JimTammy

Finally booked a flight and decided to keep our week in Maine only. Flying in/out of Portland. Any suggestions on where to start? I know we want to head up the coast and see Bar Harbor, Acadia Nat'l Forest, Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, etc. Anything we must see/do during August? Any suggestions on best cities to lodge (more reasonable)? Would like to stay at least 2 days in each city and drive to different places instead of packing daily. Smaller towns? Thanks in advance. (We want to eat Lobster every night! - And heard Red's Eats is one place to visit)

dfrostnh

Have never been to Reds. The line is usually too long. There are so many other places. I would skip Ogunquit and Kennebunkport is you want to avoid crowds unless you want sandy beaches south of Portland. It's a long drive from Portland to Bar Harbor.

Brunswick is a college town so lots of lodging options but it is inland. Great farmers market on Fridays. From there you can explore the Harpswells and find plenty of lobster places. I think Cundy Harbor was my favorite for that area. You could make Rockland a day trip with a steamed lobster lunch at Waterman's after you do the easy hike to Owl's Head Light. I liked the Farnsworth Art Museum. DH liked Owl's Head Transportation Museum. The car museum has extra events on weekends. Check their schedule. It's amazing when they have antique airplane flying. Camden is also an easy drive and so is Boothbay.

We have stayed at New Meadows River Cottages (budget) in West Bath but they are on a busy road and have tiny bathrooms. Very clean but dated. We have also stayed at Bay Leaf Cottages in motel section which also had tiny bathrooms but nicer property (also budget). On Rt 1 but fairly quiet.

This year we are staying in the Stonington area which is three hours from Brunswick. Much smaller town and fewer restaurants. Years ago we stayed at a budget hotel near the beginning of Acadia which was fine since downtown Bar Harbor is far too busy and crowded for us.

Google best lobster roll and best lobster shacks in Maine for a list you can carry with you. Waterman's remains the one we treat as a pilgrimage because of location and the fact our first visit was when it was hardly more than a cook shack and a few picnic tables. Lobster is great at almost every place, so the view might be the deciding factor and there are some great views. Downtown Wiscasset is very nice but I would not stand in a line that long. I would be too cranky by the time I could bite into the lobster roll. Really no place to sit either.

I would plan to have one full day in Portland before you fly home so you could have dinner on night you arrive and then three meals the next day. Explore the Old Port Area. Bite Into Maine food truck that parks in Fort Williams Park in south Portland offers 5 kinds of lobster rolls and a great view of Casco Bay. You can also visit Portland Light. Very nice, big park.

Carry bag chairs and picnic supplies with you. We like to take a cold drink and snack to a place with a scenic view and just enjoy looking at the water.

JimTammy

Thank you for you informative suggestions dfrostnh!

andreadee

We stayed in a VRBO in Owls Head. Only thing in this town is a general store and post office. It was an awesome home base! The general store made the best blueberry pancakes! Each day we would go on an adventure. We went to Port Clyde and sea kayaked. We went to Camden and took a sail on a great ship called Olaf. We went to Rockport, Bar Harbor, and Acadia for the sunset. Also went to some beach with an area called Thunder rock. When the waves hit it sounded like thunder. One of our favorite trips ever.

clarkgriswold

That's a very busy week for Maine, the "last available vacation week of the summer" for many. Have you secured a rental car yet?

Between Ogunquit & Kennebunkport you might find "more reasonable" lodging in Wells/Moody. Outside of Portland there are roadside motor inns in Scarborough which give you easy access to Portland and to Old Orchard Beach/Ocean Park. Portland itself will have nothing at the lower end of the budget spectrum that week. Also maybe Higgins Beach Inn is worth checking into. A drive out to Cape Elizabeth is a must when you're staying near Portland.

Stonington is a lobstering village, rather isolated, Boyces Motel is great if you can get in. Outside of Boothbay Harbor in Southport, Ships Ahoy Motel is very old and showing its age but clean and right on the ocean.

NewbE

We were in the area in May, and I can tell you that the girl behind the clam shack counter on the pier in Ogunquit said it was wall-to-wall people in high summer and no fun at all. And all I saw was twee little shops. There's a nice cliff walk, but not worth those kind of crowds, IMO.

We loved Portland, so I would second dfrostnh's suggestion to stay there at least one night. Novare Res is an awesome craft beer cellar, the donuts at Holy Donut are to die for (really, really), and we had wonderful dinners at Central Provisions and Eventide Oyster Co. I also visited Seabags headquarters at the port, which was fun because I'm a fan.
https://seabags.com
http://novareresbiercafe.com
http://www.central-provisions.com
http://www.eventideoysterco.com
http://www.theholydonut.com

clarkgriswold

Anything in particular that you loved about Portland other than the foodie scene?

