1st trip to Maine Need feedback and advice
 

We are two couples newly retired planning to spend 10-11 days in coastal Maine 8/23-9/3.
This is what we have planned so far but need advice to fill in our days. We are flying in from Louisiana to BOS and rent a car with reservations in Kennebunkport for 3 nights. We then have 7 nights in Camden on harbor. We are thinking while in Kennebunkport we will explore southern coastal towns and maybe drive one day to Portland. Is that reasonable ? Where do you recommend we visit and eat! We will drive up to Camden and explore mid coast and Down East especially Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. We are thinking we will make a couple of different days to park and bar harbor (day trips).
Last day we will drive back to Boston, stay by airport and travel home the next day.
Maybe we could see a couple of towns and eateries on our way back to Boston!

We enjoy outdoor activity, good eating and drinking and just taking in the beautiful towns and scenery. We do not want to be on a hectic schedule but want to see as much as we reasonably can.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide.

Take a look at google maps for driving time. It's a long way from Acadia/Bar Harbor back to Boston.

With 3 nights in Kport area, I would make a visit to Portsmouth NH, possibly on the way up from Boston unless your flight gets in after Noon or later.

Someone else will have to give recommendations for the Kport area because southern Maine is a day trip for us and we don't care for spending much time there. I have 2 nights scheduled in early July for a town just south of Portland but the plan is to visit Portland and spend one of the days on a neighborhood garden tour. You can easily spend a full day in Portland: Old Port Area for shopping and dining. Fort Williams/Portland Light in south Portland for a wonderful view of Casco Bay plus a lobster roll from Bite Into ME food truck. We have also enjoyed a mailboat cruise of the islands. A friend said we would like Peak's Island but we have never been there, just stayed on the boat. People commute from the islands to Portland.

If you want family dining in Wells area, we like Mike's Clam Shack on Rt. 1. If you want more upscale dining, there are several choices in the Kport area. You can walk the Marginal Way. Shop. Enjoy sandy beaches.

We prefer the mid-coast area. Camden is beautiful but I think 7 nights there is a little long. You can visit a few wineries. The drive from Camden to Bar Harbor is about 2 hours. It will be a long day for you. I like to poke around Ellsworth. On the way north, the Chicken Barn Antiques is a favorite stop. The top floor of the enormous barn is used books. But there is not a lot between Camden and Bar Harbor.

I like Rockland better than Camden for the variety and it's just south. Don't forget to stop in Rockport. There's a pretty marina and interesting historical site. In Rockland, you can take a boat ride someplace (Monhegan Island is a long ride but very popular, take a picnic lunch). Further south and east is Owl's Head light (easy hike and climb the stairs for the view), Owl's Head Transportation Museum. McLoon's Lobster (Waterman's has closed for good) and other lobster shacks. Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. Winery. For drive in/covered porch dining we loved Claws on Rt 1. We have not been to Primo but it is highly recommended and upscale.

Brunswick ME about 1 1/2 hours south of Camden is a college town and we like exploring the rural area to the east: Harpswells and choosing a good lobster place. I particularly liked Cundy Harbor. But closer to Camden is Boothbay which will be very crowded. Maine Coastal Gardens is beautiful and not near the crowded harbor. East Boothbay is not as commercials and is a nice drive. Wiscasset is on the south side of the bridge on Rt 1. Pretty village but avoid if it's a Friday afternoon. Northbound traffic will be backed up on the bridge between commuters and vacationers and the traffic has to stop when people want to cross the street.

There are different boat trips in various places. We have liked the lighthouse trips from the Maritime Museum in Bath.

Thank you for such great advice!

If you want beach time when you are in Kennebunkport, go to any of the places between there and Portland, like Wells, Old Orchard, Ocean Park, etc. Portland is an easy drive and you could take a ferry out to some of the islands, or even do the mail boat.

To see the "quaint" towns you need to drive down the peninsula's that fringe thee coast, you could spend days doing that.

Bath Iron works has a museum if you get a rainy day. Brunswick has Bowdoin College and the home/museum of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain of Civil War fame (Gettysburg).

If shopping is your thing you could visit the outlets in Freeport, home of LLBean's flagship store as well as location of other shops.

Thanks emalloy, quaint towns are high on the agenda! Not wanting beach time, but will definitely take in Portland and other towns you recommended.

dfrostnh gave us some great ideas also. Im going to check to see if we could change our 7 day stay in Camden but don't think so... Great information !

