Travelling

We are heading to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park in a few days. It was much cheaper to fly in and out of Portland. On the drive from the Portland airport to Acadia should we take interstate 95 or is there a coastal route that is more interesting? Thanks.

Hellion

The coastal route is much more interesting, although not as quick. Route 1, I think it is.

elberko

95! Route 1 is mostly NOT scenic, actually boring and slow for the most part...spend more time in Acadia.

~Liz

RamonaRamona

Route 1 is SLOW. It might not be quite as slow in September (less traffic), but 95 will still be faster.

xxx30

Take Rt 295 from Portland to Rt 95 in Gardner, Rt 95 to Augusta.In Augsta take exit for coastal Rt3.A lot nicer than driving to Bangor.

Travelling

Thanks.

dfrostnh

waitaminute does above routing thru Augusta mean they will miss Camden and Wiscasset? We usually visit mid-coast Maine and get off Rt 95 in Brunswick to take Rt 1. But between Camden and Bar Harbor it can get rural. Still if it's someone's first visit to Maine, I'd vote for the slow route to see more of the state. Rt 95/295 can get pretty boring.

PeteVT

I'd take 95 to Augusta,then route 3 to Belfast,catch route 1 there.

conquistador

We will be touring from Kennebunkport up to Acadia next week. Will we have any problems finding places to stay on the coast at that time of year. We hate being tied to reservations!!Any must sees and great value dining en route?

dfrostnh

Good seafood, casual family place, order at the counter: Sea Basket on Rt 1 in Wiscasset. Check hours. They are closed something like Mondays and Tuesdays. Mike's Clam Shack in Wells - big family place. Great fried clams and scallops. Not a shack at all.

You should be able to find someplace to stay. The more popular places might be booked every weekend thru the fall because the coast is a popular weekend getaway place.

Get the local papers to see if there are any community benefit suppers on Saturday night. We lucked into a lobster benefit for volunteer firemen last summer. Even if it's ham and beans, it should be a good value. Not all suppers are great but it's worth the risk. Really good suppers include a piece of homemade pie. These are usually run by a church or community organization like the Grange or Volunteer FD. In some places you might find a benefit breakfast.

Check old threads on Maine for must-sees.

plr

I just returned home from 2 weeks on the coast of Maine, 2 days ago. I-95 is drop-dead boring with absolutely nothing to look at except pavement and a solid line of trees on both sides of the highway during the entire drive. I would definitely use it, however, to make a 2-hour bee-line straight for Acadia. I find Acadia and all of Mt Desert Island to be so rich in beautiful places and interesting & varied things to do, that you may just decide to spend your entire time there. If not, you can then meander down Rt.1 to stop at other places that suit your fancy. In my mind, better to start at Acadia than to get there and find you've not left enough time. But in the end, it all depends on what you are interested in doing. I don't think you'll have any problem finding rooms as you go, unless you are going when the leaves are at their peek. I went back & forth on this, and ended up reserving my room ahead of time for most of my trip because I am really picky about price and cleanliness. Was glad I did this, as I chose well by using this forum's great advice.