Seafood
 

Hi all
We have wanted toco e and visit all the lobster and seafood shacks driving up the Maine coast. Not knowing much about it and being pretty unorganised, we thought, let's just book the flights so it's done and sort the rest out later!!!!
We have booked 18th January to 8th February, we booked it last know and are increasingly seeing that the lobster shacks are closed at during these times :(
Pretty stupid of us, but now we can't change our flights, would any of you nice people know where would be open, anything seafood and fishy to eat and look at.
We fly to Boston and going to have a few days then then the plan is to rent a car and drive up the coast, we don't want to waste time in places that will all be closed up.
Many thanks in advance, robert

Wow. Seriously? You'll have to watch the weather reports very closely. Where are you from, have you driven in snow and slush and wind and drifts and black ice before?

Even in summertime one doesn't "drive up and down the Maine Coast". To see the coast you must continually get off the main road and veer down into various peninsulas. No need for that in winter since most everything down the peninsulas will be boarded up.

Enjoy Boston for a week and then spend a few days each in Ogunquit maine, Portland Maine and Camden Maine. Those are year-round communities with plenty of decent dining options, especially Portland and Camden.

"BUNDLE UP!" as they say in Maine. You'll need parkas, gloves, boots, scarves, mittens etc etc.

"We can't change our flights". Most flights can be changed for a fee. Not the destinations, but the dates. In fact it might be cheaper than purchasing all that winter clothing.

Maine? In February? You will not find many, if any, lobster shacks open. And the weather will be terrible.

Portland is your best bet if you want to find some nice restaurants. Otherwise, just get lobster in Boston - Yankee Lobster has some limited indoor seating. Or get it from Legal Seafood.

Honestly, I'd change your plans. Skip Maine and spend more time in Boston and maybe add New York.

<i>Those are year-round communities with plenty of decent dining options</i>

Ogunquit is not really a year-round community. Sure, people live there, but there won't be "plenty" of dining options open in February.

Shacks and beachside joints will be closed but many hotels in Ogunquit are open all winter and there are lots of dining choices in Wells, Ogunquit and Kennebunkport.
Bintliff's
Angelina's
Five-O Shore Road
Mike's
Joshua's
Northern Union (highly recommend!)
MC Perkins Cove
York Harbor Inn
Allison's
....several others


Also if weather permits they'll get to walk the beach with a few other hardy souls, something they can't do in Portland or Camden.

Not sure where you are from but have you looked at the weather in Maine in Feb. And do you have proper clothing for this type of weather? Daily highs are around freezing and daily lows are 15 to 16 degrees. And it snows on more than 40% of Feb days.

So cold - sometimes very cold - and lots of snow (maybe feet) and ice. Do you have any experience driving under these conditions?

Also in the resort areas most lodgings and restaurants will be closed.

Plus not sure where you would visit/what you would do. Obviously no whale watching, no hiking, no touring cute towns, no strolling on the beach.

Frankly I would reorganize the tickets so you could go in June - at the earliest.

If you go in Feb you will need to stay in Boston and the few larger towns that have a couple of museums and things to see/do.

I second what clarkgriswold said, in its entirety.

Change your flights, or stay in urban areas. Don't plan on driving around a lot. Make sure you have proper winter clothing or you'll spend all your time in your hotel.

One can not drive on the Maine coast and see the ocean - that just is not how the roads are set up.

Lobster shacks do a lot of their business by selling food at a window and then having people eat at tables along the water. You can not do that in the winter.

Since your flights and dates are set, I would spend about a week in Boston, then venture up to Gloucester/Rockport MA for a few days, and then head up to Portland, ME for a week. All these places will have museums, restaurants, seafood and things to do.

On your way up to Portland, stop in Wells, ME at the Maine Diner. While not a lobster shack, as close as you might get. They have seafood, lobsters and authentic New England food.

If the weather is OK, take the Amtrak Downeaster train from Boston North station to Freeport ME. ($22 to $30pp coach seats).
If you are lacking any cold weather gear, stop at the L.L. Bean main store in Freeport.
With little or no snow driving experience, this is the safest way to get to coastal Maine in February.

Then what is the plan once they get to Freeport, Tom? How will they get to the coastal towns without driving?

Where do you fly home from -- Boston as well? If so I'd probably forget about Maine and concentrate on Boston, maybe some time in Connecticut . and RI or maybe NYC. You have 3 weeks to kill - that's a lot . . . have you maybe considered canceling and re-booking for later in the year. Depending on which airline you used there could be a change fee or not. But I'd definitely think about it.

tom -- Amtrak really <i>should</i> put on the payroll.

If the weather is OK, they can drive after they take the train. Oh wait. If the weather is OK< they can just drive.

