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What to see in Maine? (Help plan my vacation!)

post #1 of 11
7/16/10 at 4:54am
Thread Starter 
So my bf and I, and his dog, are trying to plan a trip to Maine. We know we want to go to Acadia National Park, hike with the dog, maybe bike. We also want to go whale watching (where's a good place for that?) Maybe kayaking? - I've never done that before though, so I'd have to get some practice first. Anyway, other than that, we're pretty clueless - Any suggestions on what we should see?



Any direction would be much appreciated!!
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post #2 of 11
7/16/10 at 5:04am
The only reason I ever go to Maine is to go outlet shopping in Kittery or Freeport. So I recommend that. Otherwise, the state scares me. I prefer to stay in my southern corner of New England.
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post #3 of 11
7/16/10 at 5:26am
I went to the outlets as well over Independence Day weekend, since my father lives in York now. There is a lighthouse in York that is cool to check out. My father's wife also said something about ghost tours in York, but we didn't have time to check it out. Honestly, I have lived in New England all my life and I have only been to Maine a handful of times.
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post #4 of 11
7/16/10 at 6:18am
Um...the ocean? Seriously, I absolutely love the coast there. There are all sorts of rocky places, but Ogunquit is one of my faves, with lots of sand.

Acadia National Park is wonderful too, though I've only been once.



There are loads and loads of places to go hiking. You can even do the last bit of the Appalachian Trail if you wanted. Mt. Katahdin is in the middle of a nice State (maybe national?) park where you can see all sort of wildlife, including deer and moose (and occasionally, black bears).



I've not been to Maine in ages and ages. It's one of the places I hope to take my other half to someday as I play tour-guide to my own country.
The ones I pity are the ones who never stick out their neck for something they believe, never know the taste of moral struggle, and never have the thrill of victory. - Jonathan Kozol
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The ones I pity are the ones who never stick out their neck for something they believe, never know the taste of moral struggle, and never have the thrill of victory. - Jonathan Kozol
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post #5 of 11
7/16/10 at 6:34am
Bar Harbor is the coolest place! They have some great restaurants with veg/vegan options and at least one ice cream store that carries soy ice cream. There are lots of galleries, bars, and cool bed and breakfast inns. They have a great comedy club, too! We had a couples massage at a spa right on the water - after a day of hiking in Acadia, that's a marvelous way to unwind. I loved my visit there last summer - although it was dang chilly the whole time!
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post #6 of 11
7/16/10 at 10:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Semicharmed' date='16 July 2010 - 05:04 AM' timestamp='1279281886' post='2674458 View Post


The only reason I ever go to Maine is to go outlet shopping in Kittery or Freeport. So I recommend that. Otherwise, the state scares me. I prefer to stay in my southern corner of New England.





And why does Maine scare you, exactly?



...I agree, Freeport is a great place for shopping. I'd say stay around Portland, it's more for tourists than the rest of the state. If you're interested in other places, though, I'd say visit Hallowell and have lunch at the liberal cup. The food there is great, and it's got a good atmosphere. Other than that, the only place I can think of is the ocean. It's a wonderful state (I grew up in Maine. ), but there aren't a lot of attractions that I know of.
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post #7 of 11
7/16/10 at 11:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kaitlinann' date='16 July 2010 - 01:41 PM' timestamp='1279302095' post='2674582 View Post


And why does Maine scare you, exactly?



I guess I was just scarred by every visit I made to Maine (and they were frequent while I was growing up.) My father had a job in the marine fisheries business, and he was in Maine ALL the time. I traveled all up and down the Eastern seaboard with my father (I was homeschooled for a couple years so I did a LOT of traveling with family), and the people in Maine definitely left the most, uh, "memorable" impression.



The state itself was boring to the nth degree as well, for me. I suppose for people who don't have stunning shorelines in their hometowns the coast of Maine would definitely be pretty to look at... But I already live somewhere stunningly beautiful, so I was like, "Okay, lighthouses, rocky shores, blah blah blah, see that daily. Check. Next! What? What do you mean there's no "next"?!?! *sighs, stares at nothing for six hours, hopes for something like a homicidal rampage to break out to cure the boredom*"



I attended a camp there twice, and that was miserable as well, though that had less to do with it being Maine and a whole lot more to do with inept camp counselors.



I have to say, I like the Samoset Resort, though! We stayed there when my father had trade shows. It was lovely.
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post #8 of 11
7/16/10 at 5:47pm
Bar Harbor and Acadia National park are just awesome! In Bar Harbor make sure you check out Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium, absolutely the best ice cream I've had anywhere! The whole town is great. You can rent bikes or kayaks or whatever.



the beaces are fantastic, esp in the Southern part of the state. Long Sands in York has a massive beach when the tide is out. old Orchard and Ogunquit are great beaches too. Ogounquit is known for it's sizable LGBT population, so if that's a problem with your travel partner, just be aware.



Moosehead Lake in the middle of the state is beautiful. You can usually find cabins and campsites pretty cheaply. You will more than likely see a moose in the area, it's just loaded with them!



Portland is a great city, like a small Boston or a larger Portsmouth NH. Something for everyone, great food, beautiful harbor area.



I live in NH, but go to Maine often (I hate shopping and so does my wife, so I can't vouch for any of the shopping stuff). To me, Maine is def an "outdoors" state. I used to love the lobster up there, but no more!



Check out http://www.visitmaine.com/
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post #9 of 11
7/17/10 at 7:25am
Thread Starter 
THANK YOU for the suggestions! You have definitely given us some things to look into!!



I did a quick search for Bar Harbor soy ice cream and found the name of the place - CJ's. I definitely want to go there because I know I am going to have smell cooked, dead sealife the whole time and watch my bf chow on lobster, while I either scrounge for something on the menu or pull food out of my purse... I will be excited to have at least one thing that is specifically vegan



I did get some guides sent from that visitmaine site, but they're not very helpful. Just like a magazine of advertisements.
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post #10 of 11
7/17/10 at 5:53pm
Fitchick, not to worry about the diet. Maine is a little more modern than most give it credit for. There are plenty of veggie choices in Bar Harbor, portland, and most of the touristy areas. (I remember one place in Bar Harbor had vegan pancakes on the menu, before I even knew what that was! In Portland, stop in at Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro, great stuff! People are real helpful in the tourist towns, they'll point you in the right direction) But yeah, Maine is pretty well known for its seafood, so you'll def be smelling/seeing it!



Enjoy your trip!
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post #11 of 11
7/18/10 at 7:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whyworry' date='17 July 2010 - 08:53 PM' timestamp='1279414402' post='2675173 View Post


Fitchick, not to worry about the diet. Maine is a little more modern than most give it credit for. There are plenty of veggie choices in Bar Harbor, portland, and most of the touristy areas. (I remember one place in Bar Harbor had vegan pancakes on the menu, before I even knew what that was! In Portland, stop in at Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro, great stuff! People are real helpful in the tourist towns, they'll point you in the right direction) But yeah, Maine is pretty well known for its seafood, so you'll def be smelling/seeing it!



Enjoy your trip!



Thanks! Yeah, it's just trying to find a place that works for both of us, you know? We'll figure it out I'm sure.
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