2 day trip in ME
 

My husband and I are flying into Portland, ME Sept 12th for our anniversary before moving down the coast. We plan on staying 2-3 days there. Any ideas on where to stay, eat or things to do and see? We are willing to drive up to 2 hrs, we love B&Bs, scenary, little shops, LOBSTER, hikes- but I will be 5 mos pregnant at the time so nothing really challenging. Thank you.

You'll love Portland. It's a great little city. Old Port has many lovely little shops and some great restuarants. Street and Co. and Fore St. are two of the biggest draws, and are both very good. But our personal favorite is Hugo's. The food was creative, adventurous, and incredible. One of the best meals we've ever had.

If you're interested in outlet shopping, Freeport is only about 30 minutes away. I really enjoyed Freeport, much more than Kittery. It's not only just your typical outlets.

I'm going to try to remember the name of the B&B we stayed at on our first visit. If I can, I'll get back to you. It was very lovely. We stayed at the Marriott last year, and will be staying there next month because it's free with all my DH's Marriott points. It was nice, but I'd go the B&B route.

Can't help you with the hikes. Last year, we were taking a well-deserved four-day vacation (over Labor Day) without our three kids, so all we were interested in was food, drink, relaxation, and alone time! But I will say that it was the most relaxed vacation we'd had since our honeymoon 10 years ago. So we're heading back this year (for our anniversary, as well).

Oh, and congratls on your upcoming addition to your family. And Happy Anniversary!

hopefully you will not come to maine just to stay in portland and shop the freeport malls. i mean its an ok city but...
in under 2 hours you can be in lovell. you would take rte 302nw out of portland to bridgeton. then 117n to harrison, then 35n to 93e through sweden and to lovell. then
5n to the Center Lovell Inn. a beautiful drive and you can see a little of the real maine.
center lovell inn is a lovely b&b with a gorgeous view of mt. washington and the whole range. its in a beautiful old home and has a wonderful restaurant for dinner it is also just 5 mins from kezar lake which nat'l geo calls one of the 10 most beautiful lakes in the country.
there would be many doable hikes - just ask at the inn...

Einks--I found the B&B we stayed at in Portland: The Danforth Inn in the historic district. Their website is danforthmaine.com. It was very lovely and the owners were wonderful.

Virginia: It doesn't sound like einks and her DH are only planning on seeing Portland. She said that they're staying there a couple of days before heading to the coast, I assume to see more of the state. Maine has many wonderful towns and lakes, but I think Portland and the surrounding area is worthy of a couple of days of a vacation. I know that an ideal vacation for me would involve a little shopping, a lot of nature, and as many great restaurants as humanly possible!

For that short of stay--do plan to stay longer next time--travel south to Ogunquit or Kennebunkport. Log onto to Ogunquit.org for a list of our many B&Bs and fabulous restaurants. There is a lot to see and do down here for your short visit, including a walkway along the coast and a 3 mile sandy beach.

How about Inn by the Sea in nearby Cape Elizabeth?

We always love to find any way to get on the water, so when in Portland you can take the Casco Bay Ferry around to 5 or 6 different islands, some have places to dine and others are just fun to hike around or ride bikes. Or you can just take the mail route and not get off but just tour around on the water.

A drive up to Boothbay Harbor for the day is fun and if up to it, a boat ride out to Monhegan Island, you can hike, not that strenuous or just look at some of the small art studios.

Another idea is Ogunquit to dine and then walk the marginal way from Perkins Cove, nice long path by the rocky coast and then you can also go to the beach there as well.

Have fun, before we moved to Maine, we use to love coming to Maine in September, it's a great time of year because it's not crowded and the weather is beautiful.

ANY vacation involving "as many restaurants as humanly possible" sounds like my kind of trip...