cathee

My husband and I will be spending a week in Maine in mid July--- 5 nights in bar harbor at the Bar Harbor Inn---then flying out of Portland back to Chicago . we want to spend the last 2 nights somewhere else on our way back to Portland. Someone suggested Black Point Inn---which sounded just perfect for us---when I looked at the website and they mentioned dinner coats were required for dinner----its not the place for us----we are much more casual on vacation. Can anyone suggest another place or town? We'd like to experience one more place--with character--somewhere we could bike, hike, water activities, and take in the charm of another Maine town,. This is our first time to Maine.

ksucat

Kennebunkport...White Barn Inn is one of our favorites but there are numerous hotels and the town is lovely..food too!

denice7

Camden is beautiful and there is plenty to do for 2 days. Try the Hartstone Inn. It is in town and has great breakfast and dinner.

cathee

both are places i've considered---but kennebumkport would make us travel about an hr. the opposite direction from the airport. Camden looks good, too, but its not close enough to the airport for us to cut time off our last day of travel. I definltey want to visit it, though sometime during our trip. I may consider kennebunkport. I have always wanted to visit there. Thanks for your suggestions. If you think of anywhere else, please keep your ideas coming.

djkbooks

Boothbay Harbor (and East Boothbay) is about an hour from Portland Jetport.

cathee

any hotels., resorts you would recommend in boothbay harbor?

djkbooks

The gorgeous harbor is lined with excellent places to stay in Boothbay Harbor. What do you mean by "resort".

Excellent properties to check out:

http://www.oceanpointinn.com/rates.html

http://www.sprucepointinn.com/

Google for others.

One advantage, though, of staying on the harbor in mid-July is the parking space included with your room, as Boothbay Harbor is totally walkable and conveniently located parking spaces are tough to find!

Boothbay Harbor is chock full of terrific waterside dining and wonderful harbor cruises (our favorite - the "puffins" and the scooner tours). There's fabulous live music all over as well.

dfrostnh

Visit Camden on your way south. Don't miss the view from the top of Mt Battie. Check out Maine Coastal Gardens if you stay in Boothbay. Boothbay is a little too busy for us but would definitely give you a lot of options including a boat trip to Monhegan Island for some hiking. (take a picnic lunch to eat out on the trail)

cathee

thanks for your ideas--i'll take a look at them. Happy New Year.

alabuckeye

Rockland is a lovely fishing village with an artsy feel. Good for walking, kayaking. There are good restaurants, shops and galleries. If you enjoy art, not to be missed is the Farnsworth Museum with paintings by Andrew Wyeth, Jamie Wyeth and N.C. Wyeth in addition to Maine artists. The rooms at the Berry Manor Inn, which is in walking distance to downtown, are beautiful and the proprietors are fun. Their mothers' pies were featured on the Food Network. Rockland and Camden are my favorite Maine towns. Kennebuckport is also worthwhile. A lovely and casual place to stay is Bufflehead Cove B&B. The family is very gracious. Enjoy their complimentary wine and cheese by the fireplace and kick back. A gourmet breakfast is served on the front porch which sits back from the river. Mabel's has great haddock. I recommend staying 2 days at any or all of these places to really get the feel of the area. You might like Ogunquit (but it's more touristy like Bar Harbor).

cathee

thank you, alabuckeye--i will take a look at these places, as well. i am really confused as to where to spend those last 2 nights-----these ideas are very helpful

cathee

For those of you who know Maine---would we be making a mistake staying our last 2 nights in boothbay harbor? Is it too touristy--more than bar harbor where we are spending 4 - 5 nights? We really enjoy nature, hiking, biking, and good food and views. We don't like being too remote---and are not too much into shopping. We have friends who live in boothbay, who have suggested it. I thought I read somewhere that we would have to navigate an extremely busy bridge going to and from. I am going to check out Kennebunkport, as an option. We are definitely going to spend time in Camden---but don't want to stayovernight there--as it doesn't get us much closer to the Portland Airport. Would POrtland itself be an option-----or is just another big city. Its tough to top Chicago, our hometown. Generally when we vacation, we pretty much skip the city we fly into, to get the real ambiance of the area.

