Maine in May - 5 Days in Maine 2023 - Day 5

Mission: Sub Exploration

Jun 2, 2026

Day 5

Hey, y’all! 

Here we are on Day 5 of Maine in May. If you are just now seeing this, please go back and read through Day 4 to catch up!

Today, we wrapped up in New Hampshire and headed back to Maine before flying home.

Day 5 overview:

•  Portsmouth, NH

•  Wells, ME


Let’s get into it!


Portsmouth

We started out the morning with the most unique tour that we have ever been on-a submarine.

The U.S.S. Albacore was commissioned in December of 1953. She was 2/3rds the length of a WWII Fleet Boat and could outrun a contemporary nuclear sub when outfitted with the special high-capacity silver-zinc battery. She set the record as the world’s fastest sub in 1966 with the underwater speed of nearly 40 mph. She was decommissioned in September of 1972 and placed in reserve at the Inactive Ship Facility in Philadelphia.

As you can imagine, it is not super easy to navigate getting in and through the sub. We were shocked at the sleeping conditions with the bunks. It is hard to imagine living it!

As a point of reference, here I am trying to get from the front of the sub to the back (and I am not super tall).

This was an excellent tour and one that would certainly make a sub enthusiast happy.

Check out their history and get more info here: VISIT | ALBACORE PARK

Wells

Of course, we had to stop in at Lil’s Café on the way back to get more chai and a few more baked goods!

One of the last stops we had on the list was chowder. We picked Billy’s Chowder House and enjoyed a warm bowl.

You know, I must say that one of the things I was excited about was trying to find a whoopie pie that matched one I had at a local beach lobster roll shack. I’m sad to say that I did not find an exact match, but of the few I tried throughout the trip, this bakery was the closest to the mark:



Final Thoughts

There was a lot of hype over this trip and I am happy to say that while this was a short trip, it was honestly everything I had hoped for. What can I say? Good friends, excellent food, wonderful adventures and the addition of two more states to our 50-state quest was about as perfect as you can get!

Cheers!