things to do
things to do
Please see below for our list of recommended activities, restaurants, and things to do in Harpswell and Brunswick, as well as Maine as a whole if you are thinking about extending your trip!
Harpswell is a working waterfront community with two gorgeous peninsulas filled with rocky beaches, lobster boats, local markets, and eateries. We recommend exploring this area if you have access to a car!
Where To Eat & Drink
Classic seafood restaurant and bar with indoor and outdoor seating known for its panoramic views of Casco Bay & the Calendar Islands. All lobster served on the menu is caught right in the adjacent Casco Bay. Mariah & Sean highly recommend.
Grab-&-Go seafood spot specializing in lobster rolls with casual outdoor seating located on Casco Bay.
Local Ice Cream spot known for their hard serve! Lots of outdoor seating.
Places To Explore
Large two floor gift shop located on the Bailey Island peninsula with panoramic views and waterfront.
Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 54 min, with scenic views of the water and small rocky islands.
Park composed of woodland, estuary & rocky coast, known for guided nature walks and osprey-watching.
Harpswell
Brunswick
Downtown Brunswick on Maine Street has an array of restaurants, bars, and local shops to pop into! This area is a great option for those who won’t have access to a car and would like to stay nearby their hotel in Brunswick.
Where To Eat & Drink
The Abbey is a high ceiling cocktail bar with lots of indoor seating (high tops, bar seating, couches, etc.) right on Maine Street. They have a wide variety of uniquely named cocktails, including one for the historic Ice Storm of ‘98. They also have breakfast sandwiches and light bites for lunch! Walking distance from The Federal and One Sixty Five!
Portland
Portland is the nearest local city in Maine. Filled with amazing seafood restaurants, ice cream shops, coastal views, boating, beaches, parks, shops, and more, we recommend stopping here if you are considering traveling up to Maine early or looking to stay in Maine after the wedding!
Places To Explore
Sea Dog Brewing (Topsham Location)
Large brewery located right over the river in Topsham with river views and lots of bites.
Located in the former Small Arms Firing Range on the re-developed Brunswick Naval Air Station (now called Brunswick Landing). Wood-fired pizza, craft beer, family and dog friendly.
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park is a big part of the reason Mariah & Sean fell in love with the state of Maine. Mariah spent Labor Day Weekend every year growing up camping and hiking with her family in Acadia, and Sean and his family shared a weekend doing the same shortly after Sean graduated college! Sean and Mariah returned to Acadia together to celebrate Mariah’s 30th birthday in June 2023, reminding them both how much they love Acadia and Maine as a whole. While it is a little ways farther than where we will be getting married, we cannot recommend this place enough if you have additional time to travel while in the area! If you’d like to visit the area but are not keen on camping, Bar Harbor has a great variety of cute Inns for lodging as well.
Recommendations for Acadia
Sean and Mariah completed this hike together in 2023! While there are many amazing hike options in Acadia (of varying difficulty and distance depending on your group’s preference), we loved this one especially due to the uniquely challenging yet approachable hiking experience complete with some fun ladder and rung areas. Despite looking scary (lol) this hike is very doable as long as you have appropriate footwear!
If you are in Acadia you MUST (no exceptions) go to Jordan’s Pond House and get popovers. They have many amazing things on the menu, including a Maine staple, blueberry lemonade, but are known for their delicious popovers! Allow for about 30 minutes in your schedule to wait for a table and explore the local gift shops or enjoy the mountain views while you wait for your table to be ready.
Bolos is a Brunswick staple! Converted from an old candlepin bowling alley, this bar is a great spot to stop by for beers, American cuisine, and it also has select games like corn hole, foosball, darts, and giant jenga. Bolos serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night food! Walking distance from The Federal and OneSixty Five!
If you’re looking for delicious donuts and coffee, Frosty’s is the place (Mariah & Sean can confirm). Since 1956, they have homemade their donuts and frosting daily. They also serve bagels and other cold drinks. Walking distance from The Federal and OneSixty Five.
Mariah and her parents stopped at this cute spot when they were in Brunswick last year! Another great place to stop for coffee & breakfast—this spot also serves breakfast sandwiches like BEC. Walking distance from The Federal and OneSixty Five!
Intimate and delicious Mediterranean restaurant recommended by the owner of Live Well Farm as well as Sean and Mariah’s wedding planner!
Farm/Ocean-To-Table restaurant inspired by the Portland equivalent Five Fifty-Five. A great spot for anyone staying at The Federal as it is within the same building as the hotel!
OneSixtyFive (Breakfast) or Pub165 (Dinner & Drinks)
Cute breakfast spot with natural lighting and colonial charm located on the ground floor of OneSixtyFive Inn! Around back there is also Pub165 which is a great spot for dinner & a drink, filled with interesting books & historical decor.
Downtown Bar Harbor
Downtown Bar Harbor is a wonderful area to walk around, eat out, and shop! With nearby parks and waterfront views as well, this is a great place to spend the day or an evening before dinner at one of the local seafood restaurants. Make sure to stop in Cool As A Moose for some Maine merch!
If you are looking for the full camping experience, we recommend staying in the A Loop at Blackwoods Campground! We loved A Loop because you can hear the soft sound of buoy bells in the distance as you are falling asleep. The campground has nearby showers available for use (make sure to bring quarters) in addition to bathrooms on site as well as water stations, picnic tables and fire pits.