A Glamping Experience in Maine for Couples and Families Alike

Glamping sounds like it’s all about over-the-top luxury for couples while sleeping under the stars. But the French brand, Huttopia, opened a resort in Southern Maine that’s all about good old-fashioned fun in the woodlands for kids and adults while also giving them a respect and love of nature. This is my latest article for Forbes Life on Huttopia Southern Maine.

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Glamping in Maine

 When staying at Huttopia, a resort in Southern Maine, you’ll be glamping where your cozy, comfortable dwelling is snuggled by soaring Eastern white pine trees.

Everything about Huttopia in Southern Maine is peaceful, especially in the early morning and evening. My tiny house faced Sand Pond where the wee beach and the dock with a pair of Adirondack chairs were perfect places to enjoy the bucolic scenery.

Sand Pond is a nexus for relaxation and recreation at Huttopia in Southern Maine. I never tired of the sunrise - or anything else at this playful and peaceful resort.

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Coastal Southern Maine + New Hampshire in Pictures

As small towns go, downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire is a favorite of mine, fitting all my criteria: waterfront location -- it’s on the Piscataqua River; numerous independent coffee shops, bookstores and wine bars; sense of history: the town dates to the early 17th century and numerous centuries-old buildings can still be found. But, most importantly, it’s got a walkable downtown. (The only downside: on Friday and Saturday nights in the summer, the town becomes party central.) While visiting a friend who lives nearby on the border with Maine, we decided to focus our daytime activities around little visited walking trails -- all a short drive from Portsmouth -- rather than joining the crowds flocking to the most popular sandy beaches. Here’s what we found:

The Urban Forestry Center, a two-mile walk from Downtown Portsmouth seems little used during the week when I spent a couple of hours on a web of shaded paths that weaved in and out of the forest and beside the tidal marsh of Sagamore Creek.

Despite all the tourist traffic in York, Maine, I strolled strolled first through Steedman Woods and then along first Fisherman's Walk and then the Cliff Walk in York Harbor.  My friend and I were the only ones on this trail that offered access to sandy bays and wide rocky surfaces, perfect for sunning.

Owned by the elite boarding school in Exeter, New Hampshire, the Phillips Exeter Academy Woods has several one-mile-plus loops through the woods that, at times, border the Exeter River.

Rogers Park is located in Kittery, Maine on land that was originally settled in the 17th century by a member of the Rogers family that came over on the Mayflower. It’s set along Spruce Creek with flat trails skirting the water only to head back into the sun-speckled woodland.

Bird watching opportunities abound in the Heron Point Sanctuary in downtown Newmarket, New Hampshire where great blue herons, cormorants and other water and wading birds can be spotted on trails that skirt the Lamprey River.

Trails parallel the Great Bay’s tidal coast in the Adams Point Wildlife Management Area, a property in Durham, New Hampshire once owned by the prominent Adams Family. Also in Durham, at Wagon Hill, a former family farm, trails now wander around community gardens, into dense woods and along a calm shoreline

In Rye, New Hampshire, Odiorne Point State Park has something for everyone, pebbly beaches, historic military bunkers, dense forestland cut by numerous paths and even a small aquarium at the Seacoast Science Center.

This short YouTube video slideshow provides a window into my coastal Maine/New Hampshire travels. 

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Maine Cross Country Ski Weekend in Pictures

It's probably not surprising to read an article describing how cell phones have infiltrated every aspect of our lives. But reading an article in the Sunday New York Times today "Step Away From The Phone"  -- describing, among the cell phone "detox" methods, how phones may need to be put into a lock box in order to foster normal human interactions in the home -- made me reflect on how I often completely disconnect from the phone and the Web by immersing myself in the wilderness. 

One of these trips with the Appalachian Mountain Club was a long weekend of guided lodge-to-lodge cross country skiing from Gorman Chairback to Little Lyford Lodge in Maine. The phone is the furthest thing from my mind -- lock box not needed -- as I embrace the simple pleases, such as stepping into a wood-fired sauna; enjoying a family-style dinner of pan-seared salmon with blueberry chutney; and snuggling in my bed that's decked out with comfy, flannel bedding. This short YouTube video slideshow provides a window into my experience.

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A Scenic Spiritual Retreat In Maine

My travels aren't always filled with joy. When a good friend and colleague recently and suddenly passed away, I needed time to grieve and reflect in a natural setting, which, for me, is the most therapeutic. Luckily, I found the Marie Joseph Spiritual Center in Biddeford Pool along Maine's south coast.

Though the seaside location fronting a long stretch of sugary sand couldn't be beat, this property is solely for those who desire a spiritually-focused time for reflection.

The behemoth castle-resembling building dates from the 1890s when it was a major hotel resort that later fell on tough times, transforming first into a girls boarding school in 1948, and much later, in the 1970s, into an adult learning center, a nursing school and finally into this spiritual center run by the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary. But men and women of all faiths are welcome at this peaceful oasis.

I spent my time taking long, contemplative beach walks, jogging a short loop to East Point and back, bird watching, meditating while gazing at one of two ponds, and mindfully eating simple but flavorful meals, often outside at one of several picnic tables set beside shade trees. (When there is a silent retreat going on at this spiritual center, then no talking is allowed at designated meal times, which is why I chose to eat outside.) There are no embellishments here, but none are needed. My room was spare but comfy with bathrooms down the hall. But, then, I spent little time in my room because I enjoyed the comfort of nature.

And, for those who do prefer to reflect in a more formal way, you can attend morning or evening prayers in the chapel as well as mass and also the afternoon rosary.

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A Very Hidden Gem In Maine

It's so easy to bypass a simple roadside stand when you're driving country roads. Even at those low speeds, you miss the subtle markers in scenery that brims with items demanding your attention. If I were walking or taking in Maine's pristine scenery from the seat of my bicycle, I would not have almost missed it the first time. But the word "PIES" displayed in bright pink chalk on a small blackboard beside a single lane road somehow stuck with me.

My friend and I were in southern Maine for several days, not far from the New Hampshire border, when, one morning we had a craving for homemade pies. Where else to find 'em than Maine? Except we couldn't find any. Then I remembered the pink "PIES" sign on some road we passed the other day. My friend was skeptical. Did it really say "pies?" And, then I wondered if the pie would even be worth trying. With thoughts of blueberry, apple, apricot and rhubarb pies twirling in our heads, we set off to look for this sign. And, curiously, after leaving our accommodation in Biddeford Pool, I spotted the sign as we zoomed by. I cried out "Pies." But we were already long past it. Was it worth making that U-turn? Yes!

Beside the sign was a small driveway and a parking lot adjacent to a self-serve farm stand that was carefully decorated and stocked with homemade everything. Freshly baked pies were each stacked atop doilies and placed in a glass case. That day it was apple and blueberry. Shelves held jellies and jams, including several with habanero peppers. Lobster meat was stored in a cooler as was pesto sauce in little tupperware-type containers. There were chocolate chip cookies, just-cut flowers and so much more.

Everything was done with great care. (Even a laughing Buddha was positioned near the entry.) Colorful post-its lined one wall, each to be used under different circumstances, including when the pies would be out of the oven. I found out that this is the owner's first year managing her farm stand. Given the quality of your goods -- we ate the entire pie in almost one sitting -- and her thoughtfulness, I'm confident her venture will be a success.

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