Maine's Underrated Day Trip Island Is Full Of Mouth-Watering Local Eateries And Panoramic Views

A privately-owned five-acre island in Linekin Bay has given many families in Maine a summer tradition for more than a century. It is one of Maine's smallest islands and only accessible by boat, but that hasn't stopped visitors from flocking there. Cabbage Island Clambakes, which happen daily (and twice daily on weekends) every June through September are a local tradition. They are also a family affair, hosted by the Moore family who have owned the island since 1986. The hospitality of a family-owned business makes the guests feel so at home, they often bring their families, too. Reservations (call 207-633-7200 to book yours) must be made well in advance; family reunion and wedding rehearsal dinners are common competitors for coveted places.

The Moores also offer a scenic tour on the water between Boothbay Harbor (get your tickets at Pier 6, Fisherman's Wharf Inn, 22 Commercial Street) and Cabbage Island. You'll travel on the Bennie Alice, a boat named for the matriarch of the Moore family, learning about the Sprucewold peninsula and the Boothbay area by narrated tour before reaching the island. Once on shore, you can fish, play games, explore the coastline, or just relax. A dinner bell is audible all over the island and lets you know when the main event begins.

If you've been to the most mouthwatering places to get a lobster roll in Maine, you know how seriously New Englanders take their seafood. The downeast tradition of clams cooked in seaweed and covered in rocks and tarpaulins –- which has been in "the family" for longer than families themselves remember –- was pioneered by the first family that hosted clambakes on the island back in the 1950s. The clams are served with fish chowder, lobsters, corn on the cob, potato, onion, steamed egg, and blueberry cake.

The island's history starts with generations of the Holbrook family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before being bought and sold commercially. Donald and Ruth Leavitt, who purchased it in 1948, first made Cabbage Island a clambake destination when they initiated twice-daily clambakes on the island in the 1950s, a tradition they continued for 23 summers. After an idle period of almost a decade, the Moores revived the clambakes in 1989 after purchasing the island three years before and enlisting Ruth Leavitt for help with family recipes and restaurant skills. Now, more than 30 years later, the Moore family still serves daily clambakes all summer long.

There are a few things to keep in mind when you visit the island. The clambake and boat rides operate with cash or checks, so leave your credit cards behind. And as a listed "private residential" island, the Bennie Alice is the only boat that ferries folks to the island. This prevents the island from becoming a drop-in location for other boat tours in the area and keeps the clambake tradition a warm, inviting affair for all who do make it to the island.

While there is no overnight accommodation on Cabbage Island, there are plenty of places to stay nearby that make the island jaunt a convenient day trip. Most inns and hotels in the area are familiar with the Cabbage Island Clambake and can direct you to Pier 6 in Boothbay Harbor so you will be sure to catch the boat. For the fully iconic experience, you'll have to stay on the bay and look out over the water at sunset, maybe even catching a glimpse of Cabbage Island before your journey there.

Grey Havens Inn (96 Seguinland Road, Georgetown), high on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic, is a stately 1904 manor house that's less than 2 miles from the coastal Reid State Park and beach. And if you're looking for the best of Maine without the New England crowds, head for Southport, where the Newagen Seaside Inn (60 Newagen Colony Road) and its predecessor have been hosting guests since 1816. You can choose a guest room or cottage to accommodate your family, friends, or romantic travel to the region during a summertime visit.