maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

Here’s a rundown of all the things we did in Maine! This post is going to be super long and wordy and I’m going to tell you what we saw, ate and loved. Also, a little video below that is more for my memory and is probably super long and boring for you.

Our trip was sort of last minute – we knew we wanted to go SOMEWHERE before the baby, just a little trip somewhere new with the three of us. We planned it the week before and only had about 2.5 days to stay.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

This whole thing started with Max’s first plane ride (even though we’ve traveled a lot since he was born, we’ve always drove! I’m a big road trip person.) Our flights both ways took off at 6AM (actually, 5:45AM!) and he was awesome. He slept the first short flight and was awake for the second flight to Portland/Pittsburgh. We probably didn’t need the iPad, but he loved it.

Not as much as he loved the pretzels though. Can’t even count how many bags he went through.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

As the recommendation of many of you, we stayed at the Press Hotel right in Portland. It was really nice! Max loved the letters all over the carpet and every single time we left the room or came back, asked HOW DID THOSE LETTERS GET THERE?! Ha.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

We spent the first day exploring! We got in early but we couldn’t check in until 3, so we drove to Freeport first since many of you had mentioned that. Lots of shopping and it was cool, but we were pretty tired. We did eat at the Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro which a bunch of you had also mentioned. It was pretty good, but probably our least favorite meal. We were also just exhausted from being up since 3AM, so there’s that. You know? We needed to recharge!

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

After an hour or so of rest, we explored Portland the rest of the evening. We went to Flatbread & Co because so many of you mentioned that too! It was really great and Max loves pizza. Delicious! Our table was perfect and we got to look at the boats and the water!

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

Annnnd stopped for the first ice cream of the trip… for Max of course. Hehe. Gorgeous Gelato was so fun inside. The oreo gelato was amazing.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

Eddie was adamant to get donuts at the Holy Donut the next morning and he did! This might have been the most suggested place. In true Eddie form, he bought A DOZEN.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

Like, what? I tasted the chocolate sea salt which was probably my favorite. I also loved the Maine blueberry and the sweet potato cinnamon sugar was amazing too. The thing is though… that I am still a yeasted donut girl at heart! So while these were totally Eddie’s cup of tea and I really loved them, I just found them to be kind of heavy. But as light as a heavy donut can be? I’m a crazy person.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

First thing we did on Saturday was head to Portland Head Light. We went at the perfect time because there was barely anyone there. We stopped periodically over the next two days and almost died at how packed the place was. Crazy!

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

Then! We made our way to Kennebunkport. I was really looking forward to going here… and the only reason I can think of is because I would have been in early elementary school when the first President Bush was in office, and I swear I used to hear them just talk about Kennebunkport on the news. Ha! It’s been stuck in my mind ever since. I know, so odd. Very random.

But anyway! I loved it.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

Most of you said that The Clam Shack had the best lobster roll. I think you might be right! This was easily our second favorite of the trip (wait until you see how many we had… ugh, omg) and was so, so, so GOOD. We ended up splitting it because Eddie also wanted a huge a thing of fried clams. I wish we had each got our own.

Max loved the clams as soon as I called them “beach fries.” Every time he sees a picture of them now, he screams “BEACH FRIES!” I want to eat him up.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

The weather the entire weekend was PERFECT. At least, perfect in my eyes. Like in the 60s and 70s. Not really warm enough for a full beach day but Max loves running on the beach, so we did that a bit too.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

I adored Kennebunkport but we were there at such a crowded time. It was so jam-packed being the last “real” weekend of summer… and being a weekend in general. We both loved it and Eddie has already looked up places to stay there next year. I’ve also seen pictures at Christmas and would love to go there then!

At this point, I realized that I was glad we stayed in Portland because it gave us a chance to do a lot of walking and exploring, but next time I think we’d stay somewhere more beachy and drive into Portland, as opposed to the other way around.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

That night, we decided to try out Eventide because the lobster roll you all mentioned had been haunting me since we arrived. Our game plan with Max is that we tend to eat at weird times, so we went close to 5 (which is, like, really early for dinner for us) and still waited about an hour. It wasn’t bad since we could walk around and it was so nice out.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

Eddie got oysters and I was so jealous. I don’t break this rule when I’m pregnant though. It probably would have been the safest place to eat them (like right off the coast!) but I just can’t while pregnant. Too scared.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

THIS LOBSTER ROLL.

I am dead. It was easily one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Um, it was so good that Eddie ate one and then ORDERED ANOTHER ONE. I was only mildly embarrassed… until I took a bite of his second one.

This was even better than you guys said it was. I mean, it was incredible. I almost feel like it can’t even be classified as a lobster roll though because it’s so… different? But perfect? It was our favorite meal of the trip!

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

On Sunday we decided to head to Old Orchard Beach. It was so, so, so crowded and while it looked fun, we wanted something a little more relaxed. A few of you had mentioned Old Orchard Pine Point (I think that’s what it is called?) and that was perfect!

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com
maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

After that, it was more lobster rolls! We went to the Lobster Shack at Two Lights.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

Another super suggested place. I loved this place for the vibe alone! We did have to wait in line for almost an hour but it’s so cute. I love that it’s outside right on the water.

However, this was probably my least favorite lobster roll! I don’t love the mayo on lobster rolls – I want only butter – and while this was pretty darn good, the Clam Shack one and the Eventide one were just insssaaaane. I’d go back here a million times though because it felt like quintessential summer.

These were Eddie’s favorite clams though!

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

Okay guys, so after this… I was like… NO MORE BREAD. Oh my gosh, we ate so many lobster rolls in such a short amount of time that I couldn’t fathom any more. Our plan that evening was to maybe head to Duckfat, which so many of you also mentioned, but I was just SO full (thanks pregnancy) that I couldn’t do it. The thought of such a heavy meal made me want to cry.

We ate this lunch pretty late and actually didn’t even eat another meal that day. We spent more time walking and exploring and heading into little shops, etc.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

I am so anxious to go back, only because I KNOW you guys mentioned a ton of places to us that we couldn’t fit into two days (with a toddler, especially). We absolutely loved loved loved Portland and everywhere we visited. Like I mentioned, I think the only thing we’d do different next time if we went in the summer is stay somewhere more on the water/beach and then drive into Portland.

maine 2017 travel diary I howsweeteats.com

Annnd that’s a little recap of our trip! xo