MidCoast Maine General Store Route

A Road Trip Through 5 of Maine’s Best General Stores

Hello!

We’re Meredith & Michael, two southern transplants that have been living in Portland for the past decade with our black lab, Orvis, and writing about our travels on Map & Menu. Recently we had the opportunity to road trip through MidCoast Maine, hopping from one general store to the next while stopping off for a few adventures here and there along the way. As we’ve traveled through Maine over the years, we’ve fallen in love with general stores and the roles they play in communities – especially the small villages and towns that dot the MidCoast region. They’re gathering spots where friends and neighbors share news and food, information hubs for everything happening in an area, and most importantly, supply stops to help locals avoid long trips to bigger cities. You can learn a ton about a place from talking to the people that frequent its general store, and the following MidCoast Maine General Store Route is made up of a few of our favorites – we hope it comes in handy for your next MidCoast Maine road trip!

Alna

Just outside of Wiscasset, on the drive up from Portland is a tiny town along the Sheepscot River, Alna. On hot summer days we like to take a dip in the Head Tide swimming hole, but sometimes we prefer to stretch our legs after an hour in the car with a short hike through the 126-acre Trout Brook Preserve. Just down the road is The Alna General Store, where traditional general store fare is served alongside authentic Mexican cuisine from the owners’ own family recipes.

Whitefield

About 10 miles up Route 218 from Alna is the town of Whitefield, home to as many cows, goats, and sheep that one could hope to see in a single day of traipsing through MidCoast Maine. Swing by Fuzzy Udder Creamery on Townhouse Road to sample some delicious soft-ripened cheeses and catch a glimpse of the fuzzy crew of animals, and while in Whitefield, a visit to Sheepscot General Store is a definite must. Whether you’re stopping in for a quick snack from the bakery, eating a Reuben at the counter, picking strawberries in the summer, or enjoying their widely popular Pizza Nights on Fridays, Sheepscot General has a little bit of everything.

Washington & Union

You simply can’t miss the big red barn, home to the Washington General Store, just off of Route 220 in the center of the village. While the sandwiches and pizza are made to order, the rotating selection of house-baked sweets, like the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie or the Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, are certainly eye-catching, and the beer, cider, and wine selection is quite impressive.

A stop in nearby Union, at Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery to sample their award-winning, small batch Back River Gin is a must for any cocktail enthusiast. If it’s a nice day, we highly recommend ordering a Gin & Tonic and sipping it out back in the comfort of an Adirondack chair in the garden overlooking the rolling hills.

Hope

Perhaps the most quintessential general store on our route, with its location at the town’s four-way stop and a history that dates back to 1832, the Hope General Store is one of Maine’s oldest and most beloved general stores. Known for its made to order pizza and deli sandwiches, the store also stocks more than 130 different types of beer and offers Atlantic Bakery Co. pastries for breakfast.

Lincolnville

For us, no visit to Lincolnville in the summertime is complete without taking a dip in Megunticook Lake with our dog. On this trip, we happened to pass a great (new to us) public town landing while making the drive from Hope to the Lincolnville General Store. After a swim, quench your appetite by taking full advantage of the turkey club sandwich (served on house baked bread) or a made-to-order wood fired pizza, and salted chocolate-chip cookie on their dog-friendly wraparound porch.

Thanks for following along on our road trip. We hope the map, the photos, and our recommendations help inspire you to create your own route through Maine’s MidCoast!