Anyone know about scenic and coastal drives in Maine? We are travelling from Australia to New York in Late August. Our flight from LA will touch down in Augusta. We appreciate that peak time for fall is in October but are hoping for a little taste of the autumn experience.

We are OK once we get to Boston but between Augusta and Boston it is unknown territory. We have 9 days to get to NY with 2-3 stop-over in Boston.

We are looking for the best route to travel to experience both country and coastal that will give us a feel for that part of the country and its history.

Sorry -

There is no fall experience in August - that's actually the height of the season in Maine - when all the uberwealthy go to their summer "cottages" and gazillions of other looking to escape the heat hed north.

Make sure you have hotel reservatins far in advance.

As said, u won't get to see the Fall season in August, but there are many lovely, charming towns u could stop in. Do u have 5 days to explore? If u land in Augusta I would heard East for the Coast and and make Camden your first stop. Camden is very touristy but a lovely town.
Port clyde is a cute little town, Darminscotta is nice as is Pemaquid, Castine, Boothbay Harbor. We love Georgetwon Cove which is very small and really a nice place to kick back. U can take some great day trips on the various pensiulas. these are just a few ideas. For a bigger city, Portland is a nice town -- lots of good restaurants. I do agree, u need to figure out where u will go and get reservations. Actually where u can get resrvations may make u decide where to visit. August is a busy time.

Height of mossie season, too! Li'l buggers!

mosquitoes in late August? I disagree. They tend to be less of a problem in late summer, early fall, which is why we prefer that time of year.

~Liz

Thanks for the tips 'yestravel' - will do some research.

Well guys is September any better - we did have a choice - into Augusta and out of Washington or the reverse. So would it be better if we travel up from Washington/NY and arrive in Maine mid September or will it still be crowded?

Sounds like a popular place - fills up with snow lovers in the winter, others swarm over it during the summer months and it is full of tourists admiring fall colours in the autumn!

There won't be any foliage in mid-Sept but if you are interested in off the beaten path activities, the Common Ground Fair is near Waterville, usually the 3rd weekend of Sept. Weekends in Sept will still be very busy in Maine, esp southern coast since it's a popular weekend destination. You might get lower rates after the end of August, though. August is a wonderful time to visit Maine, warm and blueberries sold by the side of the road. The biggest problem with visiting after Sept 1 is that many of the really good lobster shacks are open weekends only.
I agree with previous poster about nicest towns to visit. Rt 1 is popular but doesn't really go along the coast because Maine has such as crooked coastline. Look at Damariscotta on the map, cute town, but you need to take a country road out to Pemaquid Point to see the lighthouse and enjoy some lobster. Some of the lobster shacks offer simple picnic tables on the docks, sometimes upstairs dining on a deck or enclosed area. We don't go to any place fancy for lobster. Just lobster, lots of melted butter, maybe a bag of chips and a good piece of pie.

I would avoid Washington, DC in august -- it can be very hot and humid. Probably the worse weather of the summer I think. September has

We go to Maine a lot in August-will be there this year-- and don't find the crowds awful. We tend to avoid the biggest tourist towns such as Camden and Boothbay Harbor. there are so many small towns that u could pick just about any and take nice drives to see the surrounding area. Another town I like a lot a bit North of Camden is Blue Hill which is also inland.

I agree that u dont want to miss lobsters--they are fabulous in Maine.

Late August can be a great time to visit coastal Maine. The tourists start to leave around August 25. It's not empty here, but it quiets down a little. It's still summer weather. The ocean and lake water is as warm as its ever going to be, if you want to try to swim. The afternoon sea breezes are not chilly yet.

But September, especially the first half can be really terrific. It is my favorite time of the year here. Some places are only open weekends, but many are still open all week. The kids have gone back to school. THe weather is usually spectacular. Days are still warm, but evenings are starting to cool down. The humidity of the summer is usually gone. There will be fewer people everyplace you go.

Thanks for the great tips. We arrive on the 22nd August and will be in NY early September for a family wedding. We think the weather and lobsters have definitely tipped us back to our original plans of doing Maine first. Shame about the fall colours not appearing until October - a fall wedding in NY would have be magic...or does fall in NY arrive later?

'scarboroughmom' you mentioned kids back in school - is the end of August (31/08)the end of school vaccation time? I know how quiet places can be when school is in.

Time to get out a map and start plotting.

Most kids go back to school on September 9 this year. But many summer people start to head home the week before. That's a later start date than usual, but you will still be past the high tourist season. Before you leave Augusta, there is a small museum next to the Maine State House. It only takes about an hour to see it. It will give you a good overview of Maine's history and economics.

Many thanks for your help everyone and 'scarboroughmom'.