1travelbug

Hello! My DH and I are taking our girls, 11 and 13, to Bar Harbor in late June/early July this year. The last time we went, in 2006, we stopped once at the Maine Diner in Wells for a quick meal but for the most part, we drove straight through. Now that they're older, we'd like some ideas about interesting stops between MA and ME to make on the way there and back...nothing that takes us too off course or will take more than 3 hours. Would be nice to combine a great breakfast or lunch in a funky or locally iconic setting (anything from well-known restaurants to lobster shacks) with a manageable downtown stroll or perhaps a quick lighthouse visit or pretty seaside walk. We could also consider staying overnight somewhere on the way home if the cost is reasonable and the location is somewhat along the road back to NJ. Thanks for your help!

nytraveler

If you haven;t been to Newport I would definitely spend a night there on the way back. Seeing a couple of the summer "cottages." is an incredible experience your girls are old enough to enjoy

zootsi

Downtown Portsmouth NH is a picturesque old seaport town. Lots of interesting restaurants, shops, harbor, and the Strawberry Bank historic village.

emalloy

Plenty of places to stop for eats in the Mystic/Stonington CT area even if you don't go to the Seaport or Aquarium.

Calabria62

As zootsi said, Portsmouth, NH is a small enough town to walk through in an hour, you can take in SB, and get a good meal, too.
Also...take a walk along the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, ME. It will take about an hour, gorgeous stroll along the coast.
Also....Coastal Botanical Gardens, in Boothbay Harbor. It is about 20-minutes off route 1, but it is worth it. You also then proceed to Boothbay Harbor, for a meal, and a bit of shopping, if you like.
Camden, is gorgeous. Hike up Mt. Battie (again, about an hour each way). Enjoy Camden harbor.
If time permits, I believe all of these towns offer harbor cruises, too.
You'll find lobster everywhere in Maine.

dfrostnh

We're lazy, we drive up Mt Battie. Great place for a picnic and one of the best views in Maine.
Agree with stop in Portsmouth, maybe a little shopping. Prescott Park is lovely if you just want to stretch your legs. Strawbery Banke Historic area is right across the street.
But Portland ME's Old Port area also has some interesting shopping. You can walk to Two Fat Cats Bakery for a whoopie pie. Have lunch or just French fries at Duckfat. If you want to make a longer stop, you can take a cruise on the mailboat which stops at various islands. (we took the early cruise and were back in time for lunch) Kids who live on the islands use the mailboat as their schoolbus. Great ice cream at MDI in Portland. Their main shop is on MDI/Bar Harbor. Some really weird ice cream flavors.


The park (Fort Williams) and Portland Lighthouse would also make a nice stop. Get a lobster roll from Bite Into Maine food truck that parks there. Enjoy the view of Casco Bay. There's a trail along the edge. We did not visit the lighthouse but it's there. Also looks like they have a small beach. It's actually Cape Elizabeth. A little tricky to find but worth it.

Or stop at York Beach, Maine for a run along the beach, watch they saltwater taffy machine at the Goldenrod, walk up to Nubble Light.

It would be a detour from Brunswick ME out to the Harpswells. Walk the Giant Steps. Have lunch at Holbrooks Lobster Pound in Cundy Harbor.

On Rt 1 south of Ellsworth is the Chicken Barn Antiques and Used Books. Stop for some reading material.