travelbugmb

We are flying in to Portland that is all I have done so far. I am wondering how many days to stay in Portland and should we travel north or south along the coast? Which would be nicer or more picturesque during the last week of October?

yestravel

I think Portland is a nice little city and u could stay there 1 night or even 2 depending upon what u are looking to do during your stay.

bnbtraveler

South would be the only place for leaf peeping..."probably".

dfrostnh

What are your interests? This year we planned our trip to Maine to coincide with two events we wanted to attend and stayed in our favorite area of mid-coast Maine. There will be reduced lobster dinner hunting since the shack type places on the water usually close after Columbus Day weekend. Have you checked events on Yankee Magazine's website? There are still a lot of places to get lobster and beach walking could still be good. I would include Portsmouth NH in your plans.

Grandmommy

Definitely go a wee bit north and then drive south exploring the peninsulas (Bailey Island, Phippsburg, etc.) and revel in the scenery of water, rocks, boats--both working and pleasure, old buildings and fall foliage. That area is definitely picturesque any time of year. The colors change later "down on the water" and that area is gorgeous in late October.

Don't miss Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth...and don't forget a jacket--the weather's getting pretty chilly by that time of year.

Kwoo

I recommend staying in Portland for 2 nights. The art museum is great and Portland is a beautiful city, fun for just walking around & shopping. You can visit the lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth. Can go to Freeport if you like the outlets. Then I would head north as well. Brunswick is cute with some great restaurants and interesting little shops. Bowdoin College has the art museum and arctic museum. The peninsulas, such as Harpswell, Orr's Island and Bailey's Island are beautiful and scenic - great water views, boats, etc. If you have the time, you can drive to Boothbay Harbor and Camden.

If you go south, Kennebunkport is picturesque.

travelbugmb

Thank you for all the fabulous ideas! I am a little disappointed that the lobster shacks will be closed. Does that mean lobster will be hard to find that time of year?

LJ

Not all the lobster outlets will be closed, rest assured! just some of the touristy ones, esp. right on the water. But lobster will still be served.

Grandmommy

While you're down on the (Orr's and Bailey's) islands, you can get lobster at Cooks Lobster House any time of the year.
http://www.cookslobster.com

elisabet

Lobster is pretty reasonable right now. Plenty of places serve it, but soon the weather will make outside eating uncertain. Not to worry, lots of other places will have it.
I agree about Portland as a 2 night venue--or longer if you do day trips from there. Also, I like Bath which has restaurants, easy access to small galleries, Bailey' island, etc., an amazing yarn and fiber store--if that appeals to you.
I live here and can be easily overwhelmed by the great restaurant choices. A helpful blog for restaurant information is Type A Diversions.

travelbugmb

Thanks I feel a lot better about the lobsters and thank you for all the suggestions that helps me out so much!!

RetiredVermonter

We visited Maine in August and were amazed at the difference in prices between buying lobster along the road ($3.50-4.00 or so per lb) vs dining in the restaurants there! As I have posted before, the lobstermen are hurting big time and unable to get much for all their hard work, but the restaurants are still charging a pretty penny and obviously making a good buck profit!

We laughed this week, by the way, at an ad for a local restaurant here advertising lobster dinner (one lobster) for $22.95 "while they last"! While they last? Right.

DJCV

If you head south of Portland, go to Ogunquit/Perkins Cove (about 40 mins) and walk the Marginal Way trail by the rocky coast and then walk thru the town of Ogunquit and cutover to walk down to the beach. In addition to Portland Head Lighthouse, also if you're heading south, go to Nubble Light house in York. Kennebunk would be another stop I would make.

If you head North, then definitely the Camden/Rockland area. I love Camden - beautiful harbor and great hikes with gorgeous scenery. I think it's Mt Battie we climbed that had such beautiful scenery when you reach the top.

If you have enough days, then I would go to Acadia for sure and cut the days in Portland. If you like outdoor things to do, I would only do 1/2 day in Portland to walk around Old Port.

Another suggestion is to go to Monhegan Island from Boothbay Harbor - hike straight across the island to the cliffs on the other side - beautiful!

Another option if you have the time is Moosehead Lake

Enjoy!

cindyj

The Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth closes on the 25th of October, so you might want to make it your first dinner. Indoor seating - very funky with old tools and farm stuff on the walls. Gorgeous views of Two Lights lighthouses. (One working one never finish due to a couple of deaths during construction which resulted in stories that it was haunted.) Be sure to also visit Portland Head Light on the way to dinner. IMHO you do not have enough time for Moosehead or Monhegan. Acadia is 3 1/2 hours from Portland and you could see a do a lot in the Camden/Rockland area if you're looking for something closer. If you want to get out on the water and the weather is good, check out the Casco Bay Lines ferry schedule. You can get a feel for the islands, etc. without taking a whole day out of your week.

LoisL

Maine is one of my favorite trips, and one of only a very few that I keep returning to, because I love it so much. On our last trip [first one in summer,just last month] we did a ferry 'cruise' out of Portland harbor, which is very reasonably priced, and a great way to see the coastline, as well as some outer islands. There are several options and times. We did the sunset ones, and have spectacular sunset shots [amazing colors]. We ate at a restaurant down in the harbor that is a converted barge or some sort of boat. It had atmosphere [not something I think is important when it comes to lobster in Maine] and we were happy enough with the food.

I love Camden, and do stop there each time we return. Our personal favorite is Hartstone Inn, just as long as you get a room not on the street. They have many choices and prices. What makes this place so outstanding is their chef's menu dinner. It is always amazing. You can check it out online on their site. They even have the menus posted, from about a month ahead of time.

I agree with a previous post that Marginal Way is a nice walk if you head south. And the Cape Elizabeth lighthouse [Portland Headlight] is one of my favorites.

Unless you have a minimum of a week, I don't see how you can head both north and south and do both any justice. It may be a little late for ideal fall foliage, but there should be some. It varies greatly, depending on weather. One year we were there early Oct. and nothing had started yet. Another year, we went one week later, and there were hardly any leaves left on the trees!

Have a wonderful trip!

cindyj

The ferry cruises the Loisl refers to are the Casco Bay Lines. DiMillo's is the restaurant on the ship. Please avoid it. Mediocre food at best, horrible chowder thickened with something synthetic I think, and there are so many great places in Portland!

LoisL

I would say that we were fine with our meal, though did not have the chowder, at DiMillo's. The restaurant was recommended by a 'local professor' who we met on the ferry. It was not the 'best food', but my boiled lobster was good, as was the lobster stew. It's not a place I'm likely to return to, but it was a convenient place to grab a late night lobster dinner upon returning from our ferry trip, and we were happy enough with it.

Yes, Casco Bay Lines was the ferry company, and if you are interested in seeing the coastline, it is a good option to consider. You can get information on them online, which is what I did, before heading up to Maine.