Grandmommy

I think Bath and Brunswick are a cute/quaint little towns. Visit the interesting small museums, take a side trip down one or two of the peninsulas, enjoy Reid State Park beach and/or Popham beach/fort, hike Wolf's Neck Woods in Freeport, check out some of the beautiful old houses.

dfrostnh

I think the bridge you mean is the one on Rt 1 as you enter Wiscasset. One time when we camped in Wiscasset, friends camped on the road into Boothbay. We were supposed to meet up with them one evening but the commuter traffic was horrendous. There are no lights in Wiscasset so pedestrians wandering across Rt 1 in the downtown area cause traffic to stop. Friday nights are esp bad when tourists are part of the mix on the road. Frequently. Other times of the day were fine but Boothbay is a very busy place. If you plan on doing a lot more driving around, I think Rockland would be more convenient. We also like Bath and Brunswick. Bath is a big town with the ship building, also has lovely Maritime museum (check their lighthouse cruises). Brunswick is a great college town with a fantastic farmers market on Fridays. You can head out on a peninsula as mentioned above. Our favorite is South Harpswell. There's a couple of restaurants but hardly any shops. Very pretty rural area yet so close to Rt 1. Near Rockland is our most favorite lobster shack at Waterman's Beach. DH likes the weekend events at Owls Head Museum. Last year we hit bad weather on the Sat we had planned to go to Waterman's so we followed signs to a lobster benefit dinner for a local fire dept. At Waterman's they do have a covered porch but best place to sit is at the picnic tables next to the water. Wear a hat and sunglasses and enjoy the view. There's nothing else around except view. That's why we don't usually visit Boothbay. Boothbay is beautiful with lots of shops and people and traffic. There are other places where it's very quiet. We carry bag chairs in the trunk, take along binnoculars, snacks and a good book and enjoy the view somewhere. You can find recommendations on Chowhound for places to grab a crab salad sandwich, piece of pie, etc for picnic lunches. Instead of gift shops we tend to browse used bookstores. Going to Bar Harbor via rt 1 you'll pass a huge antique shop with a second floor used books Big Chicken Barn in Ellsworth. Great place to find more reading material. Interesting old building.
We have no problem visiting Maine even during the busy 4th of July period (Bath has a wonderful Heritage Days parade and fair) because we avoid the popular tourist areas. Except DH doesn't mind crowds at antique tractor/truck/car events at Owls Head. Last summer there was a restored Lombard Log Hauler at Owls Head, an incredible piece of Maine's logging history, and we were looking at it the same time as an elderly gent who used to work on one.
As far as good food, we tend to search out the best lobster rolls or steamed dinners so meals are pretty simple. I'm also a fan of rhubarb pie. When fresh blueberries are in season you can buy them by the side of the road and simply mix them with a good yogurt.

lindsyb

I liked Portland itself - I think it is a great little city. It doesn't even compare to Chicago but was fun to visit and had some fabulous restaurants. We did some day trips around the area, including the Downtown and "Old Port" using Portland as our base. We stayed at a B&B - The Danforth.

djkbooks

Portland is more a small seaport city - with terrific scenery, outstanding dining possibilities, and wonderful live music. And, the Portland Headlight is one of the most scenic lighthouses on the coast of Maine.

the5gs

Portland is your best bet - close to the airport, but Portland has some beautiful scenery to see. Like djkbooks stated, Portland Headlight is beautiful along with Fort William by Cape Elizabeth. Be sure to eat breakfast at Becky's Dinner - yummy food at a great price!

If you choose not to stay in Portland - try Brunswick. Stay at the Brunswick Bed and Breakfast. Vist Joshua Chamberlain's house; First Parish Church where Harriot Beecher Stowe had her vision to write Uncle Toms Cabin and Martin Luther King Jr spoke at the pulpit. Take a drive down to Lands End where the road actually ends and the ocean begins. Some fun checking out the rocks there! Try to take in a show at the Maine State Music Theater also. Hike Morse Mountain in Phippsburg which takes you through a marsh area, woodsy area and you end up at the beach! Brunswick is only 35 minutes from the airport.

bennnie

I would agree with staying right in Portland. Go see the SeaDogs, the AA minor league team of the Red Sox. You'll see some future MLB stars. Lots of fun and a cheap night. There are lots of harbor tours as well. Cape Elizabeth is nearby and has the Portland Head Light -the lighthouse mentioned above is featured in many paintings including ones by Edward Hopper. The park there is really nice for a walk, picnic etc. Also nearby is Old Orchard Beach if you want a taste of a old school beach resort - a bit tacky but still fun.

sashab

Having a home in Pemaquid Point I would agree that Portland has a lot to offer. Easy to walk and the food is great. Its also a half hour from some great discount shopping in Freeport.

Bowsprit

Brunswick is great. If you want a truly special experience, check out the Harpswell Inn. It's a really lovely place and a short ride into town or to Freeport so you get the best of both worlds.

There's a fantastic little place at the bottom of the lane leading from the inn to the sea that serves the best (and freshest) fried seafood. Don't be put off by the old boats/cars that line the road to the Harpswell Inn (they have nothing to do with the Inn); it's a really nice place and Dick and Ann are lovely. Dick uses his culinary background every morning as he serves up a great breakfast.

The Harpswell Inn gets great reviews on Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ell_Maine.html

Here's the direct link to the Inn:

http://harpswellinn.com/