Late Sept. trip to Maine

My husband and I, (relatively elderly) have a reservation in Stowe, VT, for mid September. Then we are planning to travel to Maine, probably to the coast.I think we%26#39;ll spend a couple of nights in Deer Isle or Stonington, but then I want to try the Camden area. I%26#39;m looking at Lincolnville, but I%26#39;m willing to take other suggestions.

We live and drive on the oceanfront in NC, (Outer Banks) so we do not require oceanfront. Also, we don%26#39;t like wildly touristed places like Bar Harbor, since we have to live with that daily (and nightly) in the summer. We have been to Acadia and camped there, and frankly, we probably don%26#39;t need to do that again. Staying in Bar Harbor is OUT although we might do the Cadillac Mountain drive again.

Does anyone have any suggestions for great places to stay, great places to visit, etc. And great places to eat. We are certainly not confined to Camden.

Late Sept. trip to Maine

Camden is nice although if you didn%26#39;t like Bar Harbor, I%26#39;m not so sure that you would like Camden. Both are small coastal villages geared toward providing food, lodging, and shopping to tourists.

Stonington and Deer Isle are much less touristy. However, that also means there aren%26#39;t many places, much less ';great'; places, to stay and to eat.

Maybe you would like Monhegan Island. No cars, not too many people. Good lodging and food at The Island Inn. The ferry goes from Port Clyde at the end of a peninsula, which is a nice quaint drive in itself. Or you can catch a ferry from New Harbor or Boothbay Harbor.

I remember the Outer Banks before all the crowds. Beautiful place. Many years ago we thought of retiring to Bogue Banks, off of Morehead City. But it is ruined now by condos and congestion. We retired to Bar Harbor 12 years ago and remain very happy with that decision.

Late Sept. trip to Maine

I probably didn%26#39;t phrase my query correctly. We want to spend much time driving and exploring the area, not necessarily the coastal areas. So we cannot stay on an island. However, I appreciate the suggestion. As far as ';great'; places to stay and eat are concerned, we want some comfort where we stay, with prices under $200 per night. (Preferably, considerably under.) I am looking at the Mount Battie Inn in Lincolnville right now. But a b %26amp; b with refrigerator access and no Victorian flounces could work also.

The Maine coast is confusing on a map, and we have only been there once, so we%26#39;ll appreciate any advice. If Bar Harbor is less crowded than the Outer Banks, then perhaps it would be fine. I can%26#39;t say I didn%26#39;t like Bar Harbor because we drove by and avoided it. And that was many years ago. I%26#39;m making some assumptions that might be wrong.

I haven%26#39;t been to the Bogue Banks for years, but from what I%26#39;ve heard from tourists, that area is much calmer than ours--Nags Head to Corolla. (And north.)

If you like to drive, Maine is a great state for you! Camden is a touristy town (though not nearly as much as Bar Harbor) but by late September you%26#39;ll find there%26#39;s a bit more room to move about. Time your visit right and there is a Harbor Arts juried art show in the park at the end of the harbor. I like the Waterfront Restaurant and I%26#39;ve heard good things about the Ocean%26#39;s Edge near Lincolnville. Francine%26#39;s is also popular. McMahon%26#39;s is in an old mill building right on a river that runs toward the harbor and has a nice atmosphere. There%26#39;s a bookstore next door too.

I love Deer Isle. The drive is lovely and Stonington is definitely not overrun with tourists...again, especially in late September. I went to Haystack Mountain School for Crafts on Deer Isle last fall and drove about the island. Even though it is coastal and you%26#39;re not necessarily looking for that, there are great ocean views at almost every turn. You can probably get your fill of Stonington in one day. There%26#39;s a granite museum, a few galleries, a few shops, and the Purple Fish (if Evelyn hasn%26#39;t closed up shop for the season) where you can get a hand-watercolored bookmark and the purveyors will sing a song and spin a yarn...true old Maine. The Inn on the Harbor has rooms named after Maine%26#39;s windjammer fleet. And the little coffee shop across the street serves up a great breakfast where you%26#39;ll see plenty of locals. If you do stay in Stonington for more than one day, Blue Hill is not far to drive for some great restaurant choices....Arborvine, Jonathan%26#39;s, and the Barncastle. The Blue Hill co-op is nice if you need to pick up any snacks or groceries and there%26#39;s a fantastic wine shop nearby.

Rockland is 8 miles south of Camden and offers some great museums...the Maine Lighthouse Museum, the Farnsworth Museum, and the nearby Owls Head Transportation Museum. Admission to the Farnsworth includes admission to the Olson House in Cushing (another delightful drive) that is pictured in Andrew Wyeth%26#39;s ';Christina%26#39;s World';. On the way to the house keep an eye out for the old homestead of Bernard Langlais. My parents took my there as a kid and the huge wooden sculptures (the one nearest the road is a very tall wooden horse) are still standing despite years of exposure to the elements.

