Renting a waterfront house with 2 kids ages 10 and 7 for a week on the coast prior to going to MDI/SW Harbor for 4 nights. I was leaning toward Camden area due to location and proximity of towns, activities, hiking, gallery hoping, ice cream, restaurants.
Someone told me Camden is now all t-shirt shops and recomended a house north of Searsport right on the water in Stockton Springs. They said Belfast proximity was great for restaurants etc and could get out on Blue Hill penninsula easy. It is 15 miles or so to Belfast and 7 to Searsport.
Any recomendations on which is better as we want enough to do but don%26#39;t want to be overrun with tourists?
Camden or Stockton Springs?
Well, Camden is hardly all t-shirt shops...but it can feel overwhelmingly crowded in height of season.
Belfast should offer enough dining options if not looking for real fine dining (that Camden would offer).
I agree that proximity to Blue Hill is a plus from Stockton Springs.
You may want to consider somewhere farther south (e.g. Boothbay Harbor area, Pemaquid/New Harbor/Owl%26#39;s Head, etc)also.
Camden or Stockton Springs?
Guess I%26#39;d sum up the choices this way:
Accessible harbor with lots of sailboats, commercial windjammer schooners, and a few ';working boats'; coming and going.....Downtown area with a mix of T-shirt shops, nicer commercial establishments and fine variety of restaurants.....Camden would be your choice.
More rural, small-town feel with fewer in-town restaurant choices but perhaps a better chance for the kids to just ';run around and be kids'; -- Stockton Springs (so long as you%26#39;re not right on US Rt 1!).
Belfast%26#39;s downtown has been growing rapidly recently...lots of new shops, restaurants, and a great place for kids called The Game Stop....more games in stock than you can imagine....
Wherever you stay, as you head from the mid-coast to Mt Desert Island, allow an hour or so for a stop at Fort Knox State Park and the Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory. The observatory is built into one of the towers of the bridge and offers a spectacular 360 degree view of the surrounding area -- with the mountains of Mt Desert Island visible in the distance. And Fort Knox is a fantastic place for 7-to-10 year olds to mix imagination and history! Google Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Fort Knox State Park for more info.
Thanks for the insights. All good but still feeling stuck.
Without knowing a lot more about you, it%26#39;s tough to make a definitive recommendation... One persons ';over-run with tourists'; is another%26#39;s average summer group of folks on the sidewalk...
You also don%26#39;t say ';when'; you%26#39;re coming, which might make a slight difference. In general, tourist season in Camden begins the week of Memorial Day and lasts at least through Labor Day, and now even later into the Fall. Does that mean you won%26#39;t be able to find a parking space downtown or get to the town pier on the harbor? No. But it also means you won%26#39;t necessarily find a parking space right in front of the restaurant or shop you%26#39;re going to and that you won%26#39;t be the only one standing on the wharf looking at the boats in the harbor....
If it%26#39;s any consolation, whichever one you choose, you%26#39;re still close enough to some of the other things you want to do without driving great distances... From Stockon Springs, it%26#39;s not that far to Camden to walk the streets and see the harbor. From Camden, you%26#39;re equally close to Camden Hills State Park, with some great hiking trails and a wonderful view of the mid-coast (and Camden Harbor in particular)from the top of Mt Battie (you can climb it or drive it...).
I wouldn%26#39;t lose sleep over making your choice...both should give you a fine visit to Maine.
Thanks. Good thoughts and suggestions. We are coming mid-August. You are right that it is all relative when gauging crowds. I work in NY so everything may seem less crowded. Net/net, we want enough to do within good proximity but don%26#39;t mind lazy mornings either.
Stay in Camden. Stockton Springs will seem like the middle of nowhere with nothing at all to do. Camden is definitely NOT all t-shirts.
Agree with Bonniemaev - Camden.
Having travelled around New England last month having booked all accomodation in the UK I can fully understand your dilema. We stayed in Camden and thought it was lovely. I didn%26#39;t notice that many T - shirt shops but I did enjoy spending money in many beautiful and interesting shops that we found on Main street. We also did a trip up to Bar Harbour from there and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would say that you will good access to many other areas from Camden although I do accept it may be somewhat busier than when we went.
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