Bpk

Planning a trip now for late Sept with three couples. We stayed in CA 2 years ago by renting a coastal house and had a great time. Now we would like to try the same in Maine. Not sure of location, we would like to be on or near the coast, maybe Boothbay Harbor but would appreciate recommendations. Plan on using it as a base for daily driving tours, lighthouses, seafood, fall leaves, etc. Thanks Bpk

gyppielou

Moody Beach, Ogunquit

marthav

My favorite, even though it's busy, is Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park area. The leaves may not have really turned until Oct. - you just never know. We spend hours driving around Acadia (then do it again the next day)- lots of places to stop & take in vistas. Lots of hiking trails from easy to difficult. Jordan Pond has yummy overpriced popovers & lunch on the lawn & a trail around the pond. You can rent bikes & ride the many carriage roads (no cars allowed). Drive to the top of Cadillac Mtn. for incredible views, stopping at Sand Beach, Otter Point & Thunder Hole. There's shopping & lots of dining choices in Bar Harbor. Nearby are other charming towns like Southwest Harbor & Northeast Harbor where we stop, walk around, check out some art galleries & always find a place to eat overlooking the water. And don't miss Bass Harbor Headlight! Tied for second place would be Camden & Boothbay Harbor. Camden has a beautiful park on the harbor, boutique shops, good food! Drive up Mount Battie for great views of town & the islands. From Camden, drive down some of the peninsulas to places like Port Clyde, eat lunch on a pier behind the general store or you might happen upon a lobster shack that sits over the water, & be sure to stop at Owl's Head Lighthouse. Rockland has the Farnsworth Museum - well worth the stop. If you decide on Boothbay Harbor, be sure to go to East Boothbay to drive along the ocean - gorgeous! The botanical gardens in Boothbay is beautiful (there's a cafe for a quick bite or coffee) & walk way down the trail through the woods to the water to see it all. To give you driving perspective, we drove Route 1 from Bar Harbor home to Portland in the fall & it took 6+ hours with traffic (ugh!)stops for lunch, coffee. We usually just drive to Bangor, then Rt. 1 to Ellsworth & on to BH - about 3 hours. I could go on about being born in Bristol & living in Pemaquid Beach for my first 8 yrs & how you could go to Pemaquid Lighthouse, Fort William Henry, Shaw's Lobster Restaurant in New Harbor... but should give someone else a chance. Have fun!

jcasale

I agree that Bar Harbor/Acadia can be magical in the fall. IMHO September has some of the best weather in that part of the world. Crystal clear days with incredibly blue skies. As for lighthouses, the entire coast of Maine has some fabulous ones. Since flights into Maine are outrageously expensive right now, I would fly into Boston, rent a car and take Route 1 all the way up the coast. Maybe even continue farther than Bar Harbor into some of the less touristed areas. Certainly you should go out to Schoodic Point which is part of Acadia, but not as heavily traveled. If the wind is coming from the right direction the waves are amazing.

thurstonbb

Late September is usually beautil in Maine. we have a place in Southern Maine and always are there then. We always fly into Logan Airport and hit our place in 1-1/4 hours. I disagree about driving Rt.#1 all the way up. Some/a lot of it is very tedious and uninteresting. Depending on where you decide to base yourselves, I say take I-95, then explore from your base. FYI - There are at least a few wonderful houses that rent in York Harbor...big old mansions, some even on the water. It is very southern Maine so it depends on where you want to be. FYI - This is where there are wonderful beaches. The further north less beach more rocks. All is beautiful though!

dfnh

I think there is more to see and do around the Boothbay or Camden area. Marthav makes some great recommendations for Rockland. I don't particularly like Boothbay for a base since it's a few miles just to get to Rt 1 plus you will have commuter traffic congestion because of the narrow bridge to Wiscasset (if heading south). Of course, no problem during non-commuting hours but horrendous on a Friday evening. Late Sept is too early for fall leaves. The third weekend in Sept is the Common Ground Fair in Unity (maybe an hour from Camden) sponsored by the organic farmers association. No midway. Very nice crafts. Interesting food. I would definitely visit Boothbay but not stay there. Mid-coast Maine is our favorite area. We usually take Rt 95 as far as Brunswick and then get off on Rt 1. Southern Maine is also a wonderful area.
As pointed out, Boston might be cheaper to fly into than Portland (or Bangor). Also check fares to Manchester NH. People from Maine use MHT a lot because of the lower fares. Rt 1 right out of Boston is very congested and commercial. Last week I drove from Topsfield to Portsmouth. Nice drive but a bit slow esp the traffic in downtown areas.

cybor

gyppie,
Moody Beach is in Wells not Ogunquit - very close though.

Bpk,
As for seeing foliage at that time of the year you may have to go to northern Me.
A good coastal town that's on the ocean and close to many activities and other towns including NH is Ogunquit.
There's individual 1&2 bedroom cottages, B&B's, hotels and a good smattering of house rentals.
For sweet cottages with great views check out;
Dunesonthewaterfront.com

For larger houses;
cyberentals.com