How To Vacation in Maine This October

An October Vacation in Maine

You really should visit Maine in October. Yes, you. October is perhaps the most beautiful month in a beautiful place. October is a state of mind in Maine. You will think about this trip for years after. You will revisit your visit during work days and other boredom hours. Visiting MidCoast Maine in October is easy and rewarding. It is leaf peeping season, which brings some visitors, but there are no crowds. Not here. Not at The Craignair Inn by the Sea in Spruce Head. This is a quiet retreat, even in the busiest times. You will find solitude, quiet in nature, and connecting with the people who choose to be here. We recommend visiting this October. Be our guest. Spend a long weekend or a midweek escape. So many wonderful things will be revealed.

Fall Foliage

You probably already know about the foliage. New England is famous for its foliage. Foliage is when the green leaves transform into reds, oranges, rust, gold, yellow and other magnificent hues. This happens as the chlorophyll breaks down when trees get less direct sunlight as the days grow shorter. This is science! But it feels like magic sometimes. The smell of woodsmoke fills the air. Apples are weighing heavy on the branches. Everywhere change is happening before our eyes. Autumn in New England is a wonder to behold. And Maine is an especially magnificent place in October. The woods are plentiful with deciduous trees. The national parks are beckoning. We encourage you to visit both Acadia and Baxter, home to magnificent Katahdin. But you don’t have to go that deep into the rural countryside. Route 1 alone is reason enough to vacation in Spruce Head this fall.

If you arrive in Maine by air, touching down in the Portland International Airport, we suggest you rent a car to see Maine slowly and at your own pace. When you have a car you can drive the two hours north to the MidCoast Region. Rockland is the unofficial capital of the MidCoast and an art mecca for lovers of landscapes. Once you clear the suburbs of Portland and go beyond the cute college town Brunswick, home of Bowdoin College, you are well on your way! At that juncture, choose Route 1. Cross the Bath bridge and admire the ships and long views. Route 1 offers so many opportunities to slow down and enjoy roadside attractions. Collect leaves to keep. Press them into books or paint the colors you see. Everyone is an artist in Maine.

Seafood Delights

Are you a foodie, friend? If seafood is high on your priority list, October is the ideal time to visit us. Seasonal restaurants are in their final weeks before closing for winter, and will be thrilled to welcome you. Lobster is sweet in October. And guess what? Crab is better. Crabs are bursting with meat in early autumn. The peekytoe is especially delicious, flaky and tender. This Maine crab is so lovely. Enjoy crab meat simply steamed, dipped in warm drawn butter. Packed into a toasted roll. Have a crab roll. Try a crab melt. Crab cakes are super tasty. The Causeway just so happens to serve award winning crab cakes. They are so savory and served with a light dipping sauce. We get our crab from a local fisherman. The island of Islesboro is renowned for its crabmeat. We think you are going to love this crustaceans that often plays second fiddle to Maine’s favorite shellfish.

Be Cool, Buy Local

You don’t want to buy things from big box stores or online retailers. Sure, it’s convenient. But it’s not how anyone really wants to live. Our purchasing power is just that: powerful. Choose instead to support local businesses, makers, farmers, craftspeople. Buy fewer things of quality. Quantity is out. Overconsumption is tacky. What is actually chic is stopping at the pottery shops in MidCoast Maine and buying your salad bowls, coffee mugs, sake sets, butter bells, garlic roasters, and serving platters from real, live, lovely people. These folks are skilled. They contribute in a positive way to the local economy. When you support them you support families, not billionaires destroying the environment. Bring home souvenirs built to last. Bring home beauty. Take home goods that are useful and beautiful. Rockland’s Main Street is a great place to start your Maine shopping excursion. Find something with your own mind and heart, not with assistance from the algorithm. Buy something no one else has. You are unique. Just like Maine.

Learn to Do It Yourself

Just because you are not a small child doesn’t mean you can’t go back to school in fall. Consider Maine Media Workshops. Courses in photography, filmmaking, writing, and book arts fill the fall schedule at the intimate education center located in Rockport. What a dream scenario! Any adult who wants to expand their horizons, improve their artistry and skill, learn from excellent teachers, should consider finding a class at Maine Media. Join a cohort of like-minded adult learners. Be inspired by the scholastic and creative atmosphere as well as by the beautiful surroundings. The town of Rockport is absolutely charming, with the architecture of a small New England village above a quiet harbor. Adults, pursue your passion this October in Maine. Reserve a room at our inn while you immerse yourself in your art and expand creatively.

There are even more hands on and experiential opportunities at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Stay at The Craignair on your way to Deer Isle, Downeast. Learn leatherwork, basket making, screenprinting, metalsmithing, weaving, zines, ceramics, and woodworking. The setting is idyllic. And the people will fuel your fire. Haystack was founded in the 1950’s. It is located about 2 hours northeast of us. You may want to make The Craignair a stay on your way there, or on your way home. They are also home to visiting scholars and a meeting space for sharing ideas. It is a think tank and maker space in the truest sense. Commune with others interested in making real things in an increasingly digital world. Weave yourself into a more fully realized being at Haystack Mountain.

The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship has a thoughtfully crafted campus in rural Rockport. Yes, tiny Rockport is full of surprises, builders and visionaries. In the workshops and the woodshop you can learn countless skills to enhance your life and help you become the builder of a better tomorrow. Carving, chair making, spoon crafting, and metalworking for carpenters are just a few of the offerings; make doors, perfect the craft of joinery, add a valuable skill to your resume. If you love working with your hands and creating beautiful things you can use, sell, and share with your family and community, you may want to consider spending time at this school. It is the antidote to digital burnout and a way cool way to live your life.

Outdoor Sports

What about hiking, rock climbing, and cycling? October is probably the top season to enjoy these outdoor activities in Maine. Expand your horizons. Delve into the outdoors. Consider sport fishing. What about kayaking? Take time off from work. Play more. Get outside. You don’t have to be an expert. Come to Maine to learn and practice. What if you want to work toward a marathon or a secular pilgrimage like the Camino de Santiago in Spain? Maine is the training ground. Walk up mountains. You can move them if you have faith. Walk down hills. There’s Beech Hill in Rockport. Walk easy trails in wildlife preserves. Walk by the sea. Find a path and just start. Keep moving! Stay at The Craignair. At the day’s end, you will be rewarded for your efforts. Join us for dinner and a drink. Make new friends at the bar or by the fire. Sit in an easy armchair by a crackling fire. Or sit outside around the fire pit with a beer in one hand and a s’more in the other. Check out Maine Sport for rentals, experts, and outfitting for all your adventure. They have two locations nearby, one on Main Street in Rockland, the other on Route 1 near Rockport. Electric bikes are also a great option! Any person at any level can find a way to get physical, get outside, and move more. It’s exhilarating.

Off Season is The Best Season

Have we sold you yet? Off season is the best season to visit Maine. A vacation at this time is more magical for all the ways you can create your own adventure. Maine starts slowing down in October. Connect with the locals and ask them what they’re into. You may find yourself in deeper conversation and given access to spots reserved for those who live here year round. You know you want to seek out hidden gems. You want to go off the beaten track. You want to discover something wonderful and have an authentic experience. These moments of magic happen all the time in coastal Maine. Renting a room at The Craignair near Rockland ensures you will be here, with a cozy home base for your Maine stay. It’s high time you went low season; become the sort of traveler at home in the world. Become a person who sees Maine through fresh eyes. There is so much more than summer.

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