Help Me Plan a Trip to Maine

[Narnia_girl]

We want to go in the summer of 2018. I tried to do a last minute trip this past summer and everything was booked up. So now I'm planning ahead. It looks like I have my pick of AirBnb or HomeAway homes.

What's essential to do, and what's not worth the time?
Should we stay in one place for the week or move locations one or two times?
Outside of a home rental and food, what are major expenses to expect?

We will probably fly into Boston, visit friends, and then drive up.
Two of our kids (23 and 17) will be with us.
Things I know for sure I want to do are Acadia National Park and visit LLBean.
We like a moderate amount of activity, but not super strenuous.
Shopping (other than Bean) is not a priority.

Thank you!

 

[Jimsig]

Maine has so much to offer. Are you looking to stay primarily on or near the coast or would you also want to venture inland near a lake etc? One thing I love to do up there is go whitewater rafting. If that is something that interests you there are a number of outfitters that will take you on either the Kennebec, Dead, or Penobscot rivers.

LL Bean is very easy to get to off the highway.

Arcadia National Park is beautiful. I would spend part of every summer at my grandparents on Deer Isle ME. From their front porch over looking the Eggemoggin we could see the top of Cadillac Mountain in the park.

 

[Wish Upon A Starbucks]

We did Acadia and freeport this past summer. It was still quite cold in June when we were there but lovely. Four days in Acadia and bar harbor was enough for us. Plus one in freeport. We had a great time despite cold foggy weather! Enjoy your trip! Feel free to PM me if you have other specific questions!

 

[Narnia_girl]

Maine has so much to offer. Are you looking to stay primarily on or near the coast or would you also want to venture inland near a lake etc? One thing I love to do up there is go whitewater rafting. If that is something that interests you there are a number of outfitters that will take you on either the Kennebec, Dead, or Penobscot rivers.

LL Bean is very easy to get to off the highway.

Arcadia National Park is beautiful. I would spend part of every summer at my grandparents on Deer Isle ME. From their front porch over looking the Eggemoggin we could see the top of Cadillac Mountain in the park.

We have enjoyed white water rafting in the past, so that's a great suggestion!
I assume there are trails for all ability levels?

We did Acadia and freeport this past summer. It was still quite cold in June when we were there but lovely. Four days in Acadia and bar harbor was enough for us. Plus one in freeport. We had a great time despite cold foggy weather! Enjoy your trip! Feel free to PM me if you have other specific questions!

Is there more to do in Freeport besides the store?

 

[Jimsig]

We have enjoyed white water rafting in the past, so that's a great suggestion!
I assume there are trails for all ability levels?

I have never done the Penobscot or Dead, but have done the Kenebec twice. I would say anybody that meets the age requirements (no younger then between 8 and 12) can handle it. The Dead is pretty similar from what I have heard I believe the rapids last longer. I believe the Penobscot is tougher. I have gone with Magic Falls Rafting Company which is located in The Forks ME both times and they have lodging available. We also like that with them you run the river and have an included cookout after back at there lodge, they do have a snack available while rafting. The cook out includes things like steak, chicken, fish, or a veggie burger. It's a great meal after being on the river. Some of the others have the cookout on the river and then you continue rafting afterwards. To us the thought of eating and getting full and then getting back on a raft didn't appeal to us even though after the cookout its more of a floating trip as the rapids are behind you.

Is there more to do in Freeport besides the store?

There are also a ton of other outlet stores in Freeport along with some great places to eat.

 

[Wish Upon A Starbucks]

Is there more to do in Freeport besides the store?

Lots of outlet stores but I know you said you didn't have much interest in shopping. Nice restaurants. We just enjoyed walking around downtown. There are nice lakes nearby if you are interested in that. If you really just want to see ll bean you could just stop by on your way to Acadia.

 

[Wish Upon A Starbucks]

I assume there are trails for all ability levels?

Tons of trails for all ability levels. You might think about renting bikes too. The carriage roads are really fun to ride on even for people who are not big bikers. We used this book to find the trails we liked.
An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park (Outdoor Family Guides)
It was like 20 years old but not much had changed!

 

[MKCP5]

A day spent in Portland and the old port area is a lot of fun. Great restaurants and wandering about, you can take a lobsterboat or harbor tour, walk up to the lighthouse, and the park.

 

[Tattylou]

We like Ogunquit. There's a really beautiful beach and little main st/town area with restaurants and shops. York Beach and Kennebunkport are close by and also have nice towns, beaches, etc. York Beach area has a cute little zoo and a really pretty area with Nubble Light lighthouse. Wells beach is also nice. We usually do a day trip or weekend to the southern Maine coast every summer.

 

[jjjones325]

If you have any interest in lighthouses, the Portland Head Light just south of Portland is a must. Out of the 35 or so lighthouses we've visited, that one is near the top. Like PP said, the Nubble Light is also worth a visit if you like lighthouses. It sets just off the shore on a small island, and the views are wonderful.

