A road trip to the state of Maine was my plan for this past Saturday. Maine is nicknamed “Vacationland”. The state offers unspoiled pine tree forests, majestic mountain ranges, and miles of crystal clear beaches and coastlines! Its southern coast is exceptionally beautiful to behold! Thus determining my visit for the day!

The first stop on my itinerary was the city of Ogunquit. This popular beach town is known for its scenic vistas and charming accommodations. Walking through the quaint downtown, you find gift shops, boutiques, art galleries, and cafes. I paid a visit there specifically for breakfast.

The vegetarian “Bread and Roses Bakery” (Bread and Roses Bakery) offers a few vegan pastries each day. For the start of my breakfast, I ordered an oatmeal date bar and a raspberry twist pastry. I took a few bites of each but saved the remainder for the next day, so I would have room in my stomach for a savory breakfast item I wanted to try soon in another southern Maine city. The sweet breakfast treats were delicious! The flaky pastry was baked just right and the fruity fillings were divine! The staff have a printed list of each day’s vegan offerings.

After my sweet pastry stop, I headed to the city of Brunswick for a more savory option for breakfast. “Wild Oats Bakery”(Wild Oats Bakery) offers several savory vegan breakfast/lunch options in their deli display case. Homemade, “eggless” egg salad, tempeh curry, or mock chicken salad are on the menu and are clearly marked as “vegan” in their glass, deli display case. I opted for the eggless, egg salad sandwich with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and veganaise in an abenaki seeded bread with a side of sliced green peppers. This savory breakfast was really delectable! It was tasty and filling and freshly made!

The remainder of my morning agenda was comprised of driving through picturesque towns and shorelines.
A mid-morning break for a snack landed me at “Gelato Fiasco”(Gelato Fiasco). This not your ordinary gelato shop! They offer a huge variety of specialty gelatos and gourmet sorbets. I opted for a four flavor sorbetto bowl. My chosen flavors included dark chocolate noir, mango chipolte, navel orange stracciatella, and raspberry truffle! These fancy flavors were absolutely scrumptious! Each unique note of spices and fruit created such a wonderful sensation for my taste buds! I highly recommend these gourmet-flavored sorbettos on every vegan’s holiday in Maine! You just have got to try them!

After strolling through Brunswick’s downtown for a while, I headed back on the road for a drive through more picturesque towns and oceanside views. Finally, lunch time had arrived. The absolute best option in the region is “Bueno Loco Restaurant”(Bueno Loco Restaurant) in the town of Falmouth. This Mexican restaurant is extremely vegan-friendly! Their menu items clearly have marked which selections can be made vegan. They use vegan cheese, vegan sour cream and dip, and fresh vegetables. I chose the burrito bowl with seitan, rice, black beans, vegan cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa. A side of guacamole and tortilla chips(cooked in separate fryer with vegetable oil) completed my meal. Everything was delectable! The food was flavorful and the veggies were fresh.

For dessert, I selected the Mexican-themed, chocolate avocado ganache cake. The plate was garnished with slices of green limes. My cake was absolutely delicious! This is gourmet vegan dining at it’s finest! The very clean and spacious restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere and happy music that immerses you to a relaxed state of mind.

It was time to “hit the road” again! The next stop on my itinerary was the town of Saco for its beaches. Ferry State Park is a vast forest where guests may hike or walk or enjoy its beach. I walked briskly through part of the trails, graced by the dense forest of monumental trees.

Further down the road upon exiting the woods, I found a local town beach. Bayview Beach does not charge an admission fee. The soft white sand beach was gorgeous! It was time to unwind and recline on my beach blanket for a while!

The waters were calm and not too cold, nor overly warm. People played atop the rock formation that met the shore.

Of course, I kept applying vegan sunscreen for my face and body for protection against the sun’s rays.

Another public beach was only a short drive away, so I decided to check this out also. Ocean Park Beach is a stunning, lengthy, white soft sand beach! Tall, vibrant grasses border along the beach perimeter, making for a lovely landscape.

After a refreshing afternoon at the beach, it was time for my next adventure. I drove further south towards Kennebunkport. The coastal views were amazing to say the least! The picturesque town offers everything a tourist would desire: boutiques, gift shops, restaurants and cafes, and magnificent harbor views.

My first foray into the touristy downtown was a visit to a gift shop for some blueberry product sampling. Maine is known for its wild blueberries. The showcase storefront window proudly displays a plethora of blueberry products, such as jams, pancake syrups, and dressings. I really enjoyed tasting the flavorful blueberry jam. It was pure fruit and no sugar.

Dinner time had arrived. While I had visited and enjoyed Kennebunkport many times over the years, this day’s visit was due to the fact that a very vegan-friendly dining establishment was opened!
Bandaloop (Bandaloop Restaurant) offers several vegan items on their menu. I selected the cornmeal-crusted tempeh with fresh avocado and tomato salsa, vegetable medley, and saffron basmati rice. My meal was very appetizing! This eclectic, fancy restaurant is a must-have on every vegan’s visit to beautiful Kennebunkport!

As I strolled further along the main square, I encountered more colorful shops.

I paused for a moment to take in a glorious view of the harbor with its boats.

Of course, no visit to Maine is complete without a purchase of some wild Maine blueberries! Fruit stands along many roads sell fresh blueberries during the daylight hours. In the evening, some local shops such as “HB Provisions”(HB Provisions) in Kennebunkport main square, sells some locally grown blueberries. This is where I purchased mine.

As I made my way further south in Maine on my way home, I made one additional stop. Kittery is renowned for its outlet shops. I stopped at one of the largest ones in the area to take in some window shopping and stepping inside my favorite shop “Ann Taylor” to check out the outlet prices.

On the opposite side of the road lies a couple of newer, vegan-friendly places in Kittery. Misto Cafe (Misto Cafe) offers smoothies, as well as wraps and sandwiches which are perfect for a vegan-friendly, takeaway lunch for the beach. “MrsandMe” (Mrs And Me Ice Cream) has a few flavors of vegan sorbet on their menu, including blueberry.

Heading in the opposite direction on coastal route 1 just a few minutes away in York, is a new market called “Lifestyle Emporium” (Lifestyle Emporium). Vegans will enjoy a stop here for sandwiches and smoothies to take to the beach or to do some shopping for preparing camping meals.

For additional tourist attractions in southern Maine, I recommend the “Desert of Maine”(Desert Of Maine), near the town of Freeport. A desert in Maine, you say?! Yes..Its true! 11,000 years ago, a glacier left Maine with sand and mineral deposits which formed this “desert”. For an evening excursion, the Ogunquit Playhouse entertains visitors with theater performances.

All in all, I was quite pleased to see that southern Maine is becoming more vegan-friendly! I truly enjoyed my day trip to the Vacationland state! The glorious green forests, the attractive beaches, the gorgeous coast, the delightful village main squares, and the tasty vegan meals made my day’s excursion a wonderful and worthwhile experience!