Southern Aroostook Farm Trail Itinerary
Note – we put some scheduled times in here just to give you some ideas. You can pick and choose what you want to do. Be sure to look at when they are open and if there are any COVID restrictions. In fact, it would probably be a good idea to call any that you plan to visit just to be on the safe side.
Day 1
Start your day with a delicious breakfast at the Brookside Inn
2277 US-2, Smyrna, ME 04780 | (207) 757-8456
“This is an excellent homestyle restaurant! What a great meal. Easy access right off 95 in Smyrna. It’s what a country eatery should be. Highly recommend!.”
Open daily, 7 am – 7 pm.
Your first stop on the farm trail is the Spring Break Maple Farm
3315 US Route 2, Smyrna Mills, ME 04780 | (207)757-7373
“We love making great maple syrup and honey products. But we also love to interact with our customers. We like to get out in the community and meet the people who love our products.” There is a gift shop on the farm and call for “tours of farm or tours of our maple candy processing plant.”
Usually open 9 am – 3 pm except for Wednesdays and Sundays. (3.7 miles, 4 minute to the Pioneer Place).
Stop by Pioneer Place
2539 US-2, Smyrna Mills, ME 04780 | (207) 757-8984
Pioneer Place is an old-fashioned Amish general store, is the hub of the Smyrna community.” Usually open Mon-Sat, 9 am – 4 pm. FB link.
Take lunch break at the
- The Downunder Pub 282 North St, Houlton, ME 04730 | (207) 532-9421 ext. 303
- With a full bar and live entertainment on weekends, this pub serves an exciting menu!
Don’t leave town without trying the famous Houlton Dairy Bar
125 Military Street, Houlton | (207) 532-2628
They are known for their renowned ice cream!
The next stop is Nature’s Circle Farm
1133 County Rd. New Limerick, Maine | (207) 532-9911
This is a “a certified organic vegetable farm, seated beside the Canadian border and nestled in the heart of the rich forestland of Aroostook County, Maine.” “great organic produce great place to work and local owners that are good people cant go wrong!” Call ahead to ask about a personal guided tour of the farm! (8.1 miles, 10 minutes to the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum).
The Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum is a true gem for anyone interested in farms and farming!
1664 US Route 1, Littleton, ME 04730 | 207-538-9300
“The Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum, previously the Pastime Museum, exhibits the history of farming in the area, mostly through 20th century farming implements, tools, and vehicles. The collection was started by Cedric and Emily Shaw and grew with the many additions from individuals’ contributions.” (Mainememory.net) “Great place to experience history!” Open for tours 1:00-4:00 Thursday -Saturday from mid-June to mid-Sept ordinarily, and by appointment- call ahead!
You may be interested in ending your first day at the Bradford House Farm B&B
46 Rte 11, Patten, ME 04765 | (207) 528-1019
“The Bradford Farm was established in 1840, with the barn being built first followed by the main house. Today it is listed in the National Historic Registry. The massive 110 foot long barn is post and beam construction.” “The farm sits on 17 acres of beautiful fields, lawns, flower gardens, and woods.” “Real southern hospitality in northern Maine. Owners Angie and Mike were strangers when we arrived but when we left after a two-day stay we felt like we were leaving old friends. ”
Also, when we did a search for lodging in the Houlton area on Air BnB, there were some really interesting places. Take a look!
Day 2
If you stayed at the Bradford House Farm B&B, then you are all set for breakfast. However, if not, you can stop into the Country Co-op & Farm Store
53 Main St, Houlton, ME 04730 | (207) 521-5284
“They sell a lot of local crafts and home-baked goods plus serve lunches. They have a large selection of spices, different kinds of vinegar, etc.”
Open Mon-Fri, 7 am – 2 pm and Sat. 8 am – 2 pm.
Your first stop this morning is Gallifreyan Farm
133 Codfish Ridge Rd, Linneus, ME 04730, (207) 358-0306
“Gallifreyan Farm is a small farm in Northern Maine that focuses on alternative sustainable agriculture and humanely-harvested angora and alpaca fiber. Products: sustainably grown veggies, garden seedlings, yarn, fiber products, felting kits, felted items, and hand-turned pens” “Seeing and touching the animals, Feeling the softness of the fiber and the warm lovely aroma. Well worth a trip there.” As always, give them a call before you go to make sure they are open. (7 minutes, 4.3 miles to Six Point Farm)
406 New Limerick Rd, Linneus, ME 04730-5221 | (207)532-7058
This is a small family farm that raises chickens, turkeys, blueberries, raspberries, apples, pumpkins. “Pick-Your-Own, Tours- hay or wagon rides, hiking or biking trails, Open Farm Day, tours of farm, tours of processing plant.” “Visited this farm last year during blueberry picking season. Loved everything about it… Very friendly family.” Open Monday- Saturday, but as always, please call ahead to make sure they are open.
