Daytrip to Rockland

The maples stand stark and naked, their bare branches reaching skeletally skywards, piles of red and yellow leaves cover the forest floor as we speed North on Route 1. The greying forest is still punctuated with flashes of deep orange and rusty brown, the oaks and beeches that tend to hold their leaves longer into the cold months.

Christine blurts out, “Wow! This sandwich just comes together so well,” before she bites into her breakfast sandwich again, savoring the flavors. The sandwiches, like the coffee I’m sipping having already wolfed down my breakfast some miles back, are from Union Street Bakery in Brunswick. A convenient stop for northbound trips, this bakery had a huge selection of pastries and baked goods that we’ll need to try next time, but their breakfast sandwiches alone are worth a visit.

Bellies filled, our next stop was Rockland.

November is a month of transition in Maine — some days are bright, sunny, and autumnal, while others carry the first biting chills of winter. Planning an adventure in November can prove challenging here between the fickle weather, and the number of temporarily closed spots and reduced hours. With a bit of pre-trip planning however, this off-season can offer crowd-free enjoyment of some of the best Maine has to offer.

Once in Rockland, we made a beeline for the Farnsworth Museum, undoubtedly one of the most impressive small museums I’ve visited. We started in the Wyeth Center, the old Rockland Methodist Church, which has become part of the Farnsworth campus housing Wyeth Family centered exhibits. This visit we were treated with Parallel Visions: an exhibit that paired Andrew Wyeth’s paintings of Maine with Photographs of the same or similar scenes by George Tice. As photographers, we loved seeing that juxtaposition between mediums.

We then headed back over to the main gallery, where we got an interpretive tour of some of the work in Betsy’s Gift, a superb collection of 27 works by N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth donated to the museum upon Betsy Wyeth’s death in 2020. While I appreciate the work of all three, I’ve always been particularly captivated by N.C. Wyeth’s whimsical Maine scenes. The highlight of this exhibit for me was seeing two paintings side by side of the same scene by N.C. Wyeth—one a study, and the other the completed work. Being able to get a glimpse into his thought process as he changed the scene from the first draft to the final was fascinating, and something you don’t often see at a museum full of finished pieces.

We then started exploring the downstairs exhibits, including one of Robert Indiana’s work, that I have to say didn’t resonate with me in the same way — isn’t that the beauty of art? While there was still more to see, we both were feeling the pull of lunch, and waved the museum farewell.

Stepping outside from the Farnsworth, we were drawn to the smell of woodsmoke from around the corner, where we sat outside to enjoy lunch at Cafe Miranda. The November sun was beating down with what little warmth it still has to offer and that was supplemented by a nearby fire pit as we snacked on fare-roasted deconstructed nachos and a meatball sandwich.

Working backwards from our evening plans, we realized we had a bit of time to kill, and knew just the spot to go — Curator. This vintage shop always has an amazing selection of men’s (upstairs) and women’s (downstairs) apparel and accessories which, as the name implies, are well curated for a classic vintage aesthetic. Whether actively searching for something, or just perusing, there is plenty to catch the eye at Curator.

With the Daylight Savings sun dipping low in the horizon by mid afternoon, we headed out to the Rockland Harbor Breakwater Lighthouse, an almost mile long stone causeway/breakwater that leads out to the weather-beaten white lighthouse that protects the Rockland Harbor from rough seas in Penobscot Bay. We’d heard that on the breakwater there is only one stone that spans the full width of the causeway, so while hopping our way out we kept an eye out for it—as the legend goes, the first one to find it gets treated to an ice cream cone by the rest of the group. Unfortunately, it was a bit cold to cash in on this tradition this visit.

After thoroughly soaking in the views of the harbor and the lighthouse itself in the setting sun, we marched back towards shore, and dinner.

Primo has been on our list of restaurants to visit for a number of years, but this finally felt like the right time to make it happen. One of the premier farm-to-table restaurants in a foodie state, we knew we were in for a treat—if we could get a table! We’d found out earlier that week when planning the day trip that they were booked for reservations already, but had first-come first-served spots as well if we got there early. Arriving at 4:30pm for their 5pm opening, we were second in a long line line, and all but guaranteed a spot to eat.

We sat down to cocktails—I ordered a spin on an old fashioned while Christine tried their take on a Negroni, and a fresh baked bread sampler, a good start! This was followed up with a delicious fried oyster and oyster mushroom salad, which was notably unique and delicious. For our entrees, I got the pork chop special, from their recently harvested farm pigs, and Christine got the mushroom pasta cavatelli. Each were superb. Seeing the attention given to each dish is what makes Primo special.

Already satiated, we had to think for a minute when offered dessert, but at the end of the day, there’s always room for dessert! The creme de caramel, a delicious custard along the lines of a flan was decadent, and perfectly balanced with an espresso.

As we trudged back to the car, still only 7pm due to our early seating, we both commented on what a gem of a town Rockland is—we could easily spend a week or more exploring all of the cute shops and galleries. But, luckily, it is a very doable day trip from Portland, so we’ll undoubtedly be back soon!