Maine is known for its beautiful coast and gorgeous mountains, but in between is the stunning Lakes Region and Sebago Lake at its heart.

Join us as we explore Sebago Lake, uncovering great small towns with main streets filled with local shops, hikes, state parks and an island only accessible by boat with a killer cafe and outdoor bar.

Transcript

Sebago Lake is Maine’s deepest and second largest lake situated between Portland and the coast, and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

While Maine’s Lakes region isn’t as well known as the coast or even the mountains, they’re just as breathtaking.

There’s a wide network of rivers and canals connecting many of the lakes which are known for their boating culture and summer tourism.

Just a 30 minute drive from Portland, this can be an easy day trip from the Maine coast or as a relaxing lakeside vacation.

Sinful Kitchen

We started our trip in Portland and Sinful Kitchen, a small local diner offering dishes with big flavor. Be sure to make reservations, space is limited.

We got the El Diablo Omelet which is an Omelet served with ghost pepper cheese, jalapenos and spicy sausage on the side. Great for those looking for a kick in the morning. We also got the Strawberries and whipped cream waffles and a spicy bloody mary for good measure.

Covered Bridge

After breakfast, our first destination was the Historic Babb’s Covered Bridge in Gorham. The Bridge was built in 1976 as a replica of the original 19th century bridge that burned down in 1973. Formerly on the US National Register of Historic Places, this is a popular local swimming hole with rope swings and access points to the Presumpscot River.

Sea Coast Adventure

Next up was Sea Coast Adventure in Windham offering mini-golf, a ropes adventure course, giant slide, go karts and small water park. We paid $12 per adult for Adventure Golf, but there’s various packages that combine attractions too.

This was a fun course with some elevation and water features. Very enjoyable overall.

Umbrella Factory Outlet

Next is a must stop for any beer lover. The Umbrella Factory offers the largest selection of beer in Maine with over 1,000 varieties ranging from local brews to harder to find international beer.

They also offer a host of wine and liquor and next door is a full service supermarket with eclectic decor. This is a must stop just to experience it, but also to get stocked up on beverages, snacks and if you plan on cooking, a wide array of groceries.

Bridgeton, Maine

We still had some time before we could check into our AirBNB, so we decided to drive the 13 minutes to Bridgeton, Maine. Bridgeton is a small town of 5,000 with a nice charming historic main street filled with restaurants and shops.

We visited earlier this year to check out Pondicherry Park, which is a must visit – check out our video on that. However, when we visited, it was Easter and much of the shops were closed, so we were excited to finally explore the town.

We checked out Bridgeton Antiques, an eclectic mix of gifts and memorabilia. Next door we explored Bridgeton Books which offered a great selection of used and new books and I even found a copy of the 4th Book in Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation Series which I didn’t even know existed. Highly recommend it if you’re into surrealist novels that make you think. Or check out the movie starring Natalie Portman.

Downtown even had a Reny’s so we had to check it out. If you’re not familiar with Reny’s, well, it’s a Maine Adventure.

Next up we stopped by Bridgeton Treasures and Corn Shop Trading.

Sebago Lake

At this point it was time to check into our rental with was a small cabin outside of the owner’s house with direct lake access including a dock and access to paddleboards.

It was a hot day, so we didn’t waste any time jumping in.

Naples, Maine

For dinner we headed up to Naples. Naples is kind of the central area for Sebago and the lakes region. With Long Lake on one side and Brandy Pond on the other you’re surrounded by water. There’s a short main street with restaurants and bars. If you want to do some partying, this is the area you want to be in, especially on the weekend. 

This is also where you can rent boats, jetskis, kayaks and there’s even a historic steamship called the Songo River Queen II that offers lake cruises and dinners.

Captain Jack’s

For dinner we headed to Captain Jack’s which also features a large marina if you’re planning on traveling by boat. We ordered the steak and cheese bomb and the chicken caesar wrap. Great views all around!

Bridgton Drive-In

That night we went to the Bridgeton Twin Drive-In, one of just a handful of drive-ins left in Maine. We saw Freakier Friday 2 which cost us $18. The venue is cash only, but we were able to book and pay online. The concession stand is just a short walk away and offers everything you’d expect a drive-in to. As for the movie, it was decent especially if you watched the original and are into campy humor.

