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New England vacation

S

stemikel

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Jul 31, 2020
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Planning to fly into Boston with the family mid August. We have spent plenty of time in southern New England. This time, we were thinking of traveling north through New Hampshire to Maine, and eventually to see Acadia national forest.

Any recommendations of places to visit? Any good places to eat? Any good places to stay? Any places to avoid?

Thanks in advance.
 
Acadia and the Bar Harbor area is very scenic… hiking, canoeing, etc.. Check out Portsmouth NH on your way up - used to live downtown / Riverhouse for seafood chowder I’d best in NE IMHO. Hot lobster rolls at Row 34 are great also
 
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Portland itself is a fine place to spend a day. Lots of history and weird-Maine stuff and great food. Take the kids swimming at Old Orchard Beach. Try not to freeze your balls. Bar Harbor/Mt. Desert Isle is worth the time. Rent bikes, ride the carriage roads. Take an overnight sea kayak if you have time. The farther down east you go, the less intelligible the language until you get down around Machias at which point you’ll need an interpreter. The lakes north of Portland have an endless supply of of Loons to listen to, cold beer, and lazy days. Naples, for example. If you have time and interest, a canoe trip on one of the many rivers is an iconic ME thing to do. A few days on the St. Croix or Allagash will get you WAY out in the boons. Head east to North Conway and hike or rock climb.

Have fun. It’s a unique place.
 
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Everything mentioned above are worth checking out. Been there done that but then again that's were I am from. What I did not see listed was Campobello Island (technically not in Maine, look it up and you will see what I mean) or East Quoddy Head Lighthouse. Worth checking out. My nephew actually good engaged at the latter, beautiful area.

As for needing an interpreter when you hit Machias, hum not so much. Lots of good folks up there. We don't mind so much when people "from away", just as long as they go home after they visit (and stop dropping non native southern large mouth bass in some of the best small mouth bass lakes in the country).

I hope you have a great time. :)
 
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Faronth said:
As for needing an interpreter when you hit Machias, hum not so much. Lots of good folks up there.
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I definitely didn’t say downeasters aren’t good folks. It’s just that dialect is damn hard to understand at times. It can be a salty brogue.
 
Thanks for the replies. Tagging @pmclaine . I’ve seen a lot of your photos of New England. Any advice?
 
Flume Gorge is really cool. The Kancamagas Highway, is a beautiful scenic route through The White Mountains. You could also drive or take the cog railway to the top of Mt. Washington. North Conway is a wonderful little town very close to Mt. Washington with great places to eat.
 
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When we were in Portland 5-6 years ago it had the best restaurants per sf of any place I’d been.

Everyone was fantastic.

Mail boat ride had some great WWII history.

My view right now

image.jpg
 
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Portland has a great food scene. Just drive up Rt1 and enjoy the drive. Don’t be in a hurry and stop in the small towns along the coast.

Hiking acadia is great. Get up way earlier than any person should and drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain to watch the sunris.

acadiamagic.com

Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park

Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, at 1,530 feet (466 meters), is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard and the first place to view sunrise in the United States from October 7 through March 6. It is one of over 20 mountains on Mount Desert Island, Maine formed by tectonic...
acadiamagic.com
 
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Seaweed and Co. In Portland for all the things you never knew could be made of and with seaweed.
Standard Baking Co. Also in Portland for the best Croissant I’ve ever had outside of Paris.
 
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Thing about Portland….when you ate in the port area it is like being in the USA.

Get outside…last time I was there I thought I was back in Liberia.

There is a fantastic private owned military museum there South Portland military museum or something- great place.
 
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101st said:
Flume Gorge is really cool. The Kancamagas Highway, is a beautiful scenic route through The White Mountains. You could also drive or take the cog railway to the top of Mt. Washington. North Conway is a wonderful little town very close to Mt. Washington with great places to eat.
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Mount Washington is great! You can also go see the Old Man Of the Mountain memorial rubble pile!

Sirhr
 
OREGUN said:
I definitely didn’t say downeasters aren’t good folks. It’s just that dialect is damn hard to understand at times. It can be a salty brogue.
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No worries I did not take it in a bad way. When I get home and have a few beers the accent returns full force. Kind of like my wife's Mississippi speak. Now thats something hard to understand! ;-)
 
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I love Maine! I’d stay out of Portland as much as possible but I do enjoy hanging out on the rocks below Portland ahead light and just walking the grounds around there. Early morning is best. A good place to eat there is Demillo’s on the water. Their lobster Mac and cheese is some of the best I’ve ever had.

The foot bridge beach is fantastic if you get that far. I can’t recommend any place in Acadia National forest over any other to be honest as it’s all great but I’d say you should at least do a sunrise at Cadillac Mountain and then make sure to spend some time in Bar Harbor. Jordan’s Restaurant in Bar Harbor has an excellent breakfast and great staff.

Mt. Washington in NH is a must imo. Honestly i coukd talk about stuff for days...need to go back as it’s been at least 6 years since I have been there last.
 
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TheBigCountry said:
Rockport/Camden is pretty. Good hiking in the area. Good eats in town there as well. Kittery Trading Post and LL Bean are always cool to stop into.
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Camden was my 4th and final HS. Was a different place then, but its still beautiful. Many friends there still, as it's only a 15-20 min drive.
 
