Tell me about Maine...on a budget...please!

[SennottFamily]

We are going to Papoose Pond Resort in Waterford,ME in June. I went as a kid for about 12 years. So family friendly. They have swimming, kayaks, canoes, paddle boats, hikes, tons of arts and craft for kids. They have a rec hall with bingo and country line dancing and teen dances. They have a carousel for the little kids and a movie every night. It is a great place and is very affordable!

 

[jperrot1]

Why not stay a couple days in Freeport where the flagship LLBean store is? They also have a LLBean outlet store with stuff on sale (relative to their regular prices). And you can walk around the town looking through all the outlet stores. There are a few cheap motels around the area. But just for fun, the (very expensive) harraseket inn is an upscale hotel with daily tea time included in the price. It's lots of fun staying there, and they sometimes have good package deals.

 

[englishteacha]

I'm a lifelong Mainer, too. I grew up in Southern Maine near the Wells/Kennebunk beach areas (worked summers at the beach). I now live in western Maine, in the lakes/mountains area. It's much quieter here.

When we want to go on vacation and stay in Maine, we go to Acadia national park/Bar Harbor. It's lovely and very different from home. If you want moose, Moosehead Lake area is the place to go. You could do a split vacation...spend a few days at Acadia, a few days near Moosehead. Greenville is the "big town" at Moosehead lake. They have amenities like Wi-fi and such at many of the hotels, inns, and cabins there. Acadia has a huge variety of lodging in the Bar Harbor area. Cabins to campgrounds to fine hotels.

 

[CourtNut]

I'm a lifelong Mainer, too. I grew up in Southern Maine near the Wells/Kennebunk beach areas (worked summers at the beach). I now live in western Maine, in the lakes/mountains area. It's much quieter here.

When we want to go on vacation and stay in Maine, we go to Acadia national park/Bar Harbor. It's lovely and very different from home. If you want moose, Moosehead Lake area is the place to go. You could do a split vacation...spend a few days at Acadia, a few days near Moosehead. Greenville is the "big town" at Moosehead lake. They have amenities like Wi-fi and such at many of the hotels, inns, and cabins there. Acadia has a huge variety of lodging in the Bar Harbor area. Cabins to campgrounds to fine hotels.

I live in NH, and my husband and I go on an annual "moose watch" trip. We try to visit areas that are known to have a high moose population. The last two years we've gone up to Moosehead lake and haven't seen a single moose! Just goes to show you that even in areas where there are more moose than people, it doesn't always work out. We do love visiting Moosehead lake though - it's gorgeous up there!

 

[snowwite]

We loved Maine enough to buy a second home here. You seem decided not for you. We had some other awesome drive trips that are affordable. Have you considered Niagara Falls? The US side was spectacular and Canada side cheesy. Loads of options for lodgings, meals and entertainment.
We also loved PA. We drove partway and stopped in CT for a night. You can get good discounts last minute from the roadside guide and add AAA on top. We drove to Amish Farm and Inn. It was nice and lots to do on property as well as close by. You can get fresh stuff from local farms and go on picnic, go to smorgashbord, buggy rides, etc.
We have also done driving trips to Campobello Island in Canada just north of Lubec Maine.
You mentioned Manchester. You could drive to Jefferson NH and take kids to Storyland. It aint Disney but is it fun. There is a water park, mini golf, scenic railway, zip line, monkey climbing place, mini cars, waterfalls, scenic drives and hikes, diners, penny candy etc and moose in the North Conway area. There is Clark's trading post with live bears over by Loon Mountain NH. You may want to check out the White Mouintains in NH. You can drive up Mt Washington (not for the faint hearted!).

 

[snowwite]

I live in NH, and my husband and I go on an annual "moose watch" trip. We try to visit areas that are known to have a high moose population. The last two years we've gone up to Moosehead lake and haven't seen a single moose! Just goes to show you that even in areas where there are more moose than people, it doesn't always work out. We do love visiting Moosehead lake though - it's gorgeous up there!

The area is pretty. The new scenic overlook is gorgeous. The only place we ever saw a moose in the wild was in Jackson NH.