The Audubon Puffin Center in Rockland is free and has everything you could possibly want to know about puffins. And Rockland is riddled with great restaurants...Cafe Miranda, Lily%26#39;s Bistro, Amalfi%26#39;s, The Boathouse, Almost Home Cafe, the Brass Compass, the Brown Bag, Rustica, Suzuki%26#39;s, In Good Company, Primo, and others. You simply can%26#39;t go wrong no matter which you choose.

The Historic Inns of Rockland are great but it sounds like you%26#39;d like to do without Victorian frippery. The Samoset Resort is very nice as is Strawberry Hill Motor Court...I would personally stay away from the downtown hotels unless you prefer to walk from where you are staying to enjoy Main Street.

We met the new owner of the Mt. Battie Inn last year at a business showcase and he seemed very nice although I am not at all familiar with the accommodations.

If you stay in Camden, you may want to drive up Mt. Battie. I think it%26#39;s $3.00 per person and you are afforded great views of Camden and the surrounding Penobscot Bay. As you drive north to Deer Isle watch for Caterpillar Hill and pull over at the little rest area there...simply stunning, especially at sunset! And don%26#39;t forget to stop at Fort Knox in Bucksport. The new bridge has a 420%26#39; observatory tower and the $5.00 admission includes a ride to the top and entry into the Fort.

Castine is full of history and historic buildings if you are into that and is kind of on the way to Deer Isle (although it is a lengthy side trip down a peninsula). Not very touristy and nice food at the Pentagoet Inn.

If you want to leave your car behind for a little while there are lots of opportunities in Rockland and Camden to get out on the water for a couple hours. If you are not into sailing there is a 1943 WW II Navy Liberty Launch in Rockland (the Rendezvous) that does sightseeing cruises, lighthouse cruises, windjammer watching cruises, and lobster dinner cruises. You can also take a ferry across to Islesboro, North Haven, or Vinalhaven (all take cars) for another fun day trip.

I love Maine, especially the coast, and I could go on and on. I hope you have a fantastic time!

Thank you for your ideas. Castine definitely sounds good. We love visiting historical sites. When we drove down highway 1 (I think) on the coast of Maine, many years ago, I thought Camden looked nice. But we didn%26#39;t stop there. It probably has changed a lot, just as the overly popular area where we live in NC has changed.

However, I%26#39;m expecting to love this trip, just as I love all trips. If anyone else has any tips, I%26#39;ll welcome them.

I agree with travelcap. Rockland, Camden and Castine are gorgeous and you are going at low season you won%26#39;t see the chaos of the summer months in Bar Harbor..so much to see and do in these areas and great restaurants as well...don%26#39;t miss Mt. Battie gorgeous views...Boothbay is also another gorgeous town on the water and a nice ride as well and then you could travel rt.1 towards pemaquid and follow to Camden..etc.

My husband and I stayed in Lincolnville last year, at the Duck Trap Inn. That was our third trip to Maine (we live in New Orleans and enjoy the change of geography %26amp; weather), and we always spend a few days traveling, and then a week in a cottage rental (different each year).We%26#39;re planning to stay 2 or 3 days at Duck Trap again this year. It%26#39;s a really nice place, has the feel of something from the past, as does the whole Lincolnville area. We stayed in one of Ducktrap%26#39;s smallest rooms, but they offer everything up to a little cottage. It was spotless and charming, the owners are friendly and live on site. On Tuesdays there%26#39;s a farmers market that has the best pie we%26#39;d ever tasted.Hope you%26#39;re able to get to it!

I remembered something about the Stonington area that we loved - a place called Nervous Nellie%26#39;s. She makes wonderful jams and chutneys, and her husband does amazing, huge metal sculptures, all from found things. It was really quite magical, in the trees around the little restaurant (scones %26amp; biscuits) were a castle, fair maidens, knights, bears.... They have a web site - maybe it%26#39;s nervousnellies.com??

We are also planning on going to Boston and drive up the coast of Maine in mid October. Our main reason for going this time of year is to see the fall colors of the leaves. Is this the best time to go?

Our plans have changed. We are probably going to skip Deer Isle, although we%26#39;ll drive there. We are planning three nights in Lincolnville, probably at the Duck Trap Motel. We haven%26#39;t made reservations yet.

We are flying from Manchester, NH to Omaha, Ne, to fit in with our 8-year-old grandson%26#39;s 4-day weekend and go to the Black Hills of SD and Badlands National Park.

We did this last year after a two-week visit to Banff and Jasper in Canada and three days at a wonderful and atypical B %26amp; B in Hungry Horse, MT. But we didn%26#39;t finish with the SD area. The trip with the grandchildren is more important than seeing Maine.

The grandkids loved Mt. Rushmore. Who would have known? The 4-year-old grandaughter named it Russian Mountmore. And the kids insisted on going back for the light show at night. They were spellbound.

If we live long enough, we%26#39;ll go back to Maine.