FRIDAY
5 p.m.

After what felt like a never-ending workweek, my husband and I hop in the car for a short ride south to Biddeford. We arrive at our accommodations, the 33-room Lincoln Hotel located in a former mill building from the 1850s, where we’re greeted with flutes of champagne as we check in. The ground-floor Lobby Bar and Library Space, inspired by upscale nightclubs of the 1940s and 1950s, is filled with whimsical trinkets and curated design moments. We head to the fourth floor to drop off our belongings; our cozy room features exposed brick walls, expansive windows, high ceilings, and original wood elements that recall the history of the building.

6:30 p.m.

I’m getting hungry, so we walk a few blocks to Ore Nell’s Barbecue, named after pitmaster and chef Will Myska’s grandmother. Here, Chef Myska smokes a variety of meat, fish, and vegetables using traditional methods from his Houston, Texas, upbringing. We decide to share a tray for two piled high with juicy brisket, pulled pork, St. Louis ribs, mac and cheese, fries, pickles, and a Texas napkin (a piece of white bread meant to sop up excess barbecue sauce—genius!). It’s safe to say we’ll be back.

8:30 p.m. 

Time for a nightcap and a bit more exploring at the Lincoln. We consider visiting Batson River Brewing and Distilling, located in the lower level of the hotel, but my husband ultimately opts for a burnt orange Negroni at the Lobby Bar. While on the hotel’s lower level, I discover additional seating areas and graffiti-inspired murals by local artists Seth Bosworth, Bret Labelle, and Spenser Macleod.

SATURDAY
9 a.m.

My husband has to check on the dogs, so he grabs a drink at Spinning Jenny’s Coffee Bar in the lobby before he returns home. That leaves me with a full day to explore town with no distractions—but first, a steaming hot cinnamon maple latte alongside ricotta and jam toast from Time and Tide Coffee on Main Street.

11 a.m. 

On my way to visit some shops I scoped out last night, I get distracted by the lush foliage peeking out of Moon Lady Plants. I stop in to admire the plethora of greenery, crystals, and wellness products but remind myself that I cannot fit another plant in my home office. A few doors down at Hills and Trails, co-owner James Frydrych explains how he and his wife Kanya Zillmer print outdoor-themed designs on apparel and home goods in their basement studio. (Note: Hills and Trails has since closed their storefront, but Zillmer’s designs are still available online.) Then I’m off to Wooven, a two-room boutique filled with garments, textiles, embroidered items, jewelry, bags, and baubles crafted by traditional artisans in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The indigo-dyed cotton scarves are calling my name, but I decide to wait and treat myself at a later date.

12:30 p.m.

I run into White Door Home Store to check out their hand-painted furniture and vast collection of home goods before stopping at Elements, a coffee shop/bookstore/beer bar, to browse the latest titles and grab another cup of caffeine. With a fresh coffee in hand, I walk past Biddeford’s historic City Theater. Though it’s closed today, I learn that the former opera house was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the original building in 1894. Designed by Maine architect John Calvin Stevens, the theater once featured colonial revival–style ornamentation, a horseshoe balcony, stenciled ceilings, and a lavish chandelier.

1:30 p.m.

A pit stop for lunch at Papous Pita fills me up for my afternoon adventure through town. I pop into Suger, a women’s store full of local designer Roxi Suger’s sustainably made, extra soft Angelrox clothing items. The family-owned business manufactures their wares at the mill down the street, which happens to be where I’m headed next. On the way, I walk past the acclaimed Palace Diner and reminisce about the last time I tasted their life-changing fried chicken sandwich (hint: it’s been too long). My first stop at the Pepperell Mill is Sea Love, a candle bar and boutique bursting with signature scents like Coastal Boho (currants, berry, and patchouli) and Seaside Mimosa (grapefruit, tangerine, and ginger). 

3 p.m.

I find my way to Mill Studio Arts, where founder and teacher Amy Bartlett-Goodness fills me in on the variety of creative after-school and weekend programs she offers for children ages 3 to 15. As we chat, she’s setting up the studio for an Embodied Art workshop for adults, which will open with 30 minutes of gentle yoga before moving into experimental art making with alcohol-based inks. I make a mental note to sign up for a future workshop myself. Down the street in Building 10, I visit Tessera Hayes at Belfire Hot Glass and Gallery. She’s in the middle of giving a private glass-blowing lesson but lets me watch for a bit as I browse the colorful pieces available for sale in the soft glass studio.

5 p.m.

The final destination on my field trip is the University of New England Art Gallery in the Biddeford campus’s Ketchum Library, where an exhibition called Seeking Light: Plants from Shoreline to Canopy in the Arts and Sciences explores the role of plants in the environment and the creative imagination. When this goes to print, the gallery will be featuring a new collection, called Tidal Shift, which highlights works from the first suite of artists-in-residence at the Searsport EcoArts Residency (SEAR) on Sears Island in Penobscot Bay.