Where should we go and what should we do in Maine and New England?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Well, it’s getting to be the second anniversary of when the Kangaroo_in_Black and I got married. He said he wanted to go to Maine for our anniversary. I like to eat lobster, so I said “Sure” in a little less than a heartbeat.

But now. Now the anniversary is about a month away, and no planning has occurred. I bought some Maine guide books, but that’s it. I’m getting nervous. He’s asked people for advice. And all the people he’s asked have been very vague. Or he’s been vague about what they’ve said, either is possible.

There was the suggestion of kind of making it a New England trip. I’m okay with this too. But we still don’t know what to do. (Okay, I have a few ideas for things to do on this trip, but none are specific to Maine or New England.)

What say the Dopers? The anniversary is 29 June 2005. We’re planning to vacation for a week. We haven’t decided if the week is mostly before or after the actual day, or if the anniversary should bisect the other six days. All advice is greatly appreciated.

2

Maine is already in New England. That cuts in half the number of places you have to visit!

3

My ex-husband and I honeymooned in Booth Bay and absolutely loved it. Great lobster prices - twin lobsters for 13 bucks or so - great food (loved the Edgecomb Inn) and beautiful scenery. Had a great time :slight_smile: Oh and we stayed at Brown Brothers (Wharf? Inn? Can’t remember)

4

Thanks friedo.

TellMeI’mNotCrazy, I’m off to look up some of these places online. Hurray for the internet!!

5

To help in the search, I should note that it’s actually one word: Boothbay.

We went to the railway museum there, and had a lot of fun. I can’t seem to find the Edgecomb Inn anywhere so it may have a new name.

My favorite honeymoon story:

We decided to go driving around, and settled on an adjacent peninsula (I want to say East Boothbay, not quite sure). At any rate, we came upon a sign that said “Drawbidge Up When Flashing”. The lights were, of course, not flashing. You can see where this is going. Just as we drive onto the bridge, I hear bells clanging. And just behind us, the bridge arms start going down. He floored the car to make it across before the bridge started lifting. The arm on the other side actually bounced off the top of the car. We stopped safely on the other side and turned to see the bridge slowly lifting open. It was a scary moment - scary enough that he decided he didn’t want to go back over the bridge. I explained to him that it was the only way back across… We didn’t have a choice. He spent half an hour collecting his wits and calming down, and zoomed back across the bridge. To this day, we still laugh about it.

6

That’s funny and scary. I suspect that the Kangaroo_in_Black would have frozen. I’m certain that I would have.

7

There is a particular time of the year when there are thousand of black flies everywhere in Northern New England. I don’t know if that’s when you’ll be visiting, but it’s quite unpleasant to be outside then.

8

If you like zoos and such, this one is in Maine. Somewhere around here, I have a picture of myself posing with a snake wrapped around me from there.
I have also stayed in Boothbay Harbor and really liked it. They have nice, quaint inns and B&Bs which are fairly reasonably priced, and it just has a great small-coastal-town feel to it.
Cape Cod and the islands (Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket for non-NE-ers) are nice this time of year, too, but that can be a very busy time, so I’d advise reservations in advance if you do go that route.

9

Please translate into proper syntax. Thank you.

10

Thanks lorene! I think that zoos are (generally) grand.

11

If you’re willing to drive inland from the coast, you may want to check out the Moosehead Lake region.

I was born in Maine, but never really lived there (long story I won’t get into here.) But my father’s side of my extended family came from there (specifically from a town named Greenville that is at the southern tip of Moosehead Lake.) The extended family has had a few family reunions in the region, and I can say from those visits that is a spectacular area to visit. As the link will indicate, there is a good amount of lodging available.

12

My favorite place from my 1997 summer visit to Maine was the Desert of Maine, near Freeport.

13

If you like going to state and national parks, I really like Acadia National Park in Maine. Some of the most beautiful coastline in the east, and you can get beautiful 360[sup]o[/sup] views from atop Cadillac Mountain, a great place to watch the sun rise.

I also really like Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire. The Old Man of the Mountain is no longer with us, but they still have The Flume gorge (among other things), which is nice walk through a beautiful narrow gorge. Just a little south of the park is Clark’s Trading Post. The admission is somewhere around $10, I believe; the rides are mainly geared towards kids, but the trained bear show alone makes it worth the visit.

Also in New Hampshire is Mt. Washington, known as home to the world’s worst weather (it’s not uncommon for winds to reach around 150 mph there, with a recorded max of 234 mph). You can drive or hike up it (the AT crosses it) for some beautiful views.

One more thing I’ve personally always wanted to see is the Old Sow Whirlpool, off the coast of the Maine/New Brunswick border. It’s one of the largest naturally occuring whirlpools in the world. It’s active at certain times of the day, depending on the tide. There’s ferry which runs, I believe, from Eastport, Maine (easternmost town in the continental US) to Deer Island, NB, from which you can supposedly get good views of the whirlpool. I’ve never had that opportunity, however; I’ve been to Eastport, but the ferry wasn’t running at the time. (I think the ferry begins running around early July, so I can’t say if it would be running while you’re there or not).

One final thing, if you like touring beautful mansions, the Newport, Rhode Island area has several open to the public.

14

Bar Harbor, Maine, is also a lovely place where you can get fantastic lobster.

15

This would be easier if you said where you live. Do you live inland and want to see the ocean? Or do you live on the coast and the sight of billowing waves engenders in you nothing but a yawn?

As people pointed out, Acadia is quite nice, and you can do various hikes, kayak and mountain bike trips in the area.

