A Fall Day in Portland, Maine
In 2017 we set out to the East Coast to find ourselves the most beautiful leaf peeping and season changing we could find. We embarked on a 9 day road trip through the New England area, which include the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. We spent time in every one except for Connecticut and since it’s the fall time again, it’s only fitting to start our posts on this area. It was one of our favorite trips we’ve ever taken, given the immense American history, the brew tour, and the sense of community that New England exudes.
We got to spend some quality time in Portland, Maine thanks to one of my clients who has a house in the area (thanks Maryann!). We used the area as a stepping stone to get from New Hampshire to Vermont and had such a nice, relaxing time. Even if we only had one day, we still enjoyed the beach, the downtown area, and the outlying neighborhoods. Here’s our idea of a great day in the Portland area.
Morning
We think you should definitely get up early and head straight to the Holy Donut, a donut shop unlike any you’ve probably been before. They serve local coffee and make potato donuts in all kinds of amazing flavors. This interesting ingredient actually makes a very different and interesting donut, even if you’re not the biggest donut fan. Although it was hard to decide, we picked the Lemon Glazed and the Sea Salt Dark Chocolate. From here you can take your donut and coffee to go and explore a little bit of the downtown area shops or head out to stop two.
Afternoon
After you’ve fueled up on donuts, head to the Portland Head Lighthouse, one of the many lighthouses in the Portland area. Bring a picnic and watch the waves crash against the rocks, especially if the weather is nice! You can learn some history of the lighthouse for a small fee, although you can still have a great visit even if you don’t head into the museum.
Once you’re done with the lighthouse, we think you should head to Shipyard Brewery, cause you know we’re all about checking out the local breweries. We LOVE shipyard – and have only been able to find their beer down in Southern California when we didn’t even mean to! They have great merchandise and a very cozy taproom, where you should definitely try ALL of their beer.
Evening
There are many great options for dinner in the downtown Portland area but if you’re up for a little drive, we recommend heading to Alisson’s in Kennebunkport for the best lobster rolls! This cute little town is just a 40 minute drive south of Portland. It also happens to be where all the high up families (like the Bush’s and the Kennedy’s!) have vacation houses. We wish we could’ve spent more time exploring the shops but it was a fantastic area to watch the sunset and eat!
What a perfect ending to a fun day, right? Portland is such a chill, relaxing place – definitely a great place to spend a few days to refresh. What are your favorite places in Portland that we have to hit next time we visit? Let us know in the comments below!
We’ll see you next time for our favorite New England state, Vermont.
