We want to do a trip down highway 1A from Bar Harbor to Ogunquit then on to Portsmouth, NH and Boston. We would fly from Atlanta into Portland. When would be the best time? April, May or September? Also any ideas on things to see or do, places to stay and places to eat. We saw a Rachel Ray special on foodnetwork using this route. Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Best time to visit and plans
April wouldn%26#39;t be a very good time because it%26#39;s still winter here in early April. Leaves don%26#39;t come out on the trees until around Mother%26#39;s Day. May would be alright but it will still be chilly and you%26#39;d be more likely to have rain and fog. September would be great, especially the week right after Labor Day. There seems to be a lull in tourism that week.
If you plan to drive from Bar Harbor south, it might make more sense to fly into Bangor, unless, of course, Portland is much cheaper.
Be sure to tour Acadia National Park when you are in Bar Harbor. The best restaurants in the Acadia National Park region, in my opinion are Town Hill Bistro and Red Sky.
Heading south from Bar Harbor, be sure to stop and take the elevator to the top of the new bridge that spans the Penobscot River at Bucksport. A stop in Camden to shop and eat would be good. A stop in Rockland at the Farnsworth Museum and then a detour down to the Olson House where Wyeth painted Christina%26#39;s World would be fun.
Freeport, home of L.L. Bean, is worth a stop and a meal at Azure Cafe. Then Portland has Duck Fat for lunch and Fore Street for dinner.
Don%26#39;t know much about south of Portland. I try never to go there.
Best time to visit and plans
I agree with Bonnievaev. September would be wonderful and I would hit all the places she suggested. As far as south of Portland goes, that area was always off limits to us until we hit it off season. The crowds are gone and there are absolutely magical places to see, especially if you%26#39;re into exploring. Coming from the south we got off Rt 1/1A in Kittery and just zig-zagged up the coast as far as Scarborough. Found lots of places to walk along the water, an interesting Fort, lots of local parks, shopping etc. The Rachael Carson National Wildlife Refuge has at least 7 or 8 places to stop between Kittery and Cape Elizabeth and they%26#39;re wonderful. So if you%26#39;re coming down from Portland I would go out to the lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth, go over to Two Lights State Park and then, with a good map/GPS in hand, just zig-zag down the coast. I think you%26#39;ll be pleasantly surprised by what you find.
Would agree with others that September is the ideal time to come....April%26#39;s too early in the year, and even in May not all of the travel-related businesses are open yet. September also offers the best weather in my opinion -- days tend to be less humid, air is sharper and temperatures more moderate.
As far as attractions, the lists above will get you off to a great start. Might be able to recommend others if we knew a little more about your specific interests -- history? geographical features? active things to do outdoors? indoor activities like art galleries? riding around the rural countryside?
And just to help you with navigation, putting together on-line maps, etc....a route clarification for you...
The major route from the Bar Harbor area to Ogunquit and on to Portsmouth and Boston is US Route 1, not US Route 1A. While the Food Network/Rachel Ray special may have highlighted some places on Route 1A, that is not the continuous through route. For example, taking Rt 1A south from the Bar Harbor/Ellsworth area will first take you about 40 miles inland to Bangor and then down the west bank of the Penobscot River before rejoining US Rt 1 in Stockton Springs -- in the meantime, US 1 from Ellsworth goes cross-country to Bucksport and then begins to follow the Maine coast south toward Rockland, Brunswick and Portland. Similarly, other sections of US 1A will provide diversionary trips off US 1 to various locations before looping back to rejoin US 1 again. The ';A'; in Route 1A means ';alternate';, so when you%26#39;re asking for directions, trying to find attractions/businesses/etc try to be clear whether you and/or they mean US 1 or US 1A....it can make a difference of as much as forty miles in some cases.
Please try to give us a bit more insight into your interests and we%26#39;ll see what other tips and attractions we can develop for you. Sounds like you already have the basic concept for a fantastic trip.
Thanks for all the great info. We love history but more than that just riding around seeing the sites, wildlife, etc. We also like to do float trips and boat rides. We are retired now. We have been to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Black Hills over the past two years as well as short trips to Charleston, Savannah, Nashville, Asheville,and Wilmington. I have had foot surgery and have problems with my knee so we don%26#39;t do a lot of hiking. We are also trying to plan a trip to Glacier for the summer. We would come to Maine in mid-September based on what the TA forum has posted. I would want to include a trip to the Acadia National Park as part of our Maine tour. We love fresh seafood so that will be a large part of our tour also. Any other insights or ideas would be appreciated.
