Maine

If you happen to pass through or by Thomaston on your way to Camden (which you should definitely go to- such an adorable little town) please please stop for Dorman's blueberry ice cream! Made with wild Maine blueberries I dream about it on the regular. Have fun! :)

When I worked on a farm in Maine, we'd deliver veggies Duckfat (the best fries) and pick up treats for ourselves and day old bread for our pigs from Standard Bakery--I still dream about their baguettes. (If you're there on a Saturday, check out the farmer's market, too!)

If you do head out to Bar Harbor, absolutely spend some time wandering Acadia National Park. It has striking cliffs and water and skies and many non-grueling trails.

If you make it up towards Camden/Rockland and you fancy a drive through villages and farmland, definitely head to John's Ice Cream on the Belfast Augusta Road. It is not a fancy place, but it is honestly the best ice cream in the world. No one makes a better pistachio (pair it with chocolate raspberry!). You can swim in nearby St. Georges lake, if it's warm enough (but it's never really warm enough).

Thank you everyone! I think I'll need to diet before we head up so I can make room for all the amazing food!

Come up to Brunswick and eat at the wonderful Tao Yuan, whose chef has been nominated for a James Beard award and featured in Saveur and Food and Wine. Visit the museum on the campus of Bowdoin College. Go for a boat ride in Casco Bay. Take in a show at the Maine State Music Theater or a concert at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. Climb Bradbury Mountain for a view of the ocean (on a clear day). Go for a walk on the beach at Popham Beach State Park. Visit all of the little shops on Front St. in Bath (including Now You're Cooking---great kitchen store). Visit the Farmer's Market on Saturdays at Crystal Spring Farm. Eat seafood at Morse's Cribstone Grill or the Dolphin or on the dock at Five Islands (Reid State Park is next door.) Stay at the Brunswick Inn on the town mall (not to be confused with the Brunswick Hotel and Tavern, which is different). Take a day trip up to Rockland to visit the Farnsworth Museum to see the Wyeths, etc. Lots of places to eat in Rockland and Camden-Rockport (Long Grain!). And just south of Brunswick is Freeport, home of L.L. Bean and nice for shopping, if you like to do that, which I don't. (Bar Harbor, by the way, is several hours from Portland and quite overwhelmed with tourists in the summer. Nice in fall, though.) If you plan to eat in some of the famous places (Primo, Fore Street, Francine, etc.), better book now. And yes, lobster rolls are very nice, but hardly worth the wait in the famous places (like Red's in Wiscasset=major traffic jam). The Dolphin or Morse's should be able to make you a nice one. Don't let anyone fancy that up---you want the basic article.

Lots of great restaurants in Portland: Fore Street, Honey Pot (don't miss that one) Street & Company, Hugo's, PaiMen Miyake, Bao Bao, Eventide....
The city is well worth a couple of days if only to eat. Up the coast to Camden (about 2 hours), nice hotels, B&Bs and more terrific restaurants. Primo, Francine, Long Grain, Fresh, McLoon's Lobster and Waterman's, etc.,etc. You won't want to leave - a lot of us don't

Don't miss the lobster rolls.

Check out Bar Harbor. It's close to Portland and absolutely lovely.

I love the Casco Bay Area, lots of lobster pounds! But I'm very partial to Monhegan Island, reachable only by mail boat out of Port Clyde just north of Portland. No cars, rustic and beautiful. Also, the June issue of Bon Appetit magazine did an article on the food of Portland. Hope this helps.