In the mood for fresh seafood, historic lighthouses, and quaint fishing villages? Head to MidCoast Maine and you will have all of those in abundance. Which is exactly what I did over the long Memorial Day weekend, spending three days in the beautiful Camden and Rockland area!
I arrived at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine shortly before sunset on Friday night in time to enjoy the fading light from my balcony overlooking the golf course and ocean. When I awoke Saturday morning, the sky was beginning to brighten and there was just enough room between the cloud layers for the sun to break through for a few minutes.
After getting ready, I headed north to Camden for breakfast. Though it was quite cloudy, I stopped at both Camden Harbor and Rockport Harbor for some pictures. I always struggle to capture the skiffs lining the docks, but found a few that were well positioned for photos. I wandered aimlessly around Camden Harbor and up and down the main road in Camden before and after breakfast, sneaking peeks into shop windows and taking mental notes of places to return to later.
I headed back to my room for a short nap before my afternoon visit to Cellardoor Winery in nearby Lincolnville. I imagine in pre-Covid times, the experience would have been better than it is now. I had a lovely table outside overlooking the pond and vineyards, but the four white wines I tasted were served in tiny clear plastic condiment containers that you pour yourself into a glass. I get it, but it just wasn’t the wine-tasting experience I was hoping for.
After the winery, I went back to Camden to look around in the shops before dinner. Dinner on Saturday was at Ports of Italy, a popular Italian place along Route 1 in Rockport. I had booked a table indoors, but the weather wasn’t terrible so I opted to eat on the small enclosed outdoor patio. I know not everyone enjoys blue cheeses, but I personally love a strong blue cheese or gorgonzola. And the tangy, rich cream sauce made with gorgonzola, fontina, parmesan and gruyere paired perfectly with the soft delicate pillows of potato gnocchi. The decadent limoncello cake for dessert was a bit dense, but the layer of limoncello filling was just the right mix of tart and sweet to finish off the meal.
Sunday morning found me awake well before dawn. I stepped out on the balcony as the sun was beginning to light the horizon and stayed there for nearly an hour watching the sky change from deep orange to red to pink as the sun made its way above the horizon.
I set out early to drive along the St. George peninsula down to Port Clyde to visit Marshall Point Lighthouse and do some harbor hopping. Port Clyde is a small fishing village at the southern tip of the St. George peninsula. It is home to the Monhegan Boat Line, the Marshall Point Lighthouse, and the Port Clyde General Store. I wandered around the village and up and down the docks snapping photos until my stomach told me it was time to eat.
Tucked in the back of the general store is Port Kitchen, a small lunch counter where I indulged in a short stack of delectable pancakes filled with Maine blueberries for breakfast while listening to the local lobstermen chat around me.
After my morning sustenance, it was off to the lighthouse for some more pictures. Marshall Point Lighthouse was established in 1832 (the current lighthouse was built in 1858) and sits at the entrance to Port Clyde Harbor. It is notable for its cameo in the movie Forrest Gump, where Forrest turns around at the lighthouse on his run across the country. I had the place to myself when I arrived and I sat on a picnic table bench for about a half hour enjoying the solitude and watching the fishing boats pass by.
I followed the eastern side of the peninsula north and made several stops at various harbors along the way back towards Rockland. Then it was back to the hotel for some R&R by the pool.
I headed into Rockland for a late lunch/early dinner at Hill’s Seafood Co. and enjoyed a seat overlooking the harbor for my Cajun parmesan haddock meal. The spicy heat of the seasoning offset the delicate fish to make quite the delicious combination.
The Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is easily accessible via a walking path from my hotel, so after returning from dinner, I took the mile-long walk along the breakwater out to the lighthouse. The wind was whipping and the waves were crashing, so trying to navigate the granite blocks out to the end was a bit challenging! One last trip to Camden for an ice cream cone overlooking the harbor rounded out my second day in Maine.
Monday was another early wake-up, watching the sun rise over the Atlantic before 5AM. My chosen breakfast restaurant didn’t open until 8 o’clock, so I took my time getting ready and sat on the balcony for an hour just reading a book.
The idea of having eggs for breakfast went out the window as soon as I arrived at Home Kitchen Cafe in Rockland and saw sticky bun French toast on the menu. Cranberry mimosa? Don’t mind if I do. Home fries covered with cheese? Bring it on. Suffice it to say, my last breakfast in Maine was a great one. In fact, everything about this weekend was great – great food, great scenery, great trip!
Traveling with Laura 