In June, we will be flying into Portland and plan to spend about a week driving through Maine. We want to visit Bar Harbour. Are there other towns along the way that you would recommend we visit?

Thanks

The very best day trip cruise we ever went on was with the Maritime Museum in Bath, ME. We spent a beautiful day looking at lighthouses. We brought a picnic lunch and had a free hour on a little island. The narration was great. How lighthouses are/were used for navigation was explained. We heard about some famous shipwrecks, history, ecology lessons, and finished up with a close up view of Bath Iron Works. See their website about what boat trips might be available during your trip. I like the little town of Damariscotta and visiting the lighthouse at Pemiquid Point. Camden is where a lot of the windjammers are based. Drive up to the top of Mt Battie for an incredible view overlooking the harbor. Bring a folding chair and binoculars. We have yet to visit Monhegan Island but always hear great reports. In June, you might find some open houses and/or garden tours to go on. Check out Yankee Magazines website www.newengland.com for more ideas. Visit the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland. Eat as much lobster as you can!

I think the last reply was good advice. I would only add that there are a lot of great lighthouse explorations between Portland and Bar Harbor, so get a good Maine Atlas map and check them out--near Boothbay Harbor there are a couple, and the prettiest might be Owls Head.

It takes a while to go up the coast in June, if you take Rt. 1, so allow plenty of time to explore. It should only take 3 hours from Portland to Bar Harbor using RT. 95, but it will double if it is a beautiful weekend day on RT1, and you stop much.

You should allow a couple of days in the Portland area. The biggest and oldest lighthouse (commissioned by George WAshington) is now a park just outside of Portland, and a nice few hours--with lunch at the Lobster Shack, the best of the shacks in this area.

Lucky Hollander, Portland, ME

In June, I would fly into Bangor instead of Portland, so that you could go directly to Bar Harbor, which gets quite overcrowded week by week into the summer.

I would recommend Southwest Harbor if you wish to avoid the "touristy" atmosphere of Bar Harbor. Driving south, Belfast is a nice stop, then the state parks (beaches) near Bath (Popham or Reid State), Boothbay Harbor then the Portland area (Cape Elizabeth and the Sebago Lake area are nice spots). We usually like to head down to Wells Beach for a night, then down to Rockport Mass or Beverly Mass, then fly out of Boston. But if time doesn't permit, you can fly from Portland.

From most cities, flying INTO Bangor and OUT of Portland or Boston, qualifies as a round trip fare. National, Avis and Budget often have decent one-way car rental rates.

I highly recommend the town of Camden. Peyton Place was filmed there and the town still looks exactly like it did in the movie which was made in the late 50's. It was especially beautiful in October when we visited last year. Do not miss the hiking in Acadia National Park.

Don't miss the Owl's head Transportation Museum near Camden. Excellent collection of antique cars and planes. On the weekends, they take some out to fly and drive around.

Don't just be a flatlander and stay on the coast - Maine is its great forests.
Take a couple of days and drive to Greenville on Moosehead Lake (Stay at the Indian Hill Motel just as you get into town) Take a boat ride on the Katahdin on the Lake. Be aware that the black files are out in force in June.

All of the previous posters gave excelletn suggestions, but most (not all) pointed you toward the coast.

The coast is spectacular, but you might also want to consider driving further inland for a day or 2 to see the Maine woods and mountains/lakes. Depending on where you are from, the pine forrest would be very interesting. There are lots of very small quaint towns with that classic New England feel...take a day trip across the state to North Conway New Hampshire or the Belgrades Lake area...Closer to Portland is the Sebago area -- beautiful and different from the coastal areas!

You might also want to visit the Shaker Colony at Sabbithday lake

If you are only going for 1 week, stick to the coast. If you have any interest in hiking ( and it doesn't HAVE to be strenuous), or biking, or kayacking (sp.), you can spend the whole week in Acadia and not be bored. Then go out for a nice dinner in one of the numerous choices in the area. My idea of a perfect vacation.

I also agree about Camden. Lovely little town with a lot to offer.

I also enjoyed stopping in Freeport to go to the L.L. Bean super store.

And then there's Ogunquit, right at the bottom of the state. It might be too far south for you but it's also a pretty town if not a bit touristy sometimes.

I want to add that personally my favorite part of the Maine Coast was the mid coast, which includes Camden. I also loved Blue Hill and the surrounding area. We visited Maine this past July and had a wonderful time. You can email me for my trip report if it would be helpful.

Robin, I'dlove and appreciate any information you can e mail to me. Thanks.

If you have the time, Roselvelts cottege in Campobello Island (actually in Canada) is very interesting. This is where one of your presidents vacationed.
Also, visiting in New Brunswick would be a much cheaper place to buy lobster, and any other items, because the American dollar is worth so much more than ours. I would also suggest Bangor to fly into, because it is more centralized. LL Bean in Freeport is also a must. Bar Harbour is very touristy and you will find other more interesting ports along the coast. Not to knock Bar harbour though, it is beautiful.