sue4377

We are flying into Portland (late) on 9-6-21 and flying out of Boston on 9-18-21. So far we have reservations in Portland and Bar Harbor and our last night in Boston. Not sure where to spend our next 5 days. I love the ocean, but also would like to see a couple of small towns in NH or Vermont. We have already been to Boston so we don't want to spend our time there except for the last day. Also, would we need to make reservations ahead of time for the rest of the nights or would hotels be easy to get at this time. Any help and ideas would be appreciated.
SO FAR:
2 nights in Portland
4 nights in Bar Harbor
Last night in Boston 9-17-21.

Thanks

J62

Things slow down quite a bit after labor day so you don't need to rush to get reservations, but I wouldn't wait until the last minute either.

Personally, I like Portsmouth NH better than Portland, but since your flying into Portland that's fine. You could end your trip with a night or 2 in Portsmouth. It's only ~60miles from Portsmouth to BOS airport and you could easily avoid staying in Boston altogether if you didn't want to.

A small town or 2 in south/east NH could fit the bill without adding too much driving. VT would be a longer haul. Others (dfrost, etc) wan weigh in about NH towns.

In ME, somewhere like Boothbay Harbor or Camden, or both could be a nice adder to your trip up to Bar Harbor. Both are lovely little harbor towns. Similar in many ways, but also different. There's also a resort in the Rockland area (I forget the name) that is popular.

clarkgriswold

It's hard to say if things will slow down after Labor Day this year. Tons of folks can't find lodging or (especially) a rental car in July and August and those who can are moving their trips to the fall. Weekdays you might be okay winging it but for Fri and Sat, if the weather forecast is good for the weekend you'd better book something by Wed evening.

Boothbay gets very quiet after labor day weekend and some restaurants close though I'm not sure that will be the case this year if Sept lodging reservations are steady.

Camden is the most popular villaget after Bar Harbor and there are some colorful lake drives nearby as well as Mt Battie views/drives/hikes

The New Hampshire lakes region ie Wolfeboro would be an easy drive to Boston so you might plan something there towards the end of the trip. I can recommend Bayside Inn in Alton Bay.

dfrostnh

There is so much Maine to explore. Rockland is a great suggestion because of Farnsworth Art Museum and nearby Owls Head Transportation Museum. The best lobster shack, McLoon's, should still be open but maybe weekends only. I've considered following Maine's cheese trail and we love farmers markets. Brunswick has one of the best on Fridays and nearby Bath has lighthouse cruises. And you can drive firther east to explore the Harpswell area which is quite rural.

Portsmouth is a great suggestion. I would take an inland rivers cruise. Drive the coastal route thru Rye to see the mansions and have a seafood dinner at Petey's.

Small town VT and NH is a hard one because you don't see the fine details. I'm not a fan of Woodstock VT because it's set up for tourism or maybe I was just embarassed to be in the only rusty pickup in town. Wolfboro is also a tourist mecca but an easy maybe hour from Portland. You could keep driving west and head for Holderness and a great nature cruise on Squam Lake. Nearby Center Sandwich is one of my favorite small towns which makes you wonder how it could have been settled so early so far from civilization. Without reading some history you wouldn't know that sled dogs were trained for polar expeditions in at Wonalancet Kennels.

you can make a quick trip south on I93 to stay in Concord NH before Boston. Drive west on Pleasant Street thru the lovely towns of Hopkinton and Contoocook ending in Warner. On the way stop for fresh apples and maybe a hard cider tasting at Gould Hill Orchard. You can also admire the view from their parkinglot. Warner has several small museums: the Telephone Museum and Kearsarge Indian Museum. You can drive up Mt Kearsarge but I like the road up the other side in Wilton better that ends up in Winslow State Park. Stop in Warner's independent bookstore BookEnds of Warner. It's small but they also have a gallery of local arts and crafts in the barn. If you are a nature fan you can also visit David Carrol's gallery. He's the author and illustrator of several books on turtles and other swamp life. I forgot to mention that back in Contoocook you can visit the Marklin gift shop. Their business is also making liturgical candles but they only do factory tours once a year. The candles are made from beeswax so the owner started raising bees. If the timing is good you can get their honey in the gift shop and the flavor depends on what flowers the nectar was gathered from.

These are very special small towns since who would expect a world famous candle maker and a MacArthur genius in small towns. And Gould Hill has stayed in business when dozens of other apple farmers went out of business when Chinese apple juice started flooding the market. And if you buy any maple syrup to take home, it is probably locally produced.

Too bad you probably don't have enough time to visit Canterbury Shaker Village north of Concord.

sue4377

Thanks for your help.

sue4377

any recommendations for a waterfront hotel/motel (not luxury) along the coast from Bar Harbor to Portsmouth?

Inakauaidavidababy

I'd also look into Wells/Kennebunkport/Ogunquit. You could enjoy and maybe use it as a base for a day trip to NH

Sberg

Check out Stones Throw in York Beach. It is right on the beach and not too expensive. It is hard to find hotels right on the water. York is not far from Portsmouth and Ogunquit (make sure you walk the Marginal Way if you go to Ogunquit).

sue4377

Thank you, do you think hotels/motels would be hard to get without reservations. We do have reservations in Bar Harbor but not for the next 5 days going back down thru Maine coast.

sue4377

I did try the Stone Throws in York Beach, looks like a nice place, but not available for ours dates. Any other suggestions?

clarkgriswold

Ledges by the Bay in Rockport usually has very reasonable rates. It's between Camden and Rockland and both are worth a visit on the way to Portland. Be sure to drive up Mt. Battie (Camden Hills State Park) for some photos. High Tide Inn and Glenmoor by the Sea are other moderately priced choices near Camden.

Further south towards Portsmouth, maybe Terrace by the Sea in Ogunquit or the Norseman Resort. Ogunquit Tides has lower rates but is not right by the waterfront.

If you're hoping to tweek your drive, pay attention to cancellation policies at Maine lodgings, some of them are very strict such as 14 days notice.

sue4377

thank you, I will check them out also clarkgriswold

cdnyul

Sheepscot Harbour Village Resort, formerly known as Sheepscot River Inn, formerly the Edgecombe Inn.

https://www.midcoastshvr.com/