Grammy’s Country Kitchen, Linneus, Maine: Just like Grandma’s, only better

Hilary Nangle
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Grammy’s Country Kitchen, Linneus, Maine: Just like Grandma’s, only better
The whoopie pies at Grammy's are humongous
At Grammy’s Country Kitchen, one whoopie pie easily feeds four people, especially if you’re chasing a meal here with it. ©Hilary Nangle

Diet in advance, order conservatively, and plan to share. That advice comes paired with nearly any recommendation for Grammy’s Country Inn. This unassuming restaurant in Linneus, just southwest of Houlton, has a reputation that may exceed the ginormous portions of scratch-made comfort foods it serves.

Now I’ve been to a lot of home-cookin’ joints in Maine, but I’ve never seen portions as huge as those served in this place. Nor have I ever seen such humongous whoopie pies.

“One lady asked us to weigh one,” a waitress told me when I was admiring one of these two-fisted treats. “So I took it out back. The scale only goes to 2.5 pounds, and it went straight down and stayed there.” A customer standing nearby said she buys one and easily splits it four ways.

Two kitchen helpers peel potatoes outside Grammy's Country Kitchen
How fresh are the spuds at Grammy’s Country Kitchen? You might just catch some of the kitchen workers peeling ’em outside. ©Hilary Nangle

Mostly made from scratch with local ingredients

“We make almost everything from scratch,” says owner Steve Graham. “Every piecrust is hand kneaded. We boil our own eggs; peel our own potatoes. They’re aren’t many places that go through the gravy we go through and make it from scratch.”

Whenever possible, making from scratch means locally sourcing ingredients, including fiddleheads, broccoli, and seafood. “We use about 3,000 pounds of potatoes each week, all County potatoes, I’ve never bought a bag from elsewhere,” Graham says. He loads his pickup at a local farm, and it’s not unusual to see workers stationed outside the restaurant peeling mountains of them.

Specials board at Grammy's
Portions are big and prices are small at Grammy’s Country Kitchen, just south of Houlton. ©Hilary Nangle

Plan on plentiful leftovers

Grammy's chef's salad
The chef’s salad from Grammy’s easily can feed two people and still have leftovers. ©Hilary Nangle

Everything at Grammy’s comes in gigunda sizes. The couple next to us ordered chicken salad sandwiches. There must have been a pound of homemade goodness between those two slices of homemade bread. It required a fork to eat (seriously!).

Tom had a chef salad made with home-cooked chicken and home-cooked ham plus lots of other goodies (tons of vegies, meats, and cheeses and very little lettuce). It fed him for lunch, then the two of us later for dinner. One salad: three meals.

Had to laugh when I saw an ice cream puff go by: Must have been a pint of ice cream atop the pastry and drowned in chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Could have fed a family of four, but it was ordered by one lone guy at a table, who washed it down with milk.

Grammy’s Country Inn fries everything

Now Grammy’s will deep fry just about everything. The day’s specials might include deep-fried fiddleheads, deep-fried broccoli, and deep-fried lobster (?!…Sometimes, you can take a good thing too far, lobster? really?) But when it comes to fries, remember, Aroostook is Maine’s potato county. Now plenty of places claim to make their own fries, but as I left, I watched two young men outback peeling the potatoes. I’m a believer. The plates of fried clams came mounded atop the fries. Honestly, it kind of looked the Mt. Everest of fried seafood dinners!

Bottom line: Planning on leaving with leftovers. Even then, you’ll barely make a dent in the wallet.

UPDATE: Visited Grammy’s in 2019, and it still dishes out humongous portions of comfort food. And those whoopie pies still weigh in well over 2 pounds.

Grammy's Country Inn home-cooking rstaurant, Linneus, Maine
This unassuming restaurant in Linneus, just southwest of Houlton, has a reputation that may exceed the ginormous portions of scratch-made comfort foods it serves. ©Hilary Nangle

Ployes, creton, and chicken stew

Hilary Nangle
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Ployes, creton, and chicken stew

Whenever I asked a local where to get the best taste of  the St. John Valley (or St. Jean, if you’re French)—that strip of Acadian culture separated from New Brunswick, Canada, by the St. John River—the answer was always a variation of: “You must go to Dolly’s for the best ployes, creton, and chicken stew.”