Seafood, including lobsters which are caught and sold alive, comes from.........the sea. Even the hardiest fisherman may get to a point where the cold snowy weather and big waves make it impossible, and certainly uninviting for the pittance they earn per pound after expenses, to get out on the ocean and pull up large heavy traps streaming freezing water to see if any lobsters might have crawled in to become dinner for you.

Lobsters are available year round in New England. Some are caught during the winter, some are caught when weather is better and held in huge tanks. Fin fishing in New England is unfortunately rare these days. Many of the fish one sees in stores and restaurants are either farmed, imported, or caught far offshore by huge fishing operations. The old New England fisherman going out on his boat for a few days is rarer - as are the supplies of fish.

What a bunch of whimps. Well, true, the fun lobster shacks will be closed but fishermen and lobstermen don't spend the winter sitting on their duffs. If driving is bad, i.e. it's the middle of a blizzard, just don't drive. I95 will be clean and dry once the road crews take care of things and it stops snowing. Rt 1 and all major highways should be bare, clean road after a storm just be aware that local roads might take longer to clean up and any rural towns might not have a clean road policy (my town doesn't plow unless there's more than 3 inches of snow). Also, don't try to drive in icy conditions. Choose hotels with good restaurants within walking or cab distance. You won't have any trouble in places like Portland, Portsmouth and Boston.

For old shack type charm but indoors, we like Petey's on Rt 1 in Rye NH. Avoid places that are chains like the Weathervane. One New Year's Eve we fell for the cheap lobster dinner special at a Weathervane. Never again. Lobster shacks are fun because they have outdoor seating and sometimes have incredible views. Lobsters that are fresh from the ocean are sweeter and tastier but there are darn good lobsters available in winter. Even large grocery stores have lobster tanks and many will steam them for you (current price $6.99/lb). So it's possible if you were staying in a Residence Inn type place you could bring in some cooked lobsters, melt some butter and cuddle up.

In Wells, Maine if Clark was talking about Mike's Clam Shack (which is really a modern, large restaurant), I'll second the recommendation. Turnover in food is going to be high so the seafood should be fresh.

Portsmouth NH has a lot of good restaurants. It might be too cold to be outdoors but you could see about a window seat in one of the restaurants on the harbor. There is a lot going on even if winter means mostly commercial activity (Portsmouth Navy Yard is across the way) but you probably won't see kayakers. Here's a link to one restaurant with a photo showing seats looking out on the harbor http://www.martingalewharf.com/

There are several restaurants that share this view. In summer you can walk their connected back decks.

You might check out Portland recommendations on chowhound - northern New England thread.

The other day we had mostly non-seafood Asian Fusion at a tiny restaurant Anju in Kittery Maine (not the Rt 1 outlet mess). We didn't bother to find a seafood market that had been recommended for their lobster rolls. You might find your own parking space/view of the water with some take-out lobster rolls and chips if it's a sunny day. However, due to temperature, you might hunt out the best lobster chowder places. I am also quite happy to have a good seafood casserole instead of steamed lobster when the weather is bad.

I would also recommend Cameron's Lobster House in Brunswick Maine. It's basic, kind of retro family type of place but good food and appears to be open year round. Brunswick is a busy college town. If you want ocean views, head out to the Harpswells which are more like the way Maine used to be. http://www.yelp.com/biz/camerons-lob...se-brunswick-5

And, if you want a real challenge and something summer visitors don't usually visit, find a church or grange supper. You might get lucky with a chowder supper but probably not a lobster one in winter.

Here's an article from last January about Maine lobster fishing in winter http://www.weather.com/news/news/mai...hrimp-winter#/!

The average high in Ogunquit in January is 32 degrees F and the average low is 11 degrees F. Yes, I'm a whimp, but there's no way I'd choose to spend my vacation days in temperatures like that (I wouldn't choose to live where temperatures get that low either, and yes, I grew up in NY and went to school in upstate NY - that's why I left LOL). If it won't bother you, then by all means, go!

Well, since the OP has not been back either they have changed their minds - or are waiting for an email saying they have responses.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baits...15400765155952
The anglers in their restuarant, nothing fancy but great seafood.

Seeing one nice coastal town beats NO coastal towns. I'm sure they could rent a car in Freeport if the weather was good.

Camden Winterfest fits with OP's dates! US Toboggan Championship finals. Good chance to find out what the locals do when the tourists aren't around. Might require a spirit of adventure.

And, yes, we have gone to winter events when weather has been below zero. Dress for it. dh has to use the chemical hand and feet warmers. But a hot rum drink tastes mighty good after a winter day outdoors.

The OP registered and posted and hasn't returned -- may be waiting to hear there are responses . . .