How to Spend the Perfect Fall Weekend in Maine’s Iconic MidCoast Region

My first visit to the MidCoast region of Maine happened by accident. My Dad and I were taking our first trip together in years, driving up from Massachusetts where we both lived at the time to go to Acadia National Park. I had just left a restaurant job and I had no idea what to do with my first free time in years, so clearing my head in Maine for a weekend sounded perfect.

While passing through Rockland, one of the fans in my car launched itself through my radiator, abruptly interrupting our trip to Downeast. We broke down right in front of the Rockland Fire Department and were quickly referred over to a mechanic who was miraculously able to get the work done over the weekend to get us back on the road faster. 

During the unexpected day that we spent there, we discovered some of my favorite places: Wasses Hot Dogs and their perfect peanut oil-griddled franks, a scoop of homespun Grapenut ice cream at Doorman’s Dairy Dream, the expansive gardens and greenhouses behind Primo, and hiking around Owl’s Head Lighthouse to collect more sumac than we could carry. We never made it to Acadia that weekend, but sometimes accidents happen for a reason: this misadventure was the best introduction to MidCoast that I could have had, and funny enough, both my father and I ended up moving to Maine just a few years later.

Since moving, I’ve spent countless weekends deciding to use my spare days off to spend some time in MidCoast, whether it’s for an overnight trip or just for a whirlwind day of eating around some of the best restaurants in the state. 

The MidCoast region has several counties on Maine’s coast, dotted with mountains, lined with rocky shores, and studded with some of the best beaches in the state — there’s nowhere else quite like it. Summer is the busiest time to travel to the area, with traffic in Wiscasset backed up for miles, high hotel rates, and slim availability at restaurants that require reservations. September and early October are my favorite months for a trip since the leaves are just starting to change but like the temperatures, haven’t yet fallen.

While the seaside towns that make up the region are no doubt quieter than Portland, the communities are tight and home to an ever-growing and emerging food scene. Here’s how to plan your visit.

Places to Eat

I always pass through Brunswick when starting a trip up the coast, and if the timing is in my favor, I plan a quick stop for a bagel at Dutchman’s. The owner is an alum of Rose Foods in Portland and started a pop-up within the Fort Andross Mill last year. The response was overwhelming and they’re now serving their perfectly crispy and chewy wood-fired bagels — truly some of the best bagels in the state — from Thursday through Sunday. They sell out quickly, so some pre-planning via their online ordering system or an earlier wake-up time if you’re planning to walk up may be required. 

It’s hard to mention Maine to a food lover not from here without speaking about The Lost Kitchen, Erin French’s highly sought-after restaurant located inside a beautiful mill in Freedom. Prospective diners can only secure a table via a postcard lottery system. (After three years of trying, I still haven’t been for a meal.) Unlucky senders, fear not: French offers a small store featuring locally made kitchen wares, home goods, and more. While it may not be as great as coming to dine, it’s still a wonderful opportunity to see the property. 

The Place is a micro-bakery in Camden that opened last year. Owned and operated by a duo from Long Island, they bake with local flour and dairy and their pastries are truly spectacular. Their menu features cookies, croissants, and rotating specials like savory pastry baked with radicchio jam and celery walnut gremolata. and a yogurt danish with carrot puree, yogurt curd, and low-bush blueberries. They accept pre-orders 72 hours before pick up, otherwise, plan to get there early. The Place is extremely popular for good reason: I’ve had a lot of laminated dough in my life and this was some of the best. 

Despite all the buzz about dining in Portland, my favorite restaurant in the state is in Rockland. Sammy’s Deluxe is the place you tell everyone that you love to go, especially people who love great food. The menu has some mainstays, like the House Smoked Haddock Snacks, Brown Bread — baked in a can, of course — and my favorite, Sammy’s Cheeseburger. The rest of the menu is equally fantastic and ever-changing, based on the season and whatever owner Sammy Richman has foraged, like Chicken-of-the-Woods Fettuccine Alfredo. 

When I first started to be comfortable enough to travel in 2020, we stayed local. Our first long drive was to the MidCoast and our first meal was Long Grain. The restaurant set up an elaborate system of coolers that would house the bags of take-out meals — a setup I felt totally safe with. This was the first takeout I had ordered in months and nothing ever tasted as good as those first bites of crab fried rice. Since then, I’ve been back to dining indoors and everything on the menu is always outstanding. Like the Kao Soi Gai with thick pickled mustard greens or the Nam Tok beef salad with a broth so delicious you simply have to drink whatever is left from the bowl. This is the perfect place to warm up on colder days or cool down when it’s just a bit too hot outside. 

