kdoxt12

My husband and I are flying into Portland on Oct 4. We are then staying in Bar Harbor on the 5th and 6th and then driving to Lincoln,NH and staying at Loon Mountain club for 2 days and then driving to Portsmouth for a day and then leaving Portland on the 11th. We are planning on doing a lot of sight seeing and relaxing. I would appreciate it if anyone has any suggestions on places to see and things to do. Thank you very much.

dfnh

If the weather is good, consider taking a foliage cruise out of Portsmouth NH. The dock is within walking distance of the downtown parking garage. We esp liked the inland rivers cruise that goes into Great Bay. Good narration too. Our favorite drive in that area is to drive out Rt 1B past Strawbery Banke historical area and thru the old town of Newcastle. You will go by the beautiful Wentworth by the Sea Hotel. If you change over to Rt 1 thru Rye you will go past beautiful private mansions. There's a walking path at Odiorne Point or you could walk along the beaches. Although we live in NH we aren't crazy about the mountains so our favorite mountain views drive is around Center Sandwich NH. We have visited in all seasons. The problem with driving south from the mountains is that you will be leaving the scenery. If you were driving north, the scenery gets better and better from Concord north on rt 93. Your route south from Loon to Portsmouth could be via Concord. Canterbury Shaker Village is beautiful and has very interesting tours. Get there from exit 18 or 17/Rt 93. We haven't eaten there recently but their restaurant has had good reviews. If you like ice cream, Concord NH has a couple of places that make their own. But if you head out Rt 4 toward Portsmouth you will go by Johnson's Dairy Bar - warning, just get a small cone. You will also go thru Northwood's antique alley if you want to browse antique shops. The ride is lovely but gets even better when you get closer to Portsmouth and go over the bridges over Great Bay. Mapquest may tell you to go to Portsmouth via Rt 101 but it's a very boring road and only a bit faster. Whether or not you want to hike is up to you. The Flume is a very popular hike thru the gorge. We have also gone on the Cannon Mtn Tramway. If the weather is good you should also find places to rent kayaks on the rivers or sea kayaks on the ocean.

shaz60

on your way from Bar Harbor to Lincoln stop in North Conway for a day or two
It will be good for leaf peeping and the stores and restaurants are nice

cindyj

Just a couple of comments - Loon Mountain is close enough to do a visit to North Conway and enjoy outlet shopping without staying there a couple of days as the poster suggested. Also, not sure if foliage will be peak in Portsmouth during your stay, seems a bit early.

You will be doing quite a bit of driving to really 'relax'. IMHO, I would skip Portsmouth and just visit Portland before you fly out. Your drives between Portland and Bar Harbor and then to Loon will be filled with places tempting you to stop and linger. What are you interested in? Shopping? beaches? Museums? Let us know and we can provide some suggestions.

kdoxt12

Thank you very much for your suggestions. We are very interested in the inland river cruise and would like to spend some time in the Strawbery Banke area. Do you have any suggestions on what to see in the Strawberry Banke area? We are mainly into sightseeing and want to do a varitey of different things. We do not want to spend much time shopping. I am interested in taking one of the fall foliage train rides while in the Loon area. Any suggestions on which one? Thank you very much everyone for your help. We are getting very excited to begin our vacaton.

wyatt92

Strawbery Banke is a small area so I'm not sure what you mean. Prescott Park is across the street and it's very pretty. You'll also be close to the heart of downtown with lots of shops and restaurants. You might also want to take a drive through New Castle and stop at the Wentworth Hotel for lunch or drinks.

Love2RV

Lucky you...Although I live close to Portsmouth, the Lincoln area is one of my favorite areas to visit, especially in the fall. Here's my picks:

1. At Loon Mtn, rent bikes at the bike place there. They will shuttle you up to Cannon Mtn and drop you off (escaping the hard part!). Then, ride down the Franconia Notch Bike Path - a lovely 9-mile paved path of beautiful scenery. (The easy part!)

2. Take the gondola ride up from the base of Loon Mountain. Very relaxing and beautiful views. Better yet, bring a snack or lunch.

3. Visit and do the short hike up The Flume (about 5 miles north of Lincoln). This is an 800' chasm with waterfalls and scenic pools.
Website: www.flumegorge.com.

4. Take one of the many hikes along the Kancamagus Highway. The Lincoln Woods Trail is easy and beautiful this time of year.

5. Take the Cafe Lafayette Dinner Train out of N. Woodstock, right near Lincoln. We did this in June and it was well worth the money. Top notch 5-course dinner very well done.

In my opinion, I'd skip Portsmouth and try and do more activities involving the foliage. Portsmouth has history and shopping - maybe save that for another visit.

dfnh

Love2RV makes excellent points to do more in the mountains but I'm still voting for a foliage cruise out of Portsmouth. We're already seeing the beginning of color in the Concord NH area and it seems a bit early. I agree it might not be peak in Portsmouth by Oct 10 but there's a chance.
Don't miss stopping in Camden on your way to Bar Harbor for the beautiful view overlooking Camden Harbor. Take the auto rd up Mt Battie. If you enjoy wine, take a slight detour in nearby Lincolnville to the Cellar Door Winery and enjoy a tasting. Before you get as far as Ellsworth you'll see a huge old chicken coop on Rt 1 that is antiques on the first floor and used books on the second. Fun place if you need some reading material.