Going to Maine this fall!!

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

OK guys, need your help. Finally going to MAINE !! STAying at Samoset Resort middle of Oct o should be plenty of color.

Should I fly into Bangor or Portland. I have Airline miles so could do either. Depending on time I would like to do some
sightseeing . Which route is the most scenic??

Any and all recommendations are appreciated.

TIA Shaggy

[LisaH Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close LisaH]

Great catch! You will love Samoset! Portland drive is very scenic along the coast. Bangor is inland, and we mainly focused along the coast while we were there in 2016 so can't tell you what it's like, probably pretty as well. Distances are about the same to the resort. I would say whichever has the best schedule and price...

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

We rarely head down toward Samoset. Route 1 from Portland would be more scenic. Castine is an interesting little town. If you plan on going to Acadia National Park, leave early as it could take as much as 2 hours to get there from Samoset. The color may be waning by mid-October depending on prior weather conditions.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

I'll have to take the chance Tony. I may lose a day and spend one night near Acadia so won't feel rushed.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

A lot of nice shops in Portland, And The famous Portland light house. The resort was very nice when we were there. There is a huge Jetty right through the golf course. There was also a very scenic area right near where they told us to go to get lobsters, I will see if I can find information on where it was. I may have posted it here years ago

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

OK found it only 7 miles from the resort
https://www.bedandbreakfast.com/me-s...inn.html#img-6

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

If you take the Portland arrival, along the route to Samoset there's world famous Moody's Diner - tho I was not impressed. Also, Red's in Wiscassett is supposed to make the world's best lobster roll. Freeport is not far from Portland and is the place for the main L.L.Bean store along with many others. Not sure if everything will be open in mid-October as that is around the time the tourist season begins to end (used to be Labor Day). Cruise ships stop at Bar Harbor now and can be seen from certain places in the park as well as from the shoreline in Bar Harbor. The weather can be pleasant or somewhat on the cold side, so bring a coat.

[mpumilia Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mpumilia]

We visited Acadia for a day while staying at the Samoset during the month of April. Took 2 hours, but it was off season so no traffic really. I would think flying into Portland makes much more sense than Bangor. Town of Camden is really nice and has good restaurants and nice shops.

[susieq Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close susieq]

We were at Samoset last summer. Stopped at Moody's and loved it. If you're going to go down to Freeport, at the end of the road that L.L.Bean is on is the Desert of Maine - google it - interesting, glad we stopped. Check out Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows Observatory - not far from the resort. Here's a few links - I know you'll have a great time whatever you do.

http://www.desertofmaine.com/index.html

http://fortknox.maineguide.com/

https://moodysdiner.com/

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

I didn't see anything about a restaurant there??

[susieq Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close susieq]

I don't think there was a restaurant at the resort.................We went the beginning of Sept., so a lot of things were closed. There's an Applebees not too far from the resort. I'll give you some links, but can't say as we never tried..............

https://rockportdiner.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...ort_Maine.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...and_Maine.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...and_Maine.html

[LisaH Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close LisaH]

There is a restaurant at the resort in the hotel section. Pretty good actually. We went in June and it’s open.

[Jeanne Sz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeanne Sz]

We were there Oct. 15-22. Fly into Portland and enjoy the drive up the coast. Just missed the Mount Desert Marathon and what's probably the final weekend of events at Acadia that Sunday. Plenty to see and enjoy though. Restaurant at Samoset was open and good. Rockland Cafe and Bakery was good, too. Susieq's links were good spots to see, but I didn't think Moody's Diner was more than average.
Fall colors were great almost up to Acadia until a storm came up towards week's end, bringing in wind and blowing away the leaves, but the fog was great! We enjoyed the sunset at Acadia (no way we were going all the way up there before sunrise!). I wished we had stayed overnight in Bar Harbor so we could've spent more time there.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

Jeanne , you beat me to it. I do believe I will spend one night in Bar Harbor as I think it will be too long a drive for me to do in one day. How did you like Acadia?? What did you do?? on yeah, I goofed , that restaurant was to be directed to Big Frank, as he gave me a link but didn't find a restaurant on his link, just a motel.

[Jeanne Sz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeanne Sz]

We stopped at the visitor center to see what was on the schedule and watched a video, then drove around the island, stopping at several points such as the overlooks and Thunder Hole. You want to make a reservation early for lunch at Jordan Pond Restaurant, as they fill up early, even in October! There are tour buses you may choose to take, and there's a ranch that offers horse and buggy rides through an area not accessible by autos. We ended the day with a drive up to Cadillac Mountain for sunset. We went on a few short hikes as well. Because we spent so much of the day in the park, we only really had time for dinner at the Lobster Pound in Bar Harbor and a quick drive through town. If you're there during low tide, you can walk across the sandbar to the island, too.