A tasty seafood boil has been on our minds for a while. To see what all the fuss was about, we initially planned a trip to Louisiana, more specifically to New Orleans. But, from listening to and learning from coworkers’ venting about how fantastic Maine is as a seafood destination, I couldn’t help it.

Therefore, it was our first pick for a road trip.

We barely did any research on where we wanted to stay because it was a last-minute decision, so we searched around for hotels in Maine and decided to stay at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Augusta because it was a well-known hotel and reasonably priced.

The Restaurants

Great Wall Buffet

On the first day, after a five-hour drive, we checked into the hotel room, dropped our bags off, and directly outside our window was the Great Wall buffet, a Chinese restaurant.

We left without a second thought, crossed the street, and there we were chowing down on a range of options.

The location was lovely, spotless, and roomy. The meals were tasty. Some selections were cold when they should have been hot.

Other than that, I believe everyone else simply ate to satisfy their hunger.

The Red Barn

The following day, the next morning, while looking for kid-friendly activities and restaurants, we stumbled onto The Red Barn, as one of the top seafood restaurants. The reviews were outstanding.

Following our tour of Capital Park, we made our way to The Red Barn. We chose the Mixed Seafood Basket from the extensive selection. Amazing food was served. The portion was on point.

The outdoor setting was lovely, and everyone was very cordial. I think the lightly crunchy exterior is the secret to the flavorful bites that I took.

Shaking Crab Cajun Seafood House

On the third day, my daughter decided to go in search of the actual seafood boil location because she was still dissatisfied with the whole reason she had come to Maine.

She came up with the Shaking Crab in Portland.

No problem. It was an hour’s drive south of where we stayed. Then, I said, “Okay, make a reservation.” A few hours later, we got to our destination.

We received a friendly greeting and took a seat. Shortly after we were ready to order, as the server was taking down our orders, he looked at us with an amicable smile and said, “That’s a lot of food.”

A short while later, I noticed him approaching with these two aluminum trays.

OMG!!! Let me tell you, she made the right decision; it was the location we had been seeking from the beginning. From the moment we went in till the moment we left, everything there was great. Excellent service was provided. To every question we had, he had the response.

If you enjoy spicy food, I urge you to try that variation. You won’t regret doing it.