MAINE COAST Sea Towns, National Parks, Whale Watching and much much more!!
Written: Aug 30 '02 (Updated Aug 26 '08)
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Pros: A great state with a whole lotta wonderful coastline. Interior too!
Cons: So big I have never gotten too far inland.
The Bottom Line: If you love Nature, Seafood Dining, Boating and shopping Maine is the place!
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Maine |
This review had first been written partially about whale watching in Maine. I have since moved that part of this review to another link that can be found at the end of this piece.
So here is my epinion of Maine.
IT'S INCREDIBLE !!
I'll tell you about a few of my favorite places in a sort of overview.
I have been going up to Maine for the last thirty two years with my wife. We first "discovered" its coast and wonderful sites on our first vacation alone after our honeymoon. We drove up Interstate 95 "looking for adventure and whatever came our way." That sounds like it could be some good words for a song. Hey, my wife and I were "Born to be Wild" Ha, enough of that already.
Anyways, I have always been one for studying National Parks and I read of one up on the Maine Coast. Its name is Acadia National Park. We headed north to that destination.
Now to really try and see some of the Maine coast you have to travel up rt 1 and then detour to the many hundreds of towns along the coast. We did do that though we saw maybe ten and not the hundreds. What we saw was amazing and I continue to learn so much more of it in the 35 years we have been traveling there. The Maine coast has many towns that are both interesting and fun to visit.
OLD ORCHARD BEACH
A place I couldn't forget about in the southern Maine coast is Old Orchard Beach. We have stopped there a couple of times for an overnight stay on our way back south from Acadia Park. It's a family fun town with an amusement park and you can find some cheap places to eat and stay if you search it out. I like the feel and safety of this small seaside town. My kids have loved it over the years.
PORTLAND
One town or rather city we recently visited, November 2004, is Portland Maine. The downtown area of Old Port is a wonderful area full of fine restaurants, local breweries, all kinds of shops, and many destinations right on the docks. It also has a couple of wonderful museums. I was amazed at the Portland Museum of Art. It recently had an new addition added and the works in there surprised me. Many of America's early artists like Homer, Church, and Cole are displayed along with their contemporaries like MC, Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth. The nearby Children's Museum looked fine and I have read it it exceptional. This one I never made it to.
While in the Old Port area take a four mile drive to what is known as America's most photographed lighthouse. It's the Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth. It's well worth the fifteen-twenty minute ride.
FREEPORT
I am from Freeport NY. I naturally had to visit Freeport Maine. This is a mecca of shopping outlets. You name it and it's here including the LL Bean Store. I purchased a great pair of western boots here for just twenty bucks about twenty five years ago. I still have them and they still fit!!
We did get a picture of ourselves with the huge "Freeport Welcomes You" sign.
Did you know there is a desert in Maine. Yes there is, sand dunes and all!! Be sure to stop by the Desert of Maine in the Freeport area. It's an area that, due to an ice age that happened well before I really remember, dumped a "buncha of sand" around, well maybe its sand. It really is quite a neat thing to see and worth the time to visit it.
YORK
This place was recently "discovered" by my wife and me. We were there in the off season so we don't know how busy the small town with magnificent beaches gets in the summer. It does have a zoo and an amusement park that will attract families but we found it to be a romantic laid back scene in April. The beaches are just across the street from the many hotels, inns, B&Bs and restaurants.
The nearby Nubble Light is also a fantastic subject for picture taking. We may be stopping here for a couple of days before continuing on to Bar Harbor. The distance is perfect for us coming from Long Island.
BOOTHBAY HARBOR
On the way up to Acadia we have had wonderful overnights in the town of Booth Bay Harbor. If you ever saw the film Popeye with Robin Williams you would think this place was the set for the movie. It has that feeling. It's a nice little town with many shops and restaurants and a wonderful lobster feast. We take a boat ride to a place called Cabbage Island for about thirty-five dollars a person, yup for $35.00, you get a lobster feast. This includes the thirty minute boat ride that is sure to find harbor seals and other wildlife.
Each person gets two, thats right, two 1 1/4 pound lobsters, a boiled egg, (this is some kind of way to let you know the lobsters are cooked just right), an ear of corn, and a whole lotta steamers. There's even more included, see the review. There are many tour and whale watching companies all up and down the coast.
This town of Booth Bay also has a old "candlepin bowling" alley where the balls fit into the palm of your hand and the ten-pins are slim, thin objects that are fun to try and knock down. Score keeping is a bit different than regular bowling but nothing very difficult to pick up. The family will enjoy this. One thing to look out for in this town is is a busy ice cream shop in the middle of town. you can't miss it for the lines out the door. Helpful Hint, "Never try lobster ice cream!"
BELFAST
Many times if we are making a straight run to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor we will take the Maine Turnpike north and get off onto rt 3 in Augusta. Taking this to the coast takes you through a few small towns. One of the places you will pass is Belfast. Look for Perry's Nut House. This is about an hour or so before the park area so it's a good place for a quick rest stop. The kids will love it. There are few places that I could use the word unique. This is one of them. Once again the kids will love it and bring a camera for an obligatory picture or two outside. Hey, if you like nuts add another star. Oh, be sure to open the outhouse door in the back of the store. Better yet have one of the kids do it.
This is also a good place to stay overnight if you don't want to pay the more expensive rate of Bar Harbor for the night. Coming from Long Island it takes us about ten or eleven hours with leisurely rest stops and gas fill ups.
We have driven up this far, enjoyed Perry's, had a good dinner at one of the many family restaurants right on Rt 3 in Belfast, stayed at one of the motels with a pool, and had an early start to Acadia and Bar Harbor the next morning feeling refreshed after a good nights sleep.
