Discovering Maine's Rocky Coast With Kids: Shaw's Ridge Farm and the Clam Shanty

Shaw's Ridge Farm and the Clam Shanty

By Jennifer Ellen Parker

Photo Credit - Kyle Weaver

We sat huddled around my laptop searching for a mini golf course on the coast of Maine.  The clouds had formed and made the sky gray, but we were determined to get a round in before the quickly approaching end of Summer.  A listing for Shaw's Ridge Farm Ice Cream BBQ and Mini Golf popped up and we looked at each other and decided maybe just once we could take a short trip inland.  Instead of making our usually turn onto route 9, we stayed on route 4 and drove through Sanford.  The rocky coast was replaced with rolling green hills scattered with beautiful antique farm houses.  We pulled into their parking lot and immediately knew we had made the right choice.  Bright, vibrant, perennial beds lined the property and decorated the Farm in beautiful hues of magenta, gold, and creams.  The girls ran from the car and jumped onto the play set in the middle of the lush green lawn.  We watched them play and giggle and stood back admiring the property and incredible scenes.  After a few minutes we asked the girls to follow us to the farm to get our clubs and balls.  Anna picked lavender, Libby chose royal blue and we picked green and yellow.  The course was empty, as hard as it was for us to believe, so we took full advantage of it exploring the beautiful water features and not having to keep our laughter to a dull roar.

Anna and I both scored a hole in one.  We jumped with joy and gave each other high fives almost in disbelief.  We took our time and fully enjoyed our mini golf experience.  We were sadly disappointed when we realized the BBQ Barn and Ice Cream counter were closed but it didn't diminish the incredible memories we had just made in Sanford, Maine at Shaw's Ridge Farm.  We jumped back in the car and decided to make our way to the coast for dinner.  We were famished but knew there would be plenty of choices along route 1 in Wells.  The girls wanted burgers and we were happy to oblige.  They had been incredible sports on the course.   The sun was setting and our stomachs growled in unison.  We pulled into the Clam Shanty starving and eyes wide.  We placed our order at the counter and then chose a table in the outside Tiki Bar.  Libby entertained us with her groovy moves and we laughed and giggled as we waited for our diner.  Minutes later after we had filled our bellies and were content and happy, we leaned back in our chairs and shared our favorite stories about our adventure inland, off the rocky coast of Maine.  The girl's smiles warmed my heart and I grinned knowing that we had just created another incredible memory in Maine.