Hi everyone - My hubby and I went to Maine for the first time last summer and fell in love with it! We're planning a trip again this summer - sometime in June or early July for about 7-8 days. As much as we liked where we went last year (Bar Harbor, Camden - our favorite!, Freeport) we would like to go somewhere different this year. I'm looking for ideas...

We like to sightsee, shop, eat great food and relax. We prefer to stay in Bed & Breakfasts. I love the coast - walks on the beach, looking for sea glass, all that sort of thing.

Should we go to other Maine towns? What about New Hampshire? Vermont?

thanks!

It's ALL gorgeous imo. The mountains and lakes in New Hampshire, the vistas, covered bridges, backroads, and rivers/streams in Vermont... just beautiful country.

I've lived in both NH & VT but am too much of a whimp to face the winters anymore.

Thanks Suze! Do you have any recommended towns in NH or Vermont that would make a good hub? We'd like to stay a couple of places for 2 or 3 nights each. We haven't booked our flights yet so we are flexible.

thanks again

Fly to Portland and stay at White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport. Visit Qgunquit just down the road and have dinner at Arrows............

http://www.whitebarninn.com/

http://www.arrowsrestaurant.com/

Bar Harbor and Camden is a hard act to follow but New England is filled with wonderful places. The southern Maine coast would fit, Ogunquit is a good suggestion. We like summer theater too. Our preference is for mid-coast Maine so you might consider the Wiscasset area. Damariscotta is a very interesting small town, a bit like Camden but not the dramatic harbor. Head out to Pemaquid for the lighthouse and great lobster. A relaxing thing to do is bring a book, snack and binoculars (we carry bag chairs) and find a good spot near the lighthouse to enjoy the view and some quiet. Bath has a terrific 4th of July if you like parades, crafts on the lawn and church ladies selling homemade pie. The best lighthouse cruise we ever took was from the maritime museum in Bath. It was an all day trip but I think it is now a half day trip and a lot depends on the tide. We were told to bring a picnic lunch because we stopped at a little island with a lighthouse and had an hour to eat and explore. Wiscasset is also close to Boothbay which has good shopping and restaurants but too much traffic for us.
NH: I would choose someplace on the north shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. The mountains are a short ride away. Outlet shopping in both N Conway and Tilton. Wolfeboro is a charming town. Meredith is busier but still nice. Nearby Squam Lake is almost private, really hard to find a place to stay since families keep coming back year after year. You also have summer theater in both Meredith and Tamworth. There are numerous free hikes in the White Mountains but also things to do like the Flume (walk thru a gorge) etc.
VT: Burlington is a wonderful small city on the northern end of Lake Champlain. Great restaurants. Wonderful downtown pedestrian area with shops. Great drive if you head north, drive south on the islands and get to Burlington in time for lunch. Stowe could be a day trip via the Boyden Valley Winery. We have split a week between the Burlington area and just south of Middlebury. Middlebury is a great college town, nice little shops and eating places. We stopped at the Shelburne Museum on the day we changed places. Some people spend 2 days there. Woodstock is very popular for upscale tourists but to me it's no longer the real Vermont. Simon Pearce in Queechee is an excellent place to eat with a great building housing glassblowers and potters. The restaurant uses the glassware and pottery. It's on the VT/NH border but could be a long day trip from the Middlebury area. There are shopping outlets in Manchester VT but I haven't visited. From the Middlebury area you can visit the Vermont Country Store where surely there is a gadget you need to buy. On our next jaunt to VT we might look for cheese farms. I like to find interesting plant nurseries esp if they are way off the beaten path. We carry a state atlas and gazetteer published by DeLorme because some of these places are way in the woods but provide a very scenic and interesting ride.
You could easily split your week between the Maine coast and someplace in NH or VT although Burlington VT would be a very long drive from Portland Maine (it's 3 hours from Concord NH which is about 2 hours from Portland ME). Should you do something like that, flying into Manchester NH should offer best prices on flights.

If you're flying in to Portland, spend a day hunting down light houses (http://familyroadtrippers.blogspot.c...ouse-tour.html). Many have large parks tailor made for picnics. Go north to Brunswick and take a right over to Orrs Island -- real pretty and nice beaches.

Of course, Acadia is beautiful as well.

Dan
www.familyroadtrippers.blogspot.com

Other great destination towns:

Portsmouth NH

Burlington VT