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You won't be in Maine until you're north of Portland. Everything south of there has been bought up by out of staters. It sucks. With taht said... hit up Congdons Donut Shop in Wells, ME for some of the best breakfast sandwhiches and donuts. Damn good food.
 
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phantasm said:
You won't be in Maine until you're north of Portland. Everything south of there has been bought up by out of staters. It sucks. With taht said... hit up Congdons Donut Shop in Wells, ME for some of the best breakfast sandwhiches and donuts. Damn good food.
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This is very true! Tend to stay north of Bangor myself.
 
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sirhrmechanic said:
Last time I saw it:

View attachment 8150834


And all after they made their state quarter all 'Old Man of the Mountain."

Sort of sad. But gravity always wins.

Personally, I think cats knocked it down.

Sirhr
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I remember seeing it for the first time, I was about 8, it was completely intact at that time. Last time seeing it was around 2000 and it was all cabled up. Now just a pile of rocks. Wow. Thanks for the update.
 
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AMGtuned said:
Camden was my 4th and final HS. Was a different place then, but its still beautiful. Many friends there still, as it's only a 15-20 min drive.
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I went to school in Unity and bummed around on a buddies dairy farm in Thorndike. Also dated a girl who lived in Rockport and who’s family owned a farm out there. Beautiful land, still miss it. Turned down a job with the Warden Service there to be a jarhead lol.

There used to be a topless coffee shop that was burnt down “mysteriously” and was re-opened as a tent. Wil never forget the sign out front “come in to see all of our different cup sizes”.

OP; take a trip to Waterville and hit up Big G’s Deli. Some of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had and the Whoopie Pies too, phenomenal.
 
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Bar Harbor/Acadia is nice, but mid-August there will be lot's of toursists. If you want to get away from the crowds, try the Southwest Harbor area
 
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As trying to remember where we were at last time through that was like walking back in time, literally. It seemed like a poor old town but the land as beautiful and it looked literally like time has stood still since the 1950’s. Pretty wild. The people were nice but a little strange. Obviously avoid Ben & Jerry’s. Haha
 
What is Maine like north of Bar Harbor? Is there anything worth checking out that way?
 
stemikel said:
What is Maine like north of Bar Harbor? Is there anything worth checking out that way?
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If you like hiking then Mt. Katahdin is like central north Maine but there isn’t much out there and some of those areas get pretty remote. We have been all the way up into St. John and Halifax etc. Peggy’s Cove was kind of cool. Just depends on what you like. I’ve learned that a lot of times the first time I go to places is like research to find out what I really want to do/see the next time.
 
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stemikel said:
What is Maine like north of Bar Harbor? Is there anything worth checking out that way?
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When going to Bangor there is a fantastic museum of Americana right at intersection of 95 and the road that takes you to Bar Harbor.

Can’t miss the Huey and tank out front.

Proprietor was the owner of a trucking company.

Prior to that he was a replacement in the ETO.

He was an infantryman assigned to a half track on an armored division.

He had been sitting in the half track in his customary seat when a vet that had been wounded returned and said that was his seat, could he have it back.

He gave it up.

That day or soon after an 88 took out that whole side of the track.

Some fantastic vehicles in that museum. Lots of mil stuff of course.

I made a post about it a few years ago had to go up that way for a federal case.

Many years ago went north of Bangor to Fort Kent just to see what’s up there.

It’s beautiful but rural.

This is not their season snow and snow machines is their season.
 
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SilentStalkr said:
If you like hiking then Mt. Katahdin is like central north Maine but there isn’t much out there and some of those areas get pretty remote. We have been all the way up into St. John and Halifax etc. Peggy’s Cove was kind of cool. Just depends on what you like. I’ve learned that a lot of times the first time I go to places is like research to find out what I really want to do/see the next time.
Click to expand...
Hike the Knife Edge trail on Katahdin or don’t bother.
 
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stemikel said:
What is Maine like north of Bar Harbor? Is there anything worth checking out that way?
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More than half of Maine is North of Bar Harbor. Lol. It's East, that you're limited in distance from there.

The entire peninsula that BH is on, is very nice. Couple really unique bridges if you go the right way.
 
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Can you press on to Quebec City? As much as we like to shit on Canada around here, it’s a really cool city. And gives a reason to go deep north.
 
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OREGUN said:
Can you press on to Quebec City? As much as we like to shit on Canada around here, it’s a really cool city. And gives a reason to go deep north.
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The fishing and hunting around Ft. Kent/Eagle Lake is plenty reason to go North, and NOT cross the border
 
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New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford - must see cities. Super safe - don't need to lock your car. Lots of really nice folks - just hanging out on their door steps. And some beautiful 'street art' to take in - bring your own spray paint to create your own. You could spend a week in each city, there is so much to see and do. The memories are waiting!
 
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be welcome to the pro communist north eastern controlled states all are welcome all are welcome you can enter any time you like , but you'll never leave lol
 
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AMGtuned said:
The fishing and hunting around Ft. Kent/Eagle Lake is plenty reason to go North, and NOT cross the border
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I stayed at a place called Lakeside in St Agatha or someplace like that.

I got up there and had no idea where to stay so dude at the Lakeview said set the tent up and come on in the restaurant for food and drink.

Sweet place.
 
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OREGUN said:
Can you press on to Quebec City? As much as we like to shit on Canada around here, it’s a really cool city. And gives a reason to go deep north.
Click to expand...
probably not. I don't have passports for the kids.
 
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