Frommer's Maine Coast Day By Day 491m1a

Maine Coast

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North Windham

35

Sebago Lake

Ogunquit

York Beach

Small Point

Bay

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Bailey Island

Sebasco

11 10

Monhegan I.

8

7 Cape Elizabeth

Ferry Beach Biddeford Pool

4 3

9 Goose Rocks Beach

Kennebunkport Kennebunk Beach

AT L A N T I C OCEAN

Allen I.

Monhegan

Pine Point Old Orchard Beach

Wells Wells Beach Moody

1 2

209

Christmas Cove Newagen

Saco

1

35

Southport

77 5 6

West Kennebunk

Kennebunk

Phippsburg

24 Orrs Island

130

New Harbor Boothbay Harbor

Portland

112

111

o

Westbrook

Buxton Scarborough

Biddeford

95

1

Gorham

35

9

295

Cumberland Falmouth Foreside s c South South C a Harpswell Windham

22 202

5

99

95

302

Standish

Two Trails

Yarmouth

27

Woolwich

123

Freeport

115

1

Bath

Brunswick

y

114

9

Ba

Sebago Lake

Topsham

231

Gray Little Sebago L .

Friendship

Edgecomb Bristol

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Panther Pd.

129

ry

4 East Sebago

Wiscasset

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Lisbon Falls

11

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26 Smart Ways to See the Region

with foldout map

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Strategies for Seeing the Maine Coast

Previous page: Paying a little more for an ocean view is well worth the cost.

M AS S .

Gloucester

Rockport

Isles of Shoals

Casco Bay

Portland

Yarmouth

Freeport

Raymond

Kennebunkport Ogunquit

Portsmouth

Hampton

95

1

Biddeford Kennebunk

Wells

Durham York Kittery

Dover

Sanford

Gorham

Sebago L .

Auburn

Bridgeton

302

Westbrook Alfred

202

25

Saco R.

Bath

Monhegan I.

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Isle au Haut

3

Mt. Desert I.

Blue Hill Bar Harbor

Ellsworth

Graham L .

ACADIA NATIONAL Swans I. PARK

Deer I.

Deer Isle

1A Bucksport

Searsport 1 Castine

Old Town

Orono R. on Brewer ni

Pushaw L .

95 Bangor Hampden

A.N.P.

A T L A N T I C O C E A N

Matinicus I.

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Vinalhaven I.

Rockland

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Belfast

Camden Rockport

32

Damariscotta Thomaston Boothbay Harbor

1

Gardiner

3

Waterville

Augusta

Wiscasset

295

Brunswick

4

95

Lewiston

202

201

Pittsfield

Great Wass I.

1

Cherryfield

9

Nicatous L .

0

Eastport

20 mi

Grand Manan I.

Lubec

Cobscook Bay

20 km

Jonesport

Machias

0

Calais St. Andrews

St. Stephen

C A N A DA CAN

Meddybemps L .

Woodland

Big L .

1

West Grand L .

R.

11

Wolfeboro

L . Winnipesaukee

NE W HAM MP P SH SHIIRE RE

16

Fryeburg

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Livermore Falls Great Pd.

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Campobello I.

Strategies for Seeing Maine

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WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL North Conway FOREST

8

The Maine Coast

9

oing to the Maine coast for a week isn’t like going to Daytona, Maui, or even Boston; it’s far bigger, chillier, foggier, less expensive, and more thinly populated, to take just a few examples. Here are a few strategies and rules of thumb that can help you get the most enjoyment out of this unique place.

Rule #1: Get yourself some wheels. Public transit in Maine exists, but it’s frankly not all that great. (This is a big and mostly rural state, so you can’t really blame them for that.) Unless you’re planning to confine yourself to Portland—in which case you could use city buses, but even then, you’d still end up walking a lot—you’re going to need bicycle, scooter, or automobile wheels almost anywhere that you want to go.

slow, solitary walks along beaches or up mountains when I had no itinerary and no watch on my wrist, and the next day’s plans weren’t pressing me to hurry back to my room or campsite. Staying in one town—and one room—for 3 days isn’t a bad idea at all.

Rule #4: Adjust your expectations slightly downward. Luxury

a prime summer destination, of course, but it’s pretty wonderful in late spring and fall, too. And you can sometimes save big on coastal hotel rooms by visiting the coast before July or after Labor Day. Weekdays, of course, also tend to be much cheaper than weekends— even in high summer season.

inns and gourmet restaurants are here in increasing numbers, but there are also plenty of villages (Downeast and on out-of-the-way peninsulas) that still offer lodgings best described as throwbacks to the old days—days when a traveler would sleep in a sparely furnished room, sharing hallway bathrooms and communal breakfasts with fellow travelers. That’s not an unpleasant experience at all, so long as you come in expecting it. Anyway, on this coast, Mother Nature is the star attraction.

Rule #3: Don’t try to do too much. After all, the Maine coast is

Rule #5: Pay more for a view (or don’t). It’s up to you, but know

a place to relax. That means traveling and sightseeing slowly. Some of my very best memories here involve

what you’re getting before you get here. Even resort rooms on the Maine coast sometimes look out on

Rule #2: Think about visiting during the off-season. Maine is

Renting a bike is a great way to see the sights along Maine’s coast.

Strategies for Seeing Maine

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Strategies for Seeing Maine

10

Water taxis are a convenient way to experience the sea in Maine.

gorgeous ocean vistas and sometime look out over big parking lots. Prices usually reflect these differences in scenery—but not always. When booking, always ask about your view and try to negotiate a better one if possible. You could scrimp, of course, but here’s my take: Going to Maine and then skipping the views doesn’t make much sense.

Rule #6: Get out on the water. Maine is all about the sea, so at some point, you need to feel that salty, bracing sea spray on your face to really experience the place. Whether it’s on a ferry boat, a deepsea fishing excursion, a boogie board, or a friend’s yacht, it doesn’t especially matter; just get out there.

Rule #7: Engage locals. You don’t need to put on a fake accent and wear a Red Sox hat to fit in (in fact, don’t do those things if you’re not from New England). Mainers are surprisingly open and humorous, you’ll find, even if they seem pretty quiet at first. It’s a cultural thing. Get past that hard shell (here’s where a little Red Sox knowledge really comes in handy), and people are usually pretty friendly deep down. And you can always talk about weather. Rule #8: Get off the beaten track. Throughout this book, I’ve

tried to nudge you gently toward things that aren’t obvious tourist stops—local coffee shops and diners, little-known historical spots, somewhat-secret beaches. You can see just the “greatest hits” if you want, but you’ll probably have a better story to tell afterward if you deviate from them.

Rule #9: Bring a good camera. I’ve traveled and photographed all over the world. Recently, I realized that many of my favorite shots came from right here on the Maine coast, often in anonymous places. The interplay of water, sunlight, fog, stone, snow, and sand never fails to create something I’ve never seen before—and won’t see again, after the next 1⁄8th of a second.

Rule #10: Be like a Boy Scout. You know, “Be Prepared”? I’m talking about the weather here. We all dream of perfect, sunny days on the beach, but in reality, Maine is a pretty humid place (it’s next to a big pile of water called “the ocean,” after all). You can expect to be rained out maybe a third of the time in summer, sometimes much more often than that in a bad year. Bring umbrellas, a sweater, a change of dry shoes, a TV Guide, and a thick novel, just in case.

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