The Maine Event Part 1 – 10 Tips to Maximize a Long Weekend in Mid-Coast Maine

Maine is the perfect summer getaway location for a weeklong family vacation or girls’ trip in the great outdoors. Compared to Arizona, where I’m from, this state is defined by water and its green, green, green landscape.

Did you know there are over 4,000 diverse islands that are part of the great state of Maine?

These next two blogposts will give you the “can’t miss” highlights of a perfect weeklong coastal vacation. I’ve split this post into two parts in case you’ve got time just for a long weekend - choose either Part 1 or Part 2. For an entire week’s adventures, combine both!

Tip 1: Fly into Portland, Maine. For this trip, we found flying into Portland, Maine the most convenient option.

Boston is another option with more direct flights, but a longer drive to Mid-coast Maine’s activities.

The first afternoon and evening we explored and shopped for souvenirs in Portland’s Harbor area.

There are local artists with pop-up stands filled with unique paintings and Christmas ornament designs, in addition to storefront after storefront of tee shirts and lobster-themed souvenirs.

We capped off the evening with our first messy and tantalizing lobster dinner at DeMillos on the Water.

During summer months, get reservations well in advance for any Portland waterfront dining. We booked two months ahead and there were only two options available for our Saturday dinner reservation in late July.

Tip 2: Prepare for blueberry everything!

Maine’s blueberry season runs from late July until early September.

The locals are into their blueberries! From quarts of fresh blueberries at roadside stands to blueberry pie, blueberry cake, and blueberry crumble to name a few of the delicious deserts we sampled, you can’t go wrong with these plump fresh berries.

Each day or so, we stopped to pick up a pint or two of handpicked berries. Some were tiny and sweet while others were large and juicy.

They were the perfect addition to toast and yogurt before we hit the road exploring. Every restaurant had a blueberry-something dessert we simply had to try.

Tip 3: Prepare for continuous lobster-eating! Besides eating fresh lobster every day, our senses were delighted by the countless colorful buoys we found dotting the harbor and ocean area.

Because these buoys are literally everywhere, each person’s buoy is painted with a unique color combination that helps identify which lobsters belong to which lobsterman.

These buoys eventually degrade and are replaced, creating a booming secondary market for tourists longing for an authentic souvenir to bring home.

Lobster buoys are connected to half a dozen lobster traps that rest on the ocean’s floor.

Lobstering in Maine is a year-round activity with lobster traps checked every other day. Lobsters are most active from June till September.

During peak season, Lobstermen (I suppose they are mostly men?) can pull lobster traps half an hour before sunrise till half an hour after sunset.

Lobster traps (also known as lobster pots) are baited with salty, smelly, herring and then dropped to the ocean floor attached to ropes.

Traps are either rectangular boxes made from plastic covered wire or more rustic looking slatted wood arched containers, with a one-way side funnel that leads the lobster to the bait and theoretically keeps it from escaping.

If you find that the lobster you’re eating is filled with a coral-colored substance, this is cooked roe, or lobster eggs, which was once considered a delicacy like caviar. We encountered this once during our lobster-eating week in Maine.

By the way, size DOES matter with lobsters. No, bigger isn’t better. Smaller lobsters, in the 1.25 to 2 pound range, are sweeter and more flavorful.

Any lobster smaller than 1.25 pounds or larger than 4 pounds is thrown back into the ocean to help maintain the breeding pool.

Tip 4 – Explore Booth Bay’s harbor area. Booth Bay is considered Mid-coast Maine, a ninety-minute drive north of the Portland airport.

A three-night stay is the perfect amount of time to explore this idyllic harbor town.

The harbor is filled with boats and lobster buoys and, as you can see, its shoreline is packed with New England style buildings filled with delicious seafood restaurants and quaint shops.

Many of the area’s fun activities begin here including the Cabbage Island Clambake, ocean kayaking to Burnt Island Lighthouse, and wildlife cruises (think whales and puffins).

Tip 5 - Wander the town of Booth Bay Harbor. You can easily spend half a day wandering the shops along the waterfront, browsing for souvenirs, and snapping photos.

There’s a sculpture trail with 20 or so granite pieces scattered throughout town. The Soapbox Racer by William Royall brought back fond memories of Cub Scouts and making Pinewood Derby racers with my sons.

Before leaving town, be sure to stop by Downeast Candies for local saltwater taffy and fudge handmade since 1974 with the finest ingredients and no preservatives.

I was enamored by the taffy making process and the twenty flavors of taffy available.

Hands down, cinnamon is my favorite. The day we visited, grape taffy was being wrapped and vanilla was on the taffy pulling machine.

How is saltwater taffy made, you ask?

Without all the fancy equipment found here, I learned one can make saltwater taffy at home.