(9 minutes, 4.2 miles to the Lakeside restaurant)
You might be hungry by this point. You can head up the road to the Lakeside Restaurant
6 Country Club Drive, New Limerick, Maine 04761 | (207) 805-5250
“Beautiful views of the lake and golf course, great atmosphere, and elevated dining. Really enjoying the new menu. The dishes are creative and new but traditional at the same time.” “lunch served from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (last seating) and dinner 4-8 p.m. (last seating). Sunday Brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (last seating).”
(12 minutes, 6.9 miles to Forticor Farms.)
The last stop of the day is Forticor Farms
82 Benn Hill Rd, Hodgdon, ME 04730 | (207)532-9696
“We at Forticor Farms, located in beautiful Northern Maine, are devoted to producing the best quality alpacas. We have also added Swiss Breed Dairy Goats. We are a full-time breeding facility and family run farm owned and operated by Judi and David Howard. Our farm store features Alpaca yarn, roving, scarves, sweaters and more plus stained glass pieces, biscotti, quilts, handicrafts and woodcrafts for sale.” “We are former scientists from California, who bought a beautiful old farmhouse on twenty-three acres in scenic Northern Maine. We’ve added a steel barn, enclosed the pastures with chain link fencing. We use four Great Pyrenees as our herd protection dogs.”
Dinner at Anderson’s Mill Pond Dairy Bar
226 Hodgdon Mills Rd #4279, Hodgdon, ME 04730 | (207) 532-9891
“Love the river beside it. and the serving size is great” “Awesome cheeseburgers and cajon fries.” “Great food! Even greater ice cream!”
Open daily 11 am – 8 pm (Except Sunday, when it opens at noon)
If you are looking for unique, local experiences, there is nothing better than visiting a beautiful Maine farm. This itinerary will take you to visit some organic farms, animals, and more in beautiful southern Aroostook County Maine!
Packing List
The weather in Maine can be unpredictable. Therefore, here are some ideas to be prepared. Wear comfortable clothes and dress in layers, Maine is very casual, so you probably will not find any restaurants that require formal attire.
Spring/Summer/Fall: clothes, comfortable sneakers or hiking shoes for walking, sun hat, sunscreen, sweater or jacket, insect repellent, toiletries, and phone/camera
Winter: clothes (layers), ski pants highly recommended, winter boots, jacket, hats, scarves, gloves, warm socks, toiletries, and phone/camera. Please pack a helmet if you are participating in snowmobiling, skiing, or snowboarding.
Extras
Amish country: Several Amish communities have grown in Aroostook County. One is in the Smyrna area and another is in the Fort Fairfield area.
Click here for an interesting article about these Amish communities from DownEast magazine.
Here is a great link to the Amish communities in the Fort Fairfield area and here is a link to a map of this community; where to find shops, farms, etc.
Another fun activity in this area is horseback riding. This farm has nice trail rides! Bog Brook Farm, horseback-riding & more Kasandra Foster, 231 Retreat Road Hersey, Maine 04747 (207) 485-7007, Facebook page
Fun Facts
Did you know…
“The county was also part of a route on the Underground Railroad, and was one of the last stops before entering Canada. Slaves would meet and hide just outside Aroostook[8] or in deserted areas. Friends Quaker Church near Fort Fairfield was often a final stop.[9]” (Wikipedia)
- “Aroostook is named for an Indian word meaning “beautiful river”.
- Incorporated March 16, 1839.
- Contains 2 cities, 53 towns, 9 plantations, and 112 unorganized townships.
- Density is 11.1 persons per square mile.
- Area – 6,672 square miles (21.6% of the state’s area): 89% of the County’s area is forest, 1% lakes, ponds and rivers, 10% cultivated farmland.
- Houlton is the Aroostook County seat, with offices in Caribou and Fort Kent.
- Maine’s northernmost county bordered to the east, west and north by Canada.
- Aroostook County is larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.
- Major crops: broccoli, potatoes, hay, small grain rotation crops.
- Site of two transatlantic balloon crossing launch sites.
- Aroostook County is home to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.” https://www.aroostook.me.us/24-aroostook-county-quick-facts.html
