meaganc

Hi everyone!

My husband and I (age 29) are going on a road trip to old Quebec and then to Maine (Bar harbour, Portland) and Massachusetts (Salem, Boston and Cape cod) in July. We are just wondering whether we should be planning two or three nights in bar harbour. We would be arriving the first day around supper so two nights means one evening and one full day and evening. Three nights you add a day. What type of things is there to do there? It may be important to note that I will be almost 7 months pregnant. From there we were thinking of heading to Portland Maine for two nights then off to Salem for three nights (with a day trip or two if we want to Boston) then perhaps 2 or three nights in the Cape. Some other questions I have:
- bar harbour - number of nights and things to do
- Portland - does it matter what part we stay in? What are some must sees/dos
- kennebunkport - should we stay here a night or can we just pass through on the way to Salem? Is it worth the visit?
-any other places in Maine that are a must do that we missed or a route we should take from destination to destination for best scenery?

- Salem - what's the difference between staying in Salem vs Marblehead? Is one better than the other? Would you recommend train or ferry to get into Boston? We have been to Boston before and loved it!

- Cape cod - 2 nights or three? Which areas are best to stay? We stayed here once before in Provincetown but werent sure if there were other recommendations. It would be great if there was a reasonable cottage or something we could rent for a couw nights to unwind.

I had wanted to visit providence on the way home to Canada but I am thinking it may add a lot of expense on the trip. Is it worth while visiting or should we stick to enjoying the Cape for a few days?

This will be our Babymoon (last trip before our first baby arrives!

And I'm sure people will ask what our interests are ... We like everything! We just want to have a great trip together before the baby comes - this year has been really busy and I can't wait to spend some time together. We love to walk the cities and explore (hopefully I will be well and able!) and we love the ocean. We really enjoy just experiencing new things together. We aren't huge on galleries or museums. Thanks so much everyone for any suggestions you have!

BigRuss

Bar Harbor. Unlike Brits and the Commonwealth countries that drop extra letters into words for no reason, Harbor (arbor, color, valor, etc.) in the US has no U. Evidently you're Canadian, which means you have the same tendencies as other people who have the Queen on their money.

You'll be pretty deep your parasitic infestation, so you're going to need to dial it down as much as you can. Her majesty tended toward narcolepsy at an equivalent point with our first hobbit's gestation, so she basically could putter about for most of the day, need a rest, putter about until maybe 10 or so at night, crash like a falling meteor.

meaganc

Hi @BigRuss - sorry if I offended you with my incorrect spelling. I am aware that Bar HarbOR does not contained a 'u' (I am actually a linguist by profession believe it or not) but my computer spell check does not have this same knowledge. I am also sorry for saying sorry when it really wasn't deserved - another thing us 'commonwealth country' folk do too often. Thank you for your recommendation to 'putter around'. Unlike the queen I work full time and do not have the luxury. And if you can believe it (since I also am experiencing my 'first hobbits gestation') I also work side work and find time to exercise and stay healthy. No bed at 10 o'clock for me. While I find this "recommendation" amusing at most, any people who would like to actually help me it would be very much appreciated.

outthedoor

I work in Salem. There are a few hotels in town close to everything. Park and walk around. Take the Salem Ferry to downtown Boston is better than the train.
Drive to Marblehead, park close to the harbor, and walk all over.

OTD

CindyA

I can't address all of your questions, but I'll offer my opinion on a couple. You could get by with 2 nights in Bar Harbor. It is a gorgeous place, and if you want to take it easy and just absorb the incredible coastline, as well as the quaint town, you could certainly spend an extra day there. You can do the driving tour of Acadia National Park and get out and explore as much or as little as you wants. Most of the walks we took would be quite doable. You can do it all in one day, or go back for more.

Be sure to see the Portland Head Lighthouse, just south of Portland. The LL Bean flagship store is cool, if you're into that sort of thing. The coast is beautiful...get out and explore as much as possible. I would probably save Providence for another trip.
Maybe consider driving through New Hampshire on the way back??

cw

I would spend three nights in Bar Harbor, so two full days. It would be relaxing and you can walk or drive around.

I'm not sure if it matters where you stay in Portland, but most people stay in Old Town, unless they stay outside the city at a resort-type place.

For Salem, the ferry is nice, but it takes longer and is more expensive than the train. So, I'd play it by ear, and take it once but take the train otherwise.

I think you will have a difficult time finding a cottage on the Cape for less than a week in season. You might take a look at Chatham as a place to stay. It's conveniently located and has good scenery. You can see the seals gathering at the fish pier when the boats come in.

Not sure what you want to do in Providence. If you have extra days, I'd go to Newport. It places in Newport are too pricey when you come, check next door in Middletown, an easy drive to downtown Newport.

Good luck, and congratulations!

dfrostnh

Bar Harbor to Salem MA leaves out a lot of good places. Portland has a fun Old Port Area full of shops and places to eat. You could do a mailboat trip around Casco Bay or a lighthouse cruise. We have done the foodie tour which was pretty good but not as good as the one for Boston's North End. Chowhound will give you a lot of suggestions for places to eat if you do a search on Portland for Northern New England.

We dislike southern Maine because we aren't beach goers. I recently spent a weekend with a friend in Wells, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport and Ogunquit. She likes to go into all the shops. I think one of the most pleasant places to stay is the Dunes in Ogunquit since they have a large, landscaped property with lots of grass so you can enjoy sitting outside. Lodging ranges from motel units to one bedroom units with own tiny patios to full scale cottages. If you stay in southern Maine, Ogunquit has summer theater and nearby Rt 1 has Stonewall Kitchens' cooking school. The school is price-y but has fun menus. You sit classroom style at tables and watch your entire meal being cooked. Assistants finish cooking and serving. If you don't like to cook, cross it off the list.

For scenery, heading south from Bar Harbor, be sure to go thru Camden. We love the Harpswells area which has some easy hiking and great lobster places but few lodging choices. It is east of Brunswick however so there are plenty of choices there. You can spend a day driving around the Harpswells. Favorite lobster place in Cundy's Harbor.

I agree on Newport instead of Providence. I have spent weekends in Providence and it's a great city but I was also busy with conference. The kitchen museum has been completely re-done since we toured. I think it is part of Johnson & Wales. My dh would prefer Owls Head Transportation Museum near Rockland ME. If it's a weekend, they have special events going on and I did like seeing antique airplanes fly on the weekend we visited. I would rather go to the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland.

SambaChula

On the way down to Salem, you could stop in Wells at Laudholm Farm to walk across the wide pastures, into the forest and out to the beach, a calm refuge in all the tourist crowds. Sometimes you can spot animals in the woods, like porcupine or even occasionally moose.
Marginal Way along the rocky shore from Ogunquit village center to Perkins Cove is quite beautiful, but often full of people strolling.
Going south, Portsmouth has excellent restaurants, a historic recreation village, and pleasant boat trips out to the islands and around the interesting harbor.
Newburyport, about an hour from Boston, has some classic architecture, nice restaurants, and the lovely Plum Island beaches and marsh to walk, with deer, birds, etc.