Vinalhaven Island daytrip
Jul 15th, 2005, 10:53 AM
#1
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Vinalhaven Island daytrip
We will be spending a few days in coastal Maine in August and I was considering taking the ferry from Rockland to Vinalhaven Island and back as a daytrip.
We would have no vehicle, so is there a sufficient amount of shops, views, restaurants, etc. to keep two adults occupied for a few hours on the island.
As a large part of the experience will be the ferry trip, are the boats such that the trip is a pleasant experience where we can sit outside in the (hopefully)good weather? Thanks for any insights.
We would have no vehicle, so is there a sufficient amount of shops, views, restaurants, etc. to keep two adults occupied for a few hours on the island.
As a large part of the experience will be the ferry trip, are the boats such that the trip is a pleasant experience where we can sit outside in the (hopefully)good weather? Thanks for any insights.
Jul 16th, 2005, 02:09 PM
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Hi Roy,
Just did the ferry trip to Vinalhaven yesterday!
It's a pleasant enough ride - beautiful scenery but dingy, kind of run down ferry boats. More seats inside than out and the deck is taken up by cars and trucks that are being transported. We got the best view by standing in the front of the deck - in front of all the vehicles. For the trip over they used a smaller ferry with just a couple of benches outside; we had a larger boat returning.
We spent about 2 hours in Vinalhaven. Ferry left Rockland at 11:15, arrived 12:30. We returned on the 2:45. There are 3 places to have lunch. Good ice cream and desserts at Annabel's. There are just a few shops in town: a book store, a gift shop, a food market, video rental and a few other non-tourist-oriented places.
It takes about 10 minutes to walk from ferry port to town. We continued on beyond the town but saw just the library and houses. There might be more to see if you can get around to more of the island by bike or car.
Also,the walk to the town takes you past a working, industrial harbor - not particularly scenic.
You might want to look into an excursion cruise on Penobscot Bay if your main interest is the boatride experience.
Just did the ferry trip to Vinalhaven yesterday!
It's a pleasant enough ride - beautiful scenery but dingy, kind of run down ferry boats. More seats inside than out and the deck is taken up by cars and trucks that are being transported. We got the best view by standing in the front of the deck - in front of all the vehicles. For the trip over they used a smaller ferry with just a couple of benches outside; we had a larger boat returning.
We spent about 2 hours in Vinalhaven. Ferry left Rockland at 11:15, arrived 12:30. We returned on the 2:45. There are 3 places to have lunch. Good ice cream and desserts at Annabel's. There are just a few shops in town: a book store, a gift shop, a food market, video rental and a few other non-tourist-oriented places.
It takes about 10 minutes to walk from ferry port to town. We continued on beyond the town but saw just the library and houses. There might be more to see if you can get around to more of the island by bike or car.
Also,the walk to the town takes you past a working, industrial harbor - not particularly scenic.
You might want to look into an excursion cruise on Penobscot Bay if your main interest is the boatride experience.
Jul 16th, 2005, 07:17 PM
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Thanks for the info Spring... That was just what I needed to know to make up my mind to spend our last two vacation days in New Hampshire instead of in the Rockland, Me. area. As a daytrip, Vinalhaven sounds quite dismal.
