On the second day in Maine, Justin and I woke up ready to conquer another day. We decided to drive about 45 minutes south to a small town called Ogunquit. The name of the town means “Beautiful Place by the Sea.” I would suggest getting there on the earlier side because parking in a lot will cost you $25 (bring cash), but you can find much cheaper street parking otherwise.
We started exploring via Marginal Way, which is a breathtaking cliff walk with coastal views. One of the best pictures from our Maine trip was from this cliff walk. Unfortunately, due to time limits, we only spent about 30 minutes on the trail. If you end up on Marginal Way, you probably need about two hours to fully explore it.
After the trail, we grabbed coffees and a cookie at Java, and walked around Perkins Cove. The cove is a small former fishing town with great shops, water views, and delicious restaurants. The restaurants looked fairly busy, so leave yourself plenty of time if you plan to grab lunch.
Normally, we love walking, and would have walked to the downtown area of Ogunquit, but with time constraints, we were forced to drive there. It’s about a mile from the cove. We found parking very easily, and began exploring the shops. We particularly enjoyed a shop called Seashell Cottage, and ended up buying a beautiful hand-crafted cheese knife with a boating theme. One can easily spend a few hours exploring the shops and partaking in all of the food offerings. There is also a beach if you have some time to kill.
We had booked a lobster boat excursion back in Portland before we started our Maine trip, so we headed back to Portland to make sure the boat did not leave without us. I would highly recommend this experience. The Lucky Catch Captain and the guides were extremely knowledgeable about Portland and the lobster industry. Most importantly, all COVID-19 protocols were followed.
The excursion takes place on Casco Bay, and you get to cruise near lighthouses and historic forts. We also saw a large number of beautiful sailboats that were out and about. There were four groups on the boat – each group consisted of two people. Each one of us had the opportunity to haul up the traps, hold lobsters, throw back crabs that got trapped in the lobster traps, and fill the bait net (a little gross, I am not going to lie). Don’t forget to take photos.
After the wonderful boat excursion, we were starving, so we headed to Central Provisions, which is only a few blocks away. What an eclectic dinner! We ordered the Wild Hackleback Sturgeon caviar (which came with chips, eggs, onions, chives, and crème fraiche), the foie gras, and the lobster with broccoli dish. Every meal has to include lobster when in Maine! The meal was delicious, and not super heavy, which is just what we needed.
Of course, we needed something sweet after, so we headed to Gorgeous Gelato, and ordered a Chocolate Salami (so ridiculously tasty), and a Whoopie Pie (the official state treat of Maine). You can also never go wrong with gelato. I was just too cold at the time to order some and too distracted by all of the other treats.
After satisfying our sweet tooth, we decided to try to see the sunset from Fort Williams Park (no, it's not named after Justin sadly) in Cape Elizabeth Maine (a local tip from our guide from Lucky Catch), and only a twenty-minute drive from the downtown area. The park is 90 acres and most famous for the Portland Head Light, the oldest lighthouse in Maine. Unfortunately, it was too foggy out to see the sunset, but the lighthouse did not disappoint.
Because of COVID-19, places were closing a lot earlier than normal, so we had only about another two hours of activities left. A local friend recommended the Austin Street Brewery. We managed to get the last table. Justin ordered the Offset Double IPA and I got the Patina Pale Ale. We really enjoyed both beers. Mr. Tuna, a mobile sushi bar, was also at the brewery serving their amazing hand rolls. We ordered three. All of their rolls were refreshing and light. What a great end to the night!
Most importantly, don’t forget to see the world, and eat the food.