An Afternoon in Camden, Maine

If you’ve never been to Maine, you are truly missing out on one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s a bit too cold for me outside of July and August, but in those warmer months it is absolutely heaven. This past week we had the pleasure of spending some quality time at our family cottage which happens to be in Maine! Just an hour or so away is a beautiful, coastal town called Camden. After hearing my sister tell me how beautiful it is, we knew we had to see it for ourselves! 

The old brick buildings, overpriced gift shops and seafood restaurants overlooking the harbor were all something out of a movie. After a quick drive through town, we eventually found a place to park which ended up being behind a renovated school bus from Ohio! We knew we couldn’t continue on without sneaking a quick peek inside! Inside the white school bus was a full size mattress, a bicycle and a motorcycle! In another life I could see Justin and I traveling around in something like that. Maybe for retirement one day?! 

After day dreaming about living in a renovated school bus, we grabbed our picnic lunch and found a spot on the grass with the best views of Camden. The kids rolled down the luscious green grass, nearly getting stung by the bees that were also playing amongst the grass and weeds. Occasionally we’d see people passing by with their masks on which reminded us of the time we’re now living in, and we’d be reminded of just how many blessings we have, including our health and the chance to get away as a family. 

So we finished our picnic and set out to find some ice cream and do some window shopping! The shops were ones you’d see at any touristy town. There were women’s clothing and handbag shops, Camden Maine t-shirts hanging on the open store doors, and fancy blue and white teacups on display. I was never big into those kind of shops, but show me a used bookstore and some antique barns and I could spend hours shopping. 

Nevertheless, we asked a local resident for the best ice cream in town and found ourselves at Peter Ott’s On The Water restaurant. The outdoor dining area looked like the perfect place for a midday lobster lunch, but their ice cream to-go window was what we were after! The Maine blueberry ice cream was delicious! We also got cookie dough and peanut butter pie. After continuing our walk around town, we passed the Camden Cove ice cream place and realized that was in fact the ice cream place we were trying to find. But it didn’t matter. The ice cream we had was delicious all the same. 

After getting back to the car, we set off for Camden State Park which was just a few minutes drive up the road. $6/adult and $1/kid ages 5-11 and we were in the park! We got our trail map and followed signs to Mount Megunticook. 

The hike was absolutely stunning. There were mushrooms every few feet and cute, little planks of wood over the mud and small streams. And every now and then you’d get a whiff of that Christmas tree smell from all the pines. 

There were a few different trail options but as long as you headed to the “ocean lookout” you would make it to the top! After some delicious views and some steep climbs, we made it! 

And what a sweet surprise it was to find some ripe blueberries at the top! It felt like a treat from God himself. We rested for a bit and took in the views and fresh air. We also knew we couldn’t leave without some photos! The way back down was a bit rough since the kids were losing steam and we were all ready for dinner but nevertheless we persisted and made it back to the car alive. 

Driving back through downtown Camden, we stopped at a coffee shop and asked another local resident where we could get a nice, affordable, seafood basket to-go. She recommended Claws, just 10 minutes down the road, so we were on our way to Rockland, Maine for some fresh seafood! 

Not realizing there would be such a line out front, we quickly ordered online and got our haddock baskets and blueberry lemonade in no time at all! It was exactly what we wanted and it was perfectly delicious. If you’re ever in the Camden area, you HAVE to check out Claws. They have a kids menu too; so if you’ve got picky kids like we do, you’ll be sure to find something they’ll enjoy. Claws had a nice outdoor seating area, but with our wild children we just ate in the car and we were perfectly happy to do so. 

After Claws, we headed back to our cottage and it wasn’t long before we were all fast asleep, snuggled up warm in our beds, dreaming of tomorrows next adventure! 

Xoxo Rhythm of Adventure