My daughters and I will be doing a relatively short trip to Maine next week. Arriving in Boston very early and then driving to Maine. We will be staying in Boothbay. Hopefully because we can’t checking to our Airbnb until later, we want to stop in Portland.
1) would it be out of the question to try and do Portland and kennebunkport in a day?
2) girls really want to do Acadia, and I know it’s quite a distance from Boothbay. Lots of people have said don’t try and do in a day, while others have said, if you really want to you should. Thoughts?
3) itinerary for 5-6 days? I feel like we may have to drive back south while staying in Boothbay to go to other places.
Posted by
Chicago
80 posts
We stopped in Kennebunkport for lunch on our way to Wells Beach after spending two nights in Portland. Depends on what you want to do and how many hours you have. We did the Casco Bay lighthouse cruise which was very nice, but if you're staying in Boothbay, I believe they have a similar tour as well. Exploring Portland downtown and harbor can definitely be done in one full day. We were gonna do Peaks Island the next day but was rained out. A few nice breweries just NE of 1A. I can recommend a couple of restaurants if you're interested.
Posted by
OP
62 posts
That would be lovely! I have a few on my list but would love a few more!
Posted by
Chicago
80 posts
Portland breakfast/lunch/dinner - Holy Donut/Becky's Diner/Central Provisions. Planned to go to Duckfat Friteshack but never made it.
Becky's Diner was by far the best lobster roll we had on our entire NE trip.
If you're into beer, Rising Tide and Austin Street are right next to each other and less than a mile walk from downtown.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16613 posts
Acadia...
I never like to say 'don't' but I honestly wouldn't try and do this in a day from Boothbay. It would likely take you over 3 to 3.5 hours of road time each way, and Mt. Desert Island traffic is dense and slow during high season. Finding parking places at the more popular spots can also be a pain. We were there for a week the end of Sept. to do some hiking and exploring some years ago and it was really busy. What saved us was having lots of time, and getting out of the Bar Harbor area during the busiest times of the day to hit the trails or head off to Southwest Harbor, the Cranberry Islands and other points further away from BA. But even skipping BA, the island roads are slow. You would be there before the fall colors though so that might help.
https://www.nps.gov/acad/traffic.htm
Info on the popular - thus busy - Park Loop Road:
https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/park-loop-road.htm
Part of the route is a one-way.
They do have a free shuttle that can help with the parking issues & take some stress off but it still takes time to get around.
https://www.exploreacadia.com/index.html
Sunset next week is about 7:00 PM so daylight has gotten a bit short where long drives are involved.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
A day trip to Bar Harbor from Boothbay Harbor means 5-6 hours of driving, mostly scenic. That leaves little time to explore the park. I guess you could "do Acadia" if that means driving in and out with little time actually there, but it seems a shame. Maine has lots of great coastal destinations closer to Boothbay (which is itself a good one).
Posted by
Big Island of Hawaii
759 posts
Not sure how you ended up choosing Boothbay, but it's done. So, now how do you plan the rest of your trip?
We stayed in Ogunquit and spent the day driving to Portland with stops in Kennebunkport, Cape Elizabeth lighthouse, Portland Head lighthouse, and Rachel Carson Natural Wildlife Refuge. So, plenty to do in that area, and that day didn't include doing anything in Portland.
We also spent two days driving from Bar Harbor back to Portland, and I can't imagine trying to drive from Boothbay to Acadia as a day trip. If the girls really want to do Acadia, then find a place to stay in that area.
I loved the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens near Boothbay. Good for all ages. Everyone would enjoy searching out and finding all the various trolls. There are a lot of coastal scenic drives.