The state of Maine is known as Vacationland! Many New Englanders, including myself enjoy a day trip or long weekend there during the summer. It is a favorite warm weather destination!

Last summer, I visited the city of Portland for some sightseeing and vegan dining.

It is a port city so you see many ships along the docks by the Commercial Street waterfront. The downtown area is filled with many shops on cobblestone roads. I browsed through several of the shops where you may find typical Maine gifts such as moose-shaped chocolates, lobster-shaped candy, and various blueberry products. One of my favorite shops sells international casual clothing from India and other parts of Asia. The city has many art galleries containing local artwork of Maine mountainous landscapes and ocean scenes. There is a wonderful juice bar downtown which makes healthy smoothies from many varieties of tropical, exotic, fresh fruit. It is called Maine Squeeze Juice Cafe. I purchased one of these healthy, acai berry smoothies and sat by the waterfront to take in the view. One can even choose to take a lunch time or evening cruise in Casco Bay.

After browsing the shops and galleries and strolling along the waterfront, I found a wonderful vegan-friendly restaurant called The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro. I decided to have dinner there. It serves vegetarian and vegan, Asian cuisine. For appetizers, you can choose among spring rolls, wontons, mushroom tempura, soy nuggets, and roti pancakes. For the main entree, you can dine on various stir-fry veggies and tofu, rice dishes, or noodles. Everything is delicious. I do not recall which of the stir-fry dishes I ate last year. However, I do remember it was fabulous! It was quite a find to see this vegan-friendly restaurant in a vacation spot by the seacoast.

Another popular vacation spot in Maine is the town of Bar Harbor.

I visited there a couple of years ago. This was a 6 hour drive from the Mass. border but well worth it! As you drive along the main roads, you can find vendors selling Maine wild blueberries. I could not resist to purchase some for my trip back home! It is a region you want to visit time and time again for a day or a weekend. The town is filled with gift shops galore! You can not only find Maine food and gifts, but many, many clothing shops. If anybody needs some sturdy hiking boots, sandals, clothing, or windbreaker jackets, they can surely find them here. After shopping in town, I found a restaurant near the main street which offered to prepare a vegan dish of polenta and veggies for me. It was not a vegan restaurant. However, in this touristy town, they were very happy to accommodate. It was indeed delicious.

During the day, you can drive to Acadia National Park. There are campsites there for those who wish to make it a truely rustic adventure. Although this is a popular site, I chose to have accommodations at a small inn in town. Acadia is a very popular park for hikers. The view is magnificent. For those who appreciate their cultural side, the region offers museums and art galleries.

In the evening, there are many spots to dine and listen to music. I chose to eat at the only vegan-friendly restaurant in town. It is called Eden Vegetarian Cafe. I do not recall exactly what I ate. What I do remember is that this truely gourmet, vegan fare! I dined on a scrumptious appetizer and mouth-watering entree. They apparently change their menu each season. Some past selections include Garden Vegetable Stuffed Tofu Pockets(appetizer), Local Tomato Tartlet (appetizer), Pistachio Crusted Soy Seitan Cutlets (entree), Summer Vegetable & Speckled Butter Bean Tangine-Stuffed Rosa Bianca Eggplant (entree), and Korean Hot Pot (entree). The food here is so amazing that you may want to drive to Bar Harbor just to dine at this restaurant!

The other reason that some chose to come to Bar Harbor is because it is from here that you may take a ferry to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. I did that on one occasion.

The rest of Maine provides a dilemma for vegan travelers. It is quite difficult to find vegan fare in the touristy southern Maine region, unless you are fortunate enough to come across a Thai or Indian restaurant. On my way home to Boston, I always stop over the Maine border to Portsmouth, New Hampshire for a vegan dinner. Portsmouth is a great tourist town. It is a port city with ocean view dining. You may take a cruise in the harbor, visit a small island by ferry, or shop in its many gift shops and art galleries on its cobblestone roads. Strawberry Banke is a historic part of town which boasts a village of colonial settlement homes that you may tour.

My favorite dining spot is called The Juicery (The Juicery). I usually select the spicy Indonesian wrap or the colorful and tasty Mexican veggie and bean burrito. For a beverage, I like their Acai, Very Berry, or Green Power smoothies.

My summer trips to Maine are always memorable, picturesque, and filled with great vegan food up there in the vast wilderness of Vacationland country!