kenman

My wife and I (and our 5 year old) are going to be in Washington DC this summer for an extended work stay, and are looking to escape for a long (4 nights) 4th of July weekend trip. We're thinking about Maine or Nova Scotia, but that's as far as we've gotten - and we're pretty much novices with respect to both. What would you do? We're interested in nice scenery, comfortable lodgings, great seafood, relaxation, and something relatively easy to get to. Would love to hear suggestions or itineraries. Thanks, Ken

dfrostnh

Mid-coast Maine and include the Bath Heritage Days parade. It's a great parade. Although with a 5yo, York Beach in Maine with wonderful sandy beaches might be better. It's a great place for families. Flying into Portland would be ideal but for York, MHT in NH wouldn't add too much to the drive and might be cheaper air fare. The mid-coast area lacks the sandy beaches but will have less traffic. We are staying at the Dunes in Ogunquit ME for the first time mid-June. We've heard off season in that area is the best because the traffic in summer is horrendous (southern ME) but the good thing about the lodging is we can walk or take the trolley so many places and we're looking forward to sitting in some adirondack chairs facing the ocean right outside our door.

tovarich

Wouldn't Williamsburg be a better place with a 5 year old ?With only 4 days Maine or N.Scotia seems to me a bit far.If you could fly to Halifax and stay in Lunenburg that would be nice too.Paul

elberko

Well, NS won't be easy to get to, especially for such a short trip. Are you flying? We're big fans of Bar Harbor/Acadia, but that's probably also to far for this short trip.

~Liz

elysian45

I would vote for Maine.

Portland would be a great central point. You can go north & south and really take in a slice of beautiful Maine.

Going an hour north, take in the Bath Heritage Days. Stop at LL Bean & the outlets in Freeport on the way back. Or take a picnic & hike at Bradbury Mountain, which is family friendly & do-able with a child.

For an itchy 5 year old, Aquaboggan is a small, safe water park in Saco which would be a nice respite. Nearby is Old Orchard Beach, which has the typical amusement park/summer beach town feel to it; it also has a beautiful miles-long sandy beach.

Portland has a children's museum & next door is the Art Museum, which has a nice but reasonable restaurant. It's a wonderful town to walk in -- see the fishermen coming off of their boats, cute little shops (how about one devoted just to popcorn?), and amazing restaurants. You could take a mail boat out to the islands, or get off and walk around an island (maybe Peak's Island) to pick up the vibe. Just south of Portland is Portland Head Light and Two Lights, home of famous lobster rolls.

Head south to York & Ogunquit for beaches & crowds. Inland you could go to Sebago Lake for swimming or a little further west into New Hampshire for a day trip for some hiking & mountains.

Can you tell that I love Maine? We're going to Nova Scotia this summer & are allowing at least a week, which seemed like the minimum to explore it a little.

RetiredVermonter

FWIW, I recently posted that there was no ferry between Maine and Nova Scotia, since the "Cat" stopped running.

However, I just now received an email about travel across the Bay of Fundy on the "Princess of Acadia Ferry" from Saint John, New Brunswick to Digby, Nova Scotia.

If interested, you might check on line for details under "Bay Ferries".