For the past few years, every time I am on the Maine seacoast, I wish I could find the time to do a class at Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School. Last October, I finally got the chance to do it on my way home after staying in Freeport. I am so glad I did because it was a fun way to spend the morning! Take a peek…
Another beautiful farm I visited was Pineland Farm, in New Gloucester, Maine. I visited this farm when I was staying in Freeport for the night.
Pineland Farm is a 5,000-acre working farm that welcomes visitors to enjoy its beautiful rural landscape.
Wolfe Neck is a nonprofit farm with 626 oceanfront acres and 4 miles of Casco Bay shoreline that is open to the public every day. A few years back I was given a tour of the farm. Take a peek at my post about it.
This fall, I decided to bring my bike to the farm and spend a relaxing morning riding along its gorgeous views of the coast, visiting the animals, and breathing in that coastal air!
In autumn, I love stopping in to different farms to enjoy the gifts of living in New England. Apple picking, pumpkins, hay rides, corn mazes, farm stand… I can’t get enough! Lately I’ve been spending one day a week visiting a farm nearby. It’s the perfect way to get outside for some fresh air, walk around in nature, and ok, ok…it doesn’t hurt that lots of farms have cider donuts.
This week I’ll be showcasing some of my favorite farms I’ve been to lately. Enjoy!
Snug Harbor Farm features five greenhouses, nurseries,
There’s no place as cozy as autumn in New England. For the next few months it’s all about crisp leaves, comfy sweaters, dark nail polish, lattes, and pulling out my UGGs. (Yes…I’m aware of how ugly they are, but is there anything more comfortable?) It’s the perfect time to slow down, unwind from out fast-paced summer, and enjoy the simple things.
Another hidden gem in Gloucester is the gorgeous Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House. This stunning piece of architecture was the summer home of interior designer, Henry Davis Sleeper. It is a 14,200 square foot work of art that is perched on a lovely piece of property overlooking Gloucester Harbor. He used the house to show off his interior decorating skills to potential clients, as well as a summer retreat that he loved to share with friends and family.
This beautiful home has twelve bedrooms, eight bathrooms and twelve fireplaces (some worked and some were there for effect). Here are some of my favorite spots in the house:
Amber glass is displayed in this back-lit area when you walk into the house.
I woke up early at the Berry Manor Inn, made myself a cup of coffee, and jumped back in bed to enjoy it by the fire. (Hey…when my kiddos are not around, I take every chance at relaxation!)
After a delicious breakfast at the inn, we headed to the Friends of Maine Coastal Islands Wildlife Refuge Gallery. Their mission is to help conserve, protect, and enhance the rich diversity of coastal habitats, seabirds, and other wildlife in Maine.
They have a fantastic map of seabird nesting islands off the coast of Maine. I often forget just how vast the coastline is. In fact, Maine has more coastline than California!
There were beautiful works of art. I loved this wooden piece of clouds with the moon peeking out.
Last spring, I had the opportunity to join several other travel influencers to experience The Heart of Maine’s Art Scene, in Rockland, Maine. We had such a great time traveling to this gorgeous coastal town. We were hosted by the nicest people who all took time out of their busy schedules to share their love for Rockland. Also traveling with us was Cait Bourgault, an amazing photographer, and she captured so many fun moments. (Check out her website: www.caitbourgault.com)
It’s not common for me to have an itinerary made for me, and it was so nice to sit back and not have to plan a thing. Here is what we did on our trip. Enjoy!
We started our day at the Maine Lighthouse Museum. I love lighthouses and always stop to take pictures of them, so I was happy this was our first stop. I loved seeing the pennies on the floor showing where the Maine lighthouses were!
The museum had so many fun pieces. This one rotates.
After our drive from Portland, we needed to get some food into us, so we were treated to Clan McLaren for lunch. This hip spot served delicious sandwiches and salads. I had a chicken salad called the Lorelei, and it was so good I’ve tried to replicate it at home.
Our first stop on our art tour of Rockland, Maine was the striking new home of CMCA, designed by architect Toshiko Mori. The building is a work of art itself, with its 11,500 square foot building with 5,500 square feet of exhibition space.
The best way to see a new town is to be shown around by a local, who will give you its history and recommendations of what to do while you’re there. They know the best tourist spots and will even share some hidden gems. This is exactly what you’ll get when you take The Real Portland tour. Derek will make you feel like a long-lost friend that’s taking you around his hometown.
I chose this tour when I was attending the Women in Travel Summit, and although I’d been to Portland a ton of times, I got to see places I had no clue existed. This 90-minute tour was the perfect way for me to see Portland from a new perspective…that of a local.
Derek, a native of Portland, was knowledgeable and I could picture my girls dying laughing at all of his jokes and puns. I can’t wait to bring them next time. He gave us the history of Portland as we passed the busy downtown area, the Arts district, and the Old Port. We went by gorgeous brownstones and Victorian mansions and enjoyed stunning views of the Eastern Prominade. There were beautiful views of the harbor…or “ha-bah” as Derek would say!
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There’s nothing more fun than discovering a hidden gem in one of your favorite cities. While attending the Women in Travel Summit last spring, I went on The Real Portland Tour and our guide told us we HAD to get inside of the Victoria Mansion because there was nothing like it in Portland. I hadn’t been able to take that building off my mind so while my girls were in camp this summer, I decided it was finally time to go in and take a peek. I was lucky to have a private tour with Torie, who was able to bring life to the history of the house. Let me show you around…
Also known as the Morse-Libby House, Victoria Mansion was built between 1858-1860 for Ruggles Sylvester Morse and his wife Olivia. Can you believe it was their summer home! The outside of the home is stunning and will make you stop in your tracks to look at it.
When you walk in, you’ll be amazed at this stunning staircase
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