Hi all,

We're a couple in our late 30's and will be visiting Maine from England 8-17 Sept. We land late at Logan airport on the 8th, so will spend the night nearby, and then in the morning drive to Newburyport, MA for the day to see friends. The plan is then to be in Portland, ME in time for dinner on the 9th. We've been to Portland before and plan on staying 2 nights so we can enjoy the great coffee, food and beer. (We've also visited towns south of Portland before, i.e. Kennebunkport, Ogunquit, and don't feel the need to stop there again).

My question is: where should we go and how much can we fit in 11-17 Sept? (We fly at 22:30 on the 17th, so have time to drive back to the airport on that day.)

Of course Acadia NP is top of our list, but should we stay there the whole time? Or would you recommend also going inland, to Greenville/Moosehead Lake? I'd love to see more than just coastal Maine, but can't decide from my research if that's the best idea for this trip. Perhaps 4 nights in Acadia and 2 nights inland? Or would basing ourselves for 6 nights in Acadia with some day trips further out be better?

In terms of our interests, we like long walks and being in nature, and would like to stay somewhere where we can self-cater (ideally a cabin). We also like the idea of doing some scenic drives and shorter walks on a couple of the days. Nightlife/going out for meals is not essential and we're also not interesting in any kind of shopping (on this trip at least!). For this vacation we really like the idea of keeping things simple and appreciating the beauty of Maine, without being too rushed.

Thank you so much for your help.

Well you seem to have a good handle on the options. I really don't see how anyone else can tell you which to do. What I might do really has no bearing on what you would prefer to do. It all depends on the individual.

With only a week, I would spend all my time around Acadia. But then my wife and I would go hiking pretty much every day in the Park as we are big on hiking vacations.

This list alone would take up most of a week.
http://travel.usnews.com/Acadia_Nati.../Things_To_Do/

If you want to 'keep it simple and not be too rushed' as you say you do, then the less you move, the better.

Hi dogeared, thanks so much for your reply. Yes, I agree, we're all different and opinions on things are subjective. But I've always found forums like this helpful. I like listening to other people's opinions and why they like or don't like something, and it really helps to get a more rounded view of a place. Looks like you feel there's plenty to do in Acadia itself, and it does seems so amazing there (thanks for the list!). Elsewhere I've had suggestions to visit the White Mountains in NH for 1-2 nights, before heading back to the airport. Have to admit that the contrast of coast and mountains in one trip appeals to me, although it does slightly go against what I said about 'keeping it simple and not being too rushed'! Decisions, decisions... Happy travels.

You could take a boat out to Monhegan for a day.

Thanks emalloy! Been thinking about it. I've also been looking into Stonington and Isle au Haut, which seems to offer good hiking and is a slightly shorter boat trip.

The Stonington area is pretty quiet but might work for you. We had a fantastic boat trip one July but it was a special once a year trip by the historical society. There were not many restaurants in the area so that was a disappointment for us.
Monhegan is a great suggestion and unique experience.
Actually, the White Mountains are only about an hour west of Portland. If you took one of the east/west routes you would be connected with I93 and a direct route back to Boston. The northernmost route we took one summer was very rural so you wanted to know ahead of time where you could stop to eat. Very little commercial activity but actually a nicer drive than I95 going north from Portsmouth NH. The day hike to Arethusa Falls would be in the general area of where you would hit the White Mountains if going west via Rt 2. A 5 hour drive from Bar Harbor.

Last summer we found a basic cabin rental in Rockland overlooking a private beach but just a long entrance driveway from route 1. This summer we will try a VRBO cabin near Damariscotta. You can get a map of conservation areas in the Harpswells east of Brunswick for very short hikes. The coastal area is very rural and fun to explore. If you needed "city", Brunswick is a college town and close by. We tend to choose locations near favorite lobster shacks.

Perhaps stay in Bar Harbor the whole time except for one overnight on the way back to Boston. You can take a bus tour of breweries in the Portsmouth NH area to celebrate the end of your trip. There are other beer tours in southern ME. Portsmouth is off I95 so an easy route back to Boston.

You are going to drive from Portland on the 11th and drive back to the airport on the 17th. That may not take up the entire day either way but it does mean those days are also not going to be full days spent in any place.

So you really only have 5 days (12th through 16th) to work with. Does it make sense to you to then further reduce that number by making a move somewhere in the middle? You might then have 3 days in one place and 1.5 days in the other. That doesn't make sense to me and again is contrary to 'simple and relaxing'.

People always want to have 'more' but often confuse 'more' as referring only to quantity. To get 'more' quality, you spend your time in places, not moving between places.