And so I went.

Twice.

Backstory: I’ve been cruising through Downeast Maine and Aroostook County for the past week researching the new edition of Moon Maine (spring 2011), and I’m finally home and in one place long enough (and with reliable Internet access) to start dishing on my finds and giving you updates on what’s happening in these rural Maine gems.

When first told  that Dolly’s was a must, we headed right there. Unfortunately, it was a Tuesday, when it’s closed. Now frankly, Dolly’s, on Route 1 in Frenchville, isn’t much to look at from the outside, and we hadn’t planned to return, but as we continued down the road and kept asking, the answer remained Dolly’s. So we made a 70-mile detour to return for breakfast on Wednesday, and oh! my! yes!

Now we couldn’t order that famous chicken stew at breakfast, but we did have Dolly’s homemade ployes (rhymes with toys) and homemade creton (cray-tahn).

Say what? you ask. Ployes—French-Acadian buckwheat pancakes cooked only on one side—are traditionally served like bread with every meal.  And creton is a French-Canadian meat spread. Put the two together, and perhaps add a bit  (or more) real maple syrup, and the result is heaven. I like to think the health benefits of the ployes cancel out the artery-busting creton.

“Dolly’s has been here forever,” our waitress said, as I watched her pour the batter onto the griddle and cook the ployes. The reason Dolly’s ployes are so good is that they’re made from scratch. “It’s an old recipe, and they’re homemade,” she said. “I make ployes at home, and it took me a long time to get the recipe and the cooking right.” The biggest problem is getting the griddle temperature right. “They’re so easy to burn,” she said. The creton, too, is a secret recipe.

Earlier in the week, I’d purchased  copy of Michael Corbin’s Cafe de la Place cookbook (Unfortunately, his downtown Madawaska restaurant is no more). It has a recipe for ployes that I plan to make, but I also purchased a bag of Bouchard Family Farms ployes mix, too. The farm, in Fort Kent, has long been producing this easy-to-make mix, which you can usually find in specialty and natural foods stores.

The Acadians, by the way, are descendants of the original French settlers in Grand Pre, Nova Scotia, who were driven out by the English. Some returned to France, others escaped to New Orleans (where they’re known as Cajuns), and others escaped and scattered throughout Maritime Canada. Twelve families eventually settled in the St. John Valley, where their heritage still flavors the region. More on this in future posts.

And next time I’m up in the crown of Maine, I’ll time my visit to Dolly’s to have some of that famous chicken stew.

Note: Check out my review with recipes of the Bouchard Family Farms French-Acadian Cookbook: Keeping the Tradition Alive.

10 reasons to visit Peaks Island, Maine

Hilary Nangle
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10 reasons to visit Peaks Island, Maine

My friend Jackie Dishner—author of Backroads & Byways of Arizona, speaker, and mountain bike rider—dishes on her day on Peaks earlier this summer.

by Jackie Dishner

My first overnight stay in Portland, and I woke up to foggy windows. Rain. It was pouring outside, and I had no umbrella. More a day for museums, my friend Hilary Nangle told me. But I decided to wait it out. I had hopes to take the ferry over to Peaks Island. Her Moon guidebook to Coastal Maine suggested this would be a good idea while in town. Lucky me. By 9:30 a.m., the rain had stopped. I left the Portland Harbor Hotel and stopped off at the Standard Baking Company on Commercial Street, grabbing a cup of coffee and a danish to eat at the harbor. My plan turned out to be a great idea. Here are 10 reasons why:

1:  The ferry ride

Purchase the $7.70 (price good till October 11) ticket for a ride on the ferry from Portland Harbor over to the island. Check the schedule online, but Casco Bay Lines makes regular trips throughout the day, rain or shine. It also runs year-round.

2:  A taste of Americana

Kids still set up the lemonade stands curbside here. For 50 cents, I could have bought a cup of ice cold lemonade. I paid a dollar, instead. Young entrepreneurs deserve something extra for their ambitious drive.

3: “On your honor”

You can pick up a jar of homemade honey at the end of Evergreen Ledge from Peaks Island Honey Company. Just leave the $3 in the coffee can and take your jar home with you. I haven’t tried mine, yet, but I suspect it’s going to be good. If nothing else, you take home the satisfaction that there are people out there who still value trust.