NewbE

Well, we also loved taking a ferry to Peaks Island and walking around; we chose a short ferry ride because of time constraints, there may be a better recommended one. We loved driving to and looking around Portland Head, and in general driving up the coast and getting out occasionally and enjoying a walk or a view. The overall ambience of Portland was appealing: it's small, walkable, a tad gritty, young, authentic.

I wish we had had time to visit the art museum, I read about it and intend to go next visit.

We also really liked our hotel, The Press Hotel, which occupies the old Portland Press Herald building. The designers used headlines from the paper, old typewriters and typewriter cases and assorted typography-related antiques in the decor, so those touches and its history made it interesting.

plambers

you can spend a week or more in Acadia. It is peak season there so better reserve fast.

NewbE

clarkgriswold, why did you ask?

clarkgriswold

Because I never recommend Portland to anyone who interested in visiting "coastal Maine" for the first time, especially if they express an interest in "smaller towns". But I see it mentioned a lot and I wonder what people enjoy about it other than the foodie scene and Portland Headlight. And when I think "wall to wall people" I think Portland waterfront/Old Port/trafficin August just as daunting as Oqunquit beach so I was wondering what you found charming or interesting about Portland, which to me is more a bustling city than a vacation destination, and usually overpriced/underserved for lodging. I guess I'm looking for more reasons to recommend Portland as a vacation destination but have found very few, though I do realize that some visitors enjoy urban settings/wide variety of dining choices much more than lobster villages or kayaking adventures.

NewbE

clark, the reason I didn't elaborate on my original post on this thread is because the OP only wants to use Portland as a base--so I recommended places to eat on the assumption that they would be taking day trips out of the city. But the foodie scene there is not to be dismissed--it's really remarkable for a city that size.

And we were there in early May, so I will take your word for it that it gets busy. It was tranquil when we were there.

I agree that the city is oddly underserved for lodging--a lot of B&B's in the arts district that get mixed reviews, and a lot of chains near the port that also get mixed reviews. I think The Press is a gem that much improves the lodging landscape in Portland.

jent103

I was in Maine with a friend the week before Labor Day last year. This is what we did - may or may not work for you, but might be helpful. We flew in/out of Logan so you won't have to spend as much time on the road as we did.

We drove from the Boston Logan area to Acadia, where we stayed in Southwest Harbor for three nights. (We stayed at the Seawall Motel, which is definitely budget but we really liked it.) We were told that Thurston's nearby is a good spot for lobster, but never made it. We spent the entire time exploring the park and loved it. Highlights: sunset at Bass Harbor Head lighthouse, sunset at Cadillac Mountain (we are not morning people ), hiking Gorham Mountain. Driving in Bar Harbor was stressful for me due to the traffic and number of pedestrians, but that was the only place on Mount Desert Island that felt especially crowded to me. (But I grew up near the Smokies, which get incredibly crowded in the summers, so my point of comparison may be different than others'.) We parked and used the Island Explorer buses, which were great.

2) Drove to Schoodic Peninsula (which we both really liked, though it is out of the way), then down the coast to stay in Boothbay Harbor for two nights. We stopped in Camden on the way and were able to catch a free walking tour at the library, which we really enjoyed.

While based in Boothbay Harbor, we ate at the Boathouse Bistro (awesome) and visited Pemaquid Point lighthouse, Wiscasset (including Red's - yes, we stood in the line) and Freeport, which was supposed to be a quick stop but there was a free concert happening that night so we ended up staying all evening!

We drove through Portland on the way back to Boston, but only stopped at Cape Elizabeth and for lunch.

Red's was delicious. It was definitely a long line (I think an hour); we were prepared for that and didn't mind, and they did bring us water occasionally, if I remember correctly. I'm sure there are other places that are just as good without the hype; our b&b owner just shook his head at us and smiled when he found out we'd gone. Honestly I'd just ask around wherever you happen to be. Lobster isn't hard to find!

jent103

Forgot to mention that we stayed at the Bayside Inn in Boothbay Harbor, which we liked!

http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/me-bo...b-details.html

Seawall Motel, Southwest Harbor:
http://seawallmotel.com/

Bonniejo

OH oh....leaving for Maine in the morning. First time there. We are staying in Onguquit which people are suggesting to stay away from. Won't be going any farther north than Portland. Any suggestions of place to rent kayaks? If we are staying in Onguquit, what would you suggest in the area? Thanks. I know it will be a spectacular trip...no matter what

clarkgriswold

Perkins Cove Lobster (take out or delivery of cooked lobsters)
Footbridge Lobster for lobster rolls
Merriland Farm Café a few miles up the road in Wells for breakfast or lunch
Ice cream at Brown's near Nubble Lighthouse.
Mabel's in Kennebunkport for lunch
Arundel Wharf for dinner

oh and webhannetriver.com for kayak rental

clarkgriswold

Oh and p.s., don't use those bizarre directions above for getting from Ogunquit to Kennebunkport. It's some sort of a 20-minute detour to avoid two 3-minute stoplights.

DO, however, drive the shore road from Ogunquit down through Cape Neddick .