Things to do / Travel Guide
Lobster, we can all agree, is great date food. Sitting two to a table, sharing a big red - now that's a way to be romantic! With this in mind, wouldn't you love to go on a romantic getaway to the Maine Coast region? It's the lobster homeland! What's more, the rural New England scenery is sure to please, and the rocky, island-strewn terrain will heighten your sense of wild beauty to put you both in the mood. Whether your object is a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon experience, or just any excuse for an ultra-romantic escape, Maine Coast is happily at your service.
Romantic Getaways on Maine's Southern Coast
There are a number of awfully romantic locations along Maine's southern coast. Just about anywhere there's an old lighthouse well might take your breath away. A good starting point, then, is paying homage to Nubble Light on York Beach. There are lots of people who call this the most picturesque lighthouse in America. You'll have to see it to know really why, but it encapsulates everything we love about the Maine Coast region. Ruling atop a rocky outcrop, the light shines through the fog and the waves breaks in the distance. If you're really lucky, and you plan things just right, you might arrive at sunrise for a truly fantastic show of lights.
Nubble Light isn't the only attraction on York Beach. The lodgings themselves are at the height of New England glamour, and are particularly suited for amour. A few nights at Harbor Cliffs Bed and Breakfast Inn and you'll be hopelessly in love. Order the Romantic Package, with champagne and goblets, and candy and roses. Relax with hands coupled in front of the fireplace or in the Jacuzzi. Or venture out from your rooms and find Wiggly Bridge, the world's smallest pedestrian suspension bridge and a perfect stopping point for lovers.
Ogunquit offers culinary masterpieces, and it's in this resort city that you'll find the classy and more avant-garde restaurants. A meal in the trendy Five-O will certainly please, with entrées like the haddock stuffed with Maine seafood and topped with a lobster saffron sauce, or Asian-barbequed baby back ribs. The wine list is to die for, and if you're in town for a celebrated wine dinner, do not miss! They're an excellent starter for a romantic evening. After dinner take a stroll along the white-sanded beach or on a sandbar.
In Kennebunkport, a scenic city right on the ocean, stay at the Village Cove Inn, a country-style lodge. In addition to a spa room, the inn offers its Changing Tide Restaurant, a regional favorite for lobster bakes and steamers, Maine mussels, shrimp, scallops, haddock, and cod. Otherwise you can go for a tasty rack of lamb. The menu changes according to the season, each time focusing on a different aspect of the Maine culinary tradition. This can be a very intimate affair, with tables spread along a boat-filled cove.
Romantic Getaways on Maine's Midcoast
Farther north along the coast, on one side of the scenic Androscoggin River, you'll find the quaint town of Brunswick. This is a quintessential New England college town, home to the beautiful and historic campus of Bowdoin College. Walk around, be charmed by the architecture - and stay at one of the two lovely bed and breakfasts. One is the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, where the abolitionist author lived for a number of years; the other is Brunswick Bed and Breakfast, a Greek Revival-style house of excellent quality. The romance potential soars as the rooms come with four-poster beds, plenty of windows overlooking the town, cozy rugs and wall knits, and spacious bathrooms.
Speaking of berries, you've heard about Maine's blueberries, right? How about a gentle morning, or afternoon, in a vast berry field picking berries? All along the coast you'll find the most lush blueberries sold at farmers markets and the like; now's the time to pick some of your own. Head to Sewall's Orchards to do the deed, across Penobscot Bay from Bar Harbor. Maybe make a rhubarb jam out of it.
Romantic Getaways on Maine's North Coast
Penobscot Bay presents a wonderland of activities for the couple in love. There are numerous marinas for boat launches, be they yachts or anything smaller. Visit the beautiful islands, like North Haven Island or Deer Isle. Of course, it's Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park, with Bar Harbor on its eastern side that will please you both. The scenery, replete with the requisite lighthouses, is gorgeous, the better to explore in a horse-drawn carriage on any of the carriage roads. You've experienced this in Manhattan's Central Park; now it's time for a horse-drawn ride in the real country.
The Maine Coast is just so great when it comes to food - we have to tell you more. Bar Harbor also, is inundated by great eateries, great prix fixe dining experiences - and breakfast restaurants. You will want to visit Jeannie's Breakfast and Chowder House, where the oatmeal bread French toast is heavenly and the strawberry rhubarb jam is one wonderful way to say “good morning.”
All the bays, the islands, the blueberry fields, and the small New England towns and villages, can also be lovingly witnessed from above: a hot air balloon ride is the perfect way to introduce or cap off a generously romantic honeymoon or getaway. Because the balloon travels exclusively with the wind, you won't feel a bit of wind or movement your entire trip. It's just you two, (the balloon captain,) and a bottle of crisp champagne upon the backdrop of the Maine Coast, some of the best views you'll ever set your eyes upon.
Romantic Vacation Ideas in Portland, Bangor, Acadia, Bar Harbor and the Maine Coast
Romantic-Vacations-Getaways
Camden Hills State Park Beach - Maine
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