Southern Maine is summer paradise. A snowpocalypse the whole winter and a giant mudslide in the spring, the area, about two hours north of Boston, morphs in early June into a temperate, floral heaven full of beaches, farmers markets, creative cuisine and craft beer. And though this idyll makes it a tourist magnet, a little savvy allows locals to avoid crowds so that the joys of summer make up for the bleak climate the rest of the year.
In Portland, you can chuck a craft beer on any cobblestoned downtown street and hit multiple eateries, bakeries and coffee shops. Want deep-dish pizza? You got it. A fresh blueberry pie? Walk a few yards. A potato-flour doughnut washed down with iced coffee made with coffee ice cubes? Want to eat in a restaurant nominated for a James Beard award? Or a slice of rhubarb hibiscus pie baked in a coffee shop housed in an old gas station? Portland’s got you covered.
And when you and your food baby waddle toward the next place, friendly Mainers will stop, with a smile and a wave, to let you jaywalk there as the local man who spends his days tunelessly whistling downtown serenades you.
Of course, the best way to experience summer in southern Maine is by visiting friends there. That way you can avoid the Old Port tourist crowds, wake up on Saturday to watch the happiest dogs sprint across the beach, pay a quick visit to a giant chocolate moose, then buy farmers market greens for a pal bringing lobsters from midcoast. Straight off a boat, the critters will cost less than the price of one lobster roll and make enough for a three-person feast. Then you can walk it off on a breezy promenade overlooking the sea.
