Plus: NOLA cocktail bars and a quirky Appalachian Trail celebrity

Just north of Florida’s Palm Beach, the seven-mile-long Singer Island beckons travelers with its quiet beaches, troves of seashells and sea glass, and clear waters. What’s more, neighboring tiny islands host an abundance of sea life in their lagoons—you might spot sea turtles, starfish, or a rainbow of tropical fish. Read on to find out more about this easy-to-access haven, including where to eat, where to stay, and other island activities.

GABRIELA GOMEZ-MISSERIAN

Coastal Maine. Most of my favorite observational painters come from the Pine Tree State: Lois Dodd, Fairfield Porter, Neil Welliver. I was champing at the bit to try a painting workshop by the water, and I convinced my mom and dad to join me in packing up splattered easels for a three-day series at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. When my mom and I weren’t in our aprons, painting sailboats and shipping containers, we…

Got all the goodies: My heart leaped when I stepped into the Post Supply and spotted colorful Gardenheir clogs, beautiful handheld tools, and assorted seed packets. I took home a handy set of ash-wood pruning shears and tiny prints from an in-store vending machine by famed local artist Anastasia Inciardi. (Pop in four quarters, and you’ll get an original relief print!) I also brought back a sturdy pair of deerskin gardening gloves from the newly opened Viand, a shop that began as a way for photographer and stylist Jenny Bravo to share props from her shoots.
Absorbed the art: Led by our amazing teacher, who was once a student of Lois Dodd, we sketched paintings at the Farnsworth, but I had to return after the workshop to check out the spectacular display of work from the Wyeths, Alex Katz, Nancy Wissemann-Widrig, and Lynne Drexler. Nearby, my mom and I delighted in contemporary work at the Caldbeck Gallery, including Barbara Sullivan’s imaginative fresco sculptures and Nancy Glassman’s lush garden paintings.
Downed all the seafood: After landing in Portland, we stopped for lunch at the dockside spot Luke’s Lobster for shrimp and lobster rolls, fried haddock bites, and salty fries. I relished my first-ever buttery lobster roll at Claws, where crustacean decor abounds on the porch overlooking the water.