Also in Portland you have the option to go whale watching. I've been twice. First time we got right on a pod of whales and they were spetacular. Second time we only got to see folks revisiting their lunch off the back of the vessel.

 

[Narnia_girl]

I saw a suggestion to walk the Marginal Way. Anyone done this?

 

[Chippy4]

I saw a suggestion to walk the Marginal Way. Anyone done this?

That’s in Ogunquit (don’t get it confused with the street Marginal Way in Portland; there’s nothing interesting to see there!) It’s a pretty little walking path sandwiched between the coast and expensive houses.

 

[Chippy4]

A day spent in Portland and the old port area is a lot of fun. Great restaurants and wandering about, you can take a lobsterboat or harbor tour, walk up to the lighthouse, and the park.

There aren’t any lighthouses to walk to in Portland. You might be thinking of the Portland Observatory; it’s a tall building that used to be a signal tower. You can take a tour and see a nice view of the city and the harbor.

The Portland Head Light is at Fort Williams park in Cape Elizabeth. There’s also a state park nearby, Two Lights. The old lighthouses aren’t accessible but the park is nice. If you’re hungry and/or don’t want to pay for park admission, I highly recommend eating at the Lobster Shack at Two Lights. Good, authentic lobster rolls (or other fried seafood) and you can sit outside on oceanfront picnic tables.

 

[MamaJessie]

We love Acadia National Park! Our first few vacations we would stay about 30 minutes away but last time rented a house right outside the park and it was great. We find a lot to do at the park and also enjoy some shopping and eating in Bar Harbor. We rent a house for a week and buy food for the majority of our meals. We bought the pass for the week for Acadia, but that was about it for entertainment, didn't do any of the whale watches or anything. Only other expense was dining in Bar Harbor a couple times and some souvenir shopping for the kids.

 

[MKCP5]

There aren’t any lighthouses to walk to in Portland. You might be thinking of the Portland Observatory; it’s a tall building that used to be a signal tower. You can take a tour and see a nice view of the city and the harbor.

The Portland Head Light is at Fort Williams park in Cape Elizabeth. There’s also a state park nearby, Two Lights. The old lighthouses aren’t accessible but the park is nice. If you’re hungry and/or don’t want to pay for park admission, I highly recommend eating at the Lobster Shack at Two Lights. Good, authentic lobster rolls (or other fried seafood) and you can sit outside on oceanfront picnic tables.

Yes! That's what I meant. The Portland observatory. It's a cool little old museum. I guess since it was a maritime signal tower it gets stuck in my head as a lighthouse.

 

[chalee94]

This is probably too ambitious, but I'll throw it out there. Over a decade ago, a friend and I started in Boston and - over the course of a long-ish week - headed up the Maine coast (including a brief stop at LL Bean, which was fun) and spent a couple of days in Acadia National Park (beautiful and worth it - I was also introduced to the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound nearby, which I loved)...then we crossed the border on 201 to see the beautiful "French" countryside and started listening to French radio stations and spend another couple of days visiting the cobblestone streets and sidewalk cafes of old Quebec City and climbing Montmorency Falls. On the way back to Boston, we visited the pedestrian area of Burlington VT (Church Street Marketplace) and did a quick tour of the Ben & Jerry's factory before heading back to Boston to fly back. Beautiful September weather - it was a fair amount of driving but we did rent a convertible.

I traded for a timeshare last September near Acadia and stayed for a week with my elderly parents. Less active, naturally, and spent more time in Bar Harbor. 7 nights was starting to feel a little long to me but your mileage may vary.

Mid-September is definitely my favorite time to go.

 

[Narnia_girl]

This is probably too ambitious, but I'll throw it out there. Over a decade ago, a friend and I started in Boston and - over the course of a long-ish week - headed up the Maine coast (including a brief stop at LL Bean, which was fun) and spent a couple of days in Acadia National Park (beautiful and worth it - I was also introduced to the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound nearby, which I loved)...then we crossed the border on 201 to see the beautiful "French" countryside and started listening to French radio stations and spend another couple of days visiting the cobblestone streets and sidewalk cafes of old Quebec City and climbing Montmorency Falls. On the way back to Boston, we visited the pedestrian area of Burlington VT (Church Street Marketplace) and did a quick tour of the Ben & Jerry's factory before heading back to Boston to fly back. Beautiful September weather - it was a fair amount of driving but we did rent a convertible.

I traded for a timeshare last September near Acadia and stayed for a week with my elderly parents. Less active, naturally, and spent more time in Bar Harbor. 7 nights was starting to feel a little long to me but your mileage may vary.

Mid-September is definitely my favorite time to go.

Wow, that sounds like an amazing trip! We went to Canada in 2016 and our kids would love to go back, so maybe this would work for us. Thanks for the great idea! I'm going to look into it.