4: Bike rentals—cheap

For $10 bucks I rented a mountain bike from Brad’s Island Bike Rentals & Repairs and rode it around the whole island, stopping off at the points Brad maps out for his customers. Brad says he’s been in business for more than 20 years, claiming to be the first to deal in “recycled” bikes. It’s a play on words; he means “used.”

The weather turned out to be near perfect, the ride was smooth, and I found a hidden cemetery along the way. I also bought two of his t-shirts. Ka-ching! Forty more bucks. Hey, I’m a sucker for small business.

5: The locals

I stopped in at a cooperative gallery on the island (GEM Island Artists Gallery) and had a chat with Dustine Price. From Maryland, she lives on the island with her family during the summers; it’s a generational thing, so you can ask her all kinds of questions about the place. Plus, you can take home something personal to remind you of your trip. She specializes in sea glass products and anything recyclable. I was personally enamored with her mermaid–made out of Diet Coke cans. It’s been several weeks since I left, and I’m still tempted to have that thing shipped out to me. Thought-provoking art can do that to you.

6: Unexpected museum

Who knew the Army had a Civil War regiment that met up on this island? They did–for annual reunions–and it’s all explained at the The Eighth Maine Regiment Memorial. Brad from the bike shop pointed me there. Dr. Richard S. Adams will talk your ear off, telling you about Maine’s part in two World Wars, all the people who ever stepped foot inside the Queen Anne cottage constructed in 1891 (because of a Louisiana Lottery Gen. William M. McArthur won), and how it once served as a dance and recreation hall. It still does. “I sure like to dance,” he’ll tell you, with a wink. The living museum also serves as a hostel, renting out rooms for less than $600 a week.

7: A quirky museum, too

You’ll get a kick out of the Umbrella Cover Museum. Yes, that’s right. Umbrella covers. Floral ones. Plain ones. Homemade ones. Domestic. International. Mostly donated. They’re hanging from the ceiling, tacked on the walls, in the bathroom! Nancy Hoffman is the director and curator of the tiny bungalow that houses hundreds of them. Also an accordion player, she’ll play her music while you look around. On your way out, you can purchase the CDs. She also has a new book out about the museum itself. I left $20, and hope I get my copy soon.

8: Kayaking

I didn’t get a chance to try this activity, but you can, if you call Maine Island Kayak ahead of time to reserve a space: 207-766-2373. They offer various types of tours, including half-day, full-day and multi-day trips. You can learn about the Casco Bay area, the ecology of the area, or simply be introduced to the world of sea kayaking if you’ve never done it.

9: Birding

You’re on an island, surrounded by water. It stands to reason there will be birds–and not just seagulls. If you walk around or bike around, plan to park your butt somewhere for a while and take a look. The peaceful sounds will relax you.

10: Eating

I wouldn’t want you to starve while on the island. You’ll have your pick of three different restaurants, and I’d pick The Peaks Island House because it faces the bay, has outdoor seating, and serves seafood, steaks and sandwiches for lunch and dinner. Plus, if you have a group with you, it’s affordable.

There’s more to see and do here, but I wanted to make the 4:15 p.m. ferry ride back to Portland and get a quick taste of the Summer Ale at the Old Port Sea Grill. After that, I had plans to relax before dinner in Room 222 at the Portland Harbor Hotel; it had a hot tub with jets calling my name.

 

Escape summer’s heat on a Maine windjammer

Hilary Nangle
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Escape summer’s heat on a Maine windjammer
Maine windjammers parade by the Rockland Breakwater during the annual Parade of Sail. Hilary Nangle photo.

On a hot, muggy day earlier this week, I joined guests aboard the 95-foot ketch Angelique, one of the members of the Maine windjammer fleet, for a cruise from Camden, through the waters of Penobscot Bay. Our destination: the annual Parade of Sail by the Rockland Breakwater.En route, we shared the waters with lobstermen hauling their traps, pleasure boats out for a day sail, and playful seals who dodged and danced around the boats and buoys dotting the water’s surface.

