Going back to Maine this summer!

[darthmacho]

:woohoo:

Okay, so my WDW plans were a bust this year, so we decided that staying home all summer while waiting and saving for next year would be prudent. The only problem was that this plan really didn't sit well with me at all. Therefore, we decided another New England trip would be the way to go!

I'll be honest. With the exception of WDW, I could happily make a lifetime out of summer trips around New England, and if forced to narrow it further, NH or ME would suit me just fine.

We decided on Old Orchard Beach, ME, which narrowly beat out our other options, the White Mountains, NH and Mystic, CT. If I had the time and money, I'd visit all three!

Unfortunately, due to a late start and a variety of other issues, we weren't able to get into a prime spot near the beach, but we booked a delightful looking hotel in nearby Biddeford. This is good because we actually only plan on spending one or two of our six days (weather permitting) on the beach anyway. What the hotel lacks in character, it makes up for in convenience and amenities, not to mention I got a $40 a night government discount!

:vacation: Aside from the beach, famous pier, and nearby amusement parks, we are considering a whale watch :whale:, a Portland Sea Dogs baseball game, the Portland Children's museum, and Maine Wildlife Park as options. I'm also hoping to stop by York on the way home to visit the Nubble Lighthouse for sentimental reason. (We went there last summer.)

I can't wait to start making more concrete plans. Only 8 weeks to go!

Anyway, sorry for this rambling post, but I got kinda excited after thinking that we'd be home all summer. :joy:

Tell me what you think!:crab:

[dolphinmickey9170]

Isn't that funny, we are going to ME in July to OOB and staying in Biddeford as well.....with Intercot friends, DWHUBBY and DisneyWhirled. Great choices. Hope you have a blast!! Have a red hot dog for me. You should check out the Portland Headlight in Cape Elizabeth, it's an awesome lighthouse you see pictures of all over the place.

[Dsnygirl]

:thumbsup: Your plans sound awesome... we are headed to Maine this summer, too!! :cloud9: We usually spend a week up off of Brunswick on Orr's Island, with an overnight stop on the way there in York, my "home away from home". (grew up going there every summer -- but our cabanas on the rocks overlooking the Nubble are long gone... :( ... and we lived in Nashua, NH for 6 years, so we were there as often as we could be -- I miss that!!)
But, we decided to take the girls on a longer trip to Disney this year in December, so we gave up our week in heaven for another week in the same, just a totally different kind of week!
But, like you, staying home all summer didn't feel right, so we're doing a 3-night/4-day trip to York, staying at the Katahdin Inn on York Beach. (The big yellow farmhouse overlooking the beach, on the right as you're at the beach - you should try it sometime, the prices can't be beat - even in-season, their rooms are $129/night -- off-season, they drop as low as $69!!)

Anyway - I hope you guys have a terrific time... we haven't been to OOB yet, but someday hope to visit it! :)

[GrumpySue]

Wow, we are going to Maine too 4th of July week. We are staying in Kennbunkport at the Cabot Cove Cottages and both my brothers have rented homes nearby with their families. We do this every year - we had a house in Maine growing up and spent a lot of time there. It is really beautiful up there. We also visited the White Mountains in NH this past winter for the first time, and I'm sure we'll be back - it was great.

[darthmacho]

Isn't that funny, we are going to ME in July to OOB and staying in Biddeford as well.....with Intercot friends, DWHUBBY and DisneyWhirled. Great choices. Hope you have a blast!! Have a red hot dog for me. You should check out the Portland Headlight in Cape Elizabeth, it's an awesome lighthouse you see pictures of all over the place.

I'm a bit obsessed with lighthouses right now after our visit to the Nubble Last year, so Portland Headlight is on the top of my "must do" list. It's my goal to visit every lighthouse in NE in my lifetime.

We'll be visiting Portland at some point, so stopping by the lighthouse should be easy to fit in.

