Around New England

Maine's coastline has a ton to offer starting with one of the first towns you enter as you cross over from New Hampshire.  In this episode we highlight our favorite places in a town that is very special to us.  We discuss many hotels in York including the York Beach Surf Club, York Harbor Inn, Stage Neck Inn, Union Bluff Hotel, and the stunning Cliff House overlooking the cliffs into the Atlantic Ocean.  
There are many activities for any age group within York.  Check out our previous podcast about Mount Agamenticus and Vaughn Woods (Located in nearby South Berwick, ME) for some hiking ideas.  The beaches are the main attraction in York during the summer.  Long Sands and Short Sands are the popular ones, but don't sleep on Harbor Beach next to the Stage Neck Inn.  
Regardless if you hiked all day, shopped, or even just chilled at the pool or beach all day, you gotta eat, and this town has you covered!  For breakfast, St. Joe's Coffee is a great way to start the day.  Bagel Basket is another "must-stop" for us when we are in York.  Anthony's Food Shop is surprisingly good for grabbing some quick food for the beach.  
Some great lunch and dinner spots that we mention in York are York River Landing, Fat Tomato Grill, and the famous Goldenrod, where you can see them making the salt water taffy right in the window.  It's classic, pop in even if it's just to try a piece of the taffy!  
If its a rainy day, maybe some shopping in the Kittery outlets is in order.  Kittery has some amazing food spots to check out too.  You really can't go wrong with any of these that we mentioned; Pepperrell Cove, Bob's Clam Hut, Robert's Maine Grill, When Pigs Fly Pizzeria, Lil's Cafe, Beach Pea Bakery, Carl's Meat Market, and Golden Harvest.  Seriously, this area has some amazing food options!
Book that trip to York, Maine today.  It really is "The way life should be"!

Join us as we hike another 52 with a view, Mount Cube.  We loved this hike from the start to the end!  Both peaks had views but the south peak had the best views of the day!  
We were pressed for time this trip so we couldn't stop for food but we found a place that we can't wait to try soon!  The Last Chair Brewery looks like it's our vibe and it has good reviews on google.  
Unitl we try it ourselves, we can always recommend Biederman's and Cafe Monte Alto when in the Plymouth, NH area.  Both are great!

This week we go to Western Maine and explore Grafton Notch State Park in Newry Maine!  There are many different areas we explored right off the road.  Table Rock trail was the main hike we did and the views at the top did not disappoint!  We even hiked a small section of the Appalachian Trail!
We also stumbled upon an amazing little roadside bakery stand called Puzzle Mountain Bakery.  Be sure not to drive by without stopping on the way home!  It is right on the road that the park is on.  The treats were amazing, but the wild Maine Blueberry Pie was to die for!   They take cash and Venmo!!
We also grabbed a great round of post-hike appetizers and beers outside on the patio at Steam Mill Brewing.  This dog-friendly brewery has many outdoor activities to do while enjoying your food and drinks.  It was a great way to refuel for the ride home! 
 

We tackled our 4th NH 4,000 foot peak!  Actually....G explains why it's barely on the list.  Mount Tecumseh is the mountain that Waterville Valley Ski Area is located.  We talk about our experiences including some excellent views from the ski trails!  
After the hike, we went to a favorite amongst many hikers and skiers, Mad River Coffee.  The drinks, scone and the molasses cookie were top notch!
You can also check out the Around New England Blog about all 4 of the 4,000 footers we have done so far.  
Articles G Mentions:
Still 48 4,000 Footers?
A 4,000 Footer Controversy 
 
 

This week we check out a few different segments of the East Coast Greenway.  The section in Maine is called the Eastern Trail.  We went from Kennebunk to Saco and back.  The trail goes through the woods and even crosses over Route 95 near the rest area in Kennebunk. 
The segment in New Hampshire is called the Seacoast Greenway.  The sections from Portsmouth to Hampton have been completed so far.  
In the morning, we finally checked out Rover Bagel.  They have great bagels, and even have some gluten free options. 
After our biking adventures, we decided to check out Lucky Pigeon Brewery in Biddeford.  They have a great selection of gluten free beer and snacks.
Another favorite of ours in that area is the Hidden Cafe in Arundel!  Don't sleep on the mini churro donuts!

Join us as we check out the locations within New England that have some of Thomas Dambo's famous trolls.  We explore Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine and Ninigret Park in Charlestown, RI.  
One of our absolute favorite places for coffee and a snack after checking out the trolls, or before the beach is Dave's Coffee!
Best Beaches in RI Blog
Bar Harbor Weekend Podcast

What an amazing adventure up The Cog Railway we had!  Join us as we tell you about how we ended up being invited to share our experience with all of you.  This locomotive has been taking people to the summit of the highest mountain in the northeast since 1869!  It has grades as steep as 38% which makes it the 2nd steepest railway in the world.  
This is an excellent way to see the summit of Mount Washington without putting in the hard work of hiking it.  The Cog is near the Omni Mount Washington Hotel, one of the originals of the 33 grand hotels spread across New Hampshire.  The hotel is iconic from the ground, but is even more impressive when you see it from the summit of the mountain.  
After the Cog, we decided to go to Bethlehem, NH to The Place Above The Notch for a coffee and snack!  It was so good!  We had a tasty lunch at Rek'lis Brewing Company.  
After lunch we headed over to Littleton to poke around.  We love that town!  Listen to this episode for more details!
AroundNewEnglandPodcast.com
Around New England Hiking Instagram
 

This week we are prepping for summertime activities with a visit to Plum Island off the northeast coast of Massachusetts.  This beautiful island has a park with many short walkabouts that we explored one trail at a time.  The dunes, beaches and salty marshes are a sanctuary for bird watchers (or birders?  Is that really a thing?).  We discuss the different trail options including some spectacular beach access spots.  
After exploring the park for quite some time, we definitely needed to get caffeinated and maybe grab a little snack.  We discovered the amazing Changing Tides Cafe and it did not disappoint!  Take a listen!  

Camden Maine is not only one of our favorite little seacoast towns to visit, but it's a great place to get some fun hiking in too!  Join us as we hiked around Camden Hills State Park.  We started by going up Mount Megunticook to the Ocean Lookout via the Megunticook trail, then headed over to Mount Battie via the Tablelands Trail, and returned to the parking lot via the Nature Trail.  Although the weather wasn't ideal, we enjoyed the hike and our timing was perfect for a few breaks in the clouds to get some nice views of Camden Harbor.
As soon as we finished, the rain started as we hit up Camden.  We found some delicious treats and coffees at Owl and Turtle Bookshop!  This place is so cute, and the food and coffee were great.  
Delicious gluten free beer Lucky Pigeon
Find More info on our Website or visit our Instagram or catch our videos on TikTok

We hiked Mount Jackson mid April. There was a still a lot of snow and ice, but it was beautiful! Listen to why getting the NH safe card is a good idea, accidents can happen to anyone anytime. Why packing a headlamp, spikes (is that what they're called?) and some Tylenol in your bag is also a good idea! 
Our after hike meal was at my personal favorite When Pigs Fly restaurant in Kittery, ME. If you're heading up to Maine this summer stop by and check them out, they're amazing!! 
#mtJackson #nh48 #hikenh