Maine Adventures

As much as I love family travel (and I really do love family travel!), a solo trip can be fun and special for its own reasons. Whether it’s a trip to see new things that don't interest the rest of your family (haha!), to get some R&R, a new perspective, a change of scenery, stress relief…or all of the above…sometimes, it is just great to go out and do some adventuring on your own! Last week, I got the opportunity to do some adventuring in a place I had never been before…Maine! I had never been to any of the New England states, and a fall trip to Maine sounded wonderful—and it did not disappoint!

Maine has a couple of mid-sized airports, but flights are a little more pricey this time of year, so I decided to fly into Boston (you can read more about my day in Boston soon!). Boston has a big, busy airport with lots of incoming flights throughout the day. It also has inexpensive and frequent flights from DC. Boston is only about an hour from the border of Maine, and it was fun to get to spend the day in the city before retreating to the more peaceful vibe of small town Maine.

As I was planning my trip to Maine, I knew I wanted to get to see the ocean, quaint towns, and some of the amazing fall foliage that the state is known for. I wasn’t quite sure where I wanted to go specifically, but I found an adorable (and affordable) inn on the sea. I decided to plan my trip around that. I knew where I wanted to stay, but I also wanted to be a bit spontaneous. While I did have some “must sees” planned, I also left a lot of time open to go wherever looked interesting to me at the time.

When I had originally booked my stay at the Seaside Inn, they only had availability for two of the three nights I was staying so I needed to find a different place for my first night. One fun and unique thing about Maine is that they have so many small inns, motels, and bed and breakfasts. There are some “chain” hotels there, but the smaller inns are more common. After reading about a zillion hotel reviews, I finally landed on the Abalonia Inn in Ogunquit, ME. It ended up being a great choice! When I pulled into Ogunquit, I just couldn’t believe how quaint and charming it was! It was like stepping into a Hallmark movie. The Inn itself was quaint and charming and full of character! It was situated on the main road within close walking distance to several shops, restaurants, and even the beach.

The Abalonia Inn is family owned, and the owner was so genuinely nice. There was an evening campfire where several people sat around and chatted and got to know one another. It was everything you could want in a small town inn. The town had several little shops and restaurants. I was able to buy some fun souvenirs at the “Spoiled Rotten Gift Shop” (such a fun name!) and had dinner at a local pizza place that had a “lobster roll and clam chowder special” So of course I had to do that on my first night. I followed that up with Big Daddy’s Ice Cream shop which was truly delicious! All of the shops and restaurants were staffed by incredibly friendly people.

Abalonia Inn in Ogunquit, ME. Adorable and cozy Inn with wonderfully friendly owners.

The first full day I was in Maine, the ocean called to me! I wanted to see the rocky coast that I had only seen in pictures, so I headed to Cape Elizabeth to check out the light house. My first stop was scenic, but not exactly what I thought it would be. I saw a sign for Two Lights State Park, so I decided to check it out. I pulled in and it looked like a basic park. There were stairs going up over a hill towards the coast, so I decided to check that out hoping to get a view of the ocean. Once I climbed the stairs, I could not believe the view!! It was absolutely gorgeous and there were hardly any people there…just open rocks for climbing (and yes I did climb all the way down-much to my children’s disbelief upon hearing about it!). It was a beautiful time to just sit and stare out into the ocean and enjoy the peace.

The hidden gem, Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth, ME.

After that, I headed to Portland Head Lighthouse. It is far more well known than Two Lights state park, so it was considerably more crowded. It was a beautiful light house, and had I not just experienced the best (and crowd free) seaside experience, I may have been more eager to stay and check it out, however,I felt satisfied with my experience for the day.

When I was done with my sightseeing for the day, I checked into my seaside hotel called, The Seaside Inn. It is a 9th generation family owned Inn…by the sea, of course! It was a cute inn, and just a walk across a yard away from the beach. It was a little like stepping back into another time, in a good way. It was quiet and cozy. The breakfast that came with the room was delicious and homemade. The homemade muffins were especially delicious. There was a cute little sitting area for breakfast and they used real dishes and cooked everything right there in the kitchen.

Beach access from the Seaside Inn in Kennebunk, ME

The leaves in Southern Maine, where I was staying, had not turned into as many fall colors as I had hoped. So I did some research and found that if I headed about 2 hours Northwest, the leaves were in “peak” fall foliage condition. So my second full day there, I headed out on an adventure to Grafton Notch State Park towards Bethel, ME. Upon researching, I found there is no shortage of state parks and national parks in Maine! There is so much uninhabited beauty there, which is great for sightseeing and exploring.

Photos of the fall foliage just don’t do it justice! It was absolutely beautiful!

Grafton Notch State Park is a small, but beautiful state park. The fall foliage was beautiful and indeed in “peak” viewing mode. There was no fuss getting in and out of the park. You can just drive up and park and get out and look at a small waterfall or be on a long trail in no time. No toll booths, no crowd, ample parking, it was great! The only downer of the “no fuss” state park is the restroom facilities are quite rustic! So plan accordingly-ha! Since I was traveling solo and not much of an experienced hiker, I chose to just do small trails so I wouldn’t be lost and wandering around in the woods forever. This park was perfect for that. I got a good dose of nature while sticking close to my car. Had I desired a more long and adventurous trail, that was available as well. I enjoyed walking around Moose Cave and seeing Screw Auger Falls.

Screw Auger Falls in Grafton Notch State Park

After I had had my share of mini-hikes, I drove to Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge on the border of Maine and New Hampshire. It was a pretty drive, however, I did not see any wildlife there…..BUT……not far outside of the actual refuge, I saw……A MOOSE!!! I have never seen a moose in the wild, and was THRILLED to see one. I would have totally missed it, had it not been for a couple cars pulled over on the road and people standing out with their phones taking pictures. I did the same, and the moose and I enjoyed watching each other for a few minutes. It was great!

The highlight of my day! Getting to see a REAL LIVE MOOSE!

The last morning, I enjoyed walking around the adorable town of Kennebunkport, ME. It was so picturesque and beautiful. The shops and restaurants were unique and it was a great way to wrap up my time in Maine.

Maine was absolutely lovely and a great fall excursion! I highly recommend it, especially for solo or couples trips. It is a great place to get away and enjoy the quiet, nature, and friendly people.

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