Sailing by the Rockland Breakwater Light. Hilary Nangle photo

Ahhhh! Sweet relief. If you want to escape this summer’s oppressive heat, head to sea. Cool breezes, brine-scented air, crying seagulls, the whoosh of wind in the sails, and the creaks of a wooden boat make it easy to forget the humidity.

Most of the windjammers in the Maine fleet are historic vessels. They arrived in Maine in the early part of the 20th century, delivering cargo to various ports of call. When steamships made sea travel faster, easier and less expensive, many of the schooners were left to rot where they last dropped anchor, but Maine’s cold water helped preserve them.

In the 1930s, sensing an opportunity, Frank Swift began purchasing the old schooners. He fixed them up, swept out the cargo holds and began marketing windjammer trips to rusticators from Boston for $25 for a week. In the 1960s, other entrepreneurs began to join him, driven by their love of the sea and the opportunity to preserve a rich part of sailing’s history. These newcomers not only renovated other old boots, they began to build new ones, such as the Mary Day and Heritage, in the same tradition. Today more than two dozen windjammers sail Maine’s waters, with trips ranging from a few hours to a full week.

Preparing lunch aboard the Angelique: salads, biscuits, bread, and... Hilary Nangle photo.

Jamming with the wind aboard a schooner is  a very wallet-friendly vacation. One fee covers everything: your cabin (no, it’s not the Ritz, more like camping on the sea in most boats); hearty, all-you-can-eat meals (and always at least one lobster feast); the cruise, with visits to offshore islands and distant fishing villages; and all the fun you can muster aboard. You can even join in schooner aerobics, that’s helping raise the sails or sometimes the anchor and coiling the lines. Heave a-weigh, ho a-weigh.

Leave the cell phone, computer, the watch, and your vanity at home. These trips go where tide and wind take them; there’s no set course, no set schedule, no reason to get gussied up. They offer a rare chance to relax, unplug, and unwind.

Fish chowder, of course. Mmmm. Hilary Nangle photo.

Even better, we’re coming into the best cruising months of the year, August into early October. It’s not too late to book a three- to seven-day trip aboard one of the schooners, and many are offering specials.

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Here are some images taken from aboard the Angelique during the 2010 Parade of  Sail.

Parading by Rockland's Breakwater lighthouse. Hilary Nangle photo.
View from the deck of the Angelique. Hilary Nangle photo.
The Victory Chimes, largest in the Maine Windjammer fleet, under full sail.
A nimble deck hand begins climbing the rigging of the Angelique. Hilary Nangle photo.
And he keeps climbing. Hilary Nangle photo.
and climbing, amidst the Angeliques distinctive red sails. Hilary Nangle photo.
Crowds watching the WIndjammer Parade of Sail from the Rockland Breakwater. Hilary Nangle photo.

Top 10 Acadia and Mount Desert Island

Hilary Nangle
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Top 10 Acadia and Mount Desert Island

If you want to experience the best of Acadia National Park’s largest section, you’ll need a plan. This Top 10 Acadia and Mountain Desert Island list will help.

Bicyclists benefit with a car-free experience with Acadia's delayed opening. Hilary Nangle photo
No. 1 on my Top 10 Acadia and Mount Desert Island list: Park Loop Road, Acadia National Park. ©Hilary Nangle

Drive or pedal the Park Loop Road

When it comes listing the top 10 Acadia musts, driving or pedaling Acadia National Park’s Park Loop Road tops the list. But do so either before 10 a.m. or after 3 p.m. to avoid the biggest crowds and to catch the best light for photos. Rental e-bikes, available on the island, are a fine choice for those who need a little extra help when pedaling hills.

Don’t skip any of the big-ticket sights along the route:

  • Sieur de Monts Springs, home to the Wild Gardens of Acadia, Sweet Waters of Acadia spring, Nature Center, and the original Abbe Museum (but don’t miss this museum’s main site in Bar Harbor for the best intro to Maine’s Native American heritage and culture)
  • Sand Beach: go ahead, brave dipping your toes in the water, brrrrr
  • Thunder Hole: for the biggest ka-boom, time your visit with an incoming tide
  • Cadillac Mountain: everyone raves about sunrise, but sunset is pretty spectacular, too. Note: Reservations are required for ascending Cadillac in a vehicle.

