# Visiting Maine in November for a couple of days. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040 "2010-10-13T19:55:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/1 "2010-10-13T19:55:06Z")
First off, is it a good idea weatherwise? Secondly, what do you recommend seeing/doing in that great state? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/2 "2010-10-13T20:51:59Z")
It’s fine weather-wise. New England rarely gets more than six inches of snow before December, so road conditions won’t be a problem. You’ll need sweaters and a winter coat, but you might not even need to wear the coat. As for your second question, Maine takes many hours to drive from one end to the other (I live within half an hour of the Maine/NH border, and it’d take me almost eight hours to drive St Francis in northern Maine), so you’ll need to be specific about where you are going to be staying and how long you’re willing to drive to see sights. I don’t want to recommend doing things in Kittery to find out you’re staying in Bar Harbor because most people don’t enjoy eight hours in the car the same day. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/3 "2010-10-13T21:00:45Z")
Sort of depends when in November and where in Maine. You’re going to be too late for leaves and sailing and too early (probably) for skiing. Big snow storms are unlikely, but upper Maine could see some snow by the end of the month. Lower Maine will just be cool to cold, leafless, and possibly wet. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/4 "2010-10-13T21:24:08Z")
Where in Maine? Fun fact: The state of Maine is bigger than the whole island of Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/5 "2010-10-13T21:36:07Z")
could you swing by Nashville and pick up something and then drop it off at my daughters place? If it’s not too much trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/6 "2010-10-13T21:58:28Z")
We took a trip to Maine this July. We more or less followed the Atlantic Highway (U.S. 1), veering off into some of the peninsulas to see various sights/towns. Ate a mess of lobster, some great scallops, and superb blueberry pie; loved looking at the coast. We more enjoyed the small towns and out-of-the-way restaurants than the typical tourist areas like Camden and Bar Harbor (though they weren’t bad). Had a ball finding places like [this](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2616/3793050075_1d33274422.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/7 "2010-10-13T23:37:48Z")
We didn’t specifically have anything in mind, just wouldn’t mind Maine. We’ll be driving up from CT on Nov 2nd (I think). Sooo yeah what’s to do in _Southern_ Maine? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/8 "2010-10-14T00:51:23Z")
Huh. Where in CT, and why Maine (and not, say, Cape Cod or NYC)? What kinds of stuff you wanna do? Nature stuff, city stuff, history, sightseeing, tourist mainstays (ha! ha! “main stays”! I kill me)… ? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/9 "2010-10-14T00:58:09Z")
I like most touristic stuff but history is my main interest I suppose. We’ll be down in Southwest CT near Norwalk. We’re also visiting NYC. We had been thinking of Cape Cod but decided on Maine instead because the Missus hasn’t really been up there but has been recently in the Cape. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/10 "2010-10-14T01:37:37Z")
In that case, I’d recommend aiming for [Portsmouth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth,_New_Hampshire) NH, which has the [Strawberry Banke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry_Banke) museum area. That’s within easy walking distance of historic downtown Portsmouth, which has other interesting buildings and [museums](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Museums_in_Portsmouth,_New_Hampshire) and such (as well as many boutiques if you’re in a shopping mood). It’s across the [Piscataqua River](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piscataqua_River) from Maine ([Kittery](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kittery,_Maine)) and crossing the river on any of the three bridges ([one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Bridge_%28Portsmouth,_New_Hampshire%29) on Route 1 from downtown Portsmouth, [one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Mildred_Long_Bridge) on Route 1 Bypass, and [one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piscataqua_River_Bridge) on Interstate 95) gives a stunning view. [Kittery Point](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kittery_Point,_Maine) has a great rocky beach, [Seapoint](http://www.seacoastnh.com/Travel/Scenic_Walks/Seapoint_Beach/) – still great to walk along in early November if you don’t mind it a little raw out and have packed a warm, windproof jacket. There’s two historic forts out that way, [Fort Foster](http://www.seacoastnh.com/Travel/Scenic_Walks/Fort_Foster/) and [Fort McClary](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_McClary). Then up the coast a bit more, most towns are lousy with museums and historic sites: [York](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York,_Maine), [Wells](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells,_Maine), [Ogunquit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogunquit,_Maine), [Kennebunkport](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennebunkport,_Maine), [Old Orchard Beach](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Orchard_Beach,_Maine) – you can keep going if this sort of thing interests you. It’s one of the older areas in the US in terms of European settlement, dating to the early 1600s (ancient, eh?) Just under an hour into Maine along the coast and you hit Portland – the big city, sorta. Lots of great stuff there. Past that, it gets somewhat less dense in terms of museumage and tends more towards scenery and recreation. All these places are “tourist areas” though the big crowds are gone after September, so you’ll have a wide range of places to stay at off-season rates. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/11 "2010-10-14T01:41:30Z")
Great! Thanks so much everyone and especially \*\*emmaliminal \*\* for suggestions. If you ever need recommendations for this shitty little island pm me. 🙂 **cosmodan** I’m not a drugs mule. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/12 "2010-10-14T03:58:13Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > [Old Orchard Beach](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Orchard_Beach,_Maine) – What’s there to do in Old Orchard Beach after **all** the shops close down at Labor Day? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/13 "2010-10-14T12:40:02Z")
I live in southern Maine about a half hour from Portsmouth and **Renee** lives in the area also. If you want to get together for dinner or drinks, send me a PM! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/14 "2010-10-14T12:50:56Z")
If you’re going to Portland, you can visit the [Cape Elizabeth lighthouse](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Elizabeth_lighthouse), very photogenic. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/15 "2010-10-14T13:39:20Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > > [@emmaliminal](#): > > > > [Old Orchard Beach](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Orchard_Beach,_Maine) – > > What’s there to do in Old Orchard Beach after **all** the shops close down at Labor Day? 😕 Oh. True. I guess the [Harmon Museum](http://www.harmonmuseum.org/visitus.htm) is only open by appointment after that too. My bad, **An Gadaí** , you can probably skip OOB. ---
**Author:** ![Xan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@Xan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/16 "2010-10-15T15:32:47Z")
As others have said it depends on how far you want to travel. I live 3-4 hours north of Portland. You’d only come here if you were interested in hiking, camping, mountain climbing. However if you do want to make the drive, PM me and I’ll give you the name of a good camp ground that also has a fantastic restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Blut\_Aus\_Nord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Blut\_Aus\_Nord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blut_Aus_Nord)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/17 "2010-10-15T15:45:43Z")
Try all the seafood, it’s fantastic. Check somewhere for what is currently in season, because sometimes there’s more crabs than lobsters than oysters than etc. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/18 "2010-10-15T17:03:29Z")
> [@Xan](#): > > I live 3-4 hours north of Portland. You’d only come here if you were interested in hiking, camping, mountain climbing. And skiing, don’t forget the skiing. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/19 "2010-10-18T01:35:05Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > And skiing, don’t forget the skiing. Not in November, though. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-maine-in-november-for-a-couple-of-days/557040/20 "2010-10-18T02:35:30Z")
Seconding Ogunquit, which is a wonderful little seaside town. Freeport has L.L. Bean and many other outlet stores if you want to shop. If you make it to Portland, the Portland Museum of Art has a great collection for a museum of that size.