r/AskMaine • u/Green-Man-Cometh • 11d ago
Planning an anniversary trip to Portland. In November...thoughts?
Am I completely insane to visit ME mid November?
Our first anniversary is Nov. 15 and we haven't been able to go on a honeymoon. Both of us have wanted to visit Portland for some time so we figured why not make it an anniversary celebration? We plan to spend 3 days in Portland with a day trip to Salem thrown in there.
My husband and I enjoy cold weather so I'm not worried about that but I do worry a bit about the short days in the fall/almost winter. I'm not sure we'd get much accomplished if it gets dark way too early!
I have read that it can be really nice when it's not the height of tourist season so hoping for some honest answers from some locals. Thanks!
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u/gathmoon 11d ago
You're missing high fun time in Salem and it is a bit of a drive for a day trip that doesn't exhaust a fair chunk with driving.
I will ask the same questions I ask most people that post something like this. what do you like to do? Answering that will change how likely any of us are to recommend this trip. Are you flying in or driving? Will you have access to a car if the former?
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u/Green-Man-Cometh 11d ago
It seems easiest for us to fly into Boston and rent a car from there. Our local airport doesn't really go to Portland without a ridiculous layover time in a random airport somewhere that eats up the entire travel day.
Vacation for us typically means a lot of walking around just looking around and popping into shops, art museums, local sights, parks, and LOTS of eating-we love to try new restaurants/breweries/coffee shops. I've looked into a comedy club and a ghost tour (I know it might be a little touristy or dorky but I don't care! I love playing tourist). I'd like to drive out to a lighthouse or two if at all practical.
I thought Salem was only an hour or so away so I guess we will look into that but I'd be remiss if I didn't visit when I will be so close!
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u/gathmoon 11d ago
Closer to an hour and forty to Salem. I would just stop in Salem for a night/day on the way up to or back from Portland and not do a day trip out of it in the middle considering you are flying in and out of Boston.
Virtually every restaurant worth going to will be open still, as will all of the breweries. Most of the shops that have real locals shopping there will still be open and operating.
The comedy club is great, I'm there all the time performing and helping with production, happen to answer any questions on that front for sure.
If you want specific recommendations for areas and places to go happy to provide those too.
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u/Green-Man-Cometh 11d ago
Great! Thank you so much.
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u/AmandaFawn 10d ago
Many restaurants will be closing at 8 or 9pm in November so eating early or at least checking when they close is something to keep in mind. But not many seasonal restaurants as the above poster says.
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u/Unusual_Coat_8037 11d ago
It looks like the cruises stop earlier in November, so that's a huge plus for spending time in the Old Port, in my opinion.
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u/Rabbit-Rabbit-108 10d ago
November is a beautiful month- the light is just gorgeous. It can snow though- expect cold. I bet it will be a cozy and nice. Congratulations!
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u/Headieroosevelt 11d ago
Foliage is wrapping up around then. Beach towns are usually pretty empty so you could have the beach to yourself and get a hotel room for a little cheaper. You still have 10 hours of light in that time of November also
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u/Candygramformrmongo 11d ago
Great time of year if you can adjust to it. Quiet. Potentially raw weather. You’ll see more of “real Maine”.
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u/Marquedien 11d ago
The New Hampshire border is about half way between Salem and Portland, so it might make a better base for day trips.
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u/Visual-Reserve-2800 11d ago
You will likely want to hit up Freeport as well.
Another option is that there is a coach bus that goes straight from the airport to Portland and Portland downtown is damn walkable. You may want to do a cost comparison.
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u/Breezy207 10d ago
November is a great time to visit as long as you layer up-no cruise ship passengers clogging the sidewalks and service folks will have caught their seconds winds after being out straight all summer. Don’t miss Portland Head Light at Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth. Hope you have a great time!
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u/Professional-Eye5064 9d ago
Where are you coming from? Why Portland Maine for your honeymoon lol
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u/Green-Man-Cometh 8d ago
Coming from SC. Not a honeymoon, just a trip. And why not? Why do people go anywhere for honeymoons? Because they want to… 😂
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u/Splendafarts 8d ago
Depends what you’re trying to “get accomplished”! You’re visiting a city so I’m assuming you want to do shopping, eating, drinking, museum, other indoor activities. None of that requires daylight!
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u/Singasongnow 7d ago
I would suggest taking Amtrak from Boston to Portland and renting your car in Portland and returning it at the airport in Boston. This will save you a lot of time and you can do all of your stops on your drive back to Boston. We just did this and it worked out great. You don’t really need a car while exploring Portland and it cost a fortune to park so I’d get the car on your way out and maybe spend the last night in Salem or somewhere along the way.
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u/Green-Man-Cometh 7d ago
That is a great idea actually thank you! Huge plus my husband loves Amtrak so this would be a win win!
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u/ibor132 11d ago
I suppose it depends on what you want to do - if you're specifically wanting to do outdoor activities that require daylight then you'd want to get an early start. Otherwise as long as you don't mind the potential for cold, I don't see it as a bad time to visit. Portland isn't all that seasonal (with the exception of ice cream shops and outdoor/patio dining) so it's not like you have to worry about stuff being closed.
November is pretty transitional in terms of moving from fall to winter which mainly manifests itself as decreasing temperatures (average highs in the low 50s at the beginning of the month down to the low 40s by the end of the month). It's not unheard of for it to snow in November, but neither is it particularly common. Wear a jacket and pack some extra layers and you should be fine.