sjv

Greetings!
We are flying into Manchester, NH and then spending 8 nights in Maine, traveling up the coast, and then looping back to Manchester. We've never been to Maine. We've gotten lots of good info. from Fodor's but we can't tell how far north we can reasonably get. (just 2 adults) There are lots of places that sound great and we're trying to decide on the essentials. We would appreciate any advice at all. Thank you!

Kristinesonja

Sounds sililar to our honeymoon trip in 1997 when we flew into Boston, drove to Vermont (Manchester & Sherbourne Falls), then through New Hampshire and over to Maine. We began in Belfast and drove north to Wells. We enjoyed Portland (cool boat ride around the islands) and met people who encouraged us to go to Acadia. We're so glad we did, it was a highlight of the trip. We also drove through Kennebunkport and Ogunquit.

Don't miss Acadia!! Have a great trip. I had a great Fodor's Book I purchased on New England. That's where I found out about the Inn at Shelbourne Falls in Shelbourne VT. Don't miss staying there for a slurge!

dfnh

From MHT it's less than an hour to the coast. Portsmouth NH should be included in your trip if only to have lunch. But depending on the time of your arrival you may want to put in some miles. I recommend the boat rides out of Portsmouth. It also depends on how often you want to change hotels. The Wiscassett area is great for exploring mid-coast which includes north to Camden and south to Brunswick but it's a little too south to make Acadia a day trip. If Acadia sounds like a place you'd like to spend a few days then definitely go that far. You might consider 3 nights there if you want to do a lot of hiking. We tend to drive too much while on vacation but there's always so much to see. Your final two nights could be in southern Maine to enjoy sandy beaches and more nightlife. I've run into people from Maine who use MHT as an airport because of cheaper fares. Portland to MHT is maybe about 2 hours. One of the advantages of staying in different areas is searching out the best lobster places. If you enjoy summer theater, stay near one. There are several in southern Maine. Also, once you get north of Camden, Rt 1 is far less commercial. If you want sandy beaches, stick to southern Maine.

tbelgian

We live in Maine and we try to go to Acadia every year or so. It's amazing. Cadillac Mountain is the first point to see the light of day in the continental US and lots of people head up there to see the sun rise over the east. From there, if you want to head to Moosehead Lake, it isn't far. If you hike, you should hike Mt Katadin, the end point on the Appalachian Trail. If it were me, I would head up to Acadia, then meander south, taking in Camden, Boothbay, and Portland to end it all with some shopping and a nice dinner. However, if you are looking for big sandy beaches, they are mostly south of Portland in Wells and Ogunquit. There are some beautiful small beaches, (Reid and Popham,) around the Bath/Wiscasset area. I am going to guess that Acadia is about 6 hours north of Manchester NH.

sjv

Thank you for this info.! We are definitely planning on Acadia. We enjoy sightseeing, hiking, seeing new towns. Although we don't mind switching hotels often, it seems like Campobello Island might be too ambitious, I guess. Any further info. will be appreciated.
Thank you!!

aspir4more

Maine doesn't look that big - and it is, especially if you are driving the coast road. I would suggest limiting yourselves to a portion of the coast and then you'd be able to really experience the beauty. A little piece of trivia - there is 2500 miles of coastline in the State of Maine and of that only 28 miles are sandy beach - the rest is rocky coast.
One of my favorites is Christmas Cove, Pemaquid Point, Five Islands has a great lobster shack.
I agree that doing an island tour of the bay from Portland is an excellent way to see the coast and cool off. The Eagle Island tour was perfect on a very hot July day.
Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth is special.
If you are going up to Acadia - try and time it so that you are in the park in time for tea at the lodge - it's really pretty.
Enjoy vacationland.