I Want To Go On Adventures, I Think.

We have a tendency to stick to the beaten path when it comes to planning our New England weekend trips. Nantucket. Portland. The Cape. We might as well be on a tour bus.

Then my husband, bless his quiet nature-loving soul, got his heart set on a new destination…one people side eyed when I told them it was where I was taking MJF for his birthday. Monhegan Island, not even a square mile in size, sits 10 miles off the coast of Maine. No cars, no paved roads, no booze. It feels like a cross between traveling back in time, the beginning of a horror movie, and a Wes Anderson movie.

It was incredible in its perfectly weird own way.

For being so small and having nothing that resembles any sort of “downtown” {or town at all, for that matter}, Monhegan Island has no shortage of activities. I get squeamish at the word “hike,” but even I loved the wooded trails we took, from edge to edge of the island. The seaside views didn’t hurt, nor the sweet fairy houses we found in said woods.

You’ll want to stop by the Monhegan Island Brewing Company taproom, and then continue on the dirt path down to Lobster Cove and the sight of a 1948 shipwreck.

You can stroll through the artists’ colony! Take advantage of the open studio hours and you’ll get to witness many of the artists in action.

And if you happen to visit during an election year, you can battle your fellow guests at the inn for WiFi and embark on a 90-minute struggle to livestream the Presidential Debates from your phone.

Count me in for this beautiful weirdness—now how do I get there?

Step one, wait until next May. Unfortunately for you, I scooted off the island on the last ferry of the season on Columbus Day. I ain’t exaggerating when I say the island shuts way way down in October. Like, the hotel and dining staff left with us. #TTYL

Catch a ferry from Booth Bay Harbor, Point Clyde, or New Harbor, Maine. It’s about an hour and a half’s ride, and you’re going to want to hold on tight with some Dramamine.

Unless you’re feeling adventurous, you’ll want to stay at The Island Inn, just steps up the hill from the ferry. Picture classic New England charm, leather lounge seats in front of a toasty fireplace, and a porch that overlooks the coast. You’ll be having dinner here as well, but as mentioned, it’s dry—grab your bottle of wine beforehand at The Barnacle general store for some BYO action.

I laugh, but it truly was a magical trip. Views that take your breath away {or that may have been me struggling with the heights}, and an air that makes you forget you’re even in the same country as the mainland you left a mere ten miles away.

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