Josh and I spent another four days in Maine—after being there two weeks before, but there are no rules. This time around, Josh’s mom, sister, and niece were up at the trailer with us, which was fun because I hadn’t been up there with our niece before. She’s almost a year and a half and babbling and just funny to watch run around. All of us had our own plans over those few days, but we were able to hang out at night before bed together.
Where We Went
Perkins Cove: Usually when we go to Perkins Cove, we park in Ogunquit and walk along the Marginal Way to get there. When I was planning the trip, the weather showed rain for part of the day, so we decided to park in Perkins Cove so we could still walk around the shops.
Of course we stopped in Perkins Cove Bookshop; I got The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung. We went into most of the shops, including Perkins Cove Candy where I got Sour Patch Kids and Josh got Swedish Fish. We also walked across the drawbridge so I could take a few pictures of it.
York’s Wild Kingdom: Neither of us knew there was a zoo in York, and since we were making Friday a “York Day,” we decided to check it out—and use it as research to see if it would be a good trip for our niece when she gets older. The Wild Kingdom is half zoo, half amusement park, and we only did the zoo part. Surprisingly, the zoo was a lot bigger than we thought, and had a variety of your typical zoo animals.
One fun thing we did was feed the budgies. You could buy a stick with seeds on it, and you went into an enclosure where all of the birds were. In addition to loving the seed sticks, the birds also liked going after our sneakers and one of my bracelets.
Overall, it was a nice zoo. Some of the signage looked dated, and some of the enclosures could use some TLC, but it’s a good place for families.
The Booktenders: This is a bookstore in York, and this was my first trip there. It’s a small building and didn’t have a large selection of books; it seemed more curated, especially highlighting local Maine authors. I ended up getting a “blind date with a book” package, and the book was The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo (I might save this for spooky season).
Nubble Lighthouse: Josh first took me here a few years ago, and we wanted to go back since we were down in York on Friday. It was a stop before going to dinner, and we luckily snagged a parking spot. We sat down on the side of the rocks facing the lighthouse for a bit. It’s such a pretty view there.
Portland Head/Fort Williams Park: The GPS was taking us a different way to get there, and we soon found out why: the Beach to Beacon 10K had just finished up. We saw all of the runners walking back from the finish line, and school bus shuttles were holding up some of the traffic. We didn’t know a road race was taking place there, but we lucked out with timing since it was over by the time we got there.
We went here last September in the pouring rain, and I wanted a do-over. For the two hours we were there, we walked around most of the park, including up to the lighthouse itself and the fort remains from when the grounds were used for military operations in the early 1900s.
This is also my favorite lighthouse to go to!
Downtown Portland: I knew I wanted to go to Longfellow Books—where I got 3 books: The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie, The Incandescent by Emily Tesh, and Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin—but after that, we usually just walk around and pop into random shops. There was a pet store we stopped in and got Cannoli some treats. Josh also got a new Portland shirt in a souvenir shop, and there was a Soft as a Grape location, the same store we went to in Martha’s Vineyard, where we became best friends with the girl working there. (Unfortunately, she hadn’t been transferred to the Portland location.)
Portland Sea Dogs game: This is one of my favorite traditions that we do in Maine! The Sea Dogs were playing as the Whoopie Pies that night; in the past when we’ve gone, they’ve played as the Bean Suppahs. I always love fun theme nights.
The Sea Dogs were playing the Harrisburg Senators, and by the end of the 3rd inning, the Senators were up 4–2. Portland scored again in the 5th and then 4 runs in the 6th, winning the game 7–4. It was exciting when the Sea Dogs came back later in the game; the stadium is old-school and has metal bleachers and steps, so everyone was pounding their feet.
Of course, we got Sea Dog biscuits, something else I was looking forward to, although it’s just an ice cream sandwich. There were fireworks after the game, but we didn’t stay since we had been out all day in Portland and wanted to go back to the trailer to just hang out before bed.
Gooch’s Beach: Like our trip a few weeks ago, we wanted an easy day for our last day of vacation before leaving. The weather said it would be overcast, and when we got to the beach around 9:30 am, it was very cloudy and windy. We weren’t sure if it would be worth staying, but once we went for a walk down the beach, the sun started coming out. Since we had packed lunch, we decided we’d stay until the early afternoon to try to make the most of it.
I finished reading Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering, which I had read during our last beach trip. The water wasn’t as cold as last time, but we only went up to our ankles. The lifeguards also switched the flags from green to yellow, which was a first for us while at Gooch’s.
What We Ate + Drank
Mike’s American Diner: This Mike’s is also part of the Mike’s All Day Breakfast restaurant family; the second location is located in Kennebunk right near the Port and is usually always busy. I got a BLT and a Diet Coke, and Josh had a coffee and a pastrami Reuben.
Sebago Brewing: For some reason, Sebago ended up becoming our last dinner place before leaving Maine, so Josh wanted to go there first for a change this time around. We split pretzels for an app, and split the Woody pizza—arlic butter, cheese blend, crumbled bacon, feta, and tomatoes.
Shain’s of Maine: I would have gotten a picture of our ice cream, but we got it to go and brought it back to the trailer. I got blueberry, and Josh got coffee cookie.
Rick’s Blue Jay Cafe: We went here for brunch before going to the zoo, and we really loved it! We sat at the bar since there looked like there was a wait for an actual table. I got a Western omelette, and Josh got the corned beef eggs benedict.
York Beach Beer Company: This was such a cute brewery! Josh was convinced he had brought me there before, but after I explained I had never been to York with him, he realized he brought one of his best friends there instead 🙃. We both got flights and really liked the beer!
Fox’s Lobster House: This restaurant is located right next to the Nubble lighthouse area, so if you dine outside, like we did, you can see the lighthouse. I got the Fox’s Magnificent Baked Haddock, and Josh got the Golden Fried Shrimp Plate. We’d definitely go back!
Bite into Maine: This was a food truck located in Fort Williams and made a good option for lunch for us. I got the caprese sandwich, and Josh got the grilled cheese. Gorgeous Gelato: Another food truck in Fort Williams! I got Maine blueberry, and Josh got Raspberry Cheesecake.
Shipyard Brewing: We went here for flights when we got into downtown Portland. The taproom was pretty big and also had some outside seating. I think there were about 20 beers on draft, so there was something for everyone. They also had a food menu, which would have been a good option for lunch if we hadn’t already eaten.
Federal Jack’s: This is one of our favorite places to go, and we sat outside this time around. Josh got a beer, and I was really excited to get a Diet Coke for some reason (maybe after our day at the beach). We split fried pickles, and Josh got a Reuben, and I got haddock tacos, which were so good. (I’m still thinking about them.)
Also fun fact—Shipyard Brewing actually started at Kennebunkport Brewing Company in Federal Jack’s!
Strikeouts + Sprinkles 