Maine Vacation Planner

For those of you who are traveling to Maine for the first time planning your vacation can sometimes be a time-consuming endeavor.  In addition, it is really hard to choose what to see in one short week.  If you are short of time to plan your vacation then try the suggested one-week Maine vacation outlined below.

Start your trip by traveling along the coast of Maine.  Visit Portland, Freeport, Camden, Stonington, Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island.  Stay overnight in Portland, then choose between  Freeport, Boothbay Harbor, or Camden for your next night stay.  Stonington is also a possibility for an overnight stay followed by Mount Desert Island.  After visiting the coast head west and inland to Moosehead Lake.  Then south back to home.

Coastal Maine.

Portland.  You should stay at least one night in the Old Port Area of Portland on the waterfront.  Find a hotel in walking distance to the Old Port Area so you can dine and bar hop and then stroll back to your hotel.  The Holiday Inn on the Bay is a nice place - get a room facing the harbor.  Stay one night in Portland unless you want to take the ferry to one of the islands in Casco Bay - that will make it a two-day stay.  A nice island to visit is Peaks Island.

Freeport.  There is lots of shopping for the girlfriend or wife.  She hits the boutiques, gifts shops and clothing stores, and you spend time and money away from her in a manly fashion at L.L. Bean.  Make it up to her by dining at the Azure Cafe (pricy but good meals and she will love the atmosphere).  Two nice places to stay are the Hilton Garden Inn and Harraseeket Inn; however there is an abundance of Bed and Breakfast establishments and economy-minded motels.  Freeport is not just about shopping - Wolfe Neck Woods State Park is nearby as well as Bradbury Mountain State Park.  There is a small fishing / lobster boat harbor with a seafood restaurant.  This harbor gets crowded on weekends and you will find it tough to park on Sat and Sun.  There is plenty of parking in Freeport though.  To get to Freeport take Route 295 North out of Portland, Maine.  Get off at either exit 20 or 22.
http://www.travel-maine.info/city/freeport.htm.

Boothbay Harbor.  This small harbor town deserves a stay if you have the time.  Ensure you make reservations.

Camden is a small, coastal town with a fishing and pleasure boat  harbor.  You will pass through Camden on your way up the coast on Route 1.  Either stay over night or stop for lunch and a short stroll around town.  If you are in Camden for longer than a few hours then book yourself a trip on one of the windjammers sailing out of the harbor.  At the very least Camden is worth stopping for lunch and taking a few pictures.  Camden Hills State Park offers a nice view of the coast, town, and harbor.  A very pretty place.
http://www.travel-maine.info/city/camden.htm

Stonington is a very pretty working fishing village.  There are just a few restaurants and hotels in Stonington.  If you visit for a day trip you can see the whole place in a couple of hours but certainly it would be a pleasurable time staying overnight.  There are lots of small art galleries that support a small artist population.  If you plan on going overnight make a solid reservation.  You can take a boat and do a day trip to Isle au Haut - but if it is overnight you need reservations.  There are a couple of small inns on the Isle au Haut and a campground.  The state park on the southern tip of the island has a gorgeous hiking path along the ocean.  Reservations are a must on the campground.

Acadia National Park.  Visit Bar Harbor and stay overnight there.  Reservations are a must in the summer.  Climb Cadillac Mountain - an easy climb with a good view.  Do some kayaking or biking on the carriage trails.  Plenty of places to rent kayaks or bikes.  You can travel the Loop Road by bike or car for a small fee and view some spectacular scenery.

As you travel up the coast I would also pick out a lighthouse or historic fort to visit.  The Portland Headlight is very popular as is Fort Knox.

North, Central, and/or Western Maine.

Once done visiting the coast you now can start inland.  Visit Moosehead Lake, Mount Katahdin, and West Forks.  Lots of places to stay at Moosehead Lake.  Rent a canoe or do some kayaking.  You will definitely want to visit Baxter State Park (you will need reservations for camping overnight).  You will want to climb Mount Katahdin but only if you are in good physical shape and keep an eye on the weather.  You may see some moose in this area.  Do some whitewater rafting in the West Forks area.

Return Trip.

By this time your week in Maine is just about over and it is time to get home.  From the interior of Maine you can just drive straight home or stop off at Portland for one last night there.  If you drove up from Boston, New York or elsewhere Route 95 in NH and the Maine Turnpike can be crowded on a Sunday afternoon.  Get an early Sunday morning start or stay over until Monday morning.

Your one-week Maine vacation will be a quick trip, you won't see everything and you will no doubt want to come back!

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Maps of Maine

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