Sometimes we all need an escape from home. If your version of escapism is well, being quiet and driving far away, I might have been able to scavenge a few places worth your gas money for the summertime. It’s hard to stay inside when the weather feels just like heaven, so why not risk a little adventure to brighten your summer days even more? New England has its pockets of sunshine waiting for you.
As a northern-Massachusetts resident, it’s not exactly difficult for me to get to Maine, New Hampshire, and Southern Massachusetts. I’ve spent egregious amounts of time exploring their coastlines and have occasionally delved deep into these neighboring states as well. So, in case you’re curious too, I’ve put together a coastal guide to exploring New England this summer.
Maine
Acadia National Park
Before you even set foot into America’s northernmost national park, I must advise you as a fervent cheesecake lover to visit Momo’s Cheesecakes in Ellsworth, Maine. Located 30 minutes outside of Acadia, it’s become a landmark location for many travelers and locals. Flavors vary from fruity options like blackberry or pineapple to yummy comfort flavors like cookie dough and snickers. If its flavors aren’t promising enough, maybe its 4.8 stars on Yelp will convince you!
Acadia National Park itself is a hub of sandy beaches, cool lighthouses, various hiking trails, tall mountains, and picturesque cliffsides. Some of its more popular spots include Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, the Beehive Trail, Sand Beach, and Eagle Lake. Cadillac Mountain is a popular spot due to it being the first point in the United States to view the sunset every morning. Additionally, it’s the highest peak at Acadia at 1,532 feet! Jordan Pond has a beautiful trail that runs right along it’s edges and it consistently remarked as one of the most beautiful sights in the park. For a more adventurous activity, the Beehive Trail can be the more challenging hike you’re looking for. But if you’re curious for something a little easier, I’d recommend taking a stroll, car, bike, or horse down one of the various carriage roads Acadia has to offer.
Other activities include visiting the splash zone at Thunder Hole, where splashing tides can create 40 feet of spray! And if you decide to journey along Park Loop Road, you might be able to see Sieur De Mont, a lovely garden landscape filled with flourishing greenery. Park Loop Road is a pretty common route for any traveler, and it’s recommended that if you do choose to drive through the park, you start this voyage earlier to beat traffic and pedestrians.
Bar Harbor, Maine
Neighboring Acadia is Bar Harbor. A quaint, Maine town known for its cute, colorful aesthetic, I think it’d be a shame to pass up an opportunity to explore it. Main Street is where you can spot these cozy shops with goods ranging from delicious coffee to cute souvenirs. At low tide, tide pools can be spotted along Bar Harbor’s various beach shores, including starfish, crabs, and more. Other coastal sites include Egg Rock Overlook, where you could spot Egg Rock Lighthouse in the distance.
If you’re feeling a little hungry, you might be able to visit Choco-latte Cafe and Mount Desert Bakery for cuter, quick bite options. Choco-latte Cafe has its signature choco-latte specialty: a blend of coffee, original chocolate syrup, and added spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Their menu features classic breakfast options, salads, wraps, rice bowls, tacos, and quesadillas.
Mount Dessert Bakery offers similar coffee and breakfast items, while also offering slightly sweeter items like sticky buns, scones, tarts, danishes, and shortcakes! Its Yelp profile is linked above if you want to take a peek at these mouthwatering options.
Bar Harbor Whale Watch is a popular activity if you’re not in the mood for hiking one of Acadia’s various trails and mountains. Through this company, you have the option to whale watch, venture on a puffin and lighthouse cruise, go lobster fishing and seal watching, bask in the Acadia night sky cruise, and explore Acadia by-the-sea cruises. Prices range from $22-84 per person, depending on age and type of cruise, and cruises last for a minimum of 1.5 hours.
York Beach, MAine
The love I have for this town is rooted in my history here. For as long as I can remember, every summer, I’ve driven the hour it takes for me to reach my home away from home at least once. York is full of quaint beaches and seaside sights worth viewing.
Short Sands Beach is perfect if you want to be close to a downtown area, with sprawling rocks for you to climb on either side. When it’s low tide, the beach triples in size and grants you lots of space to play Spikeball, Frisbee, and football, even though it’s technically not allowed. Its sands are mixed, with a portion of it containing the dry, fluffy sand most people enjoy, and the other half containing mostly flat, packed sands. The softer side is infamously more crowded, so if you enjoy sprawling out on the beach, I wouldn’t have Short Sands be your first option.
Short Sands is also just a few paces from The Goldenrod. There, you can grab a scoop of ice cream at the bar, a box of saltwater taffies, or, if you’re hoping to sit down and grab a bite of breakfast or lunch, that’s always an option too. Candy stores like Sweet Josie’s neighbor the establishment, sell more candy than imaginable, and offer delicious, numerous flavors of fudge. Hawaiian Jim’s Shaved Ice and The Popcorn Shop are among my favorite spots to visit whenever I find myself up there. I mean, who doesn’t want dill pickle or buffalo blue cheese popcorn?
