded the map to my phone.

We started out at around 11:30 a.m. doing the Ocean Path hike along the water. The briny smell of the Atlantic Ocean from the parking lot near Sand Beach thrilled and transported me back to the familiar seaweed-encrusted West Harwich beach of my youth. It was overcast but cool and crowded at first. Maine summer temperatures, especially on the coast, were a great escape from the soaring 100s at home in the DFW area. The beach and rocks were covered with people, but as we made our way towards Otter Cliff, the crowds thinned. As soon as the trail disappeared into the trees, we felt more isolated. It was wonderful to be hit in the face with the fresh air with hints of sea salt and a twist of sandy beach rock. At Thunder Hole, all of the tourists stopped to marvel at the crashing waves and foam. No one wanted the show to stop.

At one point, Howie noticed that most of the folks that we saw on the path were from other countries because we heard French, German, and even an Italian “andiamo”—Howie’s favorite Italian word that means “let’s go.” He asked me why the foreign tourists weren’t in Boston, New York, or Chicago where they could get more bang for their buck. I pointed out that we were going to Scotland to stare at their rocks and waves in a few months for the very same reason. I don’t know what that reason is, but they are certainly people magnets.

After our coastal hike, we drove over to the Jordan Pond House and walked around the pond:

The pond was still and glorious that afternoon with the North and South Bubble Mountains in the distance. People were walking, fishing, gazing, and watching the gulls hover over the water. Even with the tourists, we felt embraced by the stunning, quiet, wordless nature.

After Jordan Pond, we tried to get to the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse in time to watch the sunset, but I was feeling sick so we headed over to Bar Harbor for linner (you know: late lunch, early dinner). Were we able to experience the entire park at the most perfect time of day/year? Not at all, but we still had a terrific afternoon.

B. Maine’s Seafood

Where we live, the grocery stores generally do not stock live lobsters, so our family sends us The Lobster Net gift cards for our Christmas present every year. On this trip, I ate lobster in one form or another four times, fried clams (another item that isn’t readily available in Texas) twice, and codfish and steamers once. I think that I am really a pescatarian at heart.

In our quest to taste the best the Atlantic has to offer, we visited two iconic seafood establishments: Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, ME and the Clam Box in Ipswich, MA.

There was no line at the Clam Box (lunch was fast and tasty), but scoring a lobster roll at Red’s Eats on a Monday afternoon proved to be more of a challenge. The line got noticeably shorter at 4:15 p.m. that day, so maybe it’s better to go for linner. We devoted two hours to the line at Red’s and were rewarded for our efforts with succulent fresh lobster chunks overflowing the roll paired with some amazing melted Kate’s Homemade Butter (this is the same butter that The Lobster Net sends us) for dipping. All in all, it was absolutely delicious, but very few meals can really live up to standing in a line starving for two hours on a humid 85-degree day with the sun beating down.

My only regret was that I didn’t sample a piece of blueberry pie on this trip. As we rolled into each seaside town, we saw card tables with neatly stacked boxes of freshly picked blueberries and blueberry pies and cakes on the dessert menus. Now I have another great reason to return to coastal Maine!

C. Maine’s History

One very special thing about New England is that its history is not limited to the confines of the history books or museum—it is written all over its architecture and the old trees lining the town commons.

In Maine’s pristine seaside towns, we found clusters of white Federal and Greek Revival-style homes. The uniformity of the paint color only added to their allure. On this trip, we stayed two nights in the small seaside town of Castine as our home base for our trip to Acadia National Park. We used a paper map to do a walking tour of the town, but we probably should have downloaded the app from the Castine Historical Society ahead of time and listened to their audio tour as we walked.

On our trek back towards Logan Airport, we drove down the Pemaquid Peninsula to see one of the 65 historical lighthouses protecting boats along Maine’s coastline. After our linner in Wiscasset, we checked into our hotel in Kennebunk and drove into Kennebunkport for some dessert. On our way, we were wowed by the gorgeous white mansions along our drive down Kennebunk’s Summer Street (Route 35). Like Bar Harbor, Kennebunkport has a very walkable, cute seaside downtown with shops and restaurants perfect for an evening’s stroll and ice cream.

In March 2020, Maine celebrated its bicentennial, so history lovers should check out https://www.maine200.org to brush up on their Maine history.

D. When to Go to Maine

August is a great time to visit coastal Maine, but check out our seasonal guide to Maine to confirm your itinerary. The following map gives you driving distances between the various attractions (black pins) mentioned in this article. When you’re ready to make some plans, zoom in and toggle the “Interest Areas” square to see highlighted areas with restaurants, sights, nightlife, shopping, and transit lines. Finally, the filters will give you helpful hotel, Vrbo, and “experience” prices based on your budget.

H+A Takeaways

For our three-day detour to coastal Maine, we had the following takeaways:

Downeast cell service near the coast is spotty. For example, cell service seemed to be fine in Bar Harbor but was almost non-existent at our B&B in Castine and in Acadia National Park, so print out or download detailed maps before you arrive.
It is tough to enjoy anything fully after waiting in a line for two hours on a humid 85-degree day, so plan your trip to Red’s Eats strategically and don’t get into the line when it is already wrapped around the corner into Railroad Avenue.
In your quest for all things sea-soaked and piney, don’t forget that historic homes and seacoast villages can be fun to see, too. History lovers should check out https://www.maine200.org to brush up on their Maine history.
Howie and I had visited the Maine coastline, including Kennebunkport, many times before. Ironically, one of the best things about getting older is that places change and memories fade allowing us to have new experiences in once-familiar places. For this reason, coastal Maine did not disappoint, and we would certainly go again.
Best experience: Acadia National Park (even in the dog days of August, it’s relatively cool).
Best food: Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, ME.