Pedal, ride, or walk Acadia’s Carriage Roads

horse-drawn carriage in Acadia National Park
One way to explore Acadia National Park’s Carriage Roads is on a horse-drawn carriage tour. ©Hilary Nangle

Thank you John D. Rockefeller Jr. for the 57 miles (44 open to bicycles) of meandering crushed-stone Carriage Roads crossing 17 unique stone bridges. Bike ’em, hike ’em, ride ’em, but don’t miss ’em.

And afterward: tea and popovers with jam and ice cream at the park’s Jordan Pond House.

Hike Acadia’s trails

Hikers in Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park offers hiking trails for all abilities. ©Hilary Nangle

You’re going to need to work off that ice cream, perhaps with a hike? Among my favorites are Great Head, Gorham Mountain, and Flying Mountain, all moderate with big views from the summits. For a more strenuous hike, slip over to the island’s western side to hike Mansell Mountain. Mansell’s Perpendicular Trail is considered to be the park’s most constructed trail, with coping stones and more than 1,000 steps constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Find and feast on lobstah!

lobster fishing
Learn all about lobsters on a lobster fishing cruise. ©Hilary Nangle
Thurstons

Of course you’re going to have a lobster or lobster roll. Good real-deal lobster shacks are Thurston’s, overlooking idyllic Bass Harbor, and Beals, in Southwest Harbor. Or consider heading to Frenchboro, see island hopping below, for a lobster at Lunt’s.

Before indulging, learn all about the tasty crustaceans on a lobster-fishing tour aboard the Lulu lobster boat.

If you’re headed over to the Schoodic Section of the park, afterward, detour to Corea for a lobster at Lunch on the Wharf, with dreamy views over a working harbor.

Make time to sniff the flowers

Asticou, one of Acadia's gardens
Asticou is stunning in spring, when the azaleas and rhododendrons are blooming. I consider these three gardens, all of which abut the park, a top 10 Acadia experience. ©Hilary Nangle

If you’re a gardener or simply enjoy visiting gardens, don’t miss visiting public gardens on Mount Desert Island. Start with these three Land and Garden Preserve properties, but consider other Mount Desert Island gardens, too.

• The Asticou Garden in Northeast Harbor is especially stunning in spring, when the rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom. But this small garden is gorgeous anytime, thanks to its classic Japanese design, complete with a sand garden. Pair it with tea and popovers across the street at the Asticou Inn.

• The Thuya Garden, a formal English style bed garden, is walking distance from Asticou. You can either walk on the sidewalk or hike a trail between the two. Don’t miss exploring the tiered granite terraces with lookouts. And be sure to visit Thuya Lodge.

• You’ll need reservations for the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden, and it’s wise to plan well in advance. Beatrix Farrand helped design this walled garden on Abby and John D.  Rockefeller Jr.’s Seal Harbor estate. This East-meets-West garden blends an English-style walled garden with sculptures that the Rockefellers acquired during their travels in the Far East. Be sure to visit the site of Aerie, their former 100-room summer cottage.

For a whale of a tale, book a whale-watching cruise

whale watching boatPair a visit to the Dorr Museum of Natural History at the College of the Atlantic, where you can view whale-related exhibits (the college is affiliated with Allied Whale), with a whale-watching tour. Be sure to bring heavy-weight clothing; I’ve gone out when it’s been near 90 in Bar Harbor, yet I was glad for my wool sweater, hat, and mittens at sea.

Spy eagles, falcons, warblers, and more on a bird-watching tour

Birdwatcher with telescope
Add a new species to your life list or discover a new passion. ©Hilary Nangle

Learn about Acadia’s birds and other wildlife on a private tour with biologist and Registered Maine Guide Michael Good of Downeast Nature Tours. Honest: I didn’t get birding’s appeal until I accompanied him one morning. He offers a gentle introduction to what might become a life-long hobby, and if you’re already an avid birder, he’ll help you add a few to your life list.

While we’re on the subject of birds, another don’t miss is the Wendell Gilley Museum, in Southwest Harbor. It houses more than 200 of the local carver’s astonishingly realistic bird carvings.

