"Best of Maine" Itinerary
 

Can anyone provide a 'best of Maine" itinerary? We would fly into Portland Oct 6 and out of Portland on Oct 12. Would like specific suggestions of which towns to stay over in.

Well, I'd inlcude Ogunquit and/or Kennebunkport for a couple nights (you can take in both if you stay in one), the Black Point Inn at Prouts Neck in Scarborough (from which you can explore Portland) for a couple nights, and Camden for a couple nights. Mine is a more shopping/dining/views itinerary (but beautiful cliff walks to explore in Ogunquit and Prouts Neck). I'm sure others will reply with more &quot;sporty&quot; or active answers!<BR>

Rent a car, drive to Bar Harbor, stay at the Bar Harbor Inn, take a lunch and a jacket, and spend the day on top of the world, on Cadilac Mtn. in Acadia NP. Beautiful view of the islands of Acadia, but no bathrooms, or facilities of any kind at the top. It would spoil the view.

I live in Ogunquit, Maine and having lived here for many years I would reccommend our town for a couple of nights. You can reach Kennebunkport in 15 minutes and Porland is only 25 miles away. Camden and Boothbay are are only a couple fo hours away and are both beautiful seaside communities. Do not miss Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Depending on what physical shape you are in I would do the hike up Cadillac. There is a gift shop, bathrooms and water at the top contrary to what the previous poster said. Have fun.

6 days isn't much for such a big state, and it's not clear what type of things you like to do.<BR><BR>If you like being in the outdoors hiking biking, etc., and want access to decent restaurants, Bar Harbor and Acadia will suit. Stop at LL Bean in Freeport on your way from Portland, and you'd have MY perfect vacation.<BR><BR>Note to DON'T MISS THIS:<BR>Cadillac Mtn. IS a don't miss, but there is a gift shop and bathrooms just as you enter the parking area at the top.<BR>

While Ogunquit and other coastal towns are magnificent, they are better visited in the nicer weather, so I would recommend heading to the White Mountains of NH via Bethel, ME to Gorham, NH, and then driving Routes 2, 302 and the Kangamangus Highway to enjoy the glorious fall foliage, which will be at its best during your dates.

If you drive through the capitol city of Augusta, be sure to spend an hour or two at the fabulous-yet-little-known State Museum.

Dear Fran<BR> <BR> I agree with Bar Harbor, Acadia, Kennebunkport and would add another Boothbay harbor. This is a beautiful quaint town. Happy traveling.<BR><BR> Peace, Robbie

Must see Maine towns are Rumford,Lincoln,Westbrook,Jay,Mexico, Lewiston/Aubrn (LA),Millinocet,Fort Kent,Presque Isle and Biddeford.

We have been three times and always take the coastal route. I have not gone south of Portland so others can advise you about those parts. We liked Camden, Rockport,Blue Hill,Stonington and Isle au Haut. Bar Harbor and those parts can be beautiful but the actual town of Bar Harbor can be a bit of a shock after your pastoral trip(tee-shirts etc). The park is beautiful no matter what part you visit. We enjoyed some of the &quot;less touristed&quot; parts around Bar Harbor like Southwest Harbor but others might say it's just as touristed. Our most memorable trip included three nights at the Keepers House on Isle au Haut. Check out Fore Street restaurant in Portland, The Belmont(B&amp;B and restaurant in Camden.

Don't just stay along the coast. Get inland. I recommend staying in Greenville at the foot of Moosehead Lake - the largest natural Lake completely within one state in the lower 48 (40 miles long).<BR><BR>Take a ride on the 'Kate' on the lake. Go see bears at the dump.<BR><BR>Stay at the Indian Hill Motel for a good view of the lake

Paul Bunion (above) must be smoking crack. Ignore those suggestions!

All the way up the coast, we enjoyed eating lunch in Lubec and watching the tide swings; Quoddy Head State Park is there with its famous candystriped lighthouse and a nice walk along the rugged shore. I think you could also cross into Canada for FDR's summer home; we didn't try the border crossing because this was right after 9/11.<BR><BR>Loved Bar Harbor (cute town) and Acadia National Park. Fun hiking on the Precipice and Beehive trails (but only if you are adventurous! - there are other trails if you don't like heights &amp; scrambling over rocks), and also took a kayak trip, although I know there are many types of boat trips from various coastal towns. Bike on the carriage roads (very scenic, rentals are available), and drive up to Cadillac Mtn.<BR><BR>If you like to hike, we did the Gulf Hagas hike in the center of the state, and Baxter State Park &amp; hiking Katahdin could be fun (we didn't do that last one.)<BR><BR>Good luck - you're getting a lot of suggestions and I'm sure you'll be able to put together a great trip out of all this.

Don't forget to go to the Tom's of Maine outlet store in Kennebunkport. You can even go on a factory tour.