My daughter suggested it for the three of us, and I said “Sure!” before checking out the menu. Yikes. I won’t make that mistake again.
Wild Oats Bakery in Brunswick is a favorite of ours for lunch. It has awesome sandwiches and desserts. Their soups look popular but I haven’t tried them.
If you have time, Popham Beach SP is a great sandy beach and fun to visit even in winter. If you go at low tide, you can walk out to Fox Island. If you don’t have that much time, a closer access to the ocean is at Wolf’s Neck Woods SP.
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My D (first-year at Bates, as you know) is an avid bird photographer, and she has spent lots of time in Thorncrag, the bird sanctuary near campus. Wolfe’s Neck is a lovely (easy) hike that will give you a great taste of the coast – and doable if there’s snow or mud. For Portland-Lewiston, I second a lot of the recommendations above, including Forage, Nezinscot Farm (my D did her AESOP there for orientation week, so she took us there for breakfast during parents’ weekend, and it was so much fun – includes a shop with locally produced goods), DaVincis, Pure Thai, Izakaya Minato (Portland, outstanding Japanese food, no reservations), Benkay (Portland, also Japanese, more focus on sushi), Scales (Portland, lobster), Luke’s Lobster (Portland), Taco Escobarr (Portland), Met Coffee House and Art Gallery in Freeport for lunch – handy if you’re there to hike at Wolfe’s Neck or shop at LL Bean.
If your timing works out - there’s a little place in Gray called Ten Apple Farm. They raise goats, and you can sign up for a goat hike into the woods, which might be fun since you like hiking. They also sell home-baked goods, jam, products made with goat milk, etc. All depends on their availability, but they’re a lovely couple and a goat hike could be fun if the timing works out.
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We ate at Taco Escobarr on Thursday night! We’ve found we need to go at odd times or there is too long a wait. You can’t get reservations there.
Wolfe’s Neck Woods is where we always take out-of-town visitors. Ask how to get to the shore near the island with the osprey nest.
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Btw – I know bird photography isn’t the point, but I should add that the best opportunities my D has gotten for bird photography is not at Thorncrag (she’s seen more amphibians and reptiles there), but at the pond right on the Bates campus (known as the puddle) – she spends a lot of time there with her long lens!
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Not sure what the condition of Colby’s Quarry Road Trails is in March, but it’s certainly convenient to campus for a hike/snowshoe! Their art museum is really lovely and is worth a visit as well. You need to make that jaunt up north worth the trip.
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Okay, my totally freaking out travel anxiety questions… Are there frequent places to stop for restroom breaks between Boston and Portland? What about between Portland and BBC? Portland and Amherst? Amherst and Boston?
Are there any hiking places near Portland that have good hikes as well as a more chill area to just walk around?
Thanks.
Restroom breaks: Kennebunk rest area, Portsmouth travel stop, NH welcome center.
Portland hiking: back bay trail
What is BBC?
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Bates Bowdoin Colby.
No cities in Maine are very big. It’s very easy to get out of the city and go for a hike anywhere. The nicest hike we ever did, as I think I mentioned before, is Bradbury State Park.
Where you are thinking of going, don’t worry about finding places with restrooms. There will be many places. It is not all rural and there are plenty of grocery stores and restaurants all over, especially the well traveled roads you’re going on. As a person who isn’t fond of bushes by the side of the road, I can attest you won’t have a problem.
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Agree with this. Every exit off of the turnpike has either a Dunkin, MCd’s, Subway, Wendy’s, Starbucks, your usual assortment. It’s not that rural. It only gets that way above Bangor.
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Yes- agree that nearly each exit off 95 or 295 has all the usual places to rest & refresh.
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Portland to Brunswick is 30 minutes so you shouldn’t need to stop. BBC are all within 45 minutes of each other. If you are going from Brunswick to Waterville you can stop at the Gardiner rest stop off the highway. You can walk around the Old Port in Portland or Back Bay.
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Thanks everyone. What about driving from Bowdoin to Amherst? It seems like that might be more rural.
No. You would be travelling on I95 and then I90 the whole way. Tons of retail, fast food, etc. off of every exit whether on 95, 495, or 90, also there are several rest stops along the way. While Amherst is “rural” it’s not like you are in rural Wyoming or Montana or Northern Maine. It’s pretty built up.
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So it’s better to take 90 than 2/202?
I forgot to mention if you do stop at the Gardiner rest stop make sure to check out the Center for Maine Craft. This is a retail shop that represents many Maine artisans.
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Wolfe Neck Woods State Park in Freeport is nice - you can take a very short walk through the woods to get to the coast. It’s one of my favorite places to take visitors.
I do get frustrated trying to find services in Massachusetts north of Boston, surprisingly. Don’t take any random exit and expect to find a place nearby. Locate a restaurant or convenience store first, and then take an exit.
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Isn’t there an app that @Colorado_mom uses to plan stops ahead of time? Like it shows restaurants, hotels, whatever in the exits ahead???
Agree with this. I usually don’t stop until Kennebunk. Maybe Portsmouth, NH if I want to get a bite to eat and walk around. Portsmouth is quite lovely.
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