Rediscovering the Joy of Exploring - How a spontaneous day trip reminded me why I love exploring coastal New England

When it comes to restaurant, I do my research.

If we're heading somewhere for the day, chances are I've already looked at the photos, read the reviews, compared menus, and saved a handful of Instagram posts claiming, "You HAVE to go here." I love finding places with great food and an exciting atmosphere.

But a recent day trip made me realize that in trying so hard to optimize every outing, I'd accidentally left very little room for one of the best parts of exploring:

The art of discovery.

The other day, my family and I drove to Portsmouth planning to spend the afternoon at Surf, one of our favorite waterfront restaurants. We pulled into the parking lot only to realize it was unexpectedly closed.

Instead of searching for the next best option, we decided to just wander.

That one decision changed the entire day.

We ended up at The Raw Bar overlooking the water, wandered through boutiques and consignment shops, grabbed a glass of wine at The Envoy rooftop, and somehow found ourselves ending the evening in York at a Stone’s Throw before taking the scenic drive home along Long Sands Beach.

By the time we got home, I realized what I'd loved most wasn't any one restaurant.

It was the feeling of not knowing what was next.

One stop led naturally to another. There was no itinerary to follow, no pressure to make the "right" choice. Somewhere along the way, I stopped trying to optimize the day and simply started enjoying it.

It made me think about how differently we explore now.

We can almost experience a place before we ever get there. We've watched the reel, read the reviews, and know exactly what to order before we even arrive.

Social media has introduced me to some incredible places, but I wonder if we've become so good at finding the places everyone else has already discovered that we've forgotten the joy of discovering something for ourselves.

Maybe that's why I love living on the North Shore so much.

Within an hour of home are dozens of towns worth exploring. Even after countless visits to places like Portsmouth, York, Rockport, Kennebunkport, and Newburyport, they never seem to feel finished. There's always another restaurant to try, another neighborhood to admire, another local spot waiting to be discovered.

So the next time you're planning a day trip, do your research. Save the restaurants.

Just leave a little room for the unexpected. Because sometimes the best part of the day isn't the place everyone told you to visit. It's the place you never planned to find.