Ferry to offshore islands and Acadia’s Schoodic section

ferry to an island
Ferries to-and-fro between Mount Desert Island and the Cranberry Islands, making it easy to island hop. ©Hilary Nangle

Cranberry Isles

Bring a bike aboard the passengers ferries servicing the Cranberry Islands, then get off first at Great Cranberry for a quick pedal and look-see, stopping at the Cranberry House to see the museum. Reboard to visit Little Cranberry (a.k.a. Islesford) to see the park museum, browse the shops, and have lunch at the Islesford Dock. Better yet, time the meal to coincide with sunset for delicious views.

Schoodic Peninsula

The passenger ferry to Winter Harbor weaves through islands and around lobster boats hauling traps before docking in Winter Harbor. From here, either pedal (make bike rez in advance) or ride the Island Explorer bus through the Schoodic section of Acadia National Park. Stop for a hike, to explore tide pools, and to visit the Info Center exhibitions at the Schoodic Institute. Don’t forget a picnic lunch, so you can enjoy it on the slabs of pink granite marking Schoodic Point.

Paddle coastal nooks and crannies

Sea kayakers on a the Bar Harbor sand bar
Exploring Acadia’s coastal nooks and crannies aboard a sea kayak is on the Top 10 Acadia list. ©Tom Nangle

Explore the nooks and crannies notching Acadia’s coastline and offshore islands by sea kayak. Sure, you can rent a kayak and go on your own, but for the best experience, join a guided tour. You’ll find outfitters in Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor. Options range from a few hours to a few days.

Experience starry, starry nights

In our crowded world, it’s hard to escape man-made light. My Top 10 Acadia list wouldn’t be complete without including the island’s dark skies. Head out on a dark, clear night and gaze upwards into the splendor of our universe. Top places for star-gazing include Seawall, Sand Beach, along the Ocean Path, and Jordan Pond.

Plan ahead to attend the Acadia Night Sky Festival, held annually in September. Whether you’re a first-timer, seeking family fun, or serious amateur, this festival delivers. Expect The schedule usually includes workshops, internationally recognized speakers, and hands-on experiences.

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NOTE: One of the best ways to get around the island and the park is with the Island Explorer Bus Service. It’s free with your park pass, it carries bikes, and it hits almost all the highlights in its multiple routes.
NOTE: Check my Cheap Sleeps Acadia Region page, ff you’re looking for budget lodging.

Wanna see a Maine moose?

Hilary Nangle
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Wanna see a Maine moose?

Saddleback resort, in Rangeley, Maine, is offering free moose-spotting tours during the summer. The resort’s Moose Patrol bus departs  Saddleback’s downtown Guest Service Center  on Mondays and Thursdays evenings, rain or shine. According to Kara Wilson, tour guests have been sighting a record number of the ungainly beasts this summer, along with foxes and deer. They’ve even spotted a few baby moose (mooselets?).

The tour follows Route 16 (a.k.a. Moose Alley) from Rangeley toward the Eustis-Stratton area. Sure, you can drive it on your own, but why bother when you can let someone else do the driving, so your hands are free for the camera and you don’t have to worry about hitting the critters. Reservations are required, call 207-864-5496.

Find wildlife, Shakers, and Poland Spring history along Maine’s Route 26

Hilary Nangle
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Find wildlife, Shakers, and Poland Spring history along Maine’s Route 26

Looking for a day trip that won’t break the bank and offers history, shopping, and wildlife? You’ll find the Maine Wildlife Park, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community, and Poland Spring Museums along Route 26 between Gray and South Paris. Along the way, you’ll find farm stands offering fresh ice cream, low-key family restaurants, a few shops and an outlet, and a casino. Finally, detour down the crossroads to find a state park and town beaches for lake swimming.

This drive is lovely anytime, but it’s spectacular during peak foliage. While most businesses along the way remain open year-round, the attractions welcome visitors between late May and mid-October.

Meet the natives at the Maine Wildlife Park

One of the residents of the Maine Wildlife Park
One of the residents of the Maine Wildlife Park. ©Hilary Nangle

Want to know where the wild things are? Deer, moose, black bear, bald eagle, and even a mountain lion are among the 30 or so native species usually on view at this mega-kid-friendly, state-operated refuge, and education facility.

This isn’t a zoo: All the residents are being rehabilitated or are unable to return to the wild. Interactive displays and exhibits, a fish hatchery, special programs, gardens, and nature trails round out the offerings. Special events occur almost every weekend (usually on Saturday). Credit cards aren’t accepted for admission.