I’m adding this to a “to do” list for my 2021 year of saying “yes” to new experiences. Here’s a recipe.

The basics: assemble the ingredients which consist of copious amounts of sugar and butter, among other flavorings. Butter the sides and bottom of a couple of cookie sheets with raised edges. Whisk the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water in a saucepan over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. Wait for the candy thermometer to register 260F and add remaining ingredients. Dump into jelly roll pans to let the mixture cool and then pull the taffy to the proper consistency. Roll into snake like sections and cut pieces to wrap in wax paper squares.

If all of this seems like too much work, you can order up some authentic Booth Bay Harbor taffy by calling Downeast Candies at this number: 207-633-5178.

Tip 6 - Get reservations for a Cabbage Island Clambake. This is a fun way to spend an afternoon EATING.

The festivities start with a 45 minute scenic boat ride to five and a half acre family owned Cabbage Island where you’ll attend an authentic Downeast Clambake. Come hungry.

The menu includes fish chowder, lobster, clams, corn on the cob, potato, hardboiled egg, onion, and blueberry cake for dessert. For non-lobster lovers out there, there’s a roasted half-chicken option.

It’s fun to wander around the island, watch the assembly line of workers tending to the seaweed with tarpaulins steaming process, and chat with owners, Bob and Wayne Moore, who ensure everyone has a delightful time.

Check out my friend Annie having a grand ‘ole time with owners Bob and Wayne.

Tip 7 - Kayak to Burnt Island Lighthouse. If you’ve not tried ocean kayaking, this is a great place to do so.

Ocean kayaks have a rudder at the back of the kayak that makes maneuvering much less of an upper body workout than lake kayaking.

We picked up our kayaks at Tidal Transit just steps from the main street in Booth Bay Harbor. We spent about 4 hours kayaking to Burnt Island and throughout the surrounding coves.

The Burnt island route is do-able in two hours including time to explore.

We scoured the beach for sea glass, photographed wildlife and the lighthouse from all angles, spent time wandering the trail around the island, and most fun of all, channeled the child-like versions of ourselves by playing on the tire swing hidden there. Check out instagram @travelistaliz for the pic.

Tip 8 – Check out the mesmerizing nighttime water reflections. A clear night is a “must” for this activity.

The best place we found to view the water reflections was across the bay from downtown Booth Bay Harbor.

There’s a 1000 feet long wooden walkway built in 1901 that connects both sides of the shore. It starts near Pier 1.

Walk across and hang out in the outdoor seating area at the Booth Bay Harbor Inn or next door’s Booth Bay Harbor Oceanside Golf Resort as the sun dips below the horizon.

When the water is calm, the boats and buildings reflect in a magical way.

Tip 9 – Enjoy a relaxing dinner or two on the water. Cross the bridge from downtown and in less than 10 minutes walk you’ll arrive at Lobster Wharf.

This is a terrific spot for music, drinks, and more tasty lobster meals at great prices. There are picnic tables and plenty of outdoor seating.

If you’re there when the lobstermen return at the end of a long day, you’ll watch the freshest lobster of all time weighed and sorted right in front of you.

This is another fantastic place to watch the sun set and lights reflect on the water.

We stayed extra late playing a favorite card game, Five Crowns, which our friend Annie mysteriously continued to win game after game. She was the scorekeeper. I’m just sayin’.

Tip 10 – Get your steps in with a morning walk to Spruce Point.

I love exploring neighborhoods and meeting the locals on my early morning runs.

Starting from Booth Bay Harbor Inn, head to the right (as you face away from the water). In no time you’ll run into Our Lady Queen of Peace church, one of the most photographed churches in all of New England.

It’s a stunning wooden structure built in 1926, clearly visible and welcoming visitors and locals alike from far offshore.

Not far beyond the church, I met a lovely, retired woman sitting on her front porch as I snapped a quick photo of the mound of lobster pots in her side yard. See instagram for the pic @travelistaliz

She mentioned both her husband and her son were lobstermen, and that unfortunately she is allergic to lobster. Decades of lobsters have passed right under her nose, and she hasn’t enjoyed any of them. Pure torture if you ask me!

Follow the paved path past Lobster Wharf and in another mile or so you’ll reach the end of Grandview Avenue and Spruce Point. Here you’ll find more beautiful views of the harbor and islands surrounding Booth Bay.

Summary: There is so much to see and do in Maine. This was a fantastic first part of the adventure. We covered a lot of terrain in the first few days. I hope this blogpost gives you some ideas to jumpstart planning your Maine vacation. See the next blogpost to learn more about the second half of our week’s adventures. For more photos of Maine and other adventures, check out my gallery @travelistaliz on Instagram.