Maine’s MidCoast is More than a Stopover
Past the Interstate and Route 1, Maine’s peninsula’s have a lot to offer
A number of visitors to Maine stop in Portland and Acadia National Park without spending any more time in between the two than a gas station stop requires. But look past the interstate and not far off 295 or Highway 1, you’ll find an almost European formation of peninsulas that bring to mind the picturesque fjords of Norway and Iceland.
Pemaquid Point Light
Maine’s MidCoast with its historic salt farms, quaint villages, and some of the freshest seafood you’ll find in the USA, is a part of Maine that deserves more than merely a stopover between other places. It’s in the Midcoast that you’ll find one of the state’s most iconic lighthouses, Pemaquid Point Light. Featured on the Maine quarter, the 23rd in the 50 State Quarters Program issued by the U.S. Mint, it was commissioned in 1827 by President John Quincy Adams. The original light was an Argand-Lewis parabolic reflector, lit with candles, but in 1856 Pemaquid received a fourth-order Fresnel Lens.
Marcus A. Hanna, the only man ever awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Gold Lifesaving Medal, once served as keeper of the light. Exposed bedrock descends from the lighthouse to the ocean creating a unique, scenic landscape that has made the Point almost as famous as the Lighthouse itself; leading it to be one of the most photographed spots in Maine. An image of Pemaquid Point lighthouse was even featured as a possible background in Windows 7, and Pemaquid was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 16, 1985.
Made in Maine local goods
Just next door at The Seagull Shop, you can find delectable blueberry pancakes as you dine with a view of the ocean and the Light. The Seagull shop is a great place to shop for Made in Maine souvenirs. Not far down the road, you can find even more local products at The Good Supply. Owner Catherine McLetchie curates an ever-changing selection of featured artisans and prioritizes sustainability in everything from the building itself to the packaging used to ship orders
Sustainability & the Coast
What is an ODD Spell, ODD Night and an ODD Friend? These are all names given to the craft beers at Odd Alewives Farm Brewery. They specialize in using unique ingredients, like sauerkraut (the ODD Idea), to create a delicious collection of brews. What makes this place even more special is that it is surrounded by 22 acres of forest and gardens, where many of the ingredients are actually grown.
Pop into their tasting room that’s housed in a renovated 1820’s barn and indulge in a flight to find your favorite, then head outside to see what’s currently growing in the garden.
Sustainable Food & Brews
While the MidCoast is made up largely of small towns and quaint villages, the culinary culture rivals that of Portland and beyond. For oyster lovers, you can’t get any more sustainable than a tasting trip with Damariscotta River Cruises where you’ll sip wine and savor oysters as you cruise down the Damariscotta viewing the very oyster farms where your meal originated. Or visit Glidden Point Oyster Farms to get the fresh harvest directly from the hands of your oyster farmer.
The all-important lobster roll and a quintessential cup of “chowda” are best enjoyed at Shannon’s Unshelled in Boothbay Harbor or on the beautiful Sprucehead Island at McLoons Lobster Shack. At McLoons you can sit and eat in view of the very boats that procured the catch of the day on an inlet where charm is the only thing in greater abundance than lobster boats.
And if pizza is your go-to, you should seek out the location of the day for Uproot Pie Co. Owner Jess Shepard and her team make pies with only local, seasonal and farm-sourced ingredients. Shepard procures her all-important flour for the delicious crust of her pizza from Maine Grains.
The Midcoast, like its bigger city neighbors, is also home to makers of craft beer. At Odd Alewives Farm Brewery, owners Sarah and John McNeil believe in supporting local farms and Maine agriculture. All their beers are made with 95% or more only Maine ingredients. Many even come right from the farm’s 22+ acre garden.
Rockland’s Art Mecca
Abenaki Indians called it Catawamteak, meaning “great landing place.” Today the town of Rockland is often described as an “art mecca.” It is home to the Farnsworth Art Museum, Wyeth Center, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, The Strand Theatre, and more than twenty galleries.
A nearly mile-long granite breakwater on Penobscot Bay, not too far from Maine Street, leads out to a picturesque lighthouse that looks over a recreational boating harbor. Like many towns in the Midcoast, Rockland is easily accessible by land and by water. In 2017, Smithsonian named Rockland one of the “20 Best Small Towns to Visit in the USA.” Just 2 hours from Bar Harbor, it is a great place to soak in a little culture before you visit Acadia National Park. You could also hop on the Maine State Ferry in Rockland to visit the islands of Penobscot Bay which include Vinalhaven, North Haven, and Matinicus.
However you choose to fill your time, you’re sure to find Maine’s Midcoast offers as much as its regional neighbors. Maybe even more. You just have to give it a few days!
Kirsten Alana
About Kirsetn Alana
