r/AskMaine

My husband and I are planning a Boston and Maine trip October 10–17th! We want our time in Maine to be relaxed. I was reading that a lot of places may be closed by then. My plan was to do a scenic fall foliage and coastal 6 hour road trip from Boston to bar harbor. Planning to stop for lunch in Camden. Maybe do Acadia. Then start the drive back and spend two nights in Portland before returning to Boston for our flight home. Would you do anything differently? There did not seem to be many lodging options in bar harbor, and it is farther up, so I was wondering if somewhere else might be better? Should I do Camden and portland instead for main stays? I was also debating mystic Connecticut, but this the Maine subreddit so probably not 😂 Any advice is appreciated :)

Life Long Connecticut resident here looking to move to Maine! We are a family of 4 with two kids under 5years old. We are looking for somewhere not so rural its 30mins between stores. But not so fast moving city life. Looking at a $350k-500k average for homes in the area with the right environment to rent out another home as well. If any former Connecticut-ers are here: we would love an area like Wallingford, Rocky Hill or Guilford. We would like to avoid anywhere like Meriden, Waterbury, New Haven style cities

My tween is interested in taking the train to Old Orchard Beach for a mini vacation, and I'm wondering if it's a destination that I can get by without a car and where do you recommend someone arriving by train stays? Best things to do with a tween while there? Appreciate your time!

Considering coming to Maine this week for my bday. Haven’t been in years but ex in laws were in kennebunkport so I know that area very well. Looking at either there or boothbay area which I don’t know. Hoping for a quiet few days to swim, kayak, birdwatching, hike, read and draw. Is it swimming weather yet? Crowds insane? Any suggestions of good spots? Or would I be better off coming after Labor Day?

Hello Everyone,
Hope you all are well and happy 4th of July!

I was travelling from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Hartford,CT with a 3 hr layover in Greenville, SC. My flight got delayed which made me miss my connection. They had two options either I wait till Monday or go to Portland, ME. Well after a bit of contemplation, I ended up here lol. I booked a hotel for a night and my friend will drive all the way from Hartford to Portland.

My question: what are the must do activities/ sight seeing we can do? We have only a day + today is 4th of July. Where can we see the fireworks? I have never been to Portland (and sorry for my ignorance- I didn’t even know we had a Portland in Maine lol - I only know about the Oregon).

So yes, please excuse my ignorant brain and suggest me some MUST do things here + a nice place to watch fireworks.

So far, it’s a pretty city. Can hear the seagulls from my hotel room. Reminds me a bit of the UK.

Appreciate any help and thank you! Happy 4th of July again!!

my aunt passed away a few months ago and left me her house in Lewiston. I live in New York now so Ive only been out there twice. honestly the place is in really rough shape.

roof leaks, basement is musty, windows are old, yard is completely overgrown. she was older and just couldn't keep up with maintenance. I don't have the money or time to fix any of this stuff.

paying the taxes and insurance for like 6 months now. it's like 400 a month just disappearing. I thought about renting it out but being a landlord from 300 miles away sounds like a nightmare.

has anyone here sold an inherited house in Maine that needed work?

My boyfriend and I are going to get married sometime in the future and are thinking about good states to live. We’re going back and forth about Maine with my mother who would likely be moving there with us. What are your personal pros + cons with living in Maine?

For us:
Pros would be mild summers, away from huge cities (like NYC + Orlando), and a decent job market for the medical field (my field), property tax is about half of what it is for the state we currently reside in

Neutral: the “harsh” winters (my boyfriend and I don’t mind, but my mother hates it)

Cons: we don’t really have any at the moment.

My mother brought up some issues in regards to how far Costcos, Walmarts, hospitals, and emergency vets are from where we’re thinking about living, but we’re thinking about living near Portland at the moment (like the outskirts).

She also wants to know about internet providers since we’ll all be using the internet pretty heavily as my boyfriend and I are both gamers and it’s a hobby we really enjoy together. We play first person shooters and would require about 1-2gb download if we wire it in.

