How Maine is Delightfully Beautiful and Maine Wonderful
We finally made it to Maine! We have been neighbors with Maine for almost ten years and we had yet to ever visit the state until a few days ago. We had a tiny chunk of time so we took off for less than 48 hours for a quick peek and saw why Maine is a delightful place.
Even though we were only there a short amount of time and we were in the capital of Portland, we still had some wonderful Maine vibes. Here is what we saw:
As soon as we set our tent up at a campsite we headed straight for the coast…
…to watch the sunset.
That was all we had time for the first night but the next morning…ah….first stop was….
…The Holy Donut!!!
They had some of the best donuts we’ve ever had. Their claim to fame is they make their donuts with potatoes. What?! Yeah, see, now you have to plan a road trip to Maine too. 😉
We all feel like you do kid – hang onto that box of donuts tight. That is precious cargo.
Portland has a ton of enticing architecture and use of brick.
There was a lot of artistic flare and neat things to see and photograph. Portland would be a nice place to have a bike to cover some ground and just gawk at all the different scenes.
This young boy looked so happy to be involved with this beautiful train in town.
The insides of the buildings were astounding as well. This photo was when we were wandering around the Portland Art Museum.
But after all that walking around it was time for food again. This door way in the middle is the way to some of the best food we have ever had at a restaurant called Duck Fat. Duck Fat has some of the best, like I can still remember eating them, fries – cooked in duck fat – that we have ever had. There were lines out the door non-stop busy. We just ordered take away and went back to our car. But really you don’t need a reason to go to Maine, you need a reason to go to Duck Fat and to do so you will find yourself in Maine.
After all the duck fat fries we took a walk along the water.
Chris thought the old pier looked really cool.
I agreed.
We continued finding Maine-like things such as these lobster cookies sold at the museum cafe.
This sign for the elderly – Maine is so friendly!
Although this ATM made me stop and have a bit of a chuckle. At first I only noticed the plastic cover and thought, ‘Oh nice, they don’t want to keep that ATM machine clean and tidy.’ Then I looked at the whole scene and realized it was just a situation going on there that I at least thought was pretty humorous.
Even though we were walking along the coast right near the capital, we still found wildlife. Chris…aka Eagle Eyes…saw a little movement and then saw this fox! Maine seemed to have a big emphasis on wildlife. 
Which is why we did have to stop into Cabela’s – huge outdoor store brand.
No matter where we went it felt like we were finding Maine-y things.
This was the Portland Observatory which is the only known surviving maritime signal tower of its type in the United States.
As we had to start wrapping up our Maine trip to get back to our park, we finally got to enjoy a little beach time in Maine.
Although, we did observe the difference of how the locals enjoy the beach.
So Maine – our time with you was short, but you were everything we hoped you’d be. You lived up to your sterotype of being kind, outdoorsy, easy to get around, having great food and just gorgeous. Until we meet again – thank you!
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If you go:
We camped at Wassamki Springs Campground. We had the off season rate and AAA discount of $27 a night for a tent site. For being just about 10 minutes away from Portland we thought that a good rate. However their prices go up significantly so go off season if you can!
Parking is expensive and a bit of a headache. Most of the meters are maximum 2 hours – which is not a lot of time. A good number of the parking lots are full except for monthly members. We did see some lots that were $10 for the day. So maybe get an idea of what you want to do and how long you might be in the down town area. The $10 lot probably would be a good deal if you are ok with walking and plan to spend the day down there.
The Holy Donut – omg – go.
Duck Fat – omg – go.
Portland Art Museum – great place to support – however if you are looking for your budget check to see if Groupon has any deals going!
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What did you think of this blizt of Maine? Have you been there yet yourself?
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Forget the lobster, I want to go to Maine for Potato Donuts and Duck Fat Fries!
Haha – that’s what we said!!! Duck Fat was sooooooo good. I would do a road trip there just for dinner. 🙂
Oh my, the blitz was stunning! Some day I would love to go there! Thanks for such a “treat!”
mare
Yes – it was a very quick blitz, but it was still enough to get a vibe on Maine and we really liked it! 🙂
Those donuts look delicious! And the inside of the art museum was beautiful! Great post. #flyawayfrriday
Melina recently posted…City Winery Chicago Igloo
Oh my gosh – those donuts were so so good! Love them! 🙂
Duck.Fat.Fries. Okay, we’ve been wanting to go to Maine for a while now, too. That might have sealed the deal, though. We’ll be in Vermont in a few months…that’s not too far for donuts and dinner, right? Well then, that’s sorted. Love the light houses, the sunsets, all the nautical, “Maine-y” stuff. Just fab. Thanks for sharing!
Rob+Ann @TravelLatte(.net) recently posted…The Weekly Postcard – 25 May 2018
Hey Rob and Ann! Oh VT – what part? Will you be anywhere near southern VT? Hope you have a wonderful time and let us know if our paths might be close to crossing! 🙂
Indeed, the place is delightfully beautiful! #flyawayfriday
Oh yes it was! Thank you! 🙂
These photos are gorgeous! I’ve wanted to visit Maine ever since I was little.
#flyawayfrriday
Ah! Me too Sandra! This was just a dip our toe into Maine sort of trip, but now we can at least say we have gone. Thank you! 🙂
Most people want to travel south to the beach …. after living in Florida …I’m ready for a Maine/ Vermont adventure thank you Tiffany for always sharing your travels and enticing us to also go eat potato doughnuts ! Love that you always share your campsites and give us great travel tips !
Those donuts look SO DELICIOUS! I’m such a donut lover, I was drooling. I’ve always wanted to visit Portland Maine and the pictures confirmed it! Thanks for joining Fly Away Friday, hope to see you again tomorrow! XO
Maine is a foodie’s dream! My husband has it high on his bucket list and now I know why! I hope to get there at some point! Easy to get to from Canada 🙂 Thank you for joining Fly Away Friday! Hope to see you tomorrow.
May 26, 2018 at 2:37 am
These photos are gorgeous. Those donuts make me hungry
Incredibly beautiful place! Awesome photos! Thanks for sharing the article.