Kailee13

I am just starting to plan a road trip to Acadia National park with my husband in August. How much time would you recommend in the park?

We are also looking for other places to explore. We have flown into Boston once, but other than that never been to the east coast. Boston was so much fun that we might go back during this trip. We enjoy trying new food on a budget, local breweries, nature, and a relaxing vibe. We try to avoid crowds and touristy places. We are not big seafood fans (sorry). I really want to see the coast. I have considered stopping in the Adirondacks and/or Northern Vermont on the way out. Then we could take 95 South on the way home stopping along the coast. Any advice is appreciated.

elberko

How long to spend in Acadia depends entirely on you. I know people who spend a day driving the loop road through the park, and feel they have seen it.

I've spent up to ten days there doing day-hikes and such without getting bored. There is also biking and kayaking available, and boat rides. Depends on how you like to spend your time.

Kailee13

Driving around in my car is not my idea of seeing a national park. Boat cruise, hiking, popovers, and sunrise at Cadillac mountain are some of the things I want to do. I was thinking 2-3 days?

dfrostnh

For the foodie part, you will probably enjoy Portland Maine. I95 is a boring highway. Chowhound has lots of Portland recommendations. The food tour is ok, not great. You can visit the brewery in the Old Port area on your own. In Portsmouth NH you can take a brewery tour so you don't have to worry about driving. There are quite a few breweries in ME, VT, and NH so you can easily find places that have local brews. Also recommend the mailboat cruise of Casco Bay in Portland. A friend vacations on Peak's Island and says I would like it but I haven't been ... yet. If you take the first cruise in the morning, that's when workers head out to jobs on the islands. Island kids use the mailboat like a school bus.

We're not hikers so Acadia isn't our favorite spot. We've had fun visiting local farmers markets. Brunswick has a very nice one. The Harpswells, east of Brunswick are like time stopped. None of the crowds that places like Boothbay has but you can get a guide to conservations areas for hiking and picnicking. There is one secluded beach that you might not be able to access unless you have a vehicle with high clearance (we were in a pickup truck). We carry bag chairs and do rest stops at scenic places. That beach was one of them. There were a couple of fishermen and a family enjoying beach time and us. The Giant Steps is a nice little walk along a cliff edge. Not as high and long as Marginal Way in Ogunquit but nice and I think we only saw a couple other people.

While northern VT route will probably take you thru Burlington and you can drive just north of White Mountains, the scenery will probably be good but not best. You could aim further south. Google best swimming holes in VT. We've been to the one just outside Bristol. Picnicked and watched the brave teens jumping off the ledges. Sweet little waterfall.

You might also like a boat ride out to Monhegan Island. Take a picnic lunch and do a hike. Don't forget your binoculars. We took the boat from Boothbay (I think). If you're really lucky, take a lighthouse cruise from the Maritime Museum in Bath. We did years ago when it was an all day, bring a picnic lunch to eat on an island, with lots of narration. When I've check again for cruises, they are more like half day ones which are fine. Bath is a major shipbuilding center so we also had a boat view of the work going on. Again, Bath is more blue collar so doesn't attract tourists and crowds like Boothbay and Camden.

Our "budget" scheme is to eat lunch out and then have a light supper, maybe just take-out sandwiches. If you get to Camden area, look up Morse's Deli. It's in the middle of nowhere. Happened to drive past when we were visiting wineries.

Blueberries will be available from trucks parked next to the road. You can try local yogurt and fresh berries. Belfast has a nice food coop and Bath has a nice farmers market.

Should you continue south on I95, although Kittery ME is outlet he!!, When Pigs Fly Bakery has an outlet where you can taste all their breads. Stonewall Kitchens has fun demo/cooking classes. Pricey but fun if you want some cooking tips. Meal is served classroom style.

tomfuller

Consider taking the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited from Chicago to Syracuse NY instead of driving all the way in your own car.
It's 1100 miles from Chicago to Portland, ME.
If you drive, you will spend the first night somewhere between Erie, PA and Buffalo, NY.
If you can tolerate 1 night sleeping in an Amtrak coach seat you can get to Syracuse in about 14 hours. Chicago to Syracuse is 680 miles that you can save driving each way.

Kailee13

We drove over 1500 last summer. We will make stops along the way. Are the Adirondacks worth spending some time there?

We were planning on checking out Portland. Allagsh is one of my favorite breweries. I will have to check out chowhound. The Giant Steps look beautiful.

Is Ogunquit overcrowded in the summer? Is the beauty worth putting up with it? What about Nantucket?

dfrostnh

I am really anti-southern Maine although I have enjoyed a few weekend visits usually in September. Rt 1 traffic is horrendous on summer weekends. We usually head to the mid-coast area. For several years we camped and loved a very quiet campground in Wiscasset on former farm property and next to a tidal river. (Chewonki) One year the weather wasn't so great (might have been a June visit)so instead of going to Waterman's for a lobster dinner we followed a sign for a lobster dinner to benefit a local fire department. It was great even if pie cost extra. A Waterman's you can sit at a table almost next to the water (highly recommend hat and sunglasses) and watch the water. Think of a view of mostly working boats compared to southern Maine where you'll see mostly recreational boats. I have a friend who likes to stay in Wells (next to Oguinquit) and gets a cottage a block or two away from the beach in an area where the beach is used mostly by residents. But still, I didn't think the area was beautiful. In the mid-coast area there is more nature and less beach cottages. I think I've read that all the ocean front property in Boothbay (mid-coast but popular tourist area) is owned by non-residents. One time we stopped at a recommended pie bakery in southern Maine and walked out without any pie because they were so expensive. This was a lot different than the home bakery stand on a quiet road near Damariscotta where you paid on the honor system.

Put too many people, cars and houses in the picture and it's not beautiful.

Hope a southern Maine fan will give you their view. I have not been to Nantucket and only once did a day trip to Martha's Vineyard on a September weekend.

elberko

I agree that mid-coast Maine is much more scenic than southern Maine, but I prefer Mount Desert Island even more. I know dfrostnh and I disagree about which is better, but I like her anyway. It might depend on whether your main objective is hiking or pies...hehe.

Kailee13

Is it sad if I say pies? I love the idea of a road side pie. Thanks for answering my questions. I really do not want to go to any tourist trap beach towns.

elberko

HA! No problem, it's your vacation. I have nothing against baked goods--2 of my favorite places:
Standard Bakery in Portland and MorningGlory in Bar Harbor.

dfrostnh

Thanks to lack of hiking and too many local pies (we have a great source a few miles from me) I'm not in as good a shape as Elberko. Plus we haven't been to Acadia since 1997 when we visited a garden while ds rode his bike up Cadillac. Mid-coast isn't as far a drive for us. The Damariscotta area pie lady might not be there anymore but we love the slices of pie you can buy during Bath's Heritage Days (July 4th). The Rotary ran a good barbecue chicken event, too.

Chowhound will help you find some good places to eat. In Portland you can try Duckfat's French fries and poutine. You can chart out a list of breweries to visit. Micro and Nano breweries are very popular in New England.