Maine Accomodations

Greetings from the Deep South!

My wife and I are planning on visiting Maine in early October this year. I have been looking online and there are some interesting places,but ther seems like a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in.

We are planning on staying 2 to 3 days only then drifting south to Boston then possibly Conneticut then Vermont.

The closest I have ever been to Maine is Memphis Tennesse.

So, needless to say I am a bit overwhelmed.

Acadia and the Bar Harbor seems like the best choice at the moment,mainly because it isn%26#39;t too far from the major Interstate,and the scenery is like nothing here in Oklahoma.

When we travel we generally dont let $$ affect our decisions too much,but like most we do have a limit (on the high side though).

My wife suddenly is into Biking, Hiking, different cuisine,and without question the scenery and accomodations.

We are definately odd balls when it comes to traveling. We do not have any children and we are both early 30%26#39;s. So most of our traveling is done after Summer vacation.This is probably our last year without kidos so definately we are going to try to make this the ';getaway of a lifetime';.

Maine just seemed like a great place to start because from Oklahoma,you just cant get any further away without a passport

Maine Accomodations

I my opinion, you have picked the best time to come to Maine. I am not sure how cold it gets in Edmond, but be ready for night temperatures in the 40s, maybe 30s. Days are fantastic though, and the foliage in Acadia will be at peak.

Bar Harbor is 45-60 minutes from Interstate 95 in Bangor. Are you flying in? I can%26#39;t recommend hotels, (I am sure somebody will).

For biking information, try this website: http://www.bikemaine.org/trails/index.html

Search this forum for answers and if you don%26#39;t see what you need, just ask.

Maine Accomodations

Acadia is a great biking destination. The Carriage Roads are really nice, with no cars to bother. I would try to leave at least one of the days for those.

I would suggest 3 days for Acadia (and that is not enough). I stayed 7 the last time I went, and I never stay in one place that long on vacation.

If you are into it, camping is a good alternative on Acadia. Blackwoods Campground is located in good spot, easy drive to everywhere and is just 20/night. Showers are right across road from entrance. I camped in mid-Oct the time I was there before and although it was chilly to cold at night, it was doable (I too am from the South-GA, so you know I am not a cold weather person). Really nice shady campground.

You might consider 1 day to do driving trip at Schoodic Penisula and then Down East (North to me on the map) to West Quoddy Head Park. There is a lighthouse, nice short walk through maritime bog, great cliff views. And you can say you have been to the Easternmost point of the continental US. Top right of Maine on the map. This would take the entire day.

Another active option is kayak tour. A couple of places offer tours with tandem kayaks. Typically easy paddling in the bays, differs due to tides. Or the Whale Watch to get out into the ocean, or the Lobster boats others have mentioned.

Check our Bar Harbor, its a nice little town. But check out the rest of the island too.

As for Vermont, we are going to Burlington for a night. Nice small city on Lake Champlain, very pretty. Bike path (appx 10 miles total) along the lake downtown.

Also, do a google search for Rail Trails and you will find several good ones in New Hampshire (another good option is White Mountains area and Franconia Notch SP) and some in Vermont. And NH for sure has info about road rides (too much climbing for me and the wife). Pretty sure some good mounting biking, particularly aroud Stowe, VT.

Make sure you drive up to Cadillac Mtn for the view on Acadia.

You might want to save the time in Boston for later and focus on New England and add NH. However, be aware that early Oct is prime leaf time in New England so accommodations should be booked early. And they celebrate Columbus Day (1st Monday of Oct) and it seems like the last big camping weekend. Might want to go the week after that.

I%26#39;ll be glad to answer any specific questions you have as I have been obsessed with our upcoming early Sept trip to Acadia, NH and VT. Post here or email me directly if you want.

How long are you going to be staying in New England? Your tentative schedule (Maine - Boston - Connecticut - Vermont) has a couple of boring/long drives: the drive from Boston to CT (although you didn%26#39;t say where) along I-90 and I-84; and then I-91 from CT to VT, although it gets more scenic once you%26#39;re in VT. If you%26#39;re going to be here for a week or less, I%26#39;d suggest trimming one of those destination and staying longer at the other places.

I have so many questions for you, I don%26#39;t know where to begin! But these are the biggies:

Where are you flying into/out of? How long will you be here?

2-3 days will give you a brief look at one area of Maine, and Bar Harbor is a perfect destination with your criteria. There are fabulously nice hotels and B%26amp;Bs where you%26#39;ll feel very pampered after biking around Acadia. My two pics, though you%26#39;ll hear other opinions, are the Harborside Hotel %26amp; Marina, and Balance Rock Inn for B%26amp;B. I just stayed at Harborside last weekend, and was very impressed. Some really luxurious rooms if you%26#39;re willing to pay, and they%26#39;re bound to be pretty reasonable in October. It%26#39;s been years since I stayed at Balance Rock, but I wandered around the place just to ensure it%26#39;s as beautiful as it was! Both these place are perfectly situated walking distance to everything in town.

Now, distances with example stops. Bar Harbor to Boston will take about 5 hours. Boston to Mystic, CT a little less than 2. Mystic to Burlington, VT about 5 hours. And, I assume you%26#39;ll have to return to original airport. If it was Portland, that%26#39;s a 4-6 hour ride, depending on if you want to go through the White Mountains or not.

It all depends on how long your vacation is, but you might want to think about not trying to see so much of New England on this trip. Your ';getaway of a lifetime'; could be so harried and spent in the car driving somewhere it wouldn%26#39;t be as much fun as it could be!