Mikes Clam Shack by Deborah

 

              Many people visit Wells, Maine for its scenery and seafood.  Mike’s Clam Shack is a place that people can’t wait to go to when visiting the area.  Mike’s is off of Post Road (Route 1).  This family style restaurant offers dining room and bar seating as well as take out.  They serve a variety of baked, broiled and fried seafood.  They also have steak, chicken, prime rib, and pasta choices for those of you who don’t prefer seafood.   Prices on their regular and large size fried seafood dinners range from $15.95 to $23.95 as of January 2014.  This does not include the clams and scallops that were at market prices. The seafood is always fresh and delicious. Beer and wine are also available.         

           Mike’s is so popular, I expect a long wait time to be seated every time I go.     The last time I was there it was a Saturday night in October and we waited approximately 45 minutes for a table.     Their wait staff is courteous and efficient and I leave there satisfied whenever I eat there.

            One of Mike’s specialties is their “Shack Potato”.  This is diced potatoes, peppers, onions, parmesan cheese mixed with sour cream and butter and then baked. You should try one the next time you visit Mikes Clam shack.

 

Mikes Clam Shack

1150 Post Road Wells ME 04090

(207) 646-5999

 

 

Moody beach by Deborah

 

            I first visited Moody Beach as a child.  It was my parents’ anniversary and after my father got out of work we took a ride from Strafford, New Hampshire to the shore.  We picked up a pizza in a paper bag, ate it while watching the surf and walked the beach before heading home.

I had never seen a more beautiful beach; the sand was white and very soft.  It was low tide and the beach was so flat it seemed to go out forever before you reached the waters edge. 

            My husband also has nostalgic childhood memories of Moody Beach. He spent one childhood summer on Moody beach and remembered very fondly jumping off the footbridge into the Ogunquit River.  It’s no wonder that in 2006 when we found a tiny waterfront cottage for sale right at the edge of Moody Beach, that we did not hesitate to put in our offer.

            Moody beach is located just north of Ogunquit in Wells, Maine.  The beach runs from Ogunquit beach to Moody Point on Ocean Ave.  It is approximately 1 mile long.  I love to walk the length of Moody beach onto Ogunquit beach and up to the footbridge.  From the footbridge I walk alongside the dunes and river back to our cottage.  Some days I walk the additional 3.5 miles of  Ogunquit beach and spend some time in the shops and local restaurants in Ogunquit before returning the same way. 

            In 1989 Twenty-Eight Moody beachfront owners filed a suit in Supreme Court which ultimately resulted in making Moody a private beach.  This means that people not lucky enough to own or rent on Moody cannot sit or sunbathe in front of the homes, only on the public ways unless they are fishing, fowling or navigating. 

            If you are lucky enough to spend any of your summer on Moody I think you will agree with me.  Moody is the best beach in Maine.

 

Ogunquit Playhouse by Christie.

 

     If you find yourself staying in the Wells, Maine area during the summer season a great thing to do is to visit the Ogunquit playhouse. If you're in the area for a week you can often catch a show on a rainy day and grab a pair of tickets on short notice. If you're going with a larger party you should purchase tickets ahead of time as it is not a huge venue.

 

     Every time I go the Ogunquit playhouse it feels a bit like going back in time. I am not old enough to recall a time before movies or even before VHS and the ease of watching movies at home. But I imagine that the Ogunquit playhouse is nearly unchanged since it opened over 81 years ago. The theatre is the last of its kind. Many summer theatres were around in the 30's and over time they closed because of a lack of interest or a lack of people who loved theatre to continue the tradition. The Ogunquit playhouse still attracts amazing talent and obviously has many people with a major love of theatre that continue to lovingly take care of the playhouse and the tradition.

 

     This past summer I went to see Young Frankenstein with some good friends. I had never seen it as a play and was only familiar with the movie version. It was really a lot of fun to see it adapted to the stage. When you look forward to the 2014 season they have Grease, Mary Poppins, and The Witches of  Eastwick all planned for the 2014 season, among other shows. I would love to see any of those three and I look forward to seeing who might be staring in them. Since it's the last theatre of its kind many large name actors and singers are attracted to doing a show at the Ogunquit playhouse. They often don't announce who is staring in  a show until closer to the dates of the actual shows start.

 

     So if you're looking for something different to do during your summer vacation at the beaches of southern Maine pencil in a trip to The Ogunquit playhouse.