Things to Do

As a pastry chef who happened to marry another pastry chef, there’s no shortage of kitchen wares in my home. With a predilection for anything mid-century, Recycling Retro in Woolwich is a must-stop for a quick browse. They stock a wide selection of vintage kitchen items, from percolators to Pyrex. 

One of my favorite shops when I first started visiting Maine was More & Co., a shop curated with the most beautiful objects like blue and white ceramics from local artist Chloe May Brown and colorful circus stools and prints from CDR. (I’ve completely decked my home out with work from CDR.) More & Co. closed several years ago but Maria Vettesse has recently opened a new shop in Wiscasset, Angelo Santo, which houses some of the same treasures and new delights as well.

Morse’s Sauerkraut in Waldoboro is a German-style delicatessen and grocery featuring goods from across Europe. They have been utilizing the same sauerkraut recipe and production process for over 100 years, using locally grown and hand-cut cabbage. The kraut is available in retailers and restaurants across Maine and for good reason — it’s the best I’ve ever had. This is the perfect stop to stock up on snacks for the drive or even for treats later on. Most restaurants close early in the MidCoast and I can’t count how many times a late-night snack from a Morse’s haul has saved the day. 

Owner Joanna Spinks recently opened First Fig in Camden, a neighborhood bottle shop and wine bar. The space serves locally roasted coffee from Kavka, pastries baked just around the corner from The Place, and hosts live music and pop-ups, from makers markets to weekly oyster nights and Taco Sundays. 

A trip to Glidden Point Oyster Farm is a must for any bivalve enthusiast. You can book a farm tour for a deeper dive into how oysters grow or just order at the window, have a quick shucking tutorial, and enjoy fresh oysters at a picnic table overlooking the water. After all, learning how to shuck your own oysters might just be the best souvenir you can bring home from Maine.

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay are the perfect place to stretch your legs, explore 300 acres of gardens, and work up an appetite for a long day of eating ahead. The Gardens are open May through October and regularly post what’s currently blooming and where for visitors to set expectations and enjoy the lush landscape. Set against the backdrop of changing leaves, early autumn is a beautiful and much more quiet time to explore the property. 

Mount Battie is just minutes North of downtown Camden. Part of a 25-mile hiking trail through Camden Hills State Park, the mountain offers both an auto road and a 1.1-mile hike to the summit which looks out over the Penobscot Bay and Camden Harbor. The hike is relatively easy but depending on how much exercise you’re looking to get after a marathon day of eating, the drive up is quick. The view of the foliage, hills, and Camden below is stunning and a perfect place for fall leaf peeping. 

Where to Stay

Just a quick 10-minute walk from downtown Camden is Whitehall. The former ship captain’s mansion was built in 1834 and transformed into an inn in 1901. Now, the 36-room boutique property is operated by Lark Hotels and decorated with bright colors and pops of coastal charm. While there’s no restaurant here, guests are served several small plates for breakfast — think pastries and overnight oats — plus freshly baked cookies in the afternoon. The rooms are cozy but do keep in mind that some room types have shared hall bathrooms, so be sure to read the details before booking. The front porch, firepit, and shuffleboard courts are the perfect places to unwind after a long day of exploring the midcoast. Plus, literary buffs will delight in knowing the historic property was where Maine’s famous poet Edna St. Vincent Millay was first discovered in 1912 when she recited her poem Renascence, which was penned from atop neighboring Mount Battie. 

Located in the heart of downtown Rockland and steps from the harbor, 250 Main Hotel is a 26-room pet-friendly boutique hotel. The rooms feature reclaimed and vintage furniture and oversized windows and the property is decked out with work from local artists. Small touches like heated bathroom floors and even heated towel racks make this the perfect retreat for chillier evenings. The roof deck isn’t to be missed, plus the hotel hosts a daily happy hour with a complimentary glass of beer or wine and small snacks.

The Norumbega is a recently refurbished boutique hotel just outside of downtown Camden. The historic property offers guests unparalleled views of Penobscot Bay, only made better by the pops of foliage that surround the property in the autumn. The guest rooms offer private patios, fireplaces, and even a two-story library suite. The hotel has a small bar that fixes up a perfect Boulevardier, the perfect cocktail to enjoy on the patio while the leaves begin to fall around you. Don’t miss out on the fire pit on the property, which guests can light and enjoy during chilly Fall evenings.