Long Sands beach lives up to its name. It’s nearly 1.5 miles of pure beach with rock scatterings at its southern point. The sand ranges from soft and fluffy to packed here and there, and there’s usually plenty of space for everyone to not be on top of each other. Its waves are perfect for body surfing and boogie boarding, and there are plenty of surfers and surf shops if interested. Sometimes, if you look hard enough, you can see Boon Lighthouse in the distance!
Alas, same with Short Sands, the tide can occasionally go in a little too much and eliminate nearly half of the beach’s square footage. This and the fact that it doesn’t have the best parking are its only serious flaws. Honestly, for a beach as big as it is, there are not nearly enough places to park your car. Usually, most people end up walking here anyway, but for the times you have a lot of stuff to carry and not enough willpower, be careful when taking your car. You might not be able to find any parking at all.
But there are food and ice cream shops littered across the street from the beach. My favorite is getting soft-serve ice cream and then walking along the beach at sunset, when the tide is in my favor, of course.
But one of my top spots to be is Nubble Lighthouse. Sitting on its own island, you have the option of walking or doing a drive-by visit to this quaint lighthouse. I highly recommend climbing on the rocks that litter the shoreline below it for a mini adventure. They’re dog accessible as well.
OGuinquit, Maine
Ogunquit, Maine, is even more amazing. My favorite fun fact to tell anyone who inquires about Ogunquit is the lazy river on Ogunquit Beach. When the tide is right, you can plop down in this natural lazy river that will drop you off at a shallow part of the ocean. The beach itself is fascinating; it’s kind of like a peninsula, so there’s water on three sides of it, and you walk in this big circle to get around.
Same with Short and Long Sands beaches, there are food places and convenience stores in case you forget sunscreen or snacks, and there’s decent parking nearby. Honestly, walking down to the beach has always felt more rewarding to me, since Ogunquit itself is a bustling town, full of bright colors, PRIDE, tiny shops, and sunny paths to explore like Marginal Way. Cute cafes, candy shops, and restaurants await!
When I took a weekend trip here last year, I made an effort to stop by Mornings in Paris, a local coffee shop. They have cute refreshers, bubble tea, fun coffee flavors ranging from pomegranate to caramel turtle, and sweet and savory crepes. And if you happen to fall in love with the place, they sell merch inside, too.
Banditos Mexican Grill is a little spot that directly neighbors Loveshack Juicery. A colorful, sunny spot if you’re looking for a quick bite of food, it’s one of my favorite places to visit in Ogunquit due to its offering of Jarritos soda. SO delicious. Loveshack Juicery is an ideal place for health lovers. It offers juices, coffees, and smoothies, and none disappoint! Pretty sure I got the Paradise Drink during my last visit, a mix of blended dragon fruit, pineapple, mango, and coconut water. If you want something more filling, they also offer bright and fruity acai bowls!
Perkins Cove neighbors this treasured spot. There you can find even more quaint shops, beach overlooks, and yummy seafood restaurants!
MAssachusetts
Crane Beach, IPswich, Massachusetts.
Crane Beach is one of those scant New England beaches with both soft sands and tolerable water. Little to no rocks, an extremely long strip of sand where you could walk in one direction for hours, occasional sand dollars, and moon snails lie in Crane’s expanse. It’s rarely crowded, and the further you walk down the beach, the more it feels like I’m venturing into a real-life Pink Sands candle. The tide has a history of hiding striper fish (two once swam around my legs!) and sand bars. There’s a food shack and picnic area just before the beach’s entrance.
Of course, there will be seagulls lurking, so watch your food!
The only real concern with Crane Beach is that, in the past, it’s been so unbelievably expensive to park here. Actually, very insane. At one point, I remember it being $40 and up for one day! You get a special member discount if you are a Trustees member, but even then, that membership isn’t cheap. Unless you’re planning on frequenting this beach, it might not be worth it.
Ipswich itself is a beautiful town. It ranges from small coffee shops to hiking trails open to the public. Ipswich’s landmark spot to visit is the Clam Box for any fried clam lovers. It borders the town of Essex, Massachusetts, where a certain famous fried seafood establishment reigns, Woodman’s of Essex. If you’ve ever watched the movie Grown Ups with Adam Sandler, the whole bunch goes out to dinner at a restaurant, filmed at Woodman’s!
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Cape Cod deserves its own special article for itself. The massive arm to Massachusetts is one of my favorite places to frequent every year. Towns like Falmouth, Yarmouth, Chatham, and Provincetown litter the peninsula, and each one has its own vibe depending on what you’re looking for. For more lowkey, Falmouth, Hyannis, and Yarmouth are more affordable, and each have their own unique characteristics they bring to the table.
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Falmouth, Cape Cod, is a hub for sightseeing, adventuring, or getting good eats. A little further from the elbow of the Cape, it’s still a really nice place to spend some time. The last time I was in Falmouth, my family adventured along the Shining Sea Bike Way, a 10.7-mile-long bike trail that crossed both beaches, woodland, and scenic marshland. It wasn’t difficult at all; you don’t need to be in excellent shape to complete the trail, and there should be bike shops nearby for rental. It wasn’t a super busy trail either, with lots of room to pass people or stop to rest if need be.
hYannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis teems with the rich history of the Kennedy Family. The Kennedy Compound is a beautiful place to jog by on morning runs, mainly because of its giant, vibrant hydrangea bushes. Not to mention there’s also the Kennedy Museum in downtown Hyannis for a rainy afternoon.
