The An AUsome Life field guide
Favorite Places.
Twenty places we love, repeat, or think are worth knowing well — not because every one is perfectly “accessible,” but because the good part is worth finding and the practical part is worth telling you before you go.
Think less “bucket list.” More: Where can we get something good to eat? Where is the water? Where is the bathroom? Can we leave easily? Is the transition actually worth it?
What kind of day do you need?
What every story includes
Pretty enough for a magazine. Useful enough for the glove box.
- The simple good thing — why the place is actually worth it.
- An “easiest version of the day” visual story.
- Parking, bathroom, food, sensory/pace and cost notes.
- What accessibility information we could verify — and what still needs a phone call.
- Official links, maps and useful tech.
- A one-page printable accessibility/check-before-you-go guide.
01 / Maine route
Maine, the way we actually do it.
The route stops, water, farms, pool stays and little rewards that make the drive part of the good bit.
Favorite Places · 01 · Kennebunk, MERococo Ice CreamOne excellent scoop. That can be the whole outing.Favorite Places · 02 · Kittery, MEKittery Food Mart + Fort McClaryPick up an inexpensive local lunch, then eat it at Fort McClary with the bay in front of you.
Favorite Places · 03 · Freeport, MEL.L.Bean FlagshipTrout pond, a wander, maybe coffee. Keep it easy.
Favorite Places · 04 · Wells, MEMisty Harbor ResortThe pool-first one-night Maine reset.
Favorite Places · 05 · Wells, MEWells BeachTouch the ocean. Walk. Dry off. Done.
Favorite Places · 06 · York, MEYork + the NubbleMaximum New England view for very little commitment.
Favorite Places · 07 · Freeport, MEWolfe’s Neck CenterAnimals, coast, air, and a free version that is already enough.Favorite Places · 08 · Falmouth, MEGilsland FarmA gentle nature reset just outside Portland.Favorite Places · 09 · New Gloucester, MEPineland FarmsPick one farm thing. Do not try to do the whole campus.Favorite Places · 10 · Portland, MEQuiero CafeCasual food that does not need to become a restaurant event.
Favorite Places · 11 · Freeport, MESherman’s Maine Coast Book ShopA Maine bookstore browse between bigger stops.02 / Close to home
Close to home.
The places worth repeating because a twenty-minute visit can still count.
Favorite Places · 12 · Lincoln, MADrumlin FarmAnimals and a real outing without leaving the neighborhood.Favorite Places · 13 · Lincoln, MAdeCordova Sculpture ParkArt you can walk through instead of sit through.Favorite Places · 14 · Lincoln, MACodman Community FarmsAnimals, a tiny wander, the farm store, home.Favorite Places · 15 · Burlington, MALife Time BurlingtonWhen the water itself is the plan.Favorite Places · 16 · Lexington, MAWilson FarmDinner solved, plus just enough New England atmosphere.
Favorite Places · 17 · Lexington, MARancatore’s Ice CreamA fifteen-minute local treat is still an outing.03 / Bigger days
Worth the extra drive.
A few bigger New England days where knowing the friction ahead of time matters.
Favorite Places · 18 · Niantic, CTThe Book BarnBooks, gardens, odd corners and permission to wander.Favorite Places · 19 · Westerly, RIWatch Hill + Napatree PointThe postcard view — with honest notes about parking and bathrooms.Favorite Places · 20 · Narragansett, RIScarborough State BeachA big beach with unusually specific accessibility tools.No favorite places match that search yet. Try a broader word.
A note about access
We would rather tell you what we do not know.
Access needs are individual, and venues change. Each guide separates published/verified information from questions we would still ask directly. A place appearing here is not a claim that it is universally accessible or sensory-friendly. It means there is something genuinely good there — and we are trying to make the planning part clearer.
Borrow our access-request note →