My husband and I are planning our first trip to Maine the first week in October and we need some help. We are planning on flying into Portland and driving up to Bar Harbor with perhaps a ferry ride to Canada. We have one week to do our travelling. I would appreciate any suggestions for an itinerary. We are really not into shopping on vacation, but really appreciate the outdoors, great restaurants and the beauty of the area we are visiting. Where should we stop along the way from Portland? Do we need to stay over anywhere before arriving in Bar Harbor? Any information about restaurants and/or places to stay - nice B %26amp; B%26#39;s or inns (moderately priced) would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
First trip to Maine - Need help with itinerary!
We are taking our first trip to Maine this summer. One place people told us we had to stop was Camden, which is between Portland and Bar Harbor. We are just staying there for a little over a day, not really sure what we are going to do there just yet but since everyone raves about Camden we figured one day there would be well spent. I found reading the reviews about the B%26amp;Bs in BH was really helpful in narrowing down where we would stay. We are staying at The Manor House Inn.
Scroll down through previous posts and you can find tons of helpful info about restaurants, inns, itineraries, etc.
First trip to Maine - Need help with itinerary!
First, I%26#39;d give the ferry ride a pass---unless, that is, you really like travelling in a jumbo jet. The ';Cat'; is enclosed---no outer deck to speak of and you land in one of the more uninteresting parts of Nova Scotia. There are ways to get out on the water via whale-watch boats and other sorts of excursions that are more reasonably priced and provide much more in terms of scenery.
A few resources to help you:
%26lt;www.acadiamagic.com%26gt; provides a wide range of lodging and activity possibilties on Mount Desert Island (where Bar Harbor is).
%26lt;www.sleepbarharbor.com%26gt; describes and provides availability information for a number of Bar Harbor B%26amp;Bs.
Check the Overview link at the top of the Bar Harbor forum for dining, hiking, and walking possibilities.
%26lt;www.wunderground.com/tripplanner/index.asp%26gt; can provide you with probably more details about our weather than you really want to know.
%26lt;www.tinyurl.com/r2o7%26gt; has a number of photo albums devoted to MDI and Acadia National Park. Also, check out the Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor forums for more photos, discussions of things to do in the park (several regular visitors are already talking about the hikes they want to take this year).
As to travelling the Portland-MDI(BH) route. There are two. The interstate route (I-295, I-95, 1A) will take about three hours; the coastal route (Rte. 1) will take a little more than four hours.
The coastal route takes you through/near a number of towns, including Camden, which has a beautiful harbor. Depending on when your plane arrives in Portland, there%26#39;s not any real reason to stay overnight en route unless you find something that interests you.
That ought to get you started, and many are here to help with specific questions as you start firming up your plans.
With regards The Ferry, if your desire is just to take the ferry and get to Nova Scotia, I%26#39;d agree with csvoigt and can it. But, if you have a desire to see NS and spend a few days there, with your car, then you may want to limit yourself to a night or 2 in Portland, a few days in Acadia, and a few days in NS, proided you take the ferry both ways. Many people take it one way and do the long drive around for the other. This, however, would be a couple of days of a lot of driving to get back to the airport. So, if you want to see NS, and it is definitely worth seeing, then take the ferry both ways. If you are just taking the ferry forthe novelty, don%26#39;t bother and spend a day or two in the CAmden area, or some other beautiful part of Maine.
Thanks for the info -- I will definitely be asking more questions when it gets closer.
While in Bar Harbor I would highly suggest going to Acadia National park and visiting Jordon Pond (Resturant) and taking the carriage rides around the park
I also recommend the coastal route from Portland to Bar Harbor. You could have a lobster on outdoor tables at the Harrasseekett Lobster restaurant in South Freeport (a beautiful coastal village, very different from the shopping mecca of Freeport). The beaches at Reid State Park and Popham Beach are lovely places to take a stroll any time of year (though you will need a warm jacket in October! For Reid, exit route 1 just north of Bath, for Popham in Bath. There%26#39;s an interesting fort in Edgecomb. Boothbay Harbor is a very nice town along the way -- very visited by tourists but not a tourist trap. You could also have lunch on the wharf at Tenant%26#39;s Harbor, just south of Thomaston. Nearby Port Clyde is also beautiful and is the place to meet the ferry to Monhegan Island. You might want to consider going there for a night (hotels on the island include the Monhegan House and Island Inn) as a way to get on the water. Monhegan is beautiful and there are no cars except service vehicles. If you don%26#39;t end up going down the peninsula to Tenant%26#39;s Harbor but are ready for a meal while passing through Thomaston. try to Thomaston Cafe, right on Route 1. Excellent!
There%26#39;s a great place to have a lobster on Lincolnville Beach just above Camden.
I live in Waldoboro and there is a wonderful bed and breakfast called the Roaring Lion... Great food at Moody%26#39;s Dinner as well. My husband and I did the whole Canada thing on our honeymoon 6 years ago... its not really worth the time. There is soooo much to see in Maine! My suggestion is discover the coast and spend time at Acadia National Park. If you like tourist spots Bar Harbor is great but busy that time of the year... spend time looking at the coast as much as you can. Its wonderful. Stop into some of the small towns along your way. Maine is really a friendly place to visit, so if you need help along your way stop and ask. :) I hope this helps. Another place would be the lighthouse in Rockland... you can walk out a mile and a half I believe at low tide to the lighthouse... great out door thing to do and the light house is really neat! Its on your way to Camden if you take the coastal route! Good luck and happy visiting!
