Your favorite Maine town to vacation in?

[IHeartMaine]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

good post!

i was down in the pemaquid area yesterday, in south bristol, one of the prettiest fishing villages in maine (i'm biased, i grew up there)
went to visit my dad on fathers day - on christmas cove

damariscotta was just a bustling ,,i had to wait 3 times while someone crossed the street

Went through Damariscotta the other day as well........very busy. As most of us know.......you can't beat the Mid-Coast. For me, Boothbay Harbor to Bucksport is THE place in Maine spend a day, a vacation......or live for that matter.

[Q44]

Kind of what I was trying to let the OP know. Mid-Coast Maine is THE Maine experience. but you can also use it to make a day out of heading north (downeast?) to Bar Harbor/Acadia. Mid-Coast is the ideal Maine vacation experience anywhere from Boothbay to Camden, though we're partial to Pemaquid.

I don't mind a few short stops for pedestrians in Damariscotta, the back-up in Wiscassett caused by folks crossing over to Reds I can live without.

The view of the village in New Harbor or South Bristol, not sure? when you're leaving or returning by boat is beautiful. (Hardy Cruises are great, they let my kids get behind the wheel for some great pic's).

[Declan's Dad]

Originally Posted by IHeartMaine

Went through Damariscotta the other day as well........very busy. As most of us know.......you can't beat the Mid-Coast. For me, Boothbay Harbor to Bucksport is THE place in Maine spend a day, a vacation......or live for that matter.

eh... Camden and Rockport are nice but I abhor Boothbay. It's ridiculously overrated. My parents always took us on trips from NH to different locales in Maine when I was a young child prior to the family buying a summer home in York. I remembered going to Boothbay so when my wife and I were first dating we went there for a weekend at a B & B. Aside from the sex it was one of the most boring vacations I'd ever had. I don't get what everyone's fascination with Boothbay is. When I'm on the coast I like a breeze in the air and the sound of crashing waves in my ear. I like to feel the ocean with all of my senses, to know it's there. I recall the air in Boothbay being completely still and stagnant. You could have heard a pin drop on the other side of town. It was awful.

I also don't get why people like Old Orchard so much. I've always found it to be trashy, even after the makeovers. OOB makes me feel like I'm in New Jersey rather than Maine. Yuck!

For me, partially because I grew up there in the summer, southern Maine can't beat beat. From Kittery to Kennebunk is my fav area by far. Nice beaches. So much to see and do. Can be somewhat touristy but doesn't feel contrived like much of the midcoast can at times.

But Maine is not just about the coast. There is so much to appreciate about the inland area as well. I have never been to Moosehead Lake but I have been to Rangely Lakes and it is an absolutely beautiful area. Not as crowded as overrated Sebago. Baxter State park is nice too.

[Declan's Dad]

The OP never gave us any info about wht types of things he and his wife liek to do on vaction. That would be helpful for us making suggestions? Do you prefer the ocean or lakes? Do you like beaches, shopping, hiking, canoeing, art museums, ect etc

Maine has a lot to offer but you may not enjoy your vacation if you pick the wrong destination.

[GreenGene]

We started vacationing in Maine when I was 3 years old (1955). That was a LONG time ago. And it was many, many years before I was aware of the beauty of Maine's coast ... because once we got to Maranacook Lake, we did our darnest not to leave.

As a kid, there was nothing better than Pinerest Cottages. People from all over New England, NY, NJ, PA, and further would come to spend a week or two, and then they'd come back the next year, and the year after that, .....

A beach, a raft, a dock for each cabin and a rowboat if they wanted it (and a motor as well, if desired) ... cookouts on the beach every Monday night (or maybe pot luck) and toasted marshmallows ... water skiing ... shooting hoops ... playing ping-pong ... running up to the railroad tracks to put a couple pennies down on the tracks before the train arrived to flatten them ... walking to the corner store for some penny candy ... fishing off the dock ... picking blueberries along the water's edge, rinsing them off in the lake and eating them as quickly as we picked them ... looking back, it was heaven on earth.

As an adult, I got to take my wife and kids to the same spot several times. My wife and I were last there in 2005, in the cabin formerly known as cabin no. 7.

The cabins were all sold individually many years ago, and so the experience isn't what it used to be, but it's pretty darn good.

On the other hand, my wife and I have traveled up and down the coast of Maine several times now, and it's wonderful. We've chased lighthouses from Nubble Light to West Quoddy Head and plenty in between, and explored Acadia, and went whale watching out of Bar Harbor, etc., etc.

This Sunday (in less than 60 hours, not that I'm counting, mind you), my wife and I are heading back up. We're staying at Maranacook again - not Pinerest, but a nice looking spot nevertheless. We'll have a day trip to the coast (Camden and Belfast, more than likely), but mostly we'll be enjoying the lake ... sitting on the dock, kayaking with the loons, soaking in sunsets over the water, and loving life.

[Spanky25]

Heading to Boothbay Harbor for the week of the 4th. of July. Love that place! Still looking for a vaca home/cabin in Boothbay Harbor.