Thanks for the reply. Enjoy your trip too! :crab:

[darthmacho]

:thumbsup: Your plans sound awesome... we are headed to Maine this summer, too!! :cloud9: We usually spend a week up off of Brunswick on Orr's Island, with an overnight stop on the way there in York, my "home away from home". (grew up going there every summer -- but our cabanas on the rocks overlooking the Nubble are long gone... :( ... and we lived in Nashua, NH for 6 years, so we were there as often as we could be -- I miss that!!)
But, we decided to take the girls on a longer trip to Disney this year in December, so we gave up our week in heaven for another week in the same, just a totally different kind of week!
But, like you, staying home all summer didn't feel right, so we're doing a 3-night/4-day trip to York, staying at the Katahdin Inn on York Beach. (The big yellow farmhouse overlooking the beach, on the right as you're at the beach - you should try it sometime, the prices can't be beat - even in-season, their rooms are $129/night -- off-season, they drop as low as $69!!)

Anyway - I hope you guys have a terrific time... we haven't been to OOB yet, but someday hope to visit it! :)

When we visited York last year, I thought to myself that I could easily make it a "home away from home," so I can totally understand your love for it.

I couldn't get enough of the Nubble myself. The thought of a room overlooking it sounds exciting. Some day I'd like to stay at the Anchorage (We had to stay next door at the Sea Latch because we got a late start with our plans last year too) so that I can have a balcony overlooking the beach and the Nubble in the distance.


Thanks for the reply, and enjoy your visit. :vacation:

[darthmacho]

Wow, we are going to Maine too 4th of July week. We are staying in Kennbunkport at the Cabot Cove Cottages and both my brothers have rented homes nearby with their families. We do this every year - we had a house in Maine growing up and spent a lot of time there. It is really beautiful up there. We also visited the White Mountains in NH this past winter for the first time, and I'm sure we'll be back - it was great.

I haven't been to Kennebunk, but we might take in a whale watch out of there, so maybe it will be our first visit.

I can't wait to go to the White Mountains in the fall or winter some day. All my visits have been in the summer. I love New England! :whale:

[Tinkerfreak]

I'm so happy to hear that you guys love Maine and I want to welcome you to my wonderful state.:) We live 20 minutes from Brunswick and my DH builds and remodels houses on all the islands in Harpswell Orr's and Bailey Islands as well as Cundy's Harbor. No matter how many times I see the coast of Maine it is just as beautiful every time. I hope you all have a wonderful time here.

[chick20679]

I'm so happy to hear that you guys love Maine and I want to welcome you to my wonderful state.:) We live 20 minutes from Brunswick and my DH builds and remodels houses on all the islands in Harpswell Orr's and Bailey Islands as well as Cundy's Harbor. No matter how many times I see the coast of Maine it is just as beautiful every time. I hope you all have a wonderful time here.


Agreed! :D
Hope everyone has great vacations in 'vacationland'!!
We've had beautiful weather lately, and although the ocean is still abit cold, it's starting to warm enough to actually go IN.

Please, let us Mainers know if you need any help in your travel planning. :thumbsup:


See ya real soon!

[Dsnygirl]

I'm so happy to hear that you guys love Maine and I want to welcome you to my wonderful state.:) We live 20 minutes from Brunswick and my DH builds and remodels houses on all the islands in Harpswell Orr's and Bailey Islands as well as Cundy's Harbor. No matter how many times I see the coast of Maine it is just as beautiful every time. I hope you all have a wonderful time here.
Hmmm.... I'll have to keep you guys in mind if we ever get a chance to build on my mom's land in York... :cloud9:


We've had beautiful weather lately, and although the ocean is still abit cold, it's starting to warm enough to actually go IN.

