Autumn/Halloween Events in Maine (Portland, Bangor: appointed, hotels, houses) - (ME) - City-Data Forum

Kristin85 · 09-17-2010, 01:01 PM

Hi everyone,

I have been visiting Maine 2-3 times per year since I was born but I have never visited the state during autumn. (The foliage in my area of CT is gorgeous and I never ventured out to other states to sightsee in the fall.) This year I am taking a vacation from Thur. October 21 through Mon. October 25 and then again from October 29 through November 1st. For one of those extended weekends I'd like to visit Maine and take part in some autumn or Halloween themed events. Does anyone know of any festivals or events that might be worth checking out during the last 2 weekends of October?

Our current plans are to spend time in Bar Harbor and to go hiking in Acadia on the days when we're not attending events. However, we could stay in the Portland area and hike at the Rachel Carson Wildlife Preserve if there is anything particularly interesting going on either of those weekends. We are more interested in educational walks/talks, ghost walks, pumpkin themed festivals, and generally "eerie" events than we are in staged haunted houses and dances. Any help would be very much appreciated!

Thank you,
Kristin

Maineguy04654 · 09-17-2010, 01:39 PM

You really want to enjoy the season forget both those places. Drive up RT 9 ( make sure it is during the day ) best to stay in Bangor and leave bright in the AM. The drive up rt 9 ( the Airline road ) is out there plus you will see Moose and Deer (maybe) and if your real lucky a Bear.. Then when you get to the end of RT9 take rt1 north. This road will be a bit boring compared to rt9 for about 40 min still very nice though. Then when you get to Danforth you rt1 takes a right this is where it is about to get REAL good. Another 10 min and you will get the truly breathtaking views. Make sure you have lots of film or a big memory card as you going to want to take pics but you may forget as the view is that good. Also in Danforth ( don't turn right on rt1 but go straight take the next left and you will see a great diner for lunch real real good chow here IMHO anyway.

Zarathu · 09-17-2010, 02:35 PM

Bar harbor events Calendar: Bar Harbor Chamber Of Commerce Bar Harbor Maine

Southwest Harbor Calendar of Events: The Southwest Harbor / Tremont Chamber of Commerce (http://www.acadiachamber.com/events/long_calendar.cgi - broken link)

Zarathu

Kristin85 · 09-17-2010, 02:46 PM

Maineguy, thanks for the detailed directions. If we decide to stay in the Bar Harbor area, we'll try the drive up Route 9. I looked at the terrain for the drive you mentioned and it seems beautiful: tons of mountains and lakes. I've only seen 1 moose and 1 bear in Maine over the past few years; it would be wonderful to see more!

Zarathu, I checked out the links. It appears that they've barely been updated through October. Do you know of any annual events that take place in the Bar Harbor region that may not be listed on the chamber of commerce websites?

retiredtinbender · 09-17-2010, 07:47 PM

Too bad you are going to miss the Cumberland and Fryeburg fairs. Some think they are tacky but I always enjoyed them. Even if it was just people watching. And kids have a grand time. 2010 Maine Fair Dates (http://www.mainefairs.org/fair_dates.htm - broken link)

You can always go "leaf-peeping" either by driving around or tours MaineFoliage.com - Maine's Official Fall Foliage Website and that is the last week for a train ride from Rockland to Brunswick. My sister and BIL said it was a great trip. Maine Eastern Railroad - Excursion Train Rail service to the towns of Brunswick, Bath, Wiscasset, BoothBay, Bootbay Harbor and Rockland Maine. Lobster train to the Lobsterfest, Maine coastal rail. Lighthouse, sailing, schooners, whale watch, lobster,

Not everything is limited to Acadia or the coast. It's nice but it is only a small part of Maine. There are as many things to do and see as your imagination can come up with. Check the mountains in the west, the potato fields and wildlife up north. As has been said here many times, this state has more area than all the rest of New England combined and a smorgashbord of things to see and do. You have time. Check it all out. Sit, surf, and enjoy. Maine Invites You | Maine Tourism Association Home - Maine Office of Tourism Brought to you by the Maine Tourism Board (sounds like it though) Hope you have a good trip.

Zarathu · 09-17-2010, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kristin85

Zarathu, I checked out the links. It appears that they've barely been updated through October. Do you know of any annual events that take place in the Bar Harbor region that may not be listed on the chamber of commerce websites?

You have to remember that there is a season on MDI. Most of the motels and hotels on island close down around October 15, two weeks before Halloween. This means that most of the events on Island for Halloween are geared more for the year-round people since the 3/4 or more of the summer people are gone. Of course those who own property on island will be there as long as their property is not rented full time(like me unfortunately.) After all the people leave, there are only about 11,000 people on the whole island, and most of those people have jobs. The events that play to the tourists still happen, but all the money for them, and the people tomanage them have gone back to where these people go for the winter time. Maine is a big state, but sparsely populated except in the summer time. On MDI the population swells to more than 40,000. And so there are lots of service people who move on island to serve all these people. But when they are gone, it quiets down and there are not a lot of events going on.

