Anyine ever vacation in Maine?

kimbac3

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Yes, I know WDW is where we all LOVE to vacation, however my kids have been itching to see Maine. Just wondering if anyone has had any wonderful vacations there that they could share. Or maybe some of the locals know some fun stuff to do. I'm not even sure which part of the state would be best to visit. We live in Jersey so the Ocean is no big to us. Although it would be neat to see the rocky cliffs and lighthouses.
Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks,
Kimba :paw:
 
The Bar Harbor area is very nice, especially Acadia National Park. There's some great hiking there, which we always enjoy.
 
I won't be a lot of help because I went to Maine for a conference, not really a vacation, but I did add an extra day and had some free time to explore. I can tell you that I LOVED it there! I've been learning that I really like the smaller towns more than the big cities.

I stayed in Portland at the Eastland Park Hotel, which was within walking distance of the harbor and a few shops and restaurants. I loved the small boutique-type shops there, and I ate some pretty good food too!

I spent one of my extra days driving up to Freeport to shop, and that was REALLY great! I liked it because it wasn't like being in a big mall. The main street was just lined with small buildings with shops in them, both boutique shops, as well as the big-name stuff (GAP, Bath & Body, etc.).

I spent another extra day driving down to Kittery, near the New Hampshire border. It was okay, but I much preferred Freeport. I actually got bored, I'm not sure if it was the locale, or because I had been shopping at Freeport the day before. I left early, and I actually really enjoyed the rest of my day driving around along the coast. I stopped at a lighthouse where I took some pictures and had lunch at a little place there, then I drove back up to Portland. I stopped along the way a couple of times to take pictures of the shoreline.

I also drove through Kennebunk, but didn't stop (it was raining, and very crowded because it was Discoverer's day weekend). I wished I had spent time there though, it looked like some place I would've liked to walk around. I also wished I went up to Acadia. I was planning too, then I thought maybe it was too far, esp. because I was alone, but looking back, I think I could've done it.

If I had the chance, I would definitely return!
 
bicker said:
The Bar Harbor area is very nice, especially Acadia National Park. There's some great hiking there, which we always enjoy.
I agree with this. That area is very scenic and ruggedly beautiful, plus there are great shops and restaurants (esp. seafood) to enjoy around there.
 
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Do a search on "Maine" here on the dis........ there have been many threads about our state! If you want rocky cliffs, Acadia National Park is the place to go.
 
http://travel.mainetoday.com/regions/sc/

ou FAVORITE restaunt in Maine -
http://www.dunstanschool.com/
It great - buffet the kids LOVE getting their soft serve ince cream for dessert :)
The old chalk boards and stuff are still there - really neat!

Kennebunkport is nice
Old Orchard is a little run down if you go to the amusement park area - but we love it and rent a room right on the beach for ease with the kids - good mini golf.
Wells is nice too!
Have fun researching!

(we rented a house on a lake one year and had a blast too!)
 
We stayed just outside of Camden back in 1999. Great place, owned by Scottish people. We walked down a path from our little cabin and were right on the rocks at the ocean.

We took a trip down to Acadia - breathtaking!

We stopped at tons of lighthouses - from New Hampshire to Portland, etc.

On the same trip we went to Gloucester, MA and went whale watching.
 
I live in Maine. The southern tip on the NH boarder. My business partner and I were just talking about how lucky we were to live in Maine. I have been all overe the world and Maine is perfect in my eyes (yes of course I am being bias LOL )I just read where Maine spent several hundres of thousands of dollars to see how to keep Maine the way it is "Maine the way life should be" States moto.

I have to agree with everyone Acadia National park in breath taking. Have been there several time and still discover something new.

Freeport is great for shopping as it is home to LLBean No locks on the door the store NEVER closes.

Kennebunk Port summer home to the Bush's is really a quaint town.

Bath, Rockland, Boothbay, Bar Harbor are well worth the stops.

Portland is my favorite. I am self employed but spend my week working in that area and LOVE IT. Portland also has an LLBean outlet right on Congress st.

