• In July 2024, I visited Belfast, Maine, a town rich in maritime history and local businesses.
• Belfast offers a stark contrast to busy urban life and is perfect for city escapes.
• I think it's an underrated travel destination, and I know I'll be back.

If you're planning a New England road trip, don't sleep on Belfast, Maine.

When I visited the town in 2024 for the Fourth of July, I expected nothing more than a wholesome, long weekend with my friends to take a break from the hustle and bustle of my life in New York City.

I got all that — and more.

It was my first time in Maine, and this particular small town, which I'd never heard of before my friends moved there, surprised me with its history, local culture, and dramatic coastal views.

After my trip, I've decided that Belfast is a hidden gem for tourists, and I'll go back again for my big-city escapes.

Belfast is about 100 miles up the coast from Portland.

To reach the small town on Penobscot Bay, we flew from New York to Portland, and our friends picked us up from the airport for a two-hour drive up the coast.

The town is rooted in maritime history.

Belfast was incorporated as a town in the 1700s, but it started to prosper in the 19th century as a hub for maritime workers, the city's website says. For about 100 years, Belfast residents built wooden sailboats, operated steamships, and transported goods, from ice and apples to hay and fertilizer.

Then, in the 1980s, creatives flocked to the town, transforming it into an artists' oasis with galleries and warehouse studios.

Belfast maintains its 19th-century seaside feel.

The waterfront town has about 7,000 residents.

The architecture in Belfast combines traditional New England-style homes with old-world styles from the Italian and Greek Revival eras, the Boston Globe reported. This gave the town a European twist on the classic New England aesthetic.

My friends said Belfast gets tourists in the summer, but it didn't feel crowded. We never waited too long for a table at a restaurant, and I didn't see many large groups.

The town is filled with historic inns.

I saw more historic inns than traditional hotels, which could be because tourists visit for unique accommodations.

The inns looked like gigantic mansions, and seeing them up close made me wish I'd booked just one night in a place like the Jeweled Turret Inn. The bed and breakfast, decorated with antiques, is a 19th-century Victorian landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.

There's also the Alden House Inn, a Greek Revival building dating back to 1840. I spotted its porch filled with guests on a weekend afternoon and longed to hang out there.

I stayed with friends. Their neighborhood was surprisingly walkable for a small town.

Belfast is pedestrian-friendly, scoring 71 out of 100 on Walk Score.

From my friends' apartment, we reached hiking trails, the waterfront, and the downtown area — all on foot.

My friends also live steps away from a farmers market and the Belfast Armistice Bridge, which pedestrians use to cross the Passagassawakeag River.

We went hiking without having to hop in a car.

My friends live less than 5 minutes from the Rail Trail that runs along the Passagassawakeag River.

I spent one day working remotely from Belfast, and we took a quick hike during my lunch break.

I was impressed by the hillside views and the landmasses in the distance, covered in rich green trees. It was an ideal place to refresh in the middle of a shift.

We also walked to the town's many small businesses and shopped for locally sourced food.

My friend told me one of the coolest things about Belfast is that there are so many local shops. There's no Walmart, Target, or Costco in town. The only brand-name stores I saw were Walgreens, CVS, and Dollar General.

The Press Herald reported that Maine towns are known for their small businesses. Belfast, in particular, has a plethora of locally owned retailers, from a general store and a DVD rental store to shops selling vintage dollhouses and handmade clothing and furniture.

We went to a farmers market selling local produce and foods during my trip, and my friends cooked up a feast.

We had a watermelon and feta salad, roasted duck, lobster mac and cheese, and potato salad with duck fat and herb-infused dressing: dill, parsley, and garlic scapes.

The ingredients tasted so fresh, as did the local pastries and bagels we got for breakfast.

We drove to some places, like Acadia National Park.

Acadia National Park is just a 90-minute drive from Belfast. We took a day trip there on a Saturday, and I was surprised to find it wasn't as crowded as most national parks I've visited on weekends.

The coastal park, surrounded by islands, looked majestic in the hazy weather. We hiked through forests to the rocky coastline, where we went tide-pooling and found a massive cave. It was even more picturesque than the trails in Belfast, and it helped me see how the state of Maine inspired my favorite American writer, Stephen King.

