Every winter, the town of Camden, Maine holds their annual Winter Festival. However, this is not your average winterfest! The extraordinary event includes Maine’s Snow Sculpture Competition and the National Toboggan Championships! This year, the festivities take place between January 30th and February 7th. A Mardi Gras music performance graces the stage on February 4th.
I headed to Camden for an overnight stay on January 31st. The quaint Maine town was the quintessential New England coastal village. Small shops and cafes lined the downtown streets.
My first stop was the “Bagel Cafe”(Bagel Cafe) in downtown Camden. This vegan-friendly cafe offers vegan bagels with vegan tofutti cream cheese. I opted for the blueberry bagel with the plain tofutti. My breakfast was very tasty and inexpensive.
The time had arrived to head over to the Winterfest location by Camden Harbor! I watched the ski jumpers and snowboarders practice for the afternoon’s competition. Each competitor met the wooden ski jumps with sleek and impressive moves. Some seemed to just fly through the air with their arms perfectly angled like wings. Others gracefully jumped high above the wooden platforms and landed gracefully on their two feet onto the snow.
After watching the incredible ski jump practice for a while, a bowl of vegan chili hit the spot. Local restaurants donated a few food items for guests. I stopped by the outdoor table vendor and enjoyed my nice bowl of chili.
The ski and snowboard jump competition was well under way. I watched in awe as each competitor mastered their jumps over a wooden platform onto the snow.
Across the road, artists were preparing their ice sculptures for competition. Each sculptor was carving their icy creations into proper form using chisels, electric drills, while outlined drawn shapes were pressed onto the frozen blocks.
A live jazz band performed big band classics for guests in the town library.
The artists continued to make their finishing touches on their ice sculptures until each delicate form had come into its own.
One of my favorites was the polar bear sculpture.
A few winners were selected, including a hat-wearing penguin on skates. He was adorable!
I was yearning for a snack and refreshment, so I headed to Zoot Coffee (Zoot Coffee) after the Winter Festival. A hot cup of green sencha tea and a vegan cookie with chocolate chips, coconut, and sunflower seeds satisfied my hunger. The cafe offers several vegan sweets and treats each day.
Across the road from Zoot, huge blocks of snow, put in place for the Maine Snow Sculpting competition, stand melting in the afternoon sun. Because the weather was unseasonably warm at 50 degrees, the competition was postponed indefinitely. Intricately detailed sculptures from past years first impressed me online.
Lunchtime had arrived so I wandered over to “French And Brawn”(French And Brawn) for my mid-day meal. This marketplace contains a deli and refrigerated case with clearly marked vegan foods. I selected a flavorful pad thai.
My accommodations for the evening were at the stunning and very vegan-friendly “Windward House Inn”(Windward House Inn) conveniently located in historic downtown Camden. My gorgeous room was spacious and charming. A fireplace, widescreen tv, and comfortable bedding made this a perfect stay. A bearclaw tub gave the bathroom a French European feel. Even the toiletries are organic and vegan, as the environment is important to the owners. Kristi and her husband Jesse are friendly and welcoming hosts who also strive to provide a “homelike” atmosphere for their guests.
When I arrived in my beautiful suite, I noticed the three vegan snacks that were atop the large comfy bed. Two Bixby Bars(Bixby Bars) and a Maine Seaweed Energy Kelp Bar(Kelp Energy Bar) were strewn upon the comforter, as gifts provided to guests.
Prior to my trip, I had made arrangements for a private tour of the Bixby Chocolate Factory(Bixby Bars) with the owner Kate McAleer. She emphasized her desire to create a chocolate bar that was a healthy option. The chocolate bars are made with ingredients such as fruits and nuts but do not contain much sugar.
Kate was very gracious in showing me the factory, the product showroom, and very descriptive in explaining the process of how “Bixby Bars” are made. The showroom displays cases of the chocolate bars. The vegan bars are labelled. A variety of flavors including ginger pecan, cranberry pecan pistachio, and crunchy peanut butter are a few of the vegan bars that are available. She gave me a sample chocolate bar to try. The bars do indeed taste “delicious and nutritious”! Vegan hot chocolate mix is offered for purchase as well. I purchased a vegan Mayan drinking chocolate flavor.