In Belfast and just around the corner from Perry's Nut House is Young's Lobster Pound. We have eaten there at least three times to get our first Maine Lobster fix. Watch the pricing!
BAR HARBOR
This is part of out Maine destination every one or two years. Bar Harbor is a great little seaside town that is a perfect partner to Acadia National Park. The town has shops, restaurants, and all kinds sea tours and whale watching available. We love dining and eating in town. The fare is diverse as the amount of shops in town. There are many and they are fun to shop in. Take this from a guy who HATES shopping.
We have been out whale watching three times on the Friendship V. We have seen dozens of whales, and have seen them up close!! I did write a review that is an off shoot of this original review that contained a lot about our experience. Find the link below.
We have also gone sailing on a four masted schooner, looked for bald eagles and other wildlife on Naturalist Cruises, and went out on a lobster boat that was just for the enjoyment and education for us travelers. the naturalist on this little one brought up traps and explained, showed, and passed around the live treasures found on the ocean and bay floors. This was a pretty interesting tour.
The island where Bar harbor is also has two small Oceanariums, a zoo, many beautiful gardens, and a very interesting tour of the Jackson Labs that is known world wide for its genetic studies in mice.
Bar Harbor has many hotels, motels, B&B's and Inns. Reservations are a good idea in the summer. There are many campgrounds on the island too.
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK
This is our reason for going up to Maine so often. This is unlike most of the rest of the Maine Coast. This is known as "Where the Mountains Meet the Sea".
This is a glorious park that is extremely diverse. It is the first place in eastern United States where the sun is seen. This up on top of Cadillac Mountain. We have been up there for sunrise and biked down the mountain afterward. What a great experience that was. Otter cliffs is the highest shear cliffs between Canada and half the South American coast.
Sand Beach is special in that if you look closely at the sand you will discover that most of it is really finely crushed pink and white seashells.
The carriage paths of Acadia are wonderful to take a horse drawn ride on or a bicycle ride. These paths go up mountains and along lakes. The scenery is beautiful.
If you like hiking this is a great place. There are hundreds of trails and places to discover. You can find truly quiet places in this park. Hey maybe you will even be be very lucky and see a moose. There are about six or eight on the island at any given time.
If you like a little bit more excitement then climb a mountain. You can get lessons from one of the training places in town and they will take you out. There are also many kayak rental and bike rental places in town. Canoes can be had too.
There are a couple of more difficult hikes that have rails and ladders that are a lot of fun but you must use caution. The "Bee Hive", a like shaped mountain near Sand Beach is a favorite. This was my test after my knee replacement. I knew I had to climb it again and with the bad knee and walking with a cane I missed a few climbs that my oldest 28 year old son took my younger girls on. This year I was able to climb it with them again!!! There is a bit more challenging "Precipice" that is also overlooking the ocean. Ha, my wife insisted I leave well enough alone and would not let me climb it.
Just sitting on the old worn down granite rocks along the coast is like nowhere else. Go out on the east side for the warm glow of the sun in the morning or find some isolated rocks on the west for that late evening sunset.
I love this park and there is so much more I could tell you. I haven't even scratched the surface. We were at a campfire sing-a-long in one of the National park campgrounds a couple of nights ago. The ranger asked how many people have been to Acadia before. Most people raised their hands. Acadia National park is that kind of park. Once you have been there, you are hooked. You go back time and time again.
Try it some time. You will be hooked on Maine and Acadia Park too!!
This last week brought me up to Presque Isle, Maine. It's a small town with the University of Maine Presque Isle campus. It's a pretty nice place. We stayed in the Presque Isle Inn and Convention center, a place I can recommend.
Update, November 2004: I just recently "discovered" Portland Maine as another wonderful place to stop over on you way up to Maine's other attractions.
So get out a map, check out some of the places I mentioned and then look at how much Maine still has to offer. It's a vacationers paradise.
other reviews in Maine by popsrocks
Bar Harbor What a great seaside town!! Links to Restaurants and things to do.
Acadia National Park My favorite place in the world!
Carriage Rides in Acadia National Park
Whale Watching from Bar Harbor
The Improvacadia, ME
The Cromwell Harbor Motel
Ocean Drive Motor Court A comfortable place to stay just outside Bar Harbor
The Jordan Pond House A wonderful restaurant right in Acadia Park
MAINE, great coastal towns and so much more.
A Canadian side trip from Maine's Acadia National Park
Hopewell Rocks, Canada
Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center.
Portland Maine Definitely worth a look on your way up to more of Maine.
Portland Museum of Art
Portland Head Light
Howard Johnson's Hotel, Portland
Portland Restaurants
DiMillo's Floating Restaurant
Street & Co. Excellent Creations in an interesting neighborhood.
Ri Ra's Portland A really fun and fine place to have dinner or put down a few.
Up the coast a bit.
Ellsworth, Maine "Gateway To Acadia National Park?"
Freeport, Maine
Freeport's Desert of Maine
Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster A Freeport, Maine obligatory stop. Good food but overrated.
The Landing Restaurant
Boothbay Harbor
The Rocktide Inn Boothbay Harbor
Farnsworth Art Museum & Wyeth Center
Comfort Inn Belfast, Maine
Young's Lobster Pound, Belfast, Maine
Fort Knox Just twenty five minutes from Perry's Nut House
Back South in Old Orchard Beach
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Palace Playland
York, Maine
Ogunquit, Maine
New Hampshire's Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
MY favorite Map.
American Map Road Atlas: Large Scale - Large Type
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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