Glimpse an endangered lifestyle at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community

Buildings of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community
Sabbathday Lake is the world’s last living Shaker community. ©Hilary Nangle

One of the happy byproducts of Route 26’s rebuilding was that it no longer passes directly through the middle of the world’s last inhabited Shaker community.

The few remaining members of the United Society of Shakers, an 18th-century religious sect, keep a relatively high profile life. Visits may include the living-history museum, craft workshops, herbal gardens, and farm animals. But don’t miss the store. It’s filled with Shaker herb and wool products, publications, music, and some Maine-made crafts.

Tours are offered Monday through Saturday; on Sundays, visitors are welcome to attend the 10 a.m. service (note: men and women enter through separate doors and sit separately). Also, check the special events calendar for workshops and demonstrations. While you won’t be able to see as much if you simply visit without taking the tour ($10 adults, $2 ages 6-12, $20 family), you can absorb the peacefulness of the setting and the lifestyle.

Soak up history in Poland Spring

Tour through the history of one of the world’s most famous waters. Poland Spring Water built Hiram Ricker’s family empire, and a visit to Poland Spring should include the Poland Spring Museums. Visit the Poland Spring Museum and Spring House to learn about the water’s history. The Maine State Building shares the resort’s story. And don’t miss the All Souls Chapel.

Poland Spring Museum and Spring House

Poland Springs Spring House and Bottling Plant are open to visitors
Learn the story of Poland Spring water at Poland Spring Preservation Park’s Spring House and Bottling Plant. ©Tom Nangle

Begin at the Poland Spring Museum and Spring House, where exhibits share the history of the famed water and its legendary healing powers. The water won the Medal of Excellence at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the Grand Prize at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. After touring the exhibits, be sure to visit the Spring House. Nature trails lace the grounds and connect to the other sites.

The water’s fame helped the Ricker family grow their small hotel into the 300-room Poland Spring House, an architectural and technological marvel. In addition, the hotel’s 5,000-acre property was home to the world’s first resort golf course and one of the first courses designed by Donald Ross.

During its heyday in the early 20th century, the country’s wealthiest and most powerful people gathered here to play golf and discuss world policy. From Ulysses S. Grant to Theodore Roosevelt, almost every American president stayed here. Other guests and visitors of note include Babe Ruth, Alexander Graham Bell, Mae West, Betty Grable, and Judy Garland. Charles Lindberg flew over the hotel on July 25, 1927, but he could not land because of the crowds.

Fire destroyed the sprawling Poland Spring House in 1975. Now, the Poland Spring Resort offers budget-friendly accommodations in more contemporary buildings.

Maine State Building

The Maine State Building in Poland Springs
The Maine State Building at Poland Spring was created for the 1893 World’s Fair. ©Hilary Nangle

The three-story, octagonal Maine State Building was built as the state pavilion for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Afterward, Ricker bought it for $30,000 and moved it to Maine aboard a special freight train and then via horse-drawn wagon to Ricker Hill, where it was reassembled, piece by piece.

It reopened as a library and art gallery one year later as part of the Ricker family’s centennial celebration of their settlement at Poland Spring. Although it suffered years of neglect in the mid-20th century, it’s been restored. It is now operated by the Poland Spring Preservation Society as a museum and art gallery.

All Souls Chapel

The adjacent All Souls Chapel was built in 1912 by the Ricker Family with donations from guests and staff of the Poland Spring House. The 1926 Skinner pipe organ and Westminster chimes are still in working order. The chapel is home to a summer concert series on Monday nights.

Downtown oasis: McLaughlin Garden

The McLaughlin Garden is hidden behind a century-old farmstead
The McLaughlin Garden is hidden behind a century-old farmhouse and barn. ©Hilary Nangle

When McLaughlin, dubbed the Dead of Maine Gardeners, died at age 98 in 1995, his will stipulated that the property be sold. Of course, eager developers eyed it. But loyal flower fans dug in their heels, captured media attention, and created a nonprofit foundation. The McLaughlin Foundation bought the property in 1997, preserving the century-old farmstead with its handsome barn and stone walls.

