What's Brewing, Barley?

Great beaches, bites, and beers less than 2 hours from Boston.

One of the more frustrating things for me, a beach loving pup, was learning that most public beaches don’t allow dogs during the summer months. Thankfully, our friends in Maine are a little more laid back. So when we had a free weekend and some nice weather, we packed the car and drove north.

Our first stop was Fort Foster in Kittery Point. Fort Foster is a gorgeous park that happens to have several dog friendly beaches, picnic areas, a fishing pier, bathrooms, walking trails, etc. When you arrive at the parking lot, there is signage that says the dog friendly beach is to the right of the pier and dogs are prohibited on the beach to the left of the pier. Both of the beaches are small, and what the signs don’t say is that there are several beaches further down to the left which are larger, sandier, and all dog friendly. So we’d suggest walking down to the left a ways. You’ll have plenty of room to roam.

The water is fairly calm, there are plenty of rocks (and seaweed) to explore, and you’ll get great lighthouse and ocean views. It’s a different world from Boston, but it’s only about an hour away!

After the beach, we decided to head for Portland. You could (and should!) spend days exploring Portland, but our time was limited today and we had two things on our mind: food and beer. So we set the GPS for Susan’s Fish-N-Chips and grabbed Lobster Rolls to-go. For $19.99, you get about 6oz of fresh Maine lobster (you can see them picking it behind the counter) on grilled roll and lightly tossed in mayo. It’s an awesome roll and in the era of $35+ rolls in the Boston area, it felt like a steal. Susan’s is less than 10 minutes from Portland’s Industrial Way beer cluster (Definitive, Allagash, Foundation, Battery Steele, and Austin Street) which is where we took our to-go rolls.

We grabbed a spot inside at Definitive (read more about Definitive) and I curled up with a sweet potato chew and my lobster roll plush while my humans ate their rolls (dad even “dropped” a piece for me). We then walked across the street to Allagash and their large, pup-friendly outdoor space for one more beer (read about Allagash). After that, we headed south to Saco.

The destination in Saco was Barreled Souls (read about Barreled Souls). It’s one of my humans favorite spots and they wanted to grab a small pour and some bottles to go. We stayed a bit longer because the dog friendly outdoor space is shaded and comfortable. Almost like a private back yard. It’s also super easily accessible from I-95 which makes it an ideal stop on the way back to Boston.

After another pour and some hanging out, it was time to head home. I was exhausted and I think my humans were too. We made it home in about 1.5 hours, just in time to eat dinner and relax at home (my favorite place!).

The great thing about Southern Maine is that there are a lot of ways to do it with your pup. Saco’s town beaches are all dog friendly (leash required in the summer), so you can spend a day in Saco alone. Funky Bow Brewing allows dogs off-leash (it’s on my parents’ list of places to go!). And if beaches aren’t your thing, you can spend a day exploring Portland on foot – there are so many breweries and restaurants that allow pups as well as several pet specialty stores. The Amtrak Downeaster is a fun way to do it (stops in Wells, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Portland, Freeport, and Brunswick) if you’d rather not drive.