:laughing: ... I'll never forget the first time I took my DH to Maine... and went running into the ocean... he ran in after me, then stopped dead in his tracks, with this PRICELESS look on his face... I think he immediately thought he'd married an ice princess, as he would go no further than his calves (although he does now, 15 years later... ;)) and couldn't figure out how I'd just run in so far!! :D

Can't wait to get there... :cloud9:

[DisneyDog]

We went to Wells Beach a few years ago and had a very nice vacation. My DS who was about 3 at the time, really enjoyed getting wet in the ocean. My BIL took him in. There was no way I was going in! Ha ha. Way too cold for me. But, my Florida-born little guy didn't mind the cold water. I swear, he was a fish in a previous life. He'd swim in a puddle if I let him!

[ChipDale2708]

I guess Maine's the place to be this summer! We're going in the middle of August to Bar Harbor. I have never been there - never seem to make it past the shopping in Kittery... :thumbsup: We're only spending 4 days up there but plan to do a whale watch and drive out to Campobello Island. It looks really quiet out there. I'd love any ideas about Bar Harbor and the island from any Maine residents!

[darthmacho]

I guess Maine's the place to be this summer! We're going in the middle of August to Bar Harbor. I have never been there - never seem to make it past the shopping in Kittery... :thumbsup: We're only spending 4 days up there but plan to do a whale watch and drive out to Campobello Island. It looks really quiet out there. I'd love any ideas about Bar Harbor and the island from any Maine residents!

How exciting! At the moment, my dream outside of WDW vacation is to go to Bar Harbor. I've done a fair amount of research and there's a LOT to do there. I hope someday to spend a good two weeks there on vacation. I hope you have a great time, and please let me know how things worked out. Maybe write a trip report? :popcorn:

[SBETigg]

We'll be in Wells at the end of August. It's our second vacation home, with WDW rating first. I love it there. We alternate WDW years with Wells vacation years. Sounds like you're getting ready for a fun time, DarthMacho.

[tinkerbellybutton]

I too want to welcome you all to our beautiful state. I live in Brunswick, close to Cook's Corner. We have about equal distances between Bailey, Orrs, etc. and Popham beach and the two forts there. I consider myself incredibly blessed and if you ever want some inexpensive things to do around here, give me a shout. Have great trips, all of you :thumbsup:

[TooGoofy]

Another Mainer welcomes you fellow Intercotees to our beautiful home state.
:welcome:

I've been to Bar Harbor many times and we also went to Campobello Island last summer. I'd be happy to give suggestions for dining and places to stay in the area. Just PM me or reply to this thread.

[DisneyWhirled]

:woohoo:

Okay, so my WDW plans were a bust this year, so we decided that staying home all summer while waiting and saving for next year would be prudent. The only problem was that this plan really didn't sit well with me at all. Therefore, we decided another New England trip would be the way to go!

I'll be honest. With the exception of WDW, I could happily make a lifetime out of summer trips around New England, and if forced to narrow it further, NH or ME would suit me just fine.

We decided on Old Orchard Beach, ME, which narrowly beat out our other options, the White Mountains, NH and Mystic, CT. If I had the time and money, I'd visit all three!

Unfortunately, due to a late start and a variety of other issues, we weren't able to get into a prime spot near the beach, but we booked a delightful looking hotel in nearby Biddeford. This is good because we actually only plan on spending one or two of our six days (weather permitting) on the beach anyway. What the hotel lacks in character, it makes up for in convenience and amenities, not to mention I got a $40 a night government discount!

:vacation: Aside from the beach, famous pier, and nearby amusement parks, we are considering a whale watch :whale:, a Portland Sea Dogs baseball game, the Portland Children's museum, and Maine Wildlife Park as options. I'm also hoping to stop by York on the way home to visit the Nubble Lighthouse for sentimental reason. (We went there last summer.)

I can't wait to start making more concrete plans. Only 8 weeks to go!

Anyway, sorry for this rambling post, but I got kinda excited after thinking that we'd be home all summer. :joy:

Tell me what you think!:crab:

Hope you have a wonderful trip! If you'd like some info on the hotel PM me and I would be glad to give you some as we live in Biddeford. Have you been to Old Orchard Beach? They really have made significant improvements in the area to make it a lovely place to visit.
Your plans sound wonderful!. If I can be of any assistance helping you plan (send you brochures or something), please let me know!!