Do go to the Owl's Head Transportation Museum - on weekend if you can. After enjoying the day there, I had dinner with my great-uncle who told me about his friendship with Orville Wright in Dayton !

Near Kennebunkport, you can visit York, another classic Maine seacoast town with some beautiful homes, the famous Goldenrods saltwater taffy shop, and the picturesque Nubble Light. Ogunquit is one of the the most visited towns in Maine. It's known for it's fabulous beach, art galleries and many restaurants. Marginal Way is in Ogunquit. Don't miss Cape Porpose, a picture perfect little fishing village just outside Kennebunkport. I would pass on Old Orchard which is a popular seaside resort with a somewhat honkey-tonk atmosphere.

https://www.eater.com/2017/6/19/1578...dison-eater-38

Just read this and yes have eaten at a few. It made me long for another trip.

Owls Head Transportation Museum on a weekend is good advice since they have special events. At one we watched antique airplanes take flight and wondered how they stayed up. Also saw a restored Lombard Log Hauler which is a Maine historical treasure.

Great suggestions on this thread.

For southern Maine, will agree with zootsi about Ogunquit (Marginal Way, Ogunquit Museum of Art, also has an excellent beach) and York (also consider The Old York Historical Society, which has several historic homes, plus there's the Sayward-Wheeler House, part of Historic New England). In South Berwick are two more such spots, the Sarah Orne Jewett House and Hamilton House.

If you have a car in Kennebunkport, consider the Seashore Trolley Museum as well as the Nott House.

And if shopping is your passion, a visit to Freeport and/or Kittery are a must.

Thank you all, such great information!

"quaint towns are high on the agenda"

From Kennebunkport:
Kennebunk
Arundel/Cape Porpoise
Ocean Park (on the way to Portland)
Cape Elizabeth (if you have time from Portland -20 mins)

From Camden, or on the way to Camden:
Damariscotta (for Round Top Ice Cream & Reny's store)
Waldoboro
Tenant's Harbor
Port Clyde/ Owl's Head
Rockland -Rockport-Lincolnville
Liberty (for Lori's Café & John's Ice Cream)
Mt. Battie (for nice photos of Camden Village below)
Belfast, Searsport, Bucksport (on the way to Bar Harbor)

From Bar Harbor:
Southwest Harbor
Bass Harbor (Tremont)
Bernard (for Thurston's Lobster Wharf)

Eats:
Kennebunkport area:
Mabel's, David's, Merriland Farm Café, Old Vines Wine Bar, Village Tavern & Bennett's Store (takeout Lobster Rolls), Hunans Lobster Wharf(Cape Porpoise).

Camden area:
Breakfast/Lunch:
Home Kitchen Café, Marriner's Cafe, Boynton-Mckay, Lori's in Liberty
Dinner:
The Rhumb Line, Long Grain Thai, Drouthy British Pub, The Waterfront, Mt. Battie takeout (near Camden Hills State Park), and in nearby Rockland.....Claws, The Landing, Hill's, and the Park Street Grille.

Bookmarking--still haven't made it to Maine!

Here are some trip reports I've done for Maine.

Midcoast (Wiscasset, Rockland, Camden, Rockport, Owl's Head), with food experiences:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-wiscasset.cfm

Bar Harbor/Acadia, with food experiences:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ional-park.cfm

Brunswick, with food experiences:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-brunswick.cfm

Boothbay and Monhegan Island, with food experiences:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...gan-island.cfm

Some southern Maine food spots I liked:

-Flo's Hot Dogs (Kittery, also in Cape Neddick)
-Bob's Clam Hut (Kittery)
-Maine Diner (Wells)
-

Continuing, no idea why this posted halfway through:

-Barnacle Billy's, Oarweed, Ogunquit Lobster Pound (all Ogunquit)
-Fore Street, Becky's Diner, Duckfat (fries), Otto (pizza), Nosh Kitchen Bar (sandwiches) (all Portland)

DW and I had a great breakfast at Lobster Cove in York Harbor.
It's across the street from the harbor with a view of the lighthouse in the distance.

Oh wow, this is such wonderful information and guidance!
Thank you all SO very much!!

So with the information you all have so graciously provided we think we have a plan. We are committed to the seven days in Camden and will make day trips from there, will take a few days to bar harbor/ Acadia national park, depending on the best weather days.

Thanks again!

Just want to add that Boothbay Harbor is a great little town for shopping, eating, and exploring. They have a beautiful botanical garden!