3rd Annual New England Fall Trip: Mainly Maine
For our third annual New England fall trip, we mainly wanted to explore Maine. We wanted to eat all the lobster, see all the lighthouses, then explore as many other places/states as we could fit in for as much leaf-peeping as possible. Kancamagus Hwy in New Hampshire was also a top priority for this year, as was Acadia National Park.
Embassy Suites Portland
This was another girls trip, but there were 4 of us this year! We flew into Portland, Maine and stayed practically next door to the airport at Embassy Suites. This was a great hotel with a restaurant where we ate dinner a couple of times and breakfast daily. There was a station for made-to-order omelets and almost anything else you would want, served buffet style. The hotel also offered a happy hour with appetizers and complimentary drinks in the evenings. We missed most of those because we were still out on our daily excursions.
Portland Head Light
The 1st day we arrived early enough to go exploring, so we went out in search of Portland Head Light. This is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. It stands 80 feet tall and is located at Fort Williams Park. It is easily accessible from the nearby parking lot. We were pretty excited to explore our 1st Maine lighthouse up close. On the way back to the car, we took a couple of distant shots from the concrete elevation. It’s such a pretty setting.
Ogunquit, Maine
The first, and one of our very favorites, little town that we explored was Ogunquit, ME. This pristine and charming coastal town stole our hearts as we arrived on the sunny morning and came upon Perkins Cove. We loved the draw bridge here, the shops, the art gallery, the beach and all of the friendly people. Ogunquit is a must if you go to Maine.
Nubble Lighthouse
From Ogunquit, we headed down the coast to Nubble Lighthouse at Sohier Park. This is another awesome lighthouse in a beautiful setting. It’s viewed from across the water and we absolutely loved it, although we didn’t get as close as at Head Light. The town of York is the guardian of this lighthouse to preserve it on Maine’s coast. There is a gift shop by the parking lot with friendly staff who gave us some restaurant suggestions.
The York River Landing
Of the restaurant recs, we decided on The York River Landing for our first lobster rolls of the trip! We had a pretty view for our quiet late lunch as the restaurant is located right on York River. For those of you not wanting/or able to eat seafood, know that there are other delicious options here.
Walker’s Point Bush Home
The Bush summer home, located on Walker’s Point at Kennebunkport, Me is another site viewed across the water. The lookout point is on Ocean Avenue and the properties along there are impressive to see as well. You’ll see a large stone here with a Parsons Way dedication sign on it. Mr. Parsons gave the land to Kennebunkport so we could all enjoy this scenic view. Love this!
Kennebunkport, Maine
Another fave and must visit coastal town in Maine is Kennebunkport. It has blocks of shops and restaurants, beaches, hotels and B&Bs. Here you’ll find the Bush Exhibit, for a look into the life of President George H. W. Bush. It is located inside historical White Columns, the Nott house, which you can tour while in the village. Don’t miss an opportunity to grab a lobster roll at The Clam Shack on your visit!
My favorite moment in Kennebunkport was running into one of my bffs from home while shopping for pajamas and sweatshirts at Too Cool! This was a great little shop with good prices, so check it out. You never know who you will see there!
Kancamagus Highway NH
We started our Kancamagus Scenic Highway drive from Conway, NH towards Lincoln, NH. This was one of the most beautiful places for fall foliage that we experienced. Our first stop was Saco Ranger Station in Conway, which is basically the Visitor Center. With map in hand, we were ready to see some sights in White Mountain National Forest!
Lower Falls
You can see Lower Falls from the highway easily. It’s a great and pretty swimming spot in the summer where Swift River flows over large rocks. We didn’t see any swimmers in October!
Albany Covered Bridge
If you are wondering if this stop is worth it, yes we think so! From the parking lot, it’s a very short walk down to the water where the bridge crosses over. It was a great place for photos with the bridge. You have lots of photo ops up on the highway in front of the bridge too. Not to mention how cool it is to walk thru and enjoy the views.
Sabbaday Falls
My favorite stop on the Kanc was Sabbaday Falls. The hike to see the waterfall is less than 1/2 of a mile. It’s a little incline, but a nice path with plenty of space for people to go around, so you can go at your own pace. We had one in a boot and one recuperating from a concussion in our group and they both made it fine. The waterfall is a gorgeous pay off tumbling over the rocks. The setting with the bridge and steps with rails is done very well and so picturesque.
Sugar Hill Scenic Outlook
I have a hard time not giggling every time I think about this stop. Yes, it’s a pretty view and there’s a little gazebo with a picnic table there. But the best part was when we all got back in the car and one cousin, who shall not be named, begin to tell us how she ‘politely’ got into the wrong car with some other people. She had been so courteous as to motion , one lady in the group on by her before opening the car door (theirs). It got funnier and funnier as she told about trying to explain to them that our rental car looked similar to theirs. It seemed these people didn’t really speak English and were very surprised that she had come along for the ride! Hahaha
Vermont
By the time we made it to Lincoln, we were too close to Vermont to not venture over, especially for those who hadn’t been. We had such an amazing trip staying here the previous year and wanted to at least hit some high points in Stowe.
Stowe, VT
Downtown Stowe was our 1st stop where we parked and walked around downtown a bit. Love this quaint little town with the church right on the street, lots of shops, restaurants, inns, visitor center and more. We visited several shops, including Shaw’s General Store and Stowe Mercantile.
