Recommendations (VT, ME and MA)

If you are staying in Ogunquit, there are definitely places within driving distance, but not all that much in town (and beware the horrendous intersection at Shore Rd and Rt. 1) - Portland ME (60-ish minutes north-ish) and Portsmouth NH (30-ish minutes south-ish, beware Kittery Trading Post and outlet traffic). My wife and I have used Ogunquit as sort of a "base camp" a few times. Portland gets you Allagash, Bissell Bros, Oxbow, Austin Street, Rising Tide, Barreled Souls, and more. Portsmouth/Kittery - Tributary is in Kittery, then there's Smuttynose kinda out of town a ways but a nice spot, Portsmouth Brewing, and a couple more I can't remember - Earth Eagle is one. In Wells, just north of Ogunquit, there is Hidden Cove (kind of a hidden gem in my opinion - not the place, the beer) and there's Tully's liquor store on Rt 1 that is usually worth a stop. And I believe a new brewery just opened up in Wells. Banded Horn is in between Ogunquit and Portland. Portland (Old port) and Portsmouth are both great walking cities). Parking can be a challenge - pay for the garage. If I remember right, Portland has pretty strict time limits for on-street parking. Portland has a couple of good bottle shops with great selections - check the "places" list on here. Good dining in both cities.

Ogunquit has a great beach - don't know if it is dog friendly or not. I want to say yes, but maybe somebody else knows for sure. Crowd depends on when you are visiting. There is also the Marginal Way walk that is a pretty easy hike literally right on the edge of the ocean - paved the whole way and some nice views.Dining in Ogunquit - a little "iffy" in my opinion given that it is such a tourist destination. Cornerstone is a sentimental favorite for us. There's an Italian place on the south end of town that is pretty good. If you walk the Marginal walkway, there's a seafood restaurant across from a Christmas shop that we've enjoyed. I can't recall the name - it is not on the ocean side, it is on the cove side across the street. On Rt 1 just outside Kittery is When Pigs Fly - it's a "must stop" for us. Restaurant with a great tap list that changes and very good food. Right next door is the bakery outlet where you can by artisan breads for reasonable prices - they freeze well, which is a bonus so you can stock up a little.

I tell everybody the same thing - there's GPS/Google maps time and then there's New England driving in the real world time - they two can be quite different. A lot will depend on how long you want to stay in each location. You can drive yourself nuts chasing across the region and end up having a miserable time (BTDT too many times). On a limited time frame, I think you need to be pretty strategic and pick the oustanding few versus trying to catch 'em all. Brewery hours might not be compatible either - have to check carefully on when you can realistically get where.

Boston - I mean, almost endless possibilities. Trillium, Mystic, Cambridge Brewing Company, Jack's Abby (pray for no traffic, though), Idle Hands, Notch is up in Salem which also has some scenic interest. And it just goes on ad nauseum - there's a ridiculous amount of breweries, great restaurants, and "tourist" type stuff totally depends on what you are interested in seeing.

 

When is the trip? Trillium beer garden is dog friendly. As are the patios at Cambridge Brewing, Night Shift, Idle Hands, Turtle Swamp and probably a few more that I'm not aware of.

Parks are dog friendly. My two favorites in Boston are the Arnold Arboretum and the Public Garden.

 

How are you getting to St J? Down 91? If so then Hill Farmstead is tops on your list, although they're not open on Monday's if you'll be there on the 4th however if you're headed back up 91 on the 8th then they'll be open. In my opinion it could easily be the highlight of your trip so if you can make it happen you should.

 

Have a few beers at Kingdom Taproom in St. J. Red Barn brewing in Danville has some nice pours and the bottle shop in town Barrel to Bottle has some nice finds. I'm not sure how you'd be getting to Maine, but Schilling and Reklis are both worth visits in Littleton and Bethlehem NH respectively.

 

I'll second pretty much everything LeRose said regarding Portland and Ogunquit. Marginal Way is definitely a nice little walk. A bit to add about Portsmouth, which I would definitely recommend on visiting while staying in Ogunquit: Great Rhythm and Liars Bench are great spots to hit up in the city (a bit outside downtown) that are very close to each other, and Great Rhythm always has cans. Seconding the Tributary suggestion as well. Portsmouth also has tons of great places to eat. Too many to name, but just to throw out a few, Lexie's is a cool little burger spot. Cure and Surf are some of my favorites for dinner with the GF.

In order to get the most out of your day in the Ogunquit area as possible, I'd recommend starting out the day with a nice walk along the beach where you are staying, then heading up to Portland 1st. I'd try to be there around noon, maybe a bit earlier if you really want to pick up cans from the likes of Bissell Brothers. Check the release schedule for specifics and if you have questions about when is the best time to show up I can try to help. Hit up as many spots as you'd like up there and pick up some lunch. Both Duckfat and The Thirsty Pig are places I like a lot up there, but there are plenty of other choices as well. Then head on down to Portsmouth for a few more previously mentioned sweet craft beer spots and a nice dinner, maybe top it off with another walk around the city and places like Prescott Park. Honestly sounds like a perfect day if you ask me.

Hope you enjoy your trip.

 

Don't skip Stoneface in Portsmouth. New tasting room and kitchen with outdoor seating on a nice day. Lots of great beers on tap and to go.