June in Boothbay Harbor

Boothbay Harbor is probably one of the last few places we have found on the Maine coast that still has that "Maine" feel. So many of the other spots are over crowded, over priced and just not fun anymore. This harbor is a bit different. Sure there are souvenir shops with the same old stuff, sure the Main street can have a few cars making traffic slow and sure the parking can be a bit of a challenge.

Welcome to vacationing. We still love this place as it is one of the only REAL harbors. A place where boats of all sizes and shape can come in from the ocean and seek safe harborage. You can actually visit many of the waterfront areas directly or via eating establishments.

Each time we go we discover something new, whether it be a new land trust area for a hike and picnic, or a new boat ride or light house to explore. They now offer tours of The Burnt Island Lighthouse where they reenact life of the lighthouse keeper and his family during 1950s.

We also find Boothbay Harbor the ideal location to use as a jumping off location for day trips to Southport Island, East Boothbay and Ocean Point and Damariscotta.

We just love this place and if you haven't tried it what are you waiting for?

Quick Tips:

Any of the dozen Land Preserves, like Ovens Mouth. Try out The Aquarium, Burnt Island tour, eating lobster, or a sailboat ride with a bottle of your own wine. Some other fun ideas could be a picnic lunch at Ocean Point, eating lobster, a visit to the only area beach, or a trip to Dogfish Head. A Ride down River Road is a great idea as well.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Rocktide Trolley, or by foot.

If your not looking for this place you can drive right by it, as it is set about 100 feet back from the road right on the harbor. It's on the east side of the harbor, so you get to watch the sun set over downtown. It's also much more relaxed on that side of the harbor. They have a large parking lot, which very few of the other restaurants have. I would highly recommend this place to travelers of all ages, as the menu has so much more than just lobster and seafood. You can also come by boat, there is a large dock and pier to park at.

I don't know how they do it or what the secret is but we have eaten Lobster all over and somehow theirs is just so much better than any other we have had. They are cooked in large pots right outside where you can watch them. I asked the guy cooking them what the secret was and all he could "tell" me was it was all in the water and timing. I have had their prime rib, hot lobster rolls and baked stuffed shrimp, just to name a few and all are some of the best dishes I have had anywhere. One of my real favorites though is their haddock sandwich, it must be their breading. It is also a few bucks less than most of the other spots.

One night while we were there a couple of the local men in blue were there having the mussels and some type of scallop dish. I guess that is one sure way to tell if the place is good if the police eat there!

Don't let the picnic tables distract you if you only dine at fancy places. The real key here is the food, the view and the staff. There can be some serious looking lines on the weekend but what I figured out is that if there is say 30 people waiting for a table, most are in groups of 4 to 6. The line moves along and I have made a couple of new friends while waiting and chatting with others.

It is always clean and with its red roof, red picnic tables and colorful umbrellas makes for a fun outing. They also have quite a few tables in a dining area inside on the water side. Maine can be nice one minute and then rainy or cool the next. We have had to sit inside on more than one time, it's clean, has a nautical feel and great views of the harbor and downtown too.

We really like this place and can't wait to go once we make the turn off of Route 1 and hit Route 27. Usually we don't even check-in but head straight there for a quick "snack" of a hot lobster roll which we share, a pint of clams, and a couple glasses of wine before we hit the hotel.