History and boat trips....hmmmm...would provide the following suggestions as a partial list of things to consider between Bar Harbor and southern Maine along US 1-1A....
In Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park: Sieur De Monts Springs.... historic and pretty.... see
www.AcadiaMagic/com/Sieurdomonts.html
In Ellsworth:
Woodlawn Museum/Col. Black Mansion Historic federalist home and grounds on US 1 as you climb the hill leaving downtown Ellsworth
See: www.woodlawnmuseum.com for more info
Ft Knox and Penobscot River Observatory, just south of Bucksport on US 1
Fort Knox is an historic fort built to help defend the upriver communities on the Penobscot River. Built between 1844 and 1864. Never fired a shot... Now a State Park with the fort open to the public. Immediately adjacent is the Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory -- built into one of the two towers of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge carrying US 1 over the Penobscot River. It is the first bridge observation tower in the United States and the tallest public bridge observatory in the world. The tower reaches 420 feet into the air and allows visitors to view the bridge, the nearby Fort Knox State Historic Site and the Penobscot River, Penobscot Bay, and distant mountains at Acadia National Park and inland Maine. A high-speed elevator carries visitors to the enclosed observation deck. For more info:
www.fortknox.maineguide.com
Just north of Camden, turn right into Camden Hills State Park and pay a minimal fee to drive to the top of Mt Battie.....outstanding view from the top of the mountain, overlooking Camden Harbor, the town of Camden and much of that part of the mid-coast. If you happen to hit the fall foliage just right, the view is breath-taking.
The Maine Maritime Museum in Bath provides exhibits and information on Maine%26#39;s shipbuilding history. See www.mainemaritimemuseum.org/what to see
In Brunswick, Bowdoin College is home to the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, home to artifacts and information from the 1908-09 expeditoin to the North Pole by Admiral Robert Peary and Douglas MacMillan.
www.bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum
In the greater Portland Area, Cape Elizabeth is home to Portland Head Light, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the United States. In addition to a smallish museum, it provides outstanding views of that part of the coast.
www.portlandheadlight.com
For coastal boat rides at minimal cost, check out the Maine State Ferry Service, which provides pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle service to several off-shore islands.
The Lincolnville-Islesboro run is immediately off Rt 1 in Lincolnville and is probably the shortest -- but still provides a sense of the sea and the Maine coast.
For a longer ride, consider Rockland-Vinalhaven from the terminal on US 1 in Rockland.
Or, once you get to Portland, take a ride on one of the ferries serving the bay-islands that dot the coast just off Portland-South Portland....operated by Casco Bay Lines, they provide a good opportunity to get onto the water for shorter rides at low cost.
Check: www.cascobayferries.com or
state.me.us/mdot/鈥aine-ferry-service.php
Those should get you started -- am sure other TA folks will chime in with their own favorite stops between Bar Harbor and Kittery.
Not sure how long you plan for your trip, but taking a ferry to Monhegan Island is a wonderful sidetrip,especially if you like hiking. the ferry goes from Port Clyde or Boothbay Harbor and you can go for the day or overnight. No cars allowed on the island (other than emergency vehicles and pickups for luggage). Very low key, some great hiking. The village has an abundance of artists- many of the Wyeth paintings were done here- a very off-the-beaten-track, but well worth it trip.
When you visit Acadia National Park, you might try a boat ride on the Downeast Friendship Sloop:
http://www.downeastfriendshipsloop.com
For seafood I would recommend Thurston%26#39;s Lobster Pound or Abel%26#39;s. You can find descriptions of these (as well as Red Sky and Town Hill Bistro, previously mentioned), along with some tips for fall trips at:
http://www.ouracadia.com
If you like boat rides, you might also like a horse-drawn carriage drive from Wildwood Stables in Acadia. Have a great trip!
bonniemaev is right. April wouldn%26#39;t be a suitable time for you to visit because it%26#39;s still winter time. The weather is chilly. September would be a good time. It will be more suitable for you if you fly to Bangor. Don%26#39;t forget to take the National Park Sea Kayak Tours on Bar Harbor. Take a break from you schedule %26amp; visit Spa at Bar Harbor Inn. If you are a golf fan then you must spend some time at Pirate%26#39;s Cove Miniature Golf.