For people who don't get it: there are more people in the metropolitan Philadelphia area than in the whole state of Maine. This means that you can find as many Halloween events in Maine as you find in Philly. But in Philly you can drive from one event to the next in minutes. In maine you have to drive from one event to the next in hours.

I'll be back on island myself from the 9th to the 12th, but I'll miss the Halloween events.

This was listed in what I gave you. There is a big YMCA sponsored celebration in Bar Harbor. It basically kicks off all the fun, and you can expect people to be wondering the streets all over the place in costumes. Some years there are even some fireworks, though nothing like the July 4 events.

Ellsworth has a halloween parade, and a trick or treat event on the main street.

Here's the link:

Family Halloween Party (http://www.mdiymca.org/halloween.htm - broken link)

If you need lots of events in a small space, you will need to go to Portland or Bangor.

island mermaid · 09-18-2010, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

Too bad you are going to miss the Cumberland and Fryeburg fairs. Some think they are tacky but I always enjoyed them. Even if it was just people watching. And kids have a grand time. 2010 Maine Fair Dates (http://www.mainefairs.org/fair_dates.htm - broken link)

You can always go "leaf-peeping" either by driving around or tours MaineFoliage.com - Maine's Official Fall Foliage Website and that is the last week for a train ride from Rockland to Brunswick. My sister and BIL said it was a great trip. Maine Eastern Railroad - Excursion Train Rail service to the towns of Brunswick, Bath, Wiscasset, BoothBay, Bootbay Harbor and Rockland Maine. Lobster train to the Lobsterfest, Maine coastal rail. Lighthouse, sailing, schooners, whale watch, lobster,

Not everything is limited to Acadia or the coast. It's nice but it is only a small part of Maine. There are as many things to do and see as your imagination can come up with. Check the mountains in the west, the potato fields and wildlife up north. As has been said here many times, this state has more area than all the rest of New England combined and a smorgashbord of things to see and do. You have time. Check it all out. Sit, surf, and enjoy. Maine Invites You | Maine Tourism Association Home - Maine Office of Tourism Brought to you by the Maine Tourism Board (sounds like it though) Hope you have a good trip.

Great post with a lot of STATEWIDE information, nice job! I don't think the local fairs are tacky at all, we like to attend quite a few of them. The agricultural fairs are the most fun, I love to walk through the exhibition halls and the cow barns to check out all of the livestock. The ox and draft horse pulls always fun to watch. Woodman's Day at Fryeburg is a must see for the whole family. What a great way to spend the day! ( yes, the people watching is always something to behold as well)

dmyankee · 09-18-2010, 08:34 AM

The fairs are nice fare for the Fall season.

If you came up my way, you could access some of the most beautiful country you will see, from the comfort of your own vehicle. Right up the road there is a pond full of otter and beaver. Lots of opportunity to see moose, deer, Piliated Woodpeckers, Herons, hawks and eagles. There are spectacular 100 mile views few people know about and long abandoned railroad depots and farms that served the logging operations for over a century. If you like to hike, there are all manner of of waterfalls, caves and gorges to get to. Jack Pine plantations, as well as mature spruce, fir and cedar swamps, so dense that daylight ends about 30 yards in.

I just got a new camera and a Garmin gpsmap. I will be out on the trails and roads almost daily for the next two months. I will be posting pix soon.

Newdaawn · 09-18-2010, 01:39 PM

You might be very disappointed in the lack of things to do and businesses open in Bar Harbor in late October. If you are going for the beauty of Acadia Nat'l Park that is a different matter. Check out Fort Knox - right across the river from Bucksport - they have a spooky event right around Halloween.

Kristin85 · 09-20-2010, 08:38 AM

Thank you for all of the information everyone.

Retiredtinbender, the Fryeburg fair sounds like a blast. It's a shame that I'm going to miss the pig scrambles and horse pulling contests.

The Maine Tourism link you provided shows that there will be a Halloween Harvest event occurring in Eliot on Oct. 30 or 31st; have you (or has anyone else on this forum) been to this event?

I have been to the Maine coast in the winter several times so I have a sense of how deserted MDI will be in autumn. Since most of my time will be spent hiking and taking short road trips, this shouldn't be a problem. Zarathu, the Ellsworth event sounds like a lot of fun; could you explain what the parade is like? In Collinsville, CT an artists community throws an annual Halloween parade that is a little more spooky than traditional parades. (Collinsville Halloween Parade - Yankee Magazine) Do you think the Ellsworth parade may be similar to the Collinsville parade (i.e. special music or dance performances, lots of homemade costumes, etc.)?

Thanks again!