Gail,

Agree with everything but the celery. My parents live in Maine part of the year and I have never had a lobster roll with celery or anything else but a little mayo.

Had one even better -- on the right side of the bridge heading north from Wiscasset (not the yuppie stand on the left everyone lines up at) -- they'll sell you a lobster roll that's just lobster and melted butter on a toasted hot dog roll. You can eat it on a bench on the pier.

Lobster is at it's peak flavor just out of the sea. For every day that it sits in a tank, it loses a bit of flavor. So, in my opinion there is indeed a "lobster season"...it's from June to early October when you can get to an oceanside shack and watch the lobsters being taken out of their traps and being put into the steamer!

The yuppie stand is called Reds and I agree it is overrated.

Thanks for all the info. I expect it will be an early Summer '08 trip. Already have the beginning materials. Anyone have a favorite book(s)? Not only for travel but other info as well. I'm figuring 7-10 days w/at least half of that spent on or around Acadia Park. Other suggestioons are welcome. We're looking for less people, not touristy (I'm thinking Bar Harbor), good hiking/wildlife & scenery. Going inland to some of the Lakes might be fun also, favorites ?

SAnParis,
One of my favorite trips was flying into Boston, hugging the coast of Maine (eating lobster at every chance) and then on into Nova Scotia. We loved Cape Breton NP in Canada and I loved Price Edward Island. I am a big fan of the Anne of Green Gables and it was fun seeing the various sights and locales while touring a beautiful, pastoral town.

If you're looking for less people, I would stay in either NE Harbor or Southwest Harbor as opposed to Bar Harbor. Both are a short drive or shuttle run from there to Acadia National Park. Stonington and Deer Island are nice places to check out and not as crowded as some other towns. I also especially like Castine. Lots of beautiful scenery and nature and nice hikes in those areas. Mohegan island is great, no cars or paved roads and just a few places to stay. Really pretty and some great hikes. Isle au haut is also really nice and not terribly crowded.
I think Reds which has been around forever, gets a bad rap since it's gotten so much publicity. We always make one stop there on our trips to Maine and still think they have some of the best lobster rolls. I would defintely give it a try and decide for yourself.

Early summer? mid-June the lupines are blooming. There's some local "festivals" esp around the Blue Hill Peninsula just before you get to the Acadia area. Good deal to get a map showing the areas of best bloom since you go to the oddest places. Early summer is also the time when garden clubs run garden tours as a benefit. I haven't been on one in Maine although I keep trying to get to the one in Camden ... great way to see other people's backyards. You might get a copy of Yankee Magazine's New England trip planner magazine.

Moosehead Lake sounds perfect for you, though "early summer" is mosquito season. Still, it's worth it for the views and the serenity. Eat garlic for a week before you visit, dry your clothes with "Bounce", use a nasty-smelling shampoo, then go for it. Just don't stop to enjoy the view for TOO long, mosquitoes don't attack a moving target but as soon as you stop they'll getcha.

Please tell me this relish thing is just a joke! I cannot even get over the celery thing....although, that I can repsect, for the crunch. Again, I say - relish and lobster??????????????????

Anyhoo, have you also considered September. Weather the past few years has been amazing. Given the choice to visiting the New England islands, I would always opt for September rather than June.

But it's all good! Really!!! Mohegan island suggestion peaked my interest! Long ago and oh so far away, I fell in love with it, before the second ferrie......

I agree with September. June can be chilly and very wet. September is beautiful and most of the crowds have left, except on the weekends.

You may be (Clueless) but you sure do agree a lot!!! LOL!!!!! Extra cool becuz we agree on celery and september!

And Monhegan. Great hiking and vistas.

Thx again, my prior pst was a little confusing, we plan to avoid Bar Harbor...I'll just take the whole lobster though, I don't mind the work. Outside of a touch of butter, that is all I need. We have talked about Nova Scotia before & one of my co-workers even has a farmhouse up there that is way cheap. I'm thinking that is a seperate trip though.

I agree, you might want to do Nova Scotia on a separate trip. We've gone to Maine, spent some time on the coast and then taken the ferry from Bar Harbor to NS. But with just 7-10 days, you'd be skimping on both Maine and NS.

We love camping in Acadia National Park. We always go mid- to late- August, when the weather is turning fall-like, with warm days and cool nights and mornings. The lobster is wonderful then too.

I haven't been in July, because I've heard about the biting black flies in the early part of the summer. That would totally ruin it for me, so we've never chanced it then.

A few years ago, we went to the small lobster museum. (can't remember if it was in Bar Harbor or ???). A knowledgeable guide told us about lobster development and fishing practices. It was pretty interesting.

As an aside - where is the best/easiest Airport to fly into, Portland, Augusta or Bangor ? Or, somewhere else.

ttt

Brut --

You'd do better to start a new thread for the information you desire.

It will probably just end up being the cheapest of the 3 anyway...