Ah, spring on Maine’s MidCoast: There’s just nothing like it! And there’s no place better to enjoy it all from than The Craignair Inn by the Sea, where you can relish luxury, award-winning bed-&-breakfast hospitality in a serene setting along Tidewater near Spruce Head, ME.

Winter—very much its own magical time to escape here—eases up slowly on the MidCoast. And that’s not a bad thing, if you ask us (or our returning guests this time of year): It only makes the vernal awakening that much sweeter, and, furthermore, gives late-winter/early-spring vacationers at The Craignair Inn the chance to enjoy some of that bowing-out season’s outstanding snowsports and its big-time hygge vibes.

A room at The Craignair makes the perfect “spring”-board (pun intended) for exploring all the many things to do in Maine’s MidCoast region this time of year. And some of the best things to do in Maine during the spring are on tap right on our property, not least in the wining-and-dining department!

Let’s run through just some of the activities and attractions that make a MidCoast Maine spring such an unmissable season…

The Best Things to Do in MidCoast Maine in Late Winter & Early Spring

1. Soak Up the Off-Season Atmosphere

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As travelers with firsthand experience in the area know, the MidCoast—and the Pine Tree State in general, for that matter—is very much a year-round destination for outdoor recreation. With that said, the MidCoast is a relaxing and quiet escape from the hubbub of life before the warmer months bring tourists in with the tide.

Stealing away to The Craignair Inn in late winter or early spring, you’ll often find plenty of the white stuff yet to play around in: from the downhill slopes and toboggan chute of the Camden Snow Bowl and the snowshoeing and Nordic routes of Camden Hills State Park to the winter paths of the tranquil Clark Island Preserve just across the walkable causeway from The Craignair Inn.

Depending on snow and ice conditions, you can take to the seemingly endless trails of the MidCoast in snowshoes or cross-country skis—or simply some well-lugged hiking boots and perhaps some hiking crampons or similar traction devices.

After an afternoon’s worth of snowshoeing, skiing, or hiking out in the splendor of this transitional time of year, it’s sheer bliss to return to the cozy embrace of The Craignair Inn. That's all the more true given we boast one of the finest MidCoast Maine restaurants right on site: The Causeway, where you can tuck into one of the wine-pairing dinners and other themed meals of the Winter Passport Series—or perhaps settle in for our special holiday dinner, which is just what the doctor ordered for a couples’ getaway.

The peace and quiet of the off-season come richly savored at the multifaceted waterfront retreat that is The Craignair Inn by the Sea, and when you throw in the culinary amazements of The Causeway, it’s so very easy to fall under the MidCoast spell here.

 

2. Explore Maine Art Galleries & Museums

Spring always seems to arise thrumming with a sense of possibility and creativity, and those feelings jibe nicely with a bit of seasonal art appreciation. A springtime idyll in MidCoast Maine at The Craignair Inn offers fabulous opportunities for art enthusiasts, with numerous galleries and some very fine museums—among them the Farnsworth Art Museum and its Wyeth Center, the Center for Contemporary Art in Rockland, and the Langlais Sculpture Preserve—near at hand.

In fact, speaking of near at hand, we even lay claim to our very own standout hub for local and regional art: the Craignair Gallery, host to an all-year lineup of exhibitions featuring Maine artists. It’s wonderful to stay at our upscale bed and breakfast on the shore, admiring works right on-site that are inspired by the same ravishing Maine landscapes, weather, culture, and energy that you’re blissfully ensconced in.

And what’s more, you get to combine art appreciation here with a foodie experience, given that one of our Causeway Restaurant’s dining areas lies within the Craignair Gallery!

3. Fine Dining & Lobsters on the Deck at The Craignair Inn

Among the gastronomic delights that are yours to enjoy at our Causeway Restaurant here at The Craignair Inn are locally caught Penobscot Bay lobsters. There is, of course, no more quintessential Maine seafood than that noble crustacean, and we couldn’t be prouder to partner with hardworking local lobstermen and women to supply it, magnificently plated, to our guests and diners.