A separate assembly line and equipment is utilized for the vegan chocolate to be poured into pans, then formed into shape. Everything is done manually, by hand.
The chocolate is then placed on cooling racks, prior to being packaged.
After my tour and purchase, I thanked Kate and went on my merry way. I highly recommend that vegans purchase some Bixby Bars at their local Whole Foods Market or when traveling in Maine.
As I arrived back in Camden, I took note of the quaint downtown with its shops and restaurants trimmed with shimmering lights. I did partake in some window browsing and shopping for a while.
For my dinner meal, I dined at “Long Grain” (Long Grain Restaurant) in downtown Camden. They offer a few vegan choices. I selected the multigrain fried rice(cooked separately) with kale, onions, and scallions. My meal was delicious.
It was time to call it a night and settle in to a comfortable overnight stay at the Windward Bed and Breakfast Inn.
Sunday morning I woke up excitedly looking forward to my homemade vegan breakfast at the Windward B&B! Upon entering the sitting room, I was enticed by the homemade vegan double chocolate cookies displaying proudly under a glass case. I grabbed two of the tasty cookies and devoured them.
The delightful dining room was bright and welcoming. Guests may choose whatever and as much as they desire from the vegan breakfast menu.
My morning beverage selection was a ginger lemon hot tea, followed by the green smoothie made with kale, spinach, fruit, and filtered water. Everything was absolutely delicious!
I ordered a full vegan breakfast consisting of breakfast burritos(flour tortillas filled with local Heiwa tofu scramble and pepper sauce), Maine blueberry pancakes with syrup, vegan sausage made with homemade seitan and white beans, and a bowl of fruit.
While having tea the previous day at Zoot Coffee, I noticed they sometimes offer vegan quiche. Thus, I returned on Sunday morning to pick up a slice to enjoy myself. I took a couple of bites to sample the delectable spinach and black pepper tofu quiche, then packed it in its sealed container for my drive home that evening.
Camden, Maine’s Snow Bowl is the place to be for downhill skiing or snowshoeing through the woods. I opted for a morning snowshoeing adventure. Though the temperature that day was on the milder side, the trails were still open with sufficient snow. The terrain was great with some slightly steeper and winding turns.
Next on my agenda was a visit to the popular Farnsworth Museum in neighboring Rockport, Maine. This art museum showcases the works of the Wyeth family, including Jamie and Andrew.
Outside the museum’s entrance is an intriguing sculpture garden filled with whimsical wooden and metal art pieces.
Cafe Miranda (Cafe Miranda) was my choice for the day’s lunch. They are known to offer a few vegan-friendly choices. The casual cafe is quite popular and prices are reasonable. I selected the black bean tacos on soft corn tortillas filled with wood roasted poblano peppers, caramelized onions, shredded greens, lime, cilantro, and salsa. My tacos were yummy.
For my afternoon treat, I enjoyed the peanut butter chocolate Bixby Bar. Wow! This snack was absolutely delicious!
Downtown Rockport is home to some unique gift shops and boutiques. I paid a visit to one particular shop that carries many kinds of coastal Maine-inspired gifts such as silver seashell jewelry.
Before heading home, I explored the aisles of vegan-friendly market “Good Tern Coop”(Good Tern Coop Market). They offer vegan hot soups and pizza, produce, vegan sweets, vegan skincare, and everything else you would find in a vegan-friendly grocery shop. I purchased the vegan tofu kimchee noodle soup made with kimchee, garlic, scallions, mushrooms, onions, carrots, tomatoes, and rice noodles. The warm and spicy meal was the perfect dinner for a winter evening.
As I drove back home to Massachusetts, I reminisced about my wonderful winter weekend in Camden, Maine: the outdoor activities, the museum, the vegan food and chocolate, and the superb accommodations at the vegan-friendly Windward B&B.