Maine on the Brain
a few new discoveries penciled into the itinerary
Wishing time would move faster in anticipation of the next big “thing” is a behavior I try to avoid, but I make an exception leading up to our annual Maine trip. This will be our sixth sojourn to The Pine Tree State — a budding tradition compared to many families who have ventured to Vacationland for generations seeking its beautiful, rugged abundance. We have my brother-in-law to thank for giving us a reason to discover what quickly became our happiest place. He is a knowledgeable sailor and captains for several schooners and sloops based on the Midcoast. If you find yourself meandering through the marina in Camden, ask around for Cory!
Our trips to Maine generally take a similar shape each year: fly into Portland, Maine (Breeze Airlines just added a direct flight from Columbus which makes the logistics even easier) and pick up a rental car that becomes our trusty steed for a week of adventure. We like to begin the trip Downeast at Acadia National Park for some hiking while we are still fresh, then work our way down the coast to visit with Cory in Camden before heading back home.
While we are creatures of habit, our approach to Acadia National Park has evolved in recent years. On our earlier trips, Bar Harbor served as our home base while in the park. Now we favor Northeast Harbor on the other side of Mount Desert Island, but we try to stay in Bar Harbor for one night so that Jake can enjoy one too many of his favorite Old Fashioneds concocted by the establishment’s infamous bartender, Trevor. Otherwise, we hole up on the quieter side of the island, hiking in the mornings, exploring gardens and preserves in the afternoons, and consuming as many freshly shucked oysters and butter drenched lobster rolls as humanly possible in the moments in between. I wrote about a perfect weekend in Northeast Harbor in a previous post:
48 Hours in Northeast Harbor, Maine
Have you ever been served one of those Instagram ads for an astrology app that claims to identify the three places your soul feels most at home? I’ve never done the astrological deep dive required to say for sure, but stepping onto Mount Desert Island restores a little piece of my heart I didn’t know was missing.
This year, we are mixing things up a little by adding several new destinations to the itinerary. Here are a few spots I’m looking forward to visiting ahead of our trip:
Brought to fruition by the brilliant team behind the The Salt Market, Good Wolf opened its doors in Northeast Harbor on June 9th for its inaugural dinner service. I’ve loved following the progress over the past year or so, especially after Maude, the owner, shared that she sourced vintage and antique pieces from Facebook Marketplace and estate sales to round out the decor and tableware. It feels like the perfect combination of two great joys — secondhand finds & seasonal food made with intention. Counting down the days until our reservation.
One of my favorite little antique shops recently moved from Bar Harbor to Northeast Harbor. The Arts and Ends team splits time between Maine and West Palm Beach, offering a unique collection of antiques, decorative arts and stylish objects. You can bet I will be grabbing an iced blueberry latte from The Salt Market and spending the morning perusing through Arts and Ends, along with all the other charming shops along Main Street.
A wander through Thuya Lodge and Garden has eluded me the past five visits — not this year! Managed by the Land & Garden Preserve, the garden dates back to 1956 when funding from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. allowed Charles K. Savage’s dream to become reality. The garden was started with plants obtained from Beatrix Farrand’s Reef Point Garden in Bar Harbor. It is a semi-formal garden in the style of English landscape designer Gertrude Jekyll. The Lodge pre-dates the garden, constructed between 1912 - 1916 as the summer home of Joseph H. Curtis.1
After a few days on Mount Desert Island, we are venturing to Deer Isle for a quick two day stint. This series of islands is connected to the mainland via an old school suspension bridge built in 1939. It’s known for attracting artists and creatives thanks in part to the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, an international craft school founded in 1950.
The campus was designed in 1959 by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes. Barnes positioned the buildings in a pattern intended to “link the built environment to the natural surroundings”2. Twenty-six original buildings were based on a module concept. A basic module measures about ten feet wide by sixteen feet long, humbly shingle clad with a pitched roof that mimics the sails in the bay beyond. Nestled between pine and spruce trees with wooden walkways connecting each building, it is said the school appears to be suspended in the forest canopy. As the school has grown in size, more buildings were added in the same modernist style as recently as 2004.
Haystack offers workshops to participants of all skill levels as well as exhibitions, tours, and artist presentations. The end of term studio walk through + auction happens to be occurring on the day we arrive, so I am excited to learn more about the school and talented artists.
We will be staying at The Ark, a fifteen-room inn listed on the National Register of Historic Places, dating back to 1793. The restaurant was recently featured on the NYT list of 50 Best Restaurants thanks to its rotating Chefs-in-Residence program that commences on the day of our arrival. All signs point to this hotel striking the unique balance of historic provenance and warm, tailored hospitality. We are especially looking forward to starting each day with the provided picnic basket breakfasts along the water.
The food tour continues with Aragosta at Goose Cove, just a hop, skip and a jump away from The Ark located right along the water. Executive Chef Devin Finigan specializes in the “best of coastal Maine”, fostering deep relationships with local farmers and fisherman to offer a range of dining experiences, from a tasting menu to casual deck dining. We decided to split the difference and reserved the three course prix fixe menu — any more food than that and the management of my type 1 diabetes becomes even less fun than usual. The property also has a lovely inn on site with cottages that can be reserved if you are considering a trip to Deer Isle in the future!
Finally, if the weather cooperates we will be taking the mail boat ferry to Isle a Haut for a morning of hiking in the most remote part of Acadia National Park. I think taking the ferry out there and seeing all the small islands along Merchant Row will be half the fun if its anything like the Casco Bay Ferry in Portland - shout out to all my Swimerettes!
I have a few more surprises up my sleeve, but I think I’ll leave it there for now. One less pleasant surprise: after the trip to Maine, I’ll only have about four vacation days left for the year! Time sure does fly when you’re having fun, and I think that applies to PTO as well.
If you have any Maine suggestions that I should add into the itinerary or ideas for long weekend trips that don’t require taking time off, I’d welcome your thoughts.
“History of Thuya Garden | Land&GardenPreserve.” Land & Garden Preserve, 2025, www.gardenpreserve.org/history-of-thuya-garden. Accessed 11 June 2026.
John F. Bauman. “Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.” SAH ARCHIPEDIA, 17 July 2018, sah-archipedia.org/buildings/ME-01-009-0026. Accessed 10 June 2026.
Love all the recs!! Going in August for the first time and want to check out some of these places!! Thanks for sharing