When McLaughlin Garden’s more than 200 lilac trees begin perfuming the air in late May, it’s a sensual treat. Although admission usually is free, it’s $5 during the annual Lilac Festival on Memorial Day weekend, when guided tours and other activities are offered.

Also here are a pleasant tea room and a shop selling gardening items and gifts.

 

Cool off this weekend at the Salad Days summer social picnic

Hilary Nangle
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Escape the heat wave on the Maine Coast by visiting Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, in Newcastle, for its annual Salad Days fund-raising event.  This Saturday, July 10, make a $30 donation to Watershed, and in return you’ll an handmade, earthenware plate that you get to keep and the opportunity to fill it from a buffet of salads made from local produce and created by artists and area restaurants. How cool is that?

Wait, it gets even better. Not only do you get to picnic and keep the plate, you get to listen to live music, visit artists’ studios,  and shop an invitational pottery sale featuring works by more than a dozen artists. Watershed’s Salad Days event begins at 3 p.m.

Ethnic grazing through Brunswick

Hilary Nangle
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Ethnic grazing through Brunswick

I think you’d be hard pressed to find another town with the variety of ethnic restaurants per capita as Brunswick, Maine: Thai, Chinese, German, Italian, Indian, Mexican, with most packed tightly in the downtown. To those, add some recent additions: Irish (O’Shea’s Irish Restaurant & Cantina), Japanese (Little Tokyo), Greek/Italian (Trattoria Athena), and a player to be named later, when the folks at popular El Camino open a new restaurant at 111 Maine.

Based on the recommendation of acquaintances who had dined there the previous day, I lunched at Trattoria Athena during its first week of operation. It’s a small but inviting space, with a diamond pattern in the wood floor, olive green walls, wooden tables crafted from old barn doors, and a small copper bar. There were fresh flowers on the table, and water was served in a mason jar. I could imagine it once discovered, filled with locals; it’s that kind of spot—comfy, casual, unpretentious, inviting.

Sealing the deal is the food. Trattoria Athena, true to its name, serves Italian and Greek fare, prepared from locally sourced ingredients. The menus (it’s open for lunch and dinner) aren’t extensive, but they do capture those Mediterranean flavors.

The lunch menu—on a chalkboard—listed salads, paninis, and fresh pastas, most in the $6-9 range. I opted for a feta cheese and pesto panini, which sounded like a nice Italian-Greek blend. It was sharp with garlic and salty from feta, just as I imagined. It came with fresh greens, lightly dressed with a nice vinaigrette. Service was friendly and efficient, although hard not to be with only two tables at the time.

The early-summer dinner menu, presented clipped to a wooden board with a fork,  is enticing, with a nice selection of traditional fare (lamb and goat) as well as some fresh house-made pasta choices that left me salivating to return. Specials are drawn from farm-market finds.

The location, on a one-way street off Maine Street, is tough one, but I think it’s worth finding.

Brunswick’s buzzing about Green Bee sodas

Hilary Nangle
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Brunswick’s buzzing about Green Bee sodas

I was drawn in by an adult-version of a lemonade stand as I moseyed along Main Street in Brunswick the other day. Christopher Kinkade and his wife, Lori, were sampling their new Green Bee All-Natural Soda in front of Morning Glory natural foods market. One sip of their debut Lemon Sting flavor, and I was smitten. “It’s made from only four ingredients,” Lori said, then ticked them off: water, rosemary, lemon, and Maine wildflower honey.

“I’ve been a home brewer and soda maker for 20 years,” Christopher  said, and this flavor was born of his research into beekeeping. “I realized how healthy bee products were, and I thought ‘why isn’t honey used more as a sweetener? You see a lot of organic sugar and evaporated cane juice, and that’s well and good, but why not honey?'”

Why not, indeed.

So he began playing around with Maine-grown honey as a sweetener. “It was a no-brainer. We’re the only local soda company using honey.  love the flavor of lemon and rosemary, and after a lot of experimentation, I said, ‘Aha! This is it.'”

I have to agree. It’s light and lovely, with the subtle sweetness of honey. I drank my sample, then requested more. Currently, it’s only sold at Morning Glory, but with time, it will be available in more stores. Seek it out. And look for a new “top secret” flavor to debut in late summer.

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