Trapp Family Lodge
After the optimal church viewing/photo stop, the next highlight we wanted to show was Trapp Family Lodge and the view from the parking lot there. If you hit it at the right time of the year, the fall foliage view here is spectacular! We had friends stay here. Even tho we haven’t, we’ve enjoyed the views here, gawking at the huge lodge and definitely the brewery restaurant around the corner.
Maine
After a pit stop at Clark’s Trading Post (Clark’s Bears), we headed back to Maine where we were staying. Portland, via Kancamagus Hwy to Stowe and back, is not really an ideal day trip! We were exhausted and hungry with a long way to go. Thankfully, we found this wonderful restaurant in Manchester, NH on the way back. Moe Joe’s was closing up the kitchen, but had mercy on us and fed us a wonderful late dinner with amazing service. We were so appreciative. We changed drivers and got back on the road, making it safely back. Whew. Long day.
Acadia National Park
The next morning, after a typical yummy breakfast at the hotel, we were off to Acadia National Park. We started at the visitor center-52 steps up. That was a twist. Haha We all made it (remember our struggling two) and got the maps and info to start our journey!
Cadillac Mountain
The highest peak of Acadia NP is accessible by driving up Cadillac Mountain. Take a short, but very windy and, for us, chilly hike to the summit. Here you will be able to see the town of Bar Harbor below. I could just taste the lobster looking down there.
Park Loop Road
We made a pretty quick drive on Park Loop Road. It’s a 27 mile scenic drive in Acadia NP. The loop is a one-way road with multiple points of interest. You can stop at as many of these or as few as you wish. Start at Hulls Cove Visitor Center. Popular stops include Sand Beach, Otter Point and Thunder Hole.
Bar Harbor, Maine
Squeal. Time to go to Bar Harbor for some lobster. I was very happy to be back in Bar Harbor again. My husband and I had been here on our 1st New England leaf-peeping trip 2 years earlier. The coastal town is charming with all of its shops and restaurants. Plenty of lobster eating opportunities here.
Stewman’s Downtown
We ate at Stewman’s Downtown, which is on the water. They were steaming lobster outside and It was the best lobster roll on the entire trip. The crab roll and blueberry pie were also delish!! Yes, we about had to be ‘rolled’ out of there!
Bangor, Maine
On the way back from Bar Harbor we stopped in Bangor Maine at Steven King’s house. We didn’t see Steven King, but we took a cool photo as the tail light of the car created the perfect ambiance, especially for October.
Breakwater ‘Bug Light’ Lighthouse
This 30’ lighthouse, Bug Light, was an architectural beauty! It may not have been very tall, but it packs in a lot of interest here at Bug Light Park.
Liberty Ship Memorial
Bug Light Park is in the location of a WWII shipyard which employed about 30,000 people and built 236 ships for the war. Appropriately, a portion of the park is dedicated to the Liberty Ship Memorial. You’ll spot it with the artistic partial ship structure across the park from Bug Light.
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse
Amy and I ended up going all the way out to this lighthouse and touching it! This was a highlight of the trip. Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse sits at the end of a rocky 950’ long breakwater. The massive rocks have significant gaps in between them, so we were definitely springing from one stone across the chasm to another. Amy made sure we leaned out to touch it with photo proof for completing the obstacle course jaunt out there.
Portland, Maine
Even though we were staying in Portland, Maine the whole time, we had really not explored around town much. We decided to stay close to the hotel and have a shorter day, spending it at the port. We needed to pack up that nite to fly out the next morning anyway.
Historic Old Port
We returned to the Historical Old Port area, where we had tried to eat dinner one night , but because of an event couldn’t even find a parking place! This time we parked in a parking garage and enjoyed walking around streets taking in the wharfs, shops and restaurants.
Gilbert’s Chowder House
We had to stand in line for a while, but we decided on Gilbert’s Chowder House for lunch, based on our research. The seafood chowder ended up being excellent! Even though the restaurant seemed small, I really enjoyed the ‘fisherman wharf’ atmosphere.
The Holy Donut
After lunch, we treked over to The Holy Donut. These donuts are made from potatoes daily and are quite popular. We stood in line here (sounds like a theme) because they are worth it and like Fredericksburg Pie Company (a long time fav), they stay open only until the goodies are gone. We had limited choices by the time we got inside due to the time of day, but we all got a different variety and then went in search of coffee and a place to sit (very limited seating here).
Bard Coffee
We found a local coffee shop several blocks off of commercial Street called Bard coffee. I typically don’t drink coffee, but they had wonderful hot chocolate and fun, friendly staff!
Tuscan Table
Our last night in Portland we opted for Tuscan Table for dinner. The food was great and so was the atmosphere. The service that night was awful, but I would still like to try this restaurant again. Maybe they were just shorthanded or maybe just that one particular waiter. Who knows, but I would give everything else five stars.
Reluctantly, we packed up all of our stuff that night. Time to say goodbye to wonderful New England and the awesome suite the four of us were sharing. We were having a blast and could’ve stayed longer!
Can’t wait for the next fall adventure! So very thankful for this 3rd Annual New England Fall Trip: Mainly Maine!!