Fall in my opion is the best time to see Maine. If your not going to lay on the beach then I would come here in October. The fall folige is beauitful.
 
We go every year with our kids and my parents to Wells. This year my brother's family and a close friend of mine and her family went too. We have a ball and the kids love the beach. We stay in two bedroom condos every year so we can eat in, sometimes. I would definately recommend Maine!!
 
When I was a kid we went to Maine every summer. We stayed in the Sebago Lake area near Douglas Hill. Family friends had a house we rented. Last time we were there was about 14 years ago (my brothers and I revisited our childhood by taking some friends back to the same house), not much had changed. New Hampshire had changed a lot.

Maine is huge and seems to have many beautiful regions. Hope you enjoy.
 
bicker said:
The Bar Harbor area is very nice, especially Acadia National Park. There's some great hiking there, which we always enjoy.


This is where we went on our family vacation this year. We rented a 31 foot RV. It was great. We went Hiking, Kayaking, Whale watching and even to a lumber jack show. It was a perfect vacation. Even though it is a ocean vacation it is very different then NJ. A few years ago we went to Old Orchard beach and that was nice too but that to me was more in the lines of a beach vacation which you can take at any time.

Picture from our campsite at Old Dessert Narrows.

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we go there every summer
my grandparetns own to homes on long lake next to sebago in naples/bridgton
they built the home over 30 years ago
i love going there
i have been there every summer since i was a baby
i mean alittle baby
its like a second home
you step outta the house and the lake is right there
i love it
water, nice small town, friendly people, antiquing, nice places to eat
it makes for a very relaxing vacation
 
We went to Acadia and Bar Harbor several years ago. We loved walking out to the island that is only accessible at low tide. I can't remember its name. It was a great vacation.
 
Here is one of my kids on top of the world! Well Cadilliac Mountain. LOL


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I think it depends on what you want. Once you decide if you want the hustle and bustle of the city, the mountains, ocean, lakes or woods you can start evaluating where in state of Maine you want to visit. Here is contact info for Maine Office of Tourism 888-624-6345 or www.visitmaine.com , good luck and welcome.
 
I absolutely LOVE Maine. I have to put my vote in for Acadia. If you are into camping you can camp right on the waterside. Very relaxing. There are some wonderful log cabins for families that you can rent out at The Oakland House Seaside resort, www.oaklandhouse.com. It is right on the water as well. They also have a chef that prepares amazing meals in the restaurant. You may also want to consider going to the White mountains in NH, there is MUCH to do up there shopping, train rides, gondola rides, did I mention shopping? It is not far from the Maine border as well so a day trip could easily be done. Well that is my input...Enjoy!
 
If you want a trip, head up to Greenville and the Moosehead Lake area. Beautiful views of Mt. Katahdin, the leaves will be peak or a little over on the way up.

mainewmn-good suggestion!

I have to add my 2 cents worth-I absolutely abhor the "Maine the way life should be". For a lot of people in the state it isn't. Whatever happened to Maine Vacationland?
 
Acadia National Park & Bar Harbour...our most favorite places!! It KILLED us NOT to get there this past summer...now we have to wait till July '06!!

By the way....if you have dogs, it's the perfect dog vacation! One of the few National Parks to let dogs in!! That's the draw for us!! Hiking with 2/3 Newfs will be SOOOOO much fun!!
 
Thanks everyone!!!! I never dreamed I would get so many replies. You all make Maine sound so cool! I visited the links some of you gave - so much information!
poohlover - I do have dogs, one of which I would LOVE to bring with us. My question is are there dog friendly place to stay? You have a big dog as do I (a Doberman) so you probably know alot of places have a weight limit on dogs. Does anyone know of any dog friendly places to stay?
Also my oldest asked about seeing a moose. I read somewhere that they do Moose tours....anyone ever hear of this?
I welcome any more advice and stories. It's so great to hear about how nice it is there.
Thanks Again..and keep them coming!!
Kimba :paw:
 


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