Hi all!
My Ds18 and I are taking a 5 day trip to Maine soon and we only decided to go yesterday!
We will be flying into Manchester, NH and then renting a car. I’ve decided that because of the short notice etc to more or less save Bar Harbor/Acadia for a separate trip because I really want to fully enjoy that, but otherwise I’m pretty open.
This is what I am considering:
Trip duration is M-F.
We fly in and land Monday around 9:30 AM.
Driving to the Camden area and staying there as a “home base” for three nights.
-hiking, shopping, exploring from that area
-best things to do/see?
Then early Thursday driving back to Portland and having all day Thursday, Thursday night and a good part of Friday in Portland before we fly out of Manchester at like 8 PM on Friday.
Off balance?
More time in one place and less in another?
Totally open to all advice and thoughts.
Basics:
We have from around 10 AM Monday to around 8 PM Friday.
We have a rental car.
We will want to do some active stuff.
I’m not a huge crowds person.
We love to eat local food when we travel.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas.
Thanks!
Head over to Rockland and visit the Farnsworth museum, and enjoy the celebration Andrew Wyeth’s 100th Birthday. The downtown is fun to explore, with many shops and great restaurants.
Kayaking, whale watching, light houses, Boothbay Botanical Garden (lovely setting and walk around even for a young male) http://www.mainegardens.org/ , Popham Beach and/or Reid State Park then a meal at Five Islands Lobster in Georgetown, climb Mount Battie for views of Camden harbor, pop into LL Bean while going by Freeport. Portsmouth NH is worth exploring for at least a few hours while driving by in one direction.
Between Manchester and Camden are some cool spots, if you can stop along the way or come back that way. Portsmouth is worth walking around or taking a city walking tour. Stop in Ogunquit, park at Perkins Cove and hike the Marginal Way to the beach.
Thank you! I am going to write all this down (and then study a map of Maine to order them travel-wise.)
Please keep the suggestions coming!
So happy I get to spend time with DS18 like this before he starts his freshman year at college!
Make your lodging reservations NOW. This is peak tourist season there…so that might be a challenge.
On your way to or from Camden…if you like pie…stop at Moody’s Diner.
Rockland.
Entertainersmom, I was just at the Farnsworth and loved the Wyeth 100th exhibit.
Google where to kayak and what conveniences some offer. Some transport you from an easy location to the water, depending.
Weekdays, the touristy crowd thing is much less than weekends. Rockland’s not bad. Camden is, ime, generally more touristy. Ime, Boothbay can be worse, if tourist busses are in town.
Thank you for this feedback! I haven’t booked lodging yet so I will check out Rockland (or Rockport?)
IMO, there is a reason Boothbay and Camden seem more touristy - they are smaller first of all, but more picturesque and quaint.
In the Boothbay Harbor region, here are some oceanfront places at different price points I’d recommend looking into. Great settings all around with less tourist foot traffic than being right in town since you will have a car.
https://newagenseasideinn.com/
http://www.sprucepointinn.com/
http://www.oceanpointinn.com/
Oh, and are you going to visit Bates, Colby, and/or Bowdoin while in Maine? 
Freeport is home to the LL Bean store (which is fun if you’re into that) as well as other shopping.
If you head a bit North, the art museum at Colby is quite nice. Portland has very good restaurants. It really depends on what you’re into. (My family would be ho hum about everything I mentioned and simply want to hike or kayak! )
The Camden area isn’t something I know well, alas. Camden is cute, and packed on many summer days. (Well, packed for Maine!) I’d strongly advise flying into Portland instead of Manchester, if you can.
What do the two of you really want to do? If you are more into hiking and kayaking and the like, you might want to consider the Rangely area or the Kezar Lake area instead of Camden, splitting your time with Portland.
Camden Hills state park, definitely, for a good hour’s hike to the most popular lookout. Can’t beat the view! I love the drive south from Damariscotta on rt 130, stop for lunch supplies at Reilly’s store in New Harbor, continue down to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse to enjoy the view, have your lunch, linger on the cliffs and return to route 1 via rt 32. Very pretty rural drive, good roads. Rt 32 again brings you to Moody’s Diner which someone mentioned above. North of Rockport/Rockland the bridge with viewing platform, accessible with elevator, Verona Island I think. Searsport also picturesque. Really can’t go wrong in any small town on the coast. Portland has an amazing network of in-town-trails (check out trails.org). Reed State Park, Popham for beaches, both close to Bath. Bath itself worth at least a drive through the part north side of route 1, old beautiful homes worth a stroll either on foot or by car. Old Orchard Beach half hour drive south from Portland. Not quaint, very touristy, but nice at sunset, with the amusement park right on the beach. I live in Portland area, love it!
