Lighthouses, lobster, swimming holes, and everything in between — a Maine bucket list, tried and true. There is no place quite like the coast of Maine in the summertime. The days are warm and bright, the water is inviting even if it never fully sheds that New England chill, and there is an entire world of outdoor life waiting to be explored, from the moment you wake up until the sun finally sets somewhere around eight thirty. We’ve been spending our summers here for many years now, and every season we find another reason to fall in love with it all over again. If you’re planning your own classic East Coast summer vacation, consider this your itinerary, built from years of trial, error, and very happy repeat visits. On the water. Maine practically demands that you get out on the water in some form or another, and we try to do it all — sailing, fishing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and even a little clamming when the tide is right. For a truly magical evening, book a sunset sail aboard the Schooner Eastwind out of Boothbay Harbor. If you’d rather paddle yourself, rent a kayak from Midcoast Kayak in Damariscotta, and if whales are more your speed, Cap’n Fish’s Whale Watching Cruises departs right from Boothbay Harbor as well. Lighthouses. You simply cannot visit Maine and skip the lighthouses — it would almost be against the rules. Our two must-see favorites are Pemaquid Point Light and Portland Head Light, both dramatic, both endlessly photogenic, and both absolutely worth the drive. Beaches and swimming holes. For classic sand-between-your-toes beach days, we love Popham Beach and Ferry Beach. But for something a little different, seek out the freshwater swimming holes locals actually use: Damariscotta Mills Swimming Hole and the swimming hole in Bristol are both wonderful, cool escapes from the summer heat. Ice cream. No Maine summer is complete without ice cream, ideally eaten outside, ideally dripping a little down your hand. Our two favorites are the Downeast Ice Cream Factory in Boothbay Harbor and Witch Spring Hill in Bath, both well worth the stop. Lobster. For casual, fresh, dockside lobster, we always point people toward Schooner Landing in Damariscotta and Boothbay Lobster Wharf in Boothbay Harbor, formerly known as the Lobstermen’s Co-Op. Both deliver that classic, no-fuss lobster dinner experience Maine does better than anywhere else. Hiking. For views that make the climb entirely worth it, Camden Hills State Park is a favorite, especially the walk up Mt. Battie. Acadia National Park is, of course, essential Maine hiking territory, and for something quieter and less crowded, the Bonyun Preserve on Westport Island is a real hidden gem. Pastries and baked goods. Start your morning right at Solo Pane in Bath or Standard Baking Co. in Portland — both turn out the kind of pastries worth planning your whole day around. Window shopping. Every good coastal town deserves a slow afternoon of browsing, and Maine delivers. In Damariscotta, visit The Kingfisher & The Queen, Aboca, and The Beach Plum Company. In Bath, stop into Reny’s and Lisa Marie’s Made in Maine. Camden offers up Hearth and Harrow, Motifs, and The Smiling Cow. And in Portland, don’t miss Mimi & Blanche and Stellan. Casual seafood, beyond the lobster roll. For something a little more of an event, book the Cabbage Island Clambake out of Boothbay Harbor. Oyster lovers should make a stop at Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Edgecomb, and in Portland, ISF Trading is a favorite for fresh seafood shopping. Blueberry picking. No Maine summer itinerary is complete without a stop for blueberries, and Card’s Fruit Farm in Bowdoin is our go-to spot for filling up a basket. Learn how we use our blueberries to make homemade jam. Put together, this is a full, joyful week (or two) of classic Maine summer living: mornings on the water, afternoons exploring towns and trails, and evenings that end with lobster, ice cream, or both. We’d call that a vacation well spent.
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How to Host the Perfect Lobsterfest
Whether You’re on the Coast of Maine or Your Own Back Deck A little planning, a lot of butter, and everyone pitching in — that’s the whole secret. There are certain meals that simply taste better outside, with a view, and shared with people you love, and a lobster fest is at the very top of that list. Whether we’re up in Maine or hosting closer to home, we are always chasing the same thing: the freshest lobster we can find, prepared simply, and served in a setting that feels relaxed rather than fussy. Some of our very best summer memories have come from exactly this kind of gathering. When we travel, we look for the same kind of place every time — casual, right on the dock, where the lobster practically walked from the boat to your plate. For more than twenty years, our go-to spot has been Boothbay Lobster Wharf which many of you will remember as The Lobstermen’s Co-op. It has changed its name over the years, but never its character. It’s still the kind of place where you order at a window, sit at a picnic table, and watch the water while you wait, and it remains one of the freshest lobster dinners we know of anywhere. But you don’t need a coastline to pull off a proper lobsterfest. Some of our favorite ones have happened on a back deck or a picnic table in the backyard, looking out over nothing more exciting than the neighbor’s yard, with a big group of family and friends. Yes, cooking lobster for a crowd is more work than a quiet dinner for two. But here is the trick: get everyone involved, from start to finish, and the work turns into half the fun. Here is how we divide the labor. First, someone needs to be in charge of cooking the lobsters themselves — a big pot, a rolling boil, and a timer, since overcooked lobster is a genuine tragedy. Next, someone handles the corn, husking it and getting it into its own pot or onto the grill. Someone else is responsible for gathering the sides — a good potato salad or coleslaw, a green salad, some crusty bread, whatever your family tradition calls for. Someone needs to be on butter duty, melting down high quality butter into little dishes for dipping, because there is truly no such thing as too much melted butter at a lobster fest. And someone should be setting the table, which includes the details that make the whole meal easier: a basket of plastic bibs, a stack of hand wipes, and plenty of extra napkins, because this is not a tidy meal and it shouldn’t try to be. Don’t forget the beverages, chilled and ready before anyone sits down. And finally, just as important as all the cooking, is your cleanup crew — assign it ahead of time, so nobody is stuck scrubbing lobster pots alone while everyone else has wandered off to watch the sunset. We’ve put together our full Lobsterfest Supplies List to make all of this even easier to plan — everything from pot size to bib count to plates and napkins. Get our Lobsterfest Supplies List here → Now, if you’re short on time, short on helping hands, or just don’t feel like wrangling live lobsters, there is a wonderful shortcut: set up your lobster fest exactly the same way, but serve lobster rolls instead of whole lobsters. Use the lobster roll recipe we shared in our last post — toasted brioche, a gentle swipe of mayonnaise, and big chunks of lobster piled high — and simply purchase picked lobster meat instead of cooking it yourself. We’ve had wonderful luck with Atlantic Edge Lobster in Boothbay Harbor, whose fresh-packed lobster meat is genuinely some of the best shortcut lobster we’ve found. However you choose to do it, whether it’s a full lobster boil on the back deck or a lobster roll bar with store-bought picked meat, the goal is the same: good food, good company, and an experience that leaves everyone smiling. Have a favorite lobster fest tradition of your own, or a go-to dockside spot you swear by? We’d love to hear about it.