There are various day schooner trips out of Camden, Maine, I believe. It’s a pretty town to walk around on your way up to Bar Harbor. Don’t know about Maine in particular, but there are a lot of whale watch tours out of the Boston/Glouchester/Newburyport area in Massachusetts.

Freeport, Maine is the home of L.L.Bean and a bunch of outlet stores. Unless you’re really into shopping, I’d give it a miss.

One thing about Maine is that it’s a rather large state (from a New England standpoint) and it takes a long time to drive up to Bar Harbor or Mt. Katahdin.

16

Big question – I have no idea what you like.

Despite its proximity, I haven’t spent much time in Maine. The good stuff has already been mentioned – see Mt. Desert Island, with Bar Harbor if you’re up that far (It’s a 6 hour drive from Boston!!!)

Portland’s got interesting shops. So does York Beach and that area. See Kennebunkport for the shops and Bush I’s residence. See the outlet stores at various places.

Lots of used book shops along US 1.

I’ve always wanted to see the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake – it’s the opnly one with living, working Shakers. Since the mid-90s they’ve allowed new Shakers in, so they might not die out as we’d feared (the surviving Shakers before that were all aging women).

Jump into the ocean anywhere along the Maine coast. Then spend the rest of the day trying to warm back up.

I love New Hampshire. as noted above, see Franconia Notch, with the Flume, the remains of the Old Man or the Mountain, the Whirlpool, Cannon mountain with its aerial tramway. If you still want to see stone profiles there is or at least) used to be a mini-Old Man visible on the Mount Washington Cog Railway, and there’s a stone Indian Head visible at (where else?) Indian Head.

Go to Clarke’s Trading Post and watch the trained bears and the east European mini-circus and the fake old-time Americana (rescued from Freedomland) and the real Americana that’s been prerserved there. Ride the railroad and see the Wolfman perform.

Go to Polar Caves and hike through the glascial boulders. Try to squeeze through The Lemon Squeezer. Feed the deer and the ducks.

Go to America’s Stonehenge and see if you buy their theories abnout this place being an ancient sunrise/sunset observatory. Or if you buy it being an inspiration for H.P. Lovecraft.

Go to the Canterbury Shaker Village. No shakers, but it’s the best preserved, and you can get lunch.

Go to North Conway and Crawford Notch. Lots of obscure hiking trails with hidden waterfalls.

Drive the Kancamangus Highway and see the scenery. Do not take our daughter, who will be bored by it all.

Go to Castle in the Clouds and take the tour and ride the horses.

Go to Laconia or weir’s Beach or somewhere else on Lake Winnipesaukee.

Go to Squam Lake Nature Center and see the animals and the exhibits.

Go to Ruggles ine and dig up bits of mica. Or, if you’re lucky, gem stones.

come to Massachusetts and see Boston and Salem. see the many preserved villages – Sturbridge Village, Plymouth Plantation, Old Salem Village, Fruitlands Museum.

17

Lots of good advice so far, but I’ll add.

I lived in southern Maine for 15 years and wish I could move back. If you are into the touristy, quaint towns, shops and resteraunts try Ogunquit and Kennebunkport. Lots of places to eat, drink and watch people and the boats in the harbor(s).
In between the two is the town of Wells. Wells is comercialized along US route 1 but has some very nice beaches and usually is less expensive to stay than the other two. There are some used book stores that I used to frequent. A nice park by the harbor with some type of band concerts Friday or Saturday nights. Wells is exit two off the Maine Turnpike, about 1 hour north of Boston. Expect heavy traffic if traveling north on 95 on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon. Like wise don’t travel south on 95 on Sunday afternoon if you can help it.
Also Kittery Trading post just off 95 as you enter Maine is a great stop for the outdoor types.

Have fun, I’ll be taking the kids to Maine sometime in July

18

This may sound campy, but it is truly one thing that is almost solely native to New England anymore, ‘candlepin bowling’.

It’s bowling with small balls with funny shaped pins, and you don’t reset the pins between balls, meaning you have to make the most out of the ‘deadwood’ on the lanes.

Along the lines of campy, what I wouldn’t do to be able to ride the Astrosphere at Funtown again. Funtown was never a GREAT amusement park, but it was quaint and screamed New England. If you have a half a day, consider stopping by and playing their miniature golf, getting some fried dough (parmesan on mine please), and riding the astrosphere. http://www.funtownsplashtownusa.com/funtown/astrosphere.htm

I would also recommend Boothbay Harbor. It seems that a lot more people prefer Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park (the only national park in New England), but having grown up near Augusta, I remember enjoying Boothbay much more, between the constant tours, the small aquarium nearby (I seem to recall it was more of a research type institute that was open for visitors?), the smell of fudge being made, and the sounds of the gulls and the ocean.

Dammit, now you got me itching to go again. :frowning:

19

This is a VERY good point. It’s about a 9 hour drive from where I live - East Bay area of Rhode Island - which is also in New England. Maine is the largest of the New England States and its charms are somewhat scattered throughout the state. If you want to do much of New England, you might want to limit your time in Maine to the southern part of the state, such as York Beach and the places robz mentioned. If you really want to get into the Maine experience, though, go to Acadia/Bar Harbor. They have the big Maine accent there. Booth Bay and Camden are very nice and Maine-y too.

20

Newport, RI is a lovely town.

The best lobster places are the shacks on the side of the road. Run by the fishermen or their wives, and as simple and cheap as lobster can get.