manie vacation
 

Author: chuck1234 ([email protected])
Date: 10/04/2005, 09:29 pm
i am planning a one week vacation in maine starting on october 16th
here are a few of the things i would like to indulge in a good coffee shop/fresh pastries, i enjoy a good cocktail or micro brew, antique stores, casual restaurants, would like to take a one day cruise for whale watching sightseeing etc. any info that you have would be most appreciated. chuck

It sounds like you would enjoy a visit to Portland. There's a public market in the Old Port area that is fun to browse, mostly food items. You can park in the parking garage on the level with a skywalk. Check the website for the Maritime Museum in Bath for interesting narrated cruises. If you are staying in southern Maine, a visit to Portsmouth NH is recommended. We like the short cruises of the harbor or inland rivers. You will probably need a warm jacket if you do a whale watch. The dock in Portsmouth is within walking distance of the parking garage and you can easily walk to a variety of restaurants. Alas, it might be too late in the year for summer wheat beer served with a wedge of lemon. If you're heading north, Camden is a must.

Go to Bar Harbor. Great place, fine for whale watching;good restaurants and the only National park in the 6 New England states i.e. Acadia national park. A must !!!Paul

Another vote for Portland. Great microbrews at Gritty McDuff's and Shipyard. You might also enjoy a lunch stop at Great Lost Bear (a bit out of the harbor area) for a large beer selection and great sandwiches.

You should decide what general area you want to visit - if you stretch the Maine coast out, it's longer than California's coast. Portland is fun if you want a more urban experience. The Kennebunks/ Ogunquit area could also be an option, especially if you like walking on long stretches of beach. Federal Jack's is a very good brewpub/restaurant in Kennebunk, overlooking the water. Camden, Boothbay and Bar Harbor are all good choices for charming small towns on a rockbound coast.

when i sent my original message i failed to mention that i was flying into portland and staying at a bed and breakfast in old orchard beach. i am planning a one week vacation in maine starting on october 16th
here are a few of the things i would like to indulge in, a good coffee shop/fresh pastries, i enjoy a good cocktail or micro brew, antique stores, casual restaurants, would like to take a one day cruise for whale watching sightseeing etc. i am also wandering how far is the acadia national park and what it has to offer if it would be worth the drive. any info that you have would be most appreciated. chuck

Acadia is definitely worth a visit, but I'm not sure I would want to do it as a day trip from Old Orchard. It's been a while since I was down that way, but I seem to recall that the drive would be about 2-3 hours depending on the route you take and the traffic. if you do decide to go to Bar Harbor and Acadia, I recommend Bar Harbor Real Ale. I have to bring some home to Chicago with me all the time when we travel to Maine in the summer. You can get it almost anywhere in that area. There is a restaurant right down on the wharf in Bar Harbo (wish I could remember the name) that is quite good. It has very good lobster rolls and toher traditional goodies. I am told that the best lobster rolls on the coast are at Red's Eats in Wiscasset. That wouldn't be too far of a drive for you. The one thing to know, though, is that you will probably have to wait quite a while because it is so popular. They put over one whole lobster on each lobster roll. They aren't cheap (about $12), but actually that's not all that much more than many other places charging close to $10 and not giving you as much lobster. Hope this helps.