Hi alohamom,
I wouldn%26#39;t bother going to Nova Scotia. It%26#39;s a long boat ride and you%26#39;d really need to rent a car and spend at least a few days to make it worthwhile. Plus, it can be rough. I just think it%26#39;s not worth the trip unless you went for an extended time. The only areas I thought were worth visiting were Peggy%26#39;s Cove, the area of extreme high tides (I forget the name of the town), and Cape Breton. But even then there are places along the Maine coast just as beautiful.
Regarding places to see on the way from Portland to Bar Harbor. There are many. First check out Portland Headlight in Cape Elizabeth just 10 minutes south of the city itself. Well worth the trip. Then have lunch at Two LIghts Lobster Shack nearby which affords spectacular views of open ocean and indoor and outdoor seating.
Then as others have suggested stops at either Popham Beach or Reid State Park Beach would be nice.
Boothbay Harbor is a small bustling tourist town at the southern tip of a peninsula right off route 1 about an hour north of Portland and on the way to Bar Harbor. It would be about a 20 minute detour.
Once there you could take one of a zillion different boat tours offered to sightsee from the water. Captain Fish has the best boats with inside and outside seating, a snackbar serving coffee snacks, wine, beer and softdrinks. There are decent restrooms too. The narrations of what you%26#39;re seeing are fun too and very informative. Trips offered range anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours.
From downtown you could take the 15 minute drive out to Ocean Pt. This is a lovely cottage community right on the water with views out to sea, islands, and 4 lighthouses and quaint turn-of-the-century summer homes. This would be well worth the trip with a Kodak moment at every turn. It%26#39;s also a great place to walk and you%26#39;ll see people jogging, walking, or exercising their dogs everywhere.
In downtown BBH have lunch at the Lobster Dock on the east side for great lobster rolls, or The Blue Moon Cafe, Ebb Tide, or McSeagulls. All have good food; are very casual; and views of the harbor. For dinner I%26#39;d recommend The Thistle Inn, McSeagulls, or The Russell House.
There%26#39;s lots more to do and see in BBH but I just mentioned things you could see and/do during a quick detour or daytrip on your way further downeast.
Next stop - Pemaquid lighthouse about 45 minutes north of BBH. It sits high on a bluff overlooking the ocean and the views are just breathtaking. There%26#39;s also a small art gallery selling local art and a restaurant and gift shop. But the main attraction is the lighthouse and the ability to walk along the rocks and explore and the opportunity to take lots of pictures :).
Further north before you get to Camden is the town of Rockland. The Farnsworth Art Museum is here and well worth a stop even if you%26#39;re not a musuem/art lover. Inside are lots of paintings depicting Maine landscapes, scenery, and life mostly done by Maine artists or who ones who have summered here. There%26#39;s also two separate spaces with nothing but Wyeth paintings.
Just north of Main St. in Rockland is the Brown Bag restaurant. They have great food and sit across from the ferry station which offers boats to Vinalhaven and other destinations. Taking one of those would be a fun daytrip.
As another poster mentioned taking the almost mile long walk on the jetty out to Rockland LIghthouse would be well worth a morning or afternoon. Please note it%26#39;s not a tough hike, the jetty is very wide and safe to walk and the views are spectacular. You%26#39;ll feel like you%26#39;re out in the middle of Penobscot Bay with lots of windjammers and other boat traffic passing by. This would be a good place to have your lunch from the Brown Bag and watch the world go by. Of course bundle up if it%26#39;s chilly.
And yes, Camden is a beautiful seaside town. While there ride (or if you%26#39;re in good shape) to the top of Mt. Battie for great views. The Fall is a great time of year to do so as the leaves will just be starting to change color then. The Waterfront Restaurant is a nice place for lunch or dinner and as it%26#39;s name implies, it sits right on the harbor. They usually have a fire going also that time of year which makes it especially cozy and inviting.
Others mentioned going down to Tenant%26#39;s Harbor. That%26#39;s a great spot too where you can have lunch/dinner at either the Eastwind Inn or Cod End. EastWind Inn is a lovely place loaded with charm right on the harbor and the Cod End is a lobster in the rough sort of place. If the weather%26#39;s calm you could take the boat to Monhegan. But that would require an entire day and seas could be very rough that time of year.
Good luck with your plans and let us know what you decide to do :).
cozyharbor
If you have not made definite plans as yet, I would spend my first night in Portland or on Peaks Island. In Inn on Peaks looks back to the skyline of Portland. Portland has many fine resturants to choose from....Fore Street being at the top. The ferry service to all the casco bay islands is frequent and when one gets off the boat you are right in the Old Port. It is a short 10 minute cab drive from the airport to Portland.
Great advice from all the local experts! Be sure you book soon, though, as you are getting into foliage season and B%26amp;B%26#39;s will be filling up quickly.