LL Bean in Freeport has some fun outdoor activities, check out their schedule on their website, under outdoor discovery schools
We have stayed at CAMDEN RIVERHOUSE HOTEL AND INN
It’s right in downtown Camden. It’s a family owned place…sort of funky but very convenient and comfortable. It’s within walking distance of the downtown, the waterfront area, restaurants, and the like.
Call them for the best rates. They say to do that…and we have always found the prices to be less calling than by booking online.
our family has a summer house in Maine (but we were born there, so we are technically not from “away”)
if you don’t like crowds, you might prefer the Footbridge beach in Ogunquit to the touristy bustle of Perkins Cove. Further up the coast you could stop at the Rachel Carson preserve and walk through the woods to the shoreline.
Bath has the Maine Maritime Museum, which is off the beaten path but nice for a rainy day. If you are in Portland, you may as well go see the Cape Elizabeth light and …the tower in the city.@woodlum help! it’s the observatory? weather tower? anyway, I think you can still go up in it and enjoy the view of the bay. And Portland food is awesome, just pick a place .
Bring sunscreen, and mosquito repellant…
@greenbutton, yes it’s Portland Observatory. Go stroll on Eastern Promenade right before sunset, or hike around Back Cove (1 h walk), that trail has connection to the downtown waterfront.
If you want a hike, also Owls Head Lighthouse, outside Rockland, which is a hike up the hill and beautiful views. Or take a day trip from Port Cylde to Monhegan Island, artsy and rustic.
One of the reasons we chose the Rockland area was to get north enough to miss the most touristy spots, the easy drive from, say, NYC. But have to admit, I was recently in Kennebunk and liked it much, quaint. And the beach in Wells is something to see My issue with that area, especially Ogunquit, is traffic on Rt 1 can be a bear. Or worse. You need to time it.
And so can be traffic up Rt 1 from Rockland/Rockport into Camden.
I do suspect most B&B’s may already be booked. Tripadvisor may be your friend.
We have rented a house in York Harbor, Maine for 4 years. It is beautiful. There is a sandy cove beach. If you walk in one direction you can hike/walk the cliff walk and the other direction is the Fisherman’s trail to the wiggly bridge (easy). There is kayaking. Or a short ride to Mount Agamenticus for more difficult hiking. Great ice cream at Dunne’s (by the Nubble Lighthouse). Close to Portland and Portsmouth. Quick drive Freeport. We love it there.
Thanks for all the input! So this is what I’m thinking for our itinerary. Given only four nights and going to and from NH airport, I’m ditching Portland in favor of two smaller Maine experiences.
I was thinking (loosely)-
•arrive Manchester and on the road by around 10:30 AM
•stop at Freeport if we are going to
•get lunch- lobster rolls
•stop at Gelato Fiasco in Brunswick (was just in Oprah magazine- fate?)
•head over to Camden- using 295 to avoid Rte 1
Camden/Rockland (Monday late afternoon into Wed Morning)-
•hike Camden State Park (Mt Battie, Lake Megunticook overlook)
•hike Rockland Breakwater Light
•schooner sunset trip
•possibly Farnsworth museum
Wednesday AM
Still working out this part- ultimate goal is to end up at Ogunquit for Wed night to Friday.
•Drive down Rte 1.
•stop at Owl’s Head Lighthouse?
•Lunch at Wiscasset or along there at a recommended spot- Moody’s Diner or
•stop at Cape Elizabeth and have lunch there? I hear Two Lights is great.
•end up at Ogunquit, hopefully late afternoon, having meandered along the way
During time in Ogunquit:
•Marginal Walk
•Perkins Cove
•Beach time
•Kennebunkport- Ocean Avenue and Walker’s Point or take a Lobster Boat ride
Friday-
Early afternoon- head back to the Manchester, NH area.
Car needs to be back around 7 PM to the airport.