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help planning mid-coastal maine summer trip

mdurette

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Hello All: I seem to recall a couple of you active posters live in Maine and I was wondering if I could ask some advice.

This will be for a week in July and non-timeshare. We will have our own car coming up from Providence, RI area. Looking for 6 nights total. I was thinking we would stay mid/south coast and do Arcadia another time. What I have to work with is:

2 nights at Point Lookout, Northport ME
and
2 category 1-5 Marriott certs. With these I was thinking either Bath (near Brunswick) or Scarborough (near Portland). Which would you suggest?

The last 2 nights....will be paid out of pocket - not sure what those look like yet. Suggestions? Would love to create something round trip to limit the travel time to/from home to 4 hours.

Will have 10 YO with us. So, close to stuff to do would be great.
 

theo

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Random thoughts...

Hello All: I seem to recall a couple of you active posters live in Maine and I was wondering if I could ask some advice.

This will be for a week in July and non-timeshare. We will have our own car coming up from Providence, RI area. Looking for 6 nights total. I was thinking we would stay mid/south coast and do Arcadia another time. What I have to work with is:

2 nights at Point Lookout, Northport ME
and
2 category 1-5 Marriott certs. With these I was thinking either Bath (near Brunswick) or Scarborough (near Portland). Which would you suggest?

The last 2 nights....will be paid out of pocket - not sure what those look like yet. Suggestions? Would love to create something round trip to limit the travel time to/from home to 4 hours.

Will have 10 YO with us. So, close to stuff to do would be great.

I don't know anything about Marriott "certificates", but I do know a bit about coastal Maine. I'll venture to say that you might find very little of much interest to a 10 year old in or around Bath or Scarborough (although maybe the "wildlife park" in Scarborough --- or is it Gray? :ponder:). From Bath you could drive to (very nice and relatively nearby) Reid State State Park at the end of the peninsula in Georgetown if you wanted to enjoy some beach time. Beach there is nice, with rest and changing rooms, no honky tonk. Ditto for Popham Beach State Park at the end of the Phippsburg peninsula. Not much difference between those two state parks as far as time / distance from Bath. Unlike around the Old Orchard Beach area further south, you're not going to find much in the way of "amusements" like, mini-golf, arcades, etc. in these areas.

Within the city of Portland itself, there is at least one Marriott hotel, maybe more than one. The one that comes immediately to my mind is across the street from the harbor waterfront, on Commercial Street. At that location, you'd be within easy walking distance of the ferry over to Peaks Island, if that is anything which might interest you and / or the 10 year old. That being said however, there frankly might not be too much else within the city of Portland to pique the interest of a 10 year old.

P.S. There is a (seasonal) "coastal tourist train" that runs from Brunswick to Rockland. I don't know its' schedule or cost, just mentioning it for your further research if the 10 year old has any interest in trains; I don't believe that it runs every day. Not a "weather dependent" activity, so perhaps worthy of consideration as a "back up" option in the event of inclement weather. To say that weather in coastal Maine can be a bit "unpredictable" would be something of an understatement.

Hope this helps a bit. If not, I'll cheerfully refund 100% of the amount that you've just paid me for the input. ;)
 
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missyrcrews

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No more railroad

The train up to Rockland is no more...Maine Eastern Railroad lost the lease on the tracks this past year. :(

The Hampton Inn in Bath is right on the Kennebec River, and would have great views with the right room. Bath is a nice walkable downtown, and has many shops and restaurants to enjoy....including a candy store. :) Maine Maritime Museum is a fun activity, and is just down Washington Street from the Hampton Inn.

I second the idea of a trip to the beach. We prefer Reid's tidal pools...but Popham is also nice.

The Gray Animal Farm is interesting no matter the age of the group. Lots of different animals to see and learn about!

A trip up to Boothbay would be fun, too. My children enjoy the Botanical Gardens there...Boothbay Harbor is a great downtown, too. There are whale watching trips that leave from there...something your young one might enjoy.

If you did choose to stay in Scarborough, you'd be closer to some amusement parks in southern Maine...Funtown and Aquaboggan, which I believe are both in Saco.

Happy to answer any other questions you might have!
 
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mdurette

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Hope this helps a bit. If not, I'll cheerfully refund 100% of the amount that you've just paid me for the input. ;)

Ha...my husbands favorite saying "What do you want for nothing? Your money back?"

Thank you and without me asking, I think you hit the nail on the head with the reason why I am struggling planning this trip. Keeping the 10 YO entertained. As I research...I keep coming up with this would be more of a nice husband/wife vacation, which isn't going to happen.

I have found a few things along the way:
York Zoo, Old Orchard Beach, Portland Seadogs game, Lobster boat ride, Whale sightseeing, basic hiking trails, mini golf. I was really hoping for a fair of festival to be going on while we are there to add to the mix, but that isn't working out.

I don't need fancy or expensive.....but I do need not to hear "mom, I'm bored" all week.... in only a way a 10 YO girl can whine. That would cause me to get back in the car and drive home.
 

missyrcrews

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Ha...my husbands favorite saying "What do you want for nothing? Your money back?"

Thank you and without me asking, I think you hit the nail on the head with the reason why I am struggling planning this trip. Keeping the 10 YO entertained. As I research...I keep coming up with this would be more of a nice husband/wife vacation, which isn't going to happen.

I have found a few things along the way:
York Zoo, Old Orchard Beach, Portland Seadogs game, Lobster boat ride, Whale sightseeing, basic hiking trails, mini golf. I was really hoping for a fair of festival to be going on while we are there to add to the mix, but that isn't working out.

I don't need fancy or expensive.....but I do need not to hear "mom, I'm bored" all week.... in only a way a 10 YO girl can whine. That would cause me to get back in the car and drive home.

I'll loan you another 10 yr old girl as a companion piece. :) I'll have her waiting out by Rt 1 when you drive by....

The Seadogs are a great idea!

You know...we vacation with 4 kids, ages 19 down to 10. We don't generally go to the usual "kid" places. And they are fine with that. I am realistic in my expectations, build in a sense of discovery and adventure, and off we go. Good luck in your planning!
 

MommaBear

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Maine Maritime Museum in Bath is interesting, part of the admissions in the summer is a boat ride on the river. Beyond Popham Beach is an old fort which is quite cool. Boothbay Harbor has a railway museum, botanical gardens with a children's learning area. There is a very small research station that has sea cresrures to visit.

Fantastic Gelato in Brunswick at the Gelato Fiasco. There are bike and walking trails along the river. There is a suspension walking bridge over the river in Brunswick. There's also a very basic mini golf course in Brunswick. The Arctic Museum at Bowdoin Collegev is very cool.

There are Farmers Markets in Bath and Brunswick and free concerts on the village green (Brunswick) and the Library Park (Bath)

There is an easy hiking trail called Morse Mountain which is more like a molehill close to Popham Beach. Freeport has Bradbury Mtn. which is an easy climb. Freeport also has LