I Went for the Lobster, but I’ll Come Back for the Blueberries
A Southerner’s guide to Maine, with a first-timer and a friend who knows the way
To be clear, I have never been to Maine.
I need to get that out of the way before somebody asks which side of the island I prefer.
But I recently sat down with two Southerners who have very different claims to the place. My friend Matt Lane grew up spending summers on Mount Desert Island. His family’s place near Bass Harbor has been part of their lives for generations, and his parents now spend much of the summer there. Eddie Goepp went for the first time with his bride and two young sons. His stated goals were to escape the Georgia heat and eat lobster and oysters every day.
Matt knows where the lobster boats come in. Eddie blazed a trail from Boston to Bar Harbor and left no lobster roll unturned. Together they gave me a far better Maine itinerary than I could have assembled by doomscrolling through travel posts.
Here is how I would do it based on their recommendations, including of course, a stop for Eddie’s blueberry pie.
Take the Scenic Route
Eddie’s plan was to fly into Boston, rent a car and work up the coast, stopping in Kennebunkport, Rockland and Camden before reaching Bar Harbor. An airline cancellation compressed his itinerary, but the idea is sound: give the towns along the way time to be part of the vacation. He noticed the air cooling and the scenery turning greener as he drove north. He also noticed the tolls, so factor those into the drive. Fifty dollars should cover it.
If Mount Desert Island is your Maine destination, your arrival airport determines your windshield time. Boston Logan (BOS) is about 270 miles and five hours from Bar Harbor, giving you latitude to make the coastal towns part of the vacation. Portland (PWM) is about 155 miles and three and a half hours away. Bangor (BGR) is the closest of the three, about 50 miles from Bar Harbor. Eddie’s stops in Kennebunkport, Rockland and Camden are reason to give the Boston route an extra day or two.
Eddie’s road-trip lobster-roll vote went to Graffam Bros. Seafood in Rockport. He also gives a shout-out to The Clam Shack in Kennebunk, where the answer to butter versus mayonnaise was, in his telling, essentially: both. They do not judge. I like that policy.
Pick Your Side of Mount Desert Island
Bar Harbor makes an easy first base. Eddie stayed there for three nights, explored Acadia with his family and named it his favorite town. There are restaurants, access to the park and plenty of company. For a first visit with two boys, that worked.
Matt’s heart is on the other side of the island. Around Bass Harbor and the quieter western side, you find working waterfronts, neighbors who stay year-round and the sort of day that begins with a look at the tide instead of a reservation. His family’s Parkman House and nearby cottage have hosted generations of summers. His mother, Ginny Lane, runs Quietside Art Gallery, with painting classes for visitors. If you want to slow down and make something while you are there, that is a very Matt Lane way to spend an afternoon.
You can see another face of the island at Northeast Harbor, with its boats and grand summer history, then head back toward Bass Harbor and watch the lobstermen work. I asked Matt which side suited me. He did not hesitate: Bass Harbor. Apparently I look like a man who would rather lunch beside a working dock than admire yachts from a distance. Fair assessment.
Do Acadia at Your Own Pace
Until this conversation, I had no idea Acadia National Park and the Cajuns of Louisiana shared a name with the same historic French region. After Le Grand Dérangement scattered Acadian families, many eventually found their way to Louisiana, where “Acadian” became “Cajun.” Maybe that explains why lobster and chowder speak to my Louisiana soul as much as crawfish and gumbo. Je ne sais pas. I’m willing to test that theory over lunch.
First, I suppose, I should see the park. Thankfully, you do not need to be a hardcore hiker to enjoy Acadia National Park. This was welcome news to me. James Lewis is built for comfort, and Eddie reminded me that his father once said, “Round is also a shape.”
Eddie and his family made the classic first-timer stops: Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, Thunder Hole, Sand Beach and Bubble Rock. Sand Beach stood out because so much of the coastline they saw was rocky. His boys are seven and ten, and he found the park easy to adapt to their energy. You can take a gentler walk and still feel that you have seen Maine. You can also drive to Cadillac’s summit when the road is open; check the park’s vehicle-reservation requirements before you go.
Matt’s hiking pick is Acadia Mountain Trail on the western side. For people seeking exposed ladders and a more demanding climb, he also mentions Beehive and Precipice. Check current trail conditions before setting out, especially where nesting peregrine falcons prompt temporary closures. I would personally start with the route that does not ask me to negotiate a cliffside ladder.
Matt sometimes brings Dory, the family’s golden retriever, along on a hike. Dory also once landed an L.L.Bean catalog cover shoot, which makes her the most accomplished model among the three of us and possibly the most famous member of Matt’s family.
Matt also likes a day around Long Pond: hike with the dog, come down for time near the water, fish for landlocked salmon, smallmouth bass or trout, then head to Thurston’s for lunch.
And make time to get onto the water if you can. Matt describes kayaking from the family cove in the morning while fog lifts from a surface that looks like glass, with lobster boats and buoys around him. That is the image I kept coming back to after our conversation. He has paddleboards there now, too, although he has yet to offer the paddleboard yoga class I suggested.
Lobster (lahb-sta) is King, but Mussels are Queen
Eddie and I have a simple seafood philosophy: when we see-food, we eat it. He fulfilled the lobster-every-day part of his mission. The oyster-every-day part yielded an unexpected outcome: mussels. He ordered them repeatedly and found them plump and fresh enough to carry a light broth of white wine and lemon without hiding behind a heavy sauce. If you usually think of the broth as the main event, try the mussels themselves.
Matt’s seafood advice begins before you sit down. Watch for handwritten roadside signs advertising fresh fish and ask what came in. His dad once came home with a 41-pound roadside halibut. “Just for the halibut,” I said, because I am incapable of letting an opportunity like that pass.
Matt also loves fresh salmon. When he’s at his family’s place in Maine, one of his favorite things to do is pick mussels at low tide and steam them almost immediately. You can gather your own, too: Maine allows up to two bushels per person per day without a license. Check the Maine Department of Marine Resources for access and closures first, then ask a local where to find a good spot.
His father, Jim Lane, makes a serious event of feeding the family, from salmon dressed with papaya salsa to lobster benedict. Jim has hosted a family “Breakfast at Wimbledon” tradition for years. Matt also passed along a local tip about squid fishing by light from a dock at night. He has not tried it yet, so I am filing that one under “next trip.”
For a sit-down lobster meal, Matt sends you to Thurston’s Lobster Pound in Bernard, overlooking a working harbor on the quiet side. He likes being able to eat while watching the boats. His family’s version is even more direct: their friend Gus the lobsterman calls when the boats are coming in; somebody meets them at the dock with a laundry basket, and before long the household has a lobster feast. Shout-out to Gus. I cannot promise he will sell you 30 lobsters, but I can tell you why Matt keeps coming back.
Ask about soft-shell lobsters, called sheddahs. Coming from New Orleans, I heard “soft shell” and pictured an alleluia fried crab with hollandaise. That is not what you do with a lobster. Matt says the appeal is a shell that takes less work to crack and sweeter meat inside. If lobster is the centerpiece of your trip, try one and decide for yourself.
The lobster-roll debate was brief. Both Matt and Eddie voted cold, with only enough mayonnaise to bring the lobster together. Eddie likes the combination of cold lobster on a buttered roll. Matt’s pick on the island is Thurston’s; Eddie’s road-trip pick is Graffam Bros. That gives you a perfectly reasonable excuse to have more than one.
Save Room for Chowder, Oysters and Blueberries
Eddie’s Blueberries
Eddie’s Bar Harbor chowder vote goes to Geddy’s. Matt agreed and admitted he might add a little Tabasco. For oysters, Eddie praises Brasserie Le Brun in Bar Harbor, where he enjoyed Bar Harbor Blondes. He says his oyster sampling was smaller than planned because the mussels kept getting in the way. I can respect that.
But if you ask Eddie what to order that is not lobster, his answer comes instantly: blueberry pie.
“I went for the lobster, but I’ll come back for the blueberries.” That is Eddie’s line, and it may be the best explanation of his trip. He and his boys found wild blueberries while out walking. His ten-year-old tasted one and said it tasted like the pie. Matt’s family picks fresh berries for blueberry pie and crisp, and he says July is when they generally begin to see them ripen. Timing depends on the season, so regard berry picking as a bonus, not the basis of the trip.
The blueberries do not have to end at dessert. Matt muddles fresh berries and mint into a cocktail with blueberry soda and vodka. Eddie’s boys liked the blueberry soda sans vodka, a detail I appreciate him clarifying. Eddie also tried blueberry lemonade with Tennessee whiskey. Between pie, crisp, jam and a proper cocktail, there is plenty of room to conduct your own research.
Pack a Layer
Eddie says every Southerner needs a QZ, which is a quarter zip for those of us who require the translation. Matt agrees. Bring a hoodie, sweatshirt or sweatpants even in July. Check the forecast and your lodging’s heating and cooling before you pack. Their point is that a summer trip north can still mean chilly mornings or evenings on the water.
For a souvenir, Eddie chose blueberry jam. Matt chose an overnight shipment of lobster. Those answers tell you nearly everything about how each man vacations.
I asked what a Southerner should not pack. Eddie answered, “A bad attitude.” It was the perfect answer from a guy who had expected good lobster and cooler weather, then came home talking about the people.
He said everyone he encountered was kind and helpful. Matt talked about the rocky coast and the feeling of finally getting away. A few days in, he said, he stops knowing what day it is. On family vacations, I used to call that feeling living in a world without clocks.
I have never been to Maine, so I cannot tell you which lobster roll is best. I can tell you what two Southerners taught me: leave time for the drive, see both sides of the island, let Acadia fit the people you brought, order the mussels and the blueberry pie. Go for the lobster if you want. I suspect something else will bring you back.
The Short List
Coastal drive: Kennebunk, Rockland and Camden on the way toward Mount Desert Island. Eddie’s lobster-roll stops: The Clam Shack in Kennebunk and Graffam Bros. Seafood in Rockport.
First visit: Stay around Bar Harbor for restaurants and easy access to Acadia. Explore the quieter western side around Bass Harbor and Bernard as well.
Acadia with family: Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, Thunder Hole, Sand Beach and Bubble Rock. Matt’s hike pick is Acadia Mountain Trail.
Seafood: Thurston’s Lobster Pound for Matt’s harbor-view lobster meal; Geddy’s for Eddie’s chowder; Brasserie Le Brun for oysters. Order mussels and ask about soft-shell lobster.
A quieter afternoon: Quietside Art Gallery, kayaking on the water, or a Long Pond outing for swimming and fishing.
Dessert and packing: Blueberry pie or crisp, blueberry jam to take home, and a quarter zip or hoodie for the trip.
Listen to the Full Conversation
Listen to “HOW TO MAINE: Two Southerners’ Guide to Vacationland,” featuring Matt Lane and Eddie Goepp. The episode premieres October 5.