Non-touristy parts of Maine? (Portland, Bangor: house, transfer, camping)

[winter enjoyer]

Considering the move to Dover-Foxtrot from Western NC. Are there a lot of tourists that like to go up there or is most of it down in the coast?

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by winter enjoyer

Considering the move to Dover-Foxtrot from Western NC. Are there a lot of tourists that like to go up there or is most of it down in the coast?

You get them but not in overwhelming numbers. Nothing at all like the coast.

[OutdoorLover]

At least what I think of as major tourist destinations would be the coast from Kittery up to Bar Harbor, then a few well known lakes like the Rangeley Lakes (a small group), Moosehead Lake, and Sebago Lake

There are also certainly visitors to the coast north/east of Bar Harbor, to Baxter State Park/Mt Katahdin, Grand Lake Stream, the Allagash River and to other of the many lakes in the state, but as massnative71 notes, not in the kind of numbers you get to these other places named first.

[mainegrl2011]

Originally Posted by winter enjoyer

Considering the move to Dover-Foxtrot from Western NC. Are there a lot of tourists that like to go up there or is most of it down in the coast?

I hope you have a sense of humor. The foxtrot is a dance. Dover-Foxcroft

Regarding numbers... I heard a recent report that visitors total to Acadia for 2021 is close to 4 million. I used to visit Bar Harbor and Acadia frequently when total visitors were less than 2 million per year. Imo it has become unmanageable and chaotic.

[Submariner]

I think different parts of Maine see different kinds of tourists.

When we first moved to Maine, my wife was able to transfer her job from where we were before, to Bangor. At her workplace, all of her co-workers had 'camp's. Many of them invited her to go visit their camps. For the most part, my wife declined their offers, because we built a farmhouse in an unorganized township where it is very rural. She felt that we live 'at camp'. But for her co-workers they all owned homes and lived 'in town'. For them, it was very enjoyable to get away for the weekends.

Here in our township, maybe a third of the land parcels have a fulltime residence on them. The remaining two-thirds are owned by non-resident people. Some of them come up to fish, some come here to hunt. Some may have a one-room cabin, or a pop-up camper. Or some have nothing at all on their land.

In living here fifteen years, I have met some of these non-resident people. They tend to live around Portland. They come up here on long weekends to go camping.

In our township we do not see many out-of-state tourists. Most of the tourists that we see are fellow Mainers.

Some summers, I will see guys with a backpack hitch-hiking, and I give them rides. Every time it is a young adult who has relatives that own land up here. They want to spend the summer alone. So they hike in carrying 40-pounds of food. A month later they will hike out to go get more food, and return.

[mainegrl2011]

Is a person who owns a house for example in Ellsworth and also owns a camp at (example) Georges Pond in Franklin really a tourist when he/she stays at the camp for a period of time (could be weekends; could be all summer, etc.)? To me, the answer is no.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by mainegrl2011

Is a person who owns a house for example in Ellsworth and also owns a camp at (example) Georges Pond in Franklin really a tourist when he/she stays at the camp for a period of time (could be weekends; could be all summer, etc.)? To me, the answer is no.

I agree, no. I have summer/seasonal people and tourists come into work. Tourists are passing through for a short time. The others are here for long(er) stretches and establish relationships in the community.

[svband76]

Originally Posted by mainegrl2011

Is a person who owns a house for example in Ellsworth and also owns a camp at (example) Georges Pond in Franklin really a tourist when he/she stays at the camp for a period of time (could be weekends; could be all summer, etc.)? To me, the answer is no.

Funny you should say that. This couple I know has a camp 2 miles down the road from their fulltime residence. Only in Maine

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by mainegrl2011

Is a person who owns a house for example in Ellsworth and also owns a camp at (example) Georges Pond in Franklin really a tourist when he/she stays at the camp for a period of time (could be weekends; could be all summer, etc.)? To me, the answer is no.

If you do not want to call them 'tourists', fine.

They come from away, do you call them 'flatlanders'? Of just 'from away'?

[mainebrokerman]

Salem’s lot has very few tourists!!