When your stomach starts dictating your day’s plans, though, you must visit one of these four dining establishments. Spanky’s Clam Shack is a favorite among visitors. Overflowing lobster rolls, delicious Caesar salads, creamy clam chowder, and savory fried clams for the seafood lovers. The Black Cat Tavern is also a fan favorite. It’s won Cape Cod Chowderfest multiple times before and has a 3.7-star rating on Yelp. But if you’re getting tired of eating seafood, Añejo Mexican Bistro hits the spot every time. Some of the yummiest birria tacos I’ve had in a while were here, and they even have a special outside bar area if you just want to have fun.
Beaches in nearby towns such as Craigsville Beach and Mayflower Beach are among my favorites to relax at every year. Craigsville Beach has strangely very warm water for the Cape, which is refreshing even on hot, July summer days. Food shacks like The Barnacle and Craigsville Pizza and Mexican can be enjoyed while laying out in the sun here. Mayflower Beach is in Dennis Port, Cape Cod and it’s probably the best beach I’ve gone to in New England. Vast, sunny, and soft, Mayflower Beach is one of those rare beaches where you can walk for miles without end or take a dip in smooth shored waters. There’s rarely ever sea life and the beach expands massively at low tide granting you a near-infinite opportunity to explore it.
YArmouth and HArwich, MAssachusetts
Pirate’s Cove Miniature Golf in Yarmouth should be a rite of passage for any newcomers to Cape Cod. It’s a fun time with two courses to explore, Black Beard’s course and Captain’s Course. Pirate ship exhibits, great white shark jaws, and caverns full of poker-playing pirates litter the course. It’s a sight to see, and one you can’t miss.
Now, I’m going to let you in on a not-so-secret secret. My favorite place to gatekeep, solely because of how busy it gets, is Sundae School in Harwich, Massachusetts. The establishment has two locations, and each possesses the same amount of lovely beauty. The richest hot fudge, creamiest ice cream, and sheer number of toppings is enough to make you melt into the massive bowl of ice cream they grant you. I never had a proper sundae until I visited here. It’ll only leave you craving it every night of your vacation and on random Tuesday nights during the dead of winter. Never in my life has ice cream been as satisfying as Sundae School’s.
CHatham and Provincetown, MAssachusetts
Chatham is definitely one of the prettier towns on Cape Cod. Sprawling with hydrangeas, beaches, and eye-catching Cape houses, it’s hard not to see its beauty. The last time I visited was about three years ago now, and it was definitely worth a day trip at least.
Chatham’s downtown is home to various restaurants, sweatshirt shops, and cute little bookstores. I remember visiting Where the Sidewalk Ends Bookstore when I was there, and it was sprawling from ceiling to floor with books ranging from fishing guides to young adult fiction. The interior was cozy; all dark wood with warm lighting and the smell of paperback books.
But when you’re feeling beachy, I recommend checking out Chatham Lighthouse Beach. This was my family’s first stop when visiting Chatham, and I will say, the beach had some of the softest sand I’d felt on the Cape yet! Perfect for walking, relaxing, and soaking up the sun, the only real thing you have to worry about here is the Great White Sharks, of course. Seals are commonly spotted around numerous Cape Cod beaches, and unfortunately, Chatham is a hub for them. Pretty sure anytime I’ve risked journeying to an outer arm beach, I’ve seen seals or questionable wildlife. Be warned!
In Orleans, Cape Cod, a few miles north of Chatham, there’s a popular beach called Nauset Beach. In my experience, I honestly found this beach to be a little overrated. Not only did the beach have a steep drop-off into the ocean, but we also weren’t even allowed in the water due to seal activity (AKA sharks were suspected nearby). The sand wasn’t the softest, and I didn’t find it worth the long drive.
Provincetown, Massachusetts is at the northernmost tip of Cape Cod. Known for its PRIDE, bike trails, and busy streets, there’s always something to do here. When I last made the journey here, I remember visiting stores like Cuffy’s of Cape Cod to grab some comfy, sweatshirt merch and Racepoint Beach to see the shoreline.
My favorite memory of the trip was getting to the beach pretty late in the afternoon, the sun was starting to go down a little bit, and in the distance, I could see a colorful skyline and the whale tails! A whole pod was casually frolicking in the waves, splashing their tails, and shooting water out of their blowholes. Not only that, but the soft sands were teeming with white seashells, perfect for any collector.
Get out of your house
Summer is a time meant for the outdoors. It’s sunny, it’s warm, and it’s the perfect time for cheer. PLEASE take the opportunity to experience something new, whether it’s only for a couple of hours or an entire weekend. Soon enough, winter will roll around, and you’ll be wishing you were somewhere warm, lounging by a poolside, or flat against warm sands. Explore! New England has lots to offer; take the opportunity to find out for yourself!