Recommendations for 16 days in lovely Maine (Portland, Kennebunk: rental car, apartments, rentals)

[FrannyBear]

Wow lots of great suggestions. THANK you so much! I am designing my itinerary and will run it past the board once it is completed. I am definitely open to suggestions.

Is it worth it to spend a night in Portland? I understand the harbor walk is nice but anything else to see? A great museum? A great restaurant? Also how about Camden?

[Northern Maine Land Man]

If you spend a night in Portland, have breakfast at Becky's Diner on the waterfront. Awesome good food and real Maine people. You will see real fishermen, sea captains, dock workers and truckers. Conversations are not limited to one table. Comments are shared from adjoining tables. (I don't know where people get the idea that Maine people are shy.)

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by FrannyBear

Wow lots of great suggestions. THANK you so much! I am designing my itinerary and will run it past the board once it is completed. I am definitely open to suggestions.

Is it worth it to spend a night in Portland? I understand the harbor walk is nice but anything else to see? A great museum? A great restaurant? Also how about Camden?

Portland has plenty to see, and it's also close to Cape Elizabeth, which has three nice parks along its shoreline, sandy beach, granite shoals and classic lighthouses - I took this pic at Portland Light there...



Camden/Rockport might be worth two nights stay. Beautiful coastline with both lobster boats and yachts bobbing in the harbors, quaint residential streets with well maintained historical homes, great hiking around Megunticook Lake, Fernald's Neck Preserve, the Beech Nut, Mt Battie, Mt Megunticook, lots of shops and restaurants - here are some pics I took there as well...

[FrannyBear]

OK -- I have devised an itinerary for our trip in mid July. Can you all please critique it? I tried to implement as many suggestions here as possible -- also taking into account our personal likes and dislikes:

3 days in Ogunquit -- just want to relax and enjoy the beaches. We can drive around and see the sights and eat at any recommended restaurants.

1 night in Kennebunkport (not sure about this -- is it worth it or should we just spend the day and keep driving?)

1 night in Portland

2 nights in Boothbay Harbor -- stopping at Reid State Park along the way

2 nights in Camden -- see owl's head and possibly take the ferry to North Haven island)

3 nights in Bar Harbor -- go to Acadia

2 nights in Lubec -- take bridge to Campanello and just see that more rural part of Maine

2 nights in western Maine for the wedding.

Wondering if I should exchange the night in Kennebunkport for an extra night in Bar Harbor?

Thoughts?

[svband76]

Originally Posted by FrannyBear

OK -- I have devised an itinerary for our trip in mid July. Can you all please critique it? I tried to implement as many suggestions here as possible -- also taking into account our personal likes and dislikes:

3 days in Ogunquit -- just want to relax and enjoy the beaches. We can drive around and see the sights and eat at any recommended restaurants.

1 night in Kennebunkport (not sure about this -- is it worth it or should we just spend the day and keep driving?)

1 night in Portland

2 nights in Boothbay Harbor -- stopping at Reid State Park along the way

2 nights in Camden -- see owl's head and possibly take the ferry to North Haven island)

3 nights in Bar Harbor -- go to Acadia

2 nights in Lubec -- take bridge to Campanello and just see that more rural part of Maine

2 nights in western Maine for the wedding.

Wondering if I should exchange the night in Kennebunkport for an extra night in Bar Harbor?

Thoughts?

I have found that going to 2-3 places is better. Maine is huge and driving and driving isn't as fun as just finding a place and staying put for longer. I would cut out Portland and Kennebunkport.

I would get reservations somewhere early for Bar Harbor, as places fill up fast. Just my two cents though I wouldn't mind the above trip one bit

[quietnights]

I agree that’s a LOT of driving and a lot of it on Route 1 which is going to be slow going in the summer. Keep in mind that North Haven has three ferries a day and you’ll need to plan your on-island/off-island around that. Vinalhaven across the archipelago has six ferries a day, so a bit more flexible.

If you want to take your car on the ferries, you’ll definitely need a reservation in the summer. If you don’t take your car across, you’ll have to compete for mainland parking. There is parking at the Rockland terminal but the paid lot can fill quickly. Read everything on the Maine State Ferry site (Maine State Ferry Service | MaineDOT) and call to find out the earliest you can make a car reservation.

Walk-on reservations are not needed.

On a beautiful day the ferry ride is a very pleasant thing to do. Some people do the trip and immediately take the return ferry back. But it’s worth spending a bit more time out there and tour around islands. Vinalhaven sometimes has a taxi service but they don’t offer sightseeing (last I knew). North Haven does not have a taxi service so you’d be limited to the walkable downtown (right off the ferry), which is pleasant with a couple shops, a couple galleries, an arts center, and two or three places to eat. Hope that helps.

[Brodels]

I’d cut out Kennebunkport and probably Boothbay Harbor and stay an extra night in Portland as well as an extra couple of nights at one of your other destinations. I think that Portland is worth it because there is a lot to do, and there is nothing else like it in Maine, so it will be different than your other experiences. It’s an interesting small city with lots of dining and shopping options, and you could take the ferry to Peaks Island for a day, spend some time at Portland Head Light, and drive down to Kennebunkport for a day if desired.

You might also consider spending a night away from the coast as you’re making your way to the western part of the state. Bangor, for example, is an interesting small city with quite a lot to do, and you would get more of a taste of what Maine is really like for people who don’t live in Portland or the resort communities.

[timsmith2]

Maine gets a lot of tourists in the summer. In my opinion, fall is a better time for sightseeing. Not just the foiliage, but the temperature. 75-80 here is not like 75-80 in a lot of places. The humidity makes it miserable. Then again, there was no fall last year. It just went straight from summer to winter. But, hypothetically, there will be one in 2018.

[quietnights]

Originally Posted by timsmith2

Maine gets a lot of tourists in the summer. In my opinion, fall is a better time for sightseeing. Not just the foiliage, but the temperature. 75-80 here is not like 75-80 in a lot of places. The humidity makes it miserable. Then again, there was no fall last year. It just went straight from summer to winter. But, hypothetically, there will be one in 2018.

OP is planning their itinerary around a July wedding in western Maine so fall wasn’t in the mix.

[FrannyBear]

Originally Posted by zalewskimm

I have found that going to 2-3 places is better. Maine is huge and driving and driving isn't as fun as just finding a place and staying put for longer. I would cut out Portland and Kennebunkport.

I would get reservations somewhere early for Bar Harbor, as places fill up fast. Just my two cents though I wouldn't mind the above trip one bit

Thanks for this advice. I did cut out Kennebunkport and eliminated any one night stops. we can stop in Kennebunkport as we are driving up the coast and just spend the day. Does anyone have a recommendation where to stay in Bar Harbor? I am leaning towards a bed and breakfast but am open to any suggestions. Also someplace to stay for a couple of nights up by Lubec?