[buzznwoodysmom]

Wow, I hope you all have wonderful trips. Maine is a state that I will see one day. There are two places that I have always wanted to see, besides WDW that is, Maine and New York City. If any of you do trip reports I'll be happy to read them. Have a great time!

[darthmacho]

Hope you have a wonderful trip! If you'd like some info on the hotel PM me and I would be glad to give you some as we live in Biddeford. Have you been to Old Orchard Beach? They really have made significant improvements in the area to make it a lovely place to visit.
Your plans sound wonderful!. If I can be of any assistance helping you plan (send you brochures or something), please let me know!!

Thank you for the offer, but I don't think we need any specific information, as we're getting quite a bit from on-line and through the mail.

One bit of advice I would like to ask is what to do when we want to go to the pier, the beach, and the amusement park? Will it be impossible to park? I imagine it is like York Beach, where you have to feed the meters? I was hoping to get a place right on the beach in order to avoid that mess, but we ended up in Comfort Suites because everything nearby was booked. We're happy with the place we got though.

Any tips or advice are welcome of course.

Thanks. :mickey:

[DisneyWhirled]

One bit of advice I would like to ask is what to do when we want to go to the pier, the beach, and the amusement park? Will it be impossible to park? I imagine it is like York Beach, where you have to feed the meters? I was hoping to get a place right on the beach in order to avoid that mess, but we ended up in Comfort Suites because everything nearby was booked. We're happy with the place we got though.

Any tips or advice are welcome of course.

Thanks. :mickey:


In OOB, there are several parking lots. There are meters, but that can be cumbersome. There are lots where you pay a flat fee for the day and you pay when parking the car. In my opinion, this is the best way to go.

People are coming and going all day, so you shouldn't have a problem finding parking in the lots. The meters can be hard to find.

Make sure you indulge in pier fries and Bill's Pizza...they are a local staple :)

The Comfort Suites is brand new within the last 3 years. We have gone swimming there during the winter...they let locals pay to use the pool.

Hope you have a wonderful time!!!

[tinkerbellybutton]

In OOB, there are several parking lots. There are meters, but that can be cumbersome. There are lots where you pay a flat fee for the day and you pay when parking the car. In my opinion, this is the best way to go.

People are coming and going all day, so you shouldn't have a problem finding parking in the lots. The meters can be hard to find.

Make sure you indulge in pier fries and Bill's Pizza...they are a local staple :)

The Comfort Suites is brand new within the last 3 years. We have gone swimming there during the winter...they let locals pay to use the pool.

Hope you have a wonderful time!!!

I definately agree about the parking but the reason I wanted to chime in again was for the pier fries......with lots of vinegar.....:cloud9:
Sorry, I think I drooled on the keyboard. Now I'll have to hit OOB this weekend when I'm moving DD from saco to our house.

[RocknBev]

DH and I are heading to Maine the middle of July. This is a last minute decision so I have very little plans....actually I have nothing but a Frommer's New England Book. We are flying into Portland. The only place in Maine I have ever visited is Kittery when I spent the summer at Exeter so I am enjoying the ideas from this post!
Keep those suggestions coming!

[DisneyWhirled]

DH and I are heading to Maine the middle of July. This is a last minute decision so I have very little plans....actually I have nothing but a Frommer's New England Book. We are flying into Portland. The only place in Maine I have ever visited is Kittery when I spent the summer at Exeter so I am enjoying the ideas from this post!
Keep those suggestions coming!

Oh goodie! Feel free to PM me with any questions or tips!

What city are you staying in?

[darthmacho]

Wow! I'm thrilled with all of the discussion generated by this post. I'm glad there are so many out there that like to visit Maine, as I do, and I am thankful to those that have offered advice. I hope to hear more from all of you.