Supporting local lobstering traditions and the tireless folks who carry it out is a strong priority of ours at The Craignair Inn by the Sea, where honoring the ecosystems, cultures, and lifeways of the MidCoast is part of our M.O. There are, needless to say, a slew of challenges to being a lobsterman or woman these days (though a recent high-profile lawsuit went the way of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, a major victory), and we’re committed to doing our part to helping out this long-running and defining regional industry.

4. Celebrate Spring With Some Quality Time on a MidCoast Golf CourseWith spring's lengthening days and warming temperatures, it's high time to hit up one of coastal Maine’s fabulous golf courses! Avail yourself of our luxury boutique accommodations here at The Craignair Inn by the Sea in Spruce Head, ME, and you’ll find yourself in convenient proximity to some topnotch courses, from the Rockland Golf Club and Samoset Golf Course to the Goose River Golf Club and The Causeway Club.

After refining your chips, drives, pitches, and putts out there on the greens and fairways, kick back in The Causeway Restaurant or at our Clark Bar and enjoy some well-deserved refreshments.

5. Springtime Strolls & Wildflower Appreciation

As spring advances on the MidCoast, the snowshoe and ski trails of winter shift over to hiking corridors, with the spectacular shifting pageantry of greenup, flowering, bird migration,image30 and other fundamental natural phenologies delighting any and all woods-wanderers. Treat yourself to a pleasant stroll across the causeway from our Inn and along the footpaths of Clark Island Preserve, happy to know you’ll be bedding down just a stone’s throw away right on the coastline at our historic, well-appointed property.

Early spring doles out some special magic courtesy of the abundant and varied blooms of spring ephemeral wildflowers and other plant life. Fragrant, sunshiny MidCoast forests and woodlands come alive with skunk cabbage, bluets, anemones, trout-lilies, star flowers, trailing arbutus, and other early-blooming showstoppers, with the showy petals of lupines in April and May another keenly anticipated spectacle.

6. Boating, Fishing, and Whale-watching Along the Springtime MidCoast of Maine

Spring is a downright thrilling time to get out on the water along Maine’s MidCoast. Calling The Craignair Inn by the Sea your home away from

home here, you’ll be ideally poised to do just that! After all, we're set right on the seashore, and a mere hop, skip, and a jump from some of Maine's iconic harbors.

This is a wonderful season for sailing in Vacationland, and for sampling the high quality of fishing in this part of New England—whether you’re casting for freshwater quarries such as smallmouth and largemouth bass or chartering a boat for a deep-sea chase of cod or stripers.

Sightseeing cruises out of Rockland, Port Clyde, and other ports are another great way to explore our offshore waters. Springtime kicks off nesting season for Atlantic puffins in our neck of the woods: Maine’s coastal islets harbor the only nesting habitat for this ridiculously cute seabird in the U.S., and there are some very nearby rookeries, such as Easter Egg Rock, which provide viewing opportunities well into summer.

This season also sees an impressive diversity of whales, among them humpbacks, minkes, and North Atlantic right whales, ply their way into the Gulf of Maine to feed. This fertile body of water also occasionally sees flybys from orcas, pilot whales, sei whales, and finbacks—even sperm whales here and there. Taking a whale-watching cruise during your Craignair Inn getaway is an unforgettable way to mark springtime.

Even just hanging out by the water is deeply satisfying amid the balmy weather of spring—and now’s the time to enjoy Maine’s coastal hamlets and bays, before the rising sea levels of climate change transform them...

Use The Craignair Inn by the Sea as Your Launchpad for Enjoying the Best Things to Do in Maine This Spring

Watching a humpback breach, grinning your way through a round or two of golf, photographing the miraculous emergence of ephemeral wildflowers on the forest floor: The MidCoast of Maine is a superlative place for a spring getaway. And from the warm elegance of our Main Inn and Vestry guest rooms to the gorgeous dishes served at our Causeway Restaurant, The Craignair Inn by the Sea gives you the best of the MidCoast spring on a platter!

That intoxicating vernal unfolding isn’t far away on the calendar: Now’s a great time to book your Craignair Inn stay for the season. We can’t wait to introduce you to the many charms of the MidCoast in springtime mode!
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