Part of the excitement with a 12-day road trip to Maine is having the option to be spontaneous. To go where we want when we want, and explore what we want and how we want. That’s exactly what we did. We were able to get a little taste of the salt life by making a detour through the quaint coastal town of York Beach, Maine. It is beautifully located off the New England coast with a long sands beach and cliffs in the near distance that were absolutely breathtaking.
York Beach
The kids and I arrived in York Beach around mid-afternoon. They also call this beach Long Sands Beach. As you may gather from the photo, it is called Long Sands Beach due to the extended sands available to the public. Long Sands Beach is approximately 1.5 miles long. You can lay out and catch some rays. You may choose to soak in the crisp cool coastal waters of the New England region. We walked the beach soaking our toes in the cool waters while trying to find our very own sand dollars. We did not find any at York Beach – BUT…more to come on that exploration! 😉
Parking
Like many popular beaches, if you don’t arrive early, you may be struggling to find parking. We lucked out eventually and found a lady right across the street from the beach selling parking in her yard. Count us in!! We paid $20 for parking in that moment. Later on we learned in our hours’ long adventure in York Beach that parking was only $4 p/hour further down from us. Yep, we were the tourists and sometimes that unexpected cost comes in higher than you’d think because you didn’t research the area prior to. Hah, all good. I was not worried. This is why having “extra cash” as part of the adventure was accounted for in my planning for this trip. It was worth it!
Lunch in York Beach
The kids and I arrived a little hungry; however, we are the family that will go hungry for a bit in order to see the new area first. Not always, but a good percentage of the time depending on our level of hunger. Hahaha. Once one in our party becomes borderline hangry, then that’s the cue we all need to eat…like NOW. This is a group decision too. This is not just the mom of the family speaking. My kids love adventures just as much as I do. We are like three peas in a pod versus two. 😉
Lobster Cove Dining
Through our entire road trip, both my daughter and I were on the search for lobster at every stop possible. York Beach was no different. We were successful too. We stopped in at Lobster Cove for some delicious lunch. My son ordered his usual go-to if they don’t have anything else that stands out for him – chicken strips. Hah. Of course, my daughter ordered the same meal as me. Like mother, like daughter.
Lobster Cove was a smaller dining area and quite busy, but definitely worth the visit. It definitely reminded me of the ‘beach style dives’ you may find in any coastal town/city. The food was satisfying for our hungry souls. I’m guessing being based right off the water that accounted for the busy-ness of the restaurant as well. We didn’t wait very long to be seated; however, it did take a hot few minutes before we were served our food. By that point, the hangry set in with both kids. Thank goodness the waitress was kind enough to give my kids a cup full of cherries. I mean, something is better than nothing when you’re hangry. Am I right? Overall, it was a pleasant experience and I highly recommend for dining right off the water. Soak in that view while you’re there!!!
The Quaint Coastal Town of York
After we filled our bellies, we were all happy tourists and ready to explore some more before getting back on the road. We drove a bit further down from Long Sands Beach and well, this is where we found the $4 parking p/hour amongst the most quaint, adorable looking town ever, York Town. It was pretty busy but the structure of the town just made me gasp. I love small towns and their uniqueness about each of them. This one was no different. From this quaint coastal town above the storefronts you could see the gorgeous cliff lines and Short Sands Beach which just made it feel that much more of an adventurous location.
The kids and I walked from one shop to another exploring if there were any treasures we’d like to take home with us. I found myself this oversized York Beach hoody. What woman doesn’t love an oversized hoody? Haha. My daughter loves all things related to creatures alike. She picked out a sand dollar and a t-shirt. My son gathered himself a York Beach hat and a t-shirt as well. I think we did quite well on our little touristy shopping spree.
Wicked Good Ice Cream
Lastly, we headed to this ice cream shop that had a line out the door. Historically, if I see a line of people anywhere – it usually means one of two things – whatever they have going on in there is pretty good OR it’s brand new! We were all for it! Not to mention their store name had me sold! I love unique and different shops and restaurants. So with a name like Wicked Good Ice Cream, well I just had to taste for myself! Omgosh, they served the biggest serving of ice cream to each of us! Even their smallest serving is quite filling. Be sure to stop by and try some of their wicked good ice cream!
It was time to depart. After all – our adventures were to be continued…to Portland, Maine we go.
Hope to see you there!
Follow us along on our next adventure in this 12-day AHMAZING road trip!
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
-Albert Einstein
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XO, Christine