Belfast and the surrounding areas seemed extremely dog-friendly.

My friends in Maine have a super sweet, active dog named Zeus. He accompanied us on nearly every adventure during our trip, from restaurants to the Rail Trail to Acadia, one of the most dog-friendly national parks in the US, according to the NPS.

Having Zeus with us made the trip so much goofier and more fun. It wouldn't have been the same without him.

I could have stayed so much longer, and I'll definitely be back.

Aside from being a unique town with so much to offer, Belfast would be an ideal destination for tourists looking to travel sustainably. Eco-travel experts have said that supporting local businesses and getting around without a car are responsible practices for the health of our planet.

During my next trip to Belfast, I'll spend more time browsing local shops, book a stay at a historic inn, and take more day trips to places like Portland. Plus, I'd love to see Acadia on a day with clear skies.

• My husband and I thought Sweden would bring us our dream life, but logistics made it hard to stay.
• We ended up settling down in a small city in Maine, and surprisingly, we love it even more here.
• The most special part of our new home is the tight-knit, extremely supportive community.

We spent New Year's Eve wearing paper crowns at a cozy New England restaurant that felt like a living room. The owner stopped by our corner booth while he worked the room; our friends, who run their own bakery, slipped away to say hi to some regulars.

My husband leaned over and said, "I love this."

The year before, we had been wall-to-wall at a roller-rink club in Brooklyn. Although we had a good time, sitting in that small-town restaurant — watching fireworks over the river — felt like exactly where we were meant to be.

There was no line, cover fee, or wild countdown. The night that often disappoints simply didn't.

This wasn't where we thought we'd be on the last night of 2025. In June, we'd moved from New York to Sweden, but just four months later, we found ourselves leaving for Maine.

We thought Sweden would be our new home, but circumstances made it temporary

Moving to Sweden in June, I was following a simple idea: When things feel scary in America, the best course of action is to leave.

For a while, it worked. Life felt gentler.

We fell into a mellow rhythm, going to the beach, visiting the many well-maintained conservation areas — including some that go directly through cow pastures — and eating affordable, healthy food from the grocery store.

Although Sweden delivered in real ways, staying required logistical planning and more time than we had. Leaving didn't feel like failure, but choosing something more permanent.

Back in the US, we weren't looking for another major metropolitan area, but a real community. That search led us to a small Maine city just south of Portland, where some of our friends were already living.

With a population of under 23,000, it sounded like a great fit. Friends helped us secure an apartment before we even arrived.

The community here immediately felt unlike anywhere else

We had a rich community in New York, but our friends were more spread out around the city. As soon as we got to Maine, though, we realized we could walk almost anywhere: from our apartment to a friend's place, the pharmacy, a grocery store, and the river.

As a result, our city really feels like home. Now, our friends' bakery isn't just a place to get delicious treats and coffee; it's where we run into — or make — friends in line, and chat about how their winter is going.

We've also seen the way Mainers support each other firsthand. When our moms came to visit, we took them for a coastal drive in our brand-new Volvo and slid straight into a ditch.

We were inches from doing damage and bracing for a tow when a woman and her kids came outside and jumped in to help push us back onto the road.

Within minutes, we were free. They waved while we drove off as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Our community shows up for people in larger-scale ways, too. When a major fire hit the Old Port this winter, destroying boats and fishing equipment, the owner of a local seafood restaurant started selling T-shirts, with proceeds going to the fishermen affected.

More recently, amid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)'s enhanced presence in Maine, residents responded immediately. Businesses put up "No ICE" posters, a hotline was established to provide help and resources, and crowds gathered downtown to protest the occupation.

It reaffirmed what I already knew about Maine: When people here think their neighbors are at risk, they take action.

Maine is exactly what we needed

One night, before grabbing cocktails, a group of our friends went to a live storytelling event in a small church.

I was surrounded by new and familiar faces: A former theater kid in his 30s told a story about the state spelling bee. An 80-year-old talked about soapbox racing in Camden.

My own creative work is taking shape here, too. I'm querying a novel, having found a steadier practice and supportive writing scene.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to live abroad, but I'm even happier that I landed in a small US city where people live year-round and expect to see each other for decades.

Sitting in that booth on New Year's Eve, I understood why people here claim this place, and why I'm excited to do the same.