Edit 10p EST: Still getting comments. Decided a couple hours ago that Maine won’t be for us lol. Maybe a vacation spot. Considering New Hampshire and some other states!

Hi all I’m considering taking a trip with my girlfriend to Maine. We’re leaving from New York and aiming to stop in Portland in Bar Harbor. I’m curious to how many days you all suggest?

I was thinking four, but I am unsure if that would feel very rushed. I don’t want to take more than five due to work.

Portland is 4.5hrs from me. Bar Harbor is 7.5 hrs.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions of other stops to make along the way!

Ty!!!

Just spent some time in Maine and went to a couple of different Hannaford's. I thought it was a decent-sized store with good options but wondering what Mainers think of it, good and bad.

It’s probably a crazy idea, it has just crossed my mind. My knowledge of Maine comes only from Stephen King’s stories and the tales my father told: he took part Woodstock in '69 and spent two weeks in Maine.

I speak English (perhaps not perfectly, by the way, let me know if it’s obvious that I'm not American) and an half of my family already live between Staten Island and Boston. I want to leave Italy because both my wife and I are fed up with corruption and workplace speculations.

I’d like to know the important things about Maine especially how it differs from other states (as well as the best cities to live in). I want to move before my daughter starts school, so I need to move on.

I really like nature, good food (though I already know that going from Sicily to the USA will be a trauma in that regard), and calm people.

Hi Mainers (Mainiacs?),

Hope everyone’s having a nice holiday weekend so far. We’re coming up to Maine last weekend of July/first of August with a large group for a bachelor party. My buddy decided he wanted to go up to Maine instead of the usual bachelor party spots, so we landed on Old Orchard Beach area, and planning to hang around there and in Portland. Any recommendations for activities/bars/restaurants for a gigantic group (~20 or so)? We’re very open beyond beach day(s).

He also wanted to take a bike ride around Peaks Island, but don’t really think that’s going to be feasible. Not sure if anyone has experience with that size group and would recommend that.

Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks all!

We are visiting Wells/Ogunquif, leaving 7/3. Visitors are sparse. Restaurants that usually gave long wait times have plenty of tables available. Almost all hotels, motels and resorts have vacancies. We’ve been here 2 days and I haven’t seen one Canadian license plate. I asked one of our travel companions for an opinion and they said between WC FIFA and the America 250, a lot of folks are opting for soccer matches or larger events related to 250th anniversary. Any ideas why visitors are sparse? The small business owners are taking a huge hit.

Born and raised in Maine, cannot move out of state at this time. No family or anyone I can talk to, so I’m here 😊

Here’s the breakdown:

I’m a single mother (13, 10, 8). My oldest has a dad who has a house in Sebago. My younger two children and I have a PFA against their abusive father/my ex husband. They do not see him.

I work in Portland in an office making about $58k/year.

No student loans. 1 car loan, less than 2 years left.

$13k+ in savings, $23k+ in 401k

Right now I rent a duplex that my mother owns. I pay only $320 every two weeks. Heat and electric is included. I feel very grateful for this and try not to sound like I’m complaining.She only helps me with cheap rent. She isn’t emotionally mature/available. I’ve lived here for a few years but my kids are getting older. 3 bedrooms but the kids rooms are tiny and the house just sucks. It’s gross. It needs so many repairs. I truly think it needs to be demolished. In the summer heat now, it smells so musty and gross. I feel like something is seriously wrong with it. My mother doesn’t take my repair requests seriously. It takes forever to get anything done and she has her loser friends do the work for cheap so it’s not even good quality. So I get very cheap rent but I am MISERABLE in this house. I’m grossed out all the time. Everything is just old and run down. I have mold concerns. I’m embarrassed and never would have anyone come here.

I am pre-approved for a $315,000 house loan, but that’s still hard to find near work. Plus I’m very scared to get in over my head with mortgage and utilities.

I’m almost thinking about applying with the local housing authority? It would be apartment building and less storage room I’m sure, but the quality HAS to be better than this? I feel like the worst mother.

