Maine is beautiful and I lived in York for a a few years. Still I love the mid coast region which is not far from Portland. Portland bites but get yourself to Route One and head north. It is so beautiful to drive up the coast past Bath. If you go over the Bath bridge into Edgecomb there is a restaraunt that has the best lobster bisque I have ever tasted. It was called The Muddy Rudder". Camden is my favorite spots. I stayed at the Camden Harbor Inn but it’s been taken over and redone and I’m not sure it retained it’s charms. I love the art shops and the wharf and sailing on the Mary Day. I also drove up the small mountain that overlooks Camden Bay. I have a pic I’ll try and post of the view. I rowed out to the lighthouse which is on a small island. They rent kayaks and canoes to get out there.
I don’t know? So many nice spots, beautiful harbors and old schooners. Mt Desert Island is nice too for a day. Just make sure to rent a car and take a scenic ride up route one.
Red’s Eats makes a fine lobster roll, one of the best, but the wait in line simply isn’t worth it on a summer day. There are plenty of great lobster rolls in the state of Maine, find one that doesn’t use mayo.
I’ll fifth(?) the recommendation of Camden. My grandmother was born there and a bunch of our family took a trip there in July '07 (well most of them do it every year, but I’ve only been once). Great little town with gorgeous scenery. Still have a picture I took as my desktop background 3 years later.
I’m a big fan of Maine and especially Portland, although the first time I visited was just a couple of years ago.
If you like beer, you should go to Ebenezer’s Pub in Lovell, which was named best bar in the world by Beer Advocate. I went there last winter, just after the Globe did their article, and it was as good as the reviews said. It is just over an hour from Portland.
Portland has a lot of good brew pubs and beer bars. Gritty McDuff’s was a favorite of me and my wife when we visited. Three Dollar Dewey’s and The Great Lost Bear are a couple other good ones.
The beaches in Ogunquit are nice, but I was there in September, so I don’t know what it is like during the summer season. I’d imagine it gets pretty busy.
Kennebunk has a nice downtown area that is good for a few hours of walking around and shopping.
Acadia is very nice for hiking or mountain biking on the carriage roads, but I thought Bar Harbor downtown was overpriced and touristy. I was there in the off season, and there was a lot of traffic. It is probably a mess in the summer.
Like others have said, get your Lobster at lobster shacks and Lobster Pounds. They are everywhere.
Obviously there is a lot to do in Boston, which is not far from Portland.
Another option is Mount Washington and the White Mountains in NH.
Anthony Bourdain did an episode of No Reservations in Maine last season. The Travel Channel website might have it for you to watch.
I’ve always wanted to see Camden and the Whitehall Inn for the Edna St. Vincent Millay connection. And IIRC, some scenes from Peyton Place were filmed there.
That’s true. Quite a few movies have been filmed at locations in and around Camden. IMDb can give you an extensive list.
Many famous people’s boats have been anchored there, too. Walter Cronkite for one. And homes for famous folks, too. At one time, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley had places on one of the nearby islands.
The problem I have with Portland is that it’s so far away from me. 75 miles each way is too long a drive for anything but can’t-miss concerts given we could probably name ten other cities in Maine or New Hamphire that are just like Portand - but don’t require three hours of driving to get there and back. I tend to stick to the more accessable parts of ME, mainly Kittery and York.