After the movie we drove the 30 minutes back to our rental on Sebago Lake.

Day 2

For breakfast, we had our eyes set on Sebagle, but they were closed on Tuesdays so we ended up at Anettes Diner for a breakfast of homemade corn beef hash and a croissant breakfast sandwich. Everything was delicious, we highly recommend this spot for a great local breakfast.

Afterwards, we stopped by Dose Espresso bar in Naples for some iced lattes served with a side of views.

Mt Douglas

Surrounding Sebago Lake you have the foothills of the Appalachian mountains and lots of opportunities for short easy hikes with decent views.

We chose Mt Douglas which features a cool stone observation tower. 

There are multiple trails up the mountain, but we parked at the Ledges Trailhead which is the shortest but steepest way up the mountain. The trail is only a quarter of a mile, but we gained several hundred feet in elevation.

At the top we were greeted with a massive stone inscribed with “Non Sibi Sed Omnibus” in Latin (please excuse my Latin pronunciation) which roughly translates to “Not for Ourselves, but for All”. There was also a stone tower that led to an observation deck allowing you to see above the treeline. At the top we had expansive views of Sebago Lake and the surrounding hills. On a clear day you can even see Mt Washington and the high peaks of the White Mountains, but with the haze caused by wildfire smoke, our views were limited.

Great hike. Despite being short, we were already working up an appetite.

Sebago Lake State Park

Next stop was Sebago Lake State Park which offers camping, boat ramps and a large beach. This is also where the Songo River connects Sebago Lake to Brandy Pond, Naples and Long Lake and is a major highway for boaters and paddlers exploring the region.

A must visit is the Songo Locks which allows boats to access both lakes despite differences in elevation. Maybe the coolest feature is the swinging bridge for vehicles. We had to stop until all the boats passed by until they closed the bridge and we could continue. We stopped by the locks and watched the boats enter and get lowered in order to access Sebago Lake.

Access to the state park cost $8 per person and $6 for Maine residents. There’s ample parking and showers/changing rooms. This is a really cool beach, it’s pretty much forested except for the water’s edge allowing you to hang out in the shade of the trees as you watch out over the water. There’s also a ton of picnic tables and charcoal grills if you want to prepare a lunch or dinner. Overall, extremely impressed with this state park and the perfect place to cool off if you don’t have direct beach access.

Frye’s Island

Sebago Lake has a secret at its center, an 1.3 square mile island home to up to 3,000 summertime residents who live there seasonally. There’s two main ways to access the island. By private boat, or you can take the car ferry. We decided to park on the mainland and take the ferry over. It costs $10 per person and $30 per car with larger vehicles and trailers costing more. Thankfully, a super nice lady offered to take us over in their car, allowing us to skip the fare entirely. She was a resident of the island and told us much about its history.

The ferry ride is very short, maybe 15 minutes at most with much of that time spent loading/unloading. 

After getting off, we were already at our destination: Frye’s Leap Cafe. Frye’s Leap is a restaurant, bar and general store. We sat in the gorgeous outdoor area overlooking the lake and ordered some cocktails. For food we got Mexican Shrimp Cocktail served in a gazpacho as well as the Baja Fish Tacos. Everything was extraordinary – the drinks, the food and the ambiance, and probably the fact that it was an adventure in itself to get there.

Note, if you’re arriving by boat, expect there to be a wait to get a spot at the dock during peak times.

Afterwards, we checked out the general store and then walked a short way to the community garden which was well tended and felt magical.

Soon it was time to leave the island and we boarded the ferry. Return trips are free, so it’s impossible to actually get stuck on the island.

If you only get to do one thing in Sebago, this is it!

Dinner at Yolked

For dinner we headed back down to Windham for maybe Sebago’s closest thing to a fine dining experience. Yolked is a farm to table restaurant and we ordered some wine, a poke bowl and some fried chicken. Everything was delectable and highly recommended if you’re looking for something a little more upscale.

Ice Cream

We ended the night back in Naples, watching the sun set below Long Lake and got some ice cream at Dairy Bar.

Day 3

Day 3 was our last day and we only had time to grab breakfast. Thankfully Sebagle was actually opened this time.

Despite living in Maine for several years now, we’re still discovering new spots right in our backyard. We hope you found this guide useful and has inspired you for things to do on your trip. As always comment below with any questions and until next time!