I had my kids young and was in bad relationships. My parents failed me other than my mom helping with my housing now, but she doesn’t care about the quality of the building. I feel like such a failure and I feel very stuck. I don’t even know what to do. I have a decent job, but I kind of fell into it so idk if I’d even be able to get another job like this if I tried to relocate. I can’t be too far from my daughters father in Sebago as he takes her about 50% of the time, but my options are so limited.

I guess I just wish someone could tell me what I should do. I literally have nobody to talk to about this and make all decisions on my own. Me and my dad do not speak, I’ve been single for years, don’t have close friends. I’m very alone.

I tried looking at houses a few months ago but it’s so much work and time and I can’t outbid anybody and the bank is so strict. I feel like I’m just stuck and I hate this for my children.

if working in freeport, would freeport itself or somewhere like brunswick be preferable for family with young kid? specifically interested in public schools, youth sports, walkabilty, etc.

Here’s the deal. I’ve been craving sea side Americana. The neon lights and French fries and all that stuff. I’ll be staying about an hour from OOB and thinking of heading there next week after dinner just to have some fun for a couple hours.

I have heard such mixed things about OOB. From it’s the MAGA trash pit of the universe to it’s a quintessential seaside boardwalk kinda deal.

We would only be going for a couple hours and are not expect world class travel but is it really as bad as people make it out to be? Last time I want was the middle of the day on a rainy June on 2005 with my senior class trip. It sucked.

Trying to get the feel on what the truth is because it often is somewhere in between.

Thanks for your help. If you have any questions about Boston travel I’d be happy to help

Hello,

I'll be driving from Portland up to Bar Harbor next Friday and was wondering which route should I take? Originally from Orrington but haven't been back in years, wondering if there's any heavy construction I should be aware of? I'll be landing in the afternoon, around 3 or so. Would like to get up to Bar Harbor sooner rather than later but want to make a stop to eat and get some ice cream.

95 I believe is the fastest but maybe more on the boring side. I was as thinking 95 to 3 to 1 into Ellsworth, or I could just take 1 up but not sure how much more time that would take. Thoughts?

Planning on staying a single night on Saturday, July 18. Downtown hotels are between $600-$1000? Is there some special event going on or is this typical?

Hi! We are popping up to Kennebunkport at the end of July for a long weekend baby moon. What are the must dos? What are the best beaches up there? I’m not sure how long I’ll last at the beach depending on how hot and humid it is; are there any pools worth checking out that don’t care/check if you’re staying on property? Any good spot for a couples massage? Beach yoga or other yoga? Best coffee? Tell me everything! We are staying downtown

Hi! My partner and I recently moved to MA from Alaska. We have visited Acadia area twice and have loved it, reminds us of Alaska quite a bit. We are thinking of visiting a different part of Maine for about 5 days/4 nights in July for my bday. We're looking to hike and possibly fly fishing. After doing some research, I'm mostly deciding between the Bethel/Grafton Notch (Mahoosuc Range) area and the Moosehead Lake area. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on either (or both!).

We're driving from Cape Cod, so we'd probably arrive late in the evening on the first day. Moosehead adds about 1.5 hours of driving compared to Mahoosuc, which isn't a dealbreaker, but it has me wondering what makes the most sense...

• If you had 5 days/4 nights, would you pick one area or split the trip between Mahoosuc and Moosehead (roughly 2 nights in each)? [Im leaning towards choosing one spot/area]
• Is Moosehead worth the extra drive, or would you stick with Mahoosuc? Not sure how different they are..
• Are there any towns you'd recommend staying in on the way up (or nearby) to break up the drive that first evening? Like maybe within ~2 hrs.
• Is there another area entirely that we should consider?

We're looking for medium-difficulty hikes with great scenery, and any recommendations for fly fishing and/or swimming spots would also be appreciated. We don't mind driving a bit each day if it means seeing some amazing places. Def prefer more secluded, quiet areas, no need for amenities. Thinking of either tent camping or renting a cabin if I find one.

If we go to Moosehead, we're also open for maybe renting a boat for the day (or kayak) if worth it...?

We don't get a lot of time off and we won't live in the NE for too long so hoping to make the most out of every time I can get up to Maine.

Thank you!!