I will certainly write a trip report when I get back, so stay tuned. The trip isn't for six more weeks or so, so look for it at the end of August.

We are going to be in Maine for six days, certainly not enough to even scratch the surface of this amazing state! Here are some of the things we are hoping to do.

* We have reservations for a Whale Watch out of Portland. :whale:
* Visit Portland Headlight, and any other lighthouse within striking distance.
* Visit the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray.
* Visit the pier at Old Orchard Beach and Palace Playland.
* Funtown/Splashtown.
* Maybe spend a little time on the beach.

Things I hope we might fit in somehow:
* Visit the Portland Obsevatory and shop Old Port
* Visit York and the Nubble Lighthouse
* Take the kids to Portland's Children's museum (looking like a longshot now.)

Things we decided to skip:
* A Portland Sea Dogs game, which we hope to do in the future.


Anyone have info about the Children's museum?

[EvilQueen2006]

* Take the kids to Portland's Children's museum (looking like a longshot now.)

Anyone have info about the Children's museum?


Not sure when you will be here, but here's an FYI. The Children's museum is free on the first friday of every month from 6p-8p.

[EvilQueen2006]

Here's another suggestion. To free up some time to get to York and the Nubble lighthouse, you may think about skipping the drive up to Gray and go to York's Wild Animal Kingdom instead. I personnaly like the park in Gray better, the animals there are all local animals that have been taken there to be rehabilitated, but if you want to save time the one in York can be fun too. They also have an amusement park area with rides.

[darthmacho]

Here's another suggestion. To free up some time to get to York and the Nubble lighthouse, you may think about skipping the drive up to Gray and go to York's Wild Animal Kingdom instead. I personnaly like the park in Gray better, the animals there are all local animals that have been taken there to be rehabilitated, but if you want to save time the one in York can be fun too. They also have an amusement park area with rides.

Thank you for the suggestion. As tempting as it might be to visit York's Wild Kingdom, it was one of the things we did last year on our trip there. As much as I'd like to go again, I'm not sure if my wife is interested. We do both wish to see the Nubble, and would like to shop and eat in York again.

As for Gray, the reasons you mention for loving it are exactly why I want to go there! I actually considered skipping the whale watch to fit it in, because we could go out on a whale watch from Boston, Cape Cod, or New Bedford anytime, while a visit with Maine's authentic local wildlife only comes once in a blue moon. I would love to see a full grown bull moose! Any idea if there's one at the Me Wildlife Park?

Thanks again, and keep the suggestions and tidbits coming. :cool:

[RocknBev]

I noticed you were going whale watching. Can you see more whales if you go futher north? I went whale watching off the coast of Portsmoth NH once in '92. We spent 3-4 hours on that stupid boat and I think I saw one whale tail...in addition I was :ill:...sea sickness is NOT fun. And you would not believe what they served for lunch on the boat....some sort of seafood sandwich. I was green like seaweed before it was over!
Anyway, I would love to take DH since he has never been but I want to see more than one tail if I am risking tossing my cookies for the afternoon!

[crazypoohbear]

My boy's just drove up to Old Orchard Beach last weekend for a couple of hours.

They stopped in at Hampton beach to say hello to their aunt ( Who offered to take them out for dinner, the oldest said no! Turns out he wanted to meet up with a friend in Maine)
then drove to OOB to use the arcade and my oldest met up with a "friend".
They had a great time.... oh, did I mention that they used MY $40.00 of gas that I had just put in my van :-o
We Live in M A.
I told them they could take the van for the day but I didn't expect them to really go to MAINE!

[TooGoofy]

I would love to see a full grown bull moose!

Last time I was there they had one, and he was huge! I also got there at feeding time for the fawns and the moose calves they had...adorable! I love that place.

Also it's great to see them in the wild. If you were staying longer (and further from the coast) I could give you some Moose safari suggestions. Maybe next time!

