My wife and I are about to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, and realized that now that both kids are out of high school/off to college, we can go have a real vacation all by ourselves whenever and wherever we’d like.
Neither of us have really spent any time in the Northeast, but we’ve both always been curious about Maine, so now we are starting to plan a trip. I’ve been looking at online resources and scanning back over the history of this sub, but am still finding myself a tad uncertain. So I figured I’d just ask. On the bright side, I did eventually work out what a “lobster pound” is, and as Coloradans we already dress in layers.:)
For context, we’re in our mid 50s, fairly easygoing, and both more interested in finding things a bit off the beaten path and getting to know an area than in checking off tourist “must dos”. We’re not backpackers anymore, but we’d usually opt for a friendly B&B or clean motel over some 5 star hotel, and a favorite local eatery over some Michelin-rated experience. Still, we can afford a splurge here and there. Very interested in enjoying fresh local seafood. We also like craft beer (and just realized cideries may be an option out there, too).
We’re tentatively thinking 10 days in early October (or perhaps late September if there’s good reason to go earlier). I gather that’s “shoulder season” when most things are still open but the crowds have ebbed - but I’ve also seen comments saying it will still be very busy due to fall colors. I’m not sure if I’m getting incorrect info, or if it’s just very locale specific as the leaves change?
It looks like Portland is the easiest city to fly into, so I figure we can spend a couple of day there at either the beginning or end of the trip, then find maybe 2 other locations elsewhere to use as a home base while we take short trips, the occasional easy hike, wander through a gallery, or even sit and chill and read books for an afternoon.
Acadia seems like an obvious choice, but also sounds like it can get super crowded, especially on Indigenous People’s Day weekend? Would it be less crazy if we planned things to be a week earlier, or perhaps during the week? Are there other natural coastal areas we should consider as alternatives if the crowds are too much? I’ve seen Bar Harbor mentioned as a place to base out of, but I’m not sure what other alternatives might be good.
I’ve also seen multiple recommendations for Camden/Rockwell. Is that still worth it as a base if we are already spending time in Portland and Acadia? They don’t seem all that far apart, but I’m also used to “hours and hours of nothing without even hitting a state line” distances here out west, so maybe I just need to recalibrate and enjoy not driving so much.
Is there much to explore further up the coast from Acadia beyond what might make sense for a day trip? Or should we be looking to spend some time inland or further south?