I’ve been putting off writing this post mainly because I’ve struggled to put into words what visiting the site was like—it was nothing like what G and I expected. I was expecting a memorial, perhaps a piece of the fuselage, but nothing prepared me for the wide area strewn with pieces of the airplane. Metal lodged into trees, the outline of a window, markings and rivets on large, somewhat-intact pieces. We were certainly standing on sacred ground, where 7 United States airmen lost their lives on a winter’s day in 1963.

That same stillness and quiet in a typically bustling place is what draws us to Acadia National Park in the off-season, and in the winter in particular. While sharing the park, one of the most visited in the country, with so many others is certainly fun on some level of community and camaraderie, we’ve come to love the days and months when we can hear our only our own footsteps on a trail or when we share “hellos” with only a few others.

Earlier this summer, I made a list of my summer “must-dos”—places I wanted to visit, campgrounds where I wanted to stay, things I wanted to do. Returning to Star Island, a small island just off the coast, was at the top of the list. I had first visited more than 15 years ago, and I’ve wanted to go back ever since.

Star Island is one of nine islands that make up the Isles of Shoals, located just a few miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. Four of the islands (Lunging, Seavey, Star, and White) fall within New Hampshire’s borders; the others fall within Maine’s (Appledore, Cedar, Duck, Malaga, and Smuttynose). A few of the islands are privately owned, while the public can visit both Appledore Island and Star Island. While I haven’t visited Appledore (yet!), it was Star Island to which I longed to return.

With its separate spaces, Fuller Gardens has something for everyone. Want more than 125 different varieties of roses? A stunning dahlia display garden? A calm and serene Japanese garden, complete with a koi pond? A conservatory housing hundreds of succulents and tropical varieties? Gorgeous fountains and statuary? It’s all there at Fuller Gardens. So much to see in this hidden treasure of a place.

In a city filled with some pretty great places to visit, Portland Architectural Salvage in Portland, Maine, might just be one of my favorites. Its website heralds “everything old is new again,” and this about sums up the place: it’s got that grandfather’s garage kind of feel, mixed with a DIY/HGTV/shabby chic vibe. It’s the kind of place that makes me want to buy an old farmhouse and restore/renovate/redecorate. And any place that makes me nostalgic for favorite movies, favorite books, and loved ones long passed is worth the stop.

it’s not until you walk around to the back of Pemaquid that you take in the scene in all its Maine coast glory. Those rocks. That surf. The light. I can only imagine how dramatic a scene against a fiery sunset or sunrise or stormy skies. Even on this day, the sight was impressive.

If you know us, you know that we love lobster rolls. Honestly, nothing says summer in New England than a classic split-top, squared-side frankfurter roll (not to be confused with the rounded, side-split hot dog bun!) piled high with chilled, fresh lobster meat tossed with just a hint of mayo. I take my lobster rolls seriously, and I’m always seeking out new ones to try to see if they’ll make it to the top of my growing list. So, when we decided to camp at Hermit Island in Phippsburg, Maine, over the Memorial Day weekend, we set out to find the weekend’s best lobster roll. Three days, three lobster rolls.