Summer Vacation - Portland, ME ??
 

I was thinking of visiting Portland to stuff myself with lobster. Can someone guide me where else to visit from here, as I don't think I want to stay here an entire week. I have never been to New England except for Boston. Thank you for your guidance. I will be renting a car. I love history, museums, and shopping (besides eating!).

Portland is a wonderful city. Bite Into ME food truck parked at Fort Williams Park in South Portland has a great variety of lobster rolls you won't find elsewhere. Find a place to sit to enjoy the view of Casco Bay. We take bag chairs so we can sit just about anywhere. There is also a beautiful park called the Eastern Promenade which has a wonderful view of Casco Bay from the north side. Lots of people picnic. We were surprised to see paddle boarders out in the morning since this is a pretty busy harbor.
If you good best lobster rolls you'll get a nice list of places to visit. We tend to prefer the mid-coast area. There are several lobster places in the Harpswell area east of Brunswick. I particularly liked Cundy Harbor. Sometimes we buy from a food stand and find a nice shady spot to enjoy the water. Forgot the name of it but it's in the Boothbay area and the little park on an island with a footbridge was near the area of Maine Coastal Gardens. Drive around to see what you can find. That's the whole idea behind exploring Maine,
Our most favorite lobster shack is McLoon's. It's a very small family run place with a nice view of a small working harbor.

It really depends on your personality. You might prefer the nicer restaurants of southern Maine which also has beautiful sandy beaches. North of Portland the beaches tend to be rocky.

Well, Maine has plenty to keep you busy in the summer for a week and you won't need to spend it all in Portland.
For museums, the Portland Art Museum is a nice way to spend an afternoon, and you can pop into the Victoria Mansion. There are plenty of art galleries all along the coast if you want to see local art. In Ogunquit there is the Ogunquit Art Museum, too. In Portland, you can take a short ferry ride to Peak's Island, and spend a couple of hours strolling around this small island. Lots to do in the area. Boats go to other islands as well.

For history, you can start with Fort McClary in Kittery and keep going up the coast....there are plenty of lighthouses, forts, etc. to see
https://visitmaine.com/things-to-do/...htseeing/forts

For shopping...well you could stop in Freeport and visit LL Bean, and there are plenty of other standard outlets in Freeport, too. In some of the towns, such as Camden, Portland, Boothbay Harbor to name a few, you can find locally made items in some very nice shops.

Lobster is everywhere. Fresh off the boat is always a good bet.

If you like stunning gardens, stop in the Coastal Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. Gorgeous. Boothbay Harbor is pleasant, too.

And if you want stunning scenery and/or hiking....Acadia National Park. But, it's about 2.5 hours further north of Portland, so that might not fit into your timeline. Bar Harbor is the main town there, lots of shops, restaurants, etc. We always enjoy lobster roll at the Bar Harbor Inn, right on the harbor, you can eat on their terrace, and watch the boats come and go. But, again....it's a long drive from Portland, and if you do go....you should stay at least two full days, as it is well worth it.

Good suggestions so far.

Just south of Portland, go to the lobster shack at Two lights. I think it is in Cape Elizabeth.

For history go the ship building museum in Bath and the Joshua Laurence Chamberlin home in Brunswick.

For shopping hit Freeport, home of LLBean as well as many other shops.

Thanks!

LOL I focused on lobster and forgot shopping and history. Agree with the above recommendations. I think the best thing to do is decide which highlights you want to see and there will be lobster nearby. Owls Head Transportation Museum has extra events on weekends and it's also near Owls Head Light which is an easy hike. Rockland is nearby which also has a winery. Just a little north is Rockport which is easy to miss. Nice small harbor where you can take a sailboat ride and there's interesting historical display. We sat on a bench and watched children out in little boats for a sailing lesson. Love seeing the moms in a motorboat keeping the little flotilla safe.

There is one lighthouse museum that we haven't visited but you can find it via google. Our favorite boat trip to see lighthouses was with the Bath Maritime museum. Check their website for information about summer 2018 trips.