[HeyMrsL!ItsThisGuy!]

to be fair crazy pooh bear, WE didn't expect to go to Maine either! haha

[crazypoohbear]

to be fair crazy pooh bear, WE didn't expect to go to Maine either! haha

True enough! :mickey:

That's what I love about you guys, you'll pick up and go at a moments notice.

Hummm, maybe NYC in the next couple of weeks??? Perhaps you and Joe could take a saturday off and we will go for the day?

[GrumpySue]

Just got back from my week in Kennebunkport and had a great time. Do you Mainers know how lucky you are in the summer, weather-wise ?? It's so humid back here in New York, up there we stayed in a place with no A/C and it was so comfortable, 80's during the day, low 60's at night. Slept like a baby....

Darth Macho, if you really like lighthouses (I am a lighthouse freak, my uncle was the lighthouse keeper at Goat Island Light in Cape Porpoise when I was a kid and I've been hooked ever since visiting him) you should really visit the Lighthouse Depot store on Route 1 in Wells, they have so much great stuff you could spend hours in there.

Also my family and I discovered our new favorite Maine treat - Wicked Whoopie Pies !!! They come in twelve different flavors like Red Velvet, Pumpkin, Banana and a whole bunch more. My favorite was Oatmeal. We found them in a store in Freeport and bought the place out. You have to be sure they are Wicked Whoopies, I've tried others and these are THE BEST !!! They also sell them in any Hannfords, but they don't have all the flavors.

I really love Maine - it is truly the way life should be !!!

[HeyMrsL!ItsThisGuy!]

i remember being in Maine and making fun of the name Kennebunkport.....seriously why not just call it Metroport, or Centralport....Kennebunk?

[darthmacho]

Just got back from my week in Kennebunkport and had a great time. Do you Mainers know how lucky you are in the summer, weather-wise ?? It's so humid back here in New York, up there we stayed in a place with no A/C and it was so comfortable, 80's during the day, low 60's at night. Slept like a baby....

Darth Macho, if you really like lighthouses (I am a lighthouse freak, my uncle was the lighthouse keeper at Goat Island Light in Cape Porpoise when I was a kid and I've been hooked ever since visiting him) you should really visit the Lighthouse Depot store on Route 1 in Wells, they have so much great stuff you could spend hours in there.

Also my family and I discovered our new favorite Maine treat - Wicked Whoopie Pies !!! They come in twelve different flavors like Red Velvet, Pumpkin, Banana and a whole bunch more. My favorite was Oatmeal. We found them in a store in Freeport and bought the place out. You have to be sure they are Wicked Whoopies, I've tried others and these are THE BEST !!! They also sell them in any Hannfords, but they don't have all the flavors.

I really love Maine - it is truly the way life should be !!!

Hi! Could you (or anyone else that might know) explain more about Wicked Whoopies? Is there a specific place to get them? Or are they readily available in ME? It's not a specific bakery that sells them? Thanks! :mickey:

[GrumpySue]

You can see them at www.wickedwhoopies.com
They sell some flavors at Hannfords Supermarkets which are all over Maine and they have a store in Freeport where they sell everything. Their main location is in Gardiner Maine.

They are really delicious, I am hooked. My brothers just got back this week and brought me a few home.

[darthmacho]

It seems like it is taking forever to get here, but I suppose that's the price yo pay for planning a vacation for the second half of the summer, but nonetheless it is less than three weeks away until we leave.

We're already off to a bad start with the spending though as we haven't even left yet and we've spent $500! (A vacation clothes shopping spree at Kohl's, where everything was on "sale.") Oh well, we all needed the stuff, so I can't complain.

I'm already fretting over the weather. This long string of rainy (thunderstorm ridden) days scares me a little about a potential washout, seeing how we have so many outdoor activities planned. I shouldn't think about it, but I can't help myself.

Thanks to everyone that contributed to this post, but remember it's not closed. I'd like to hear anything at all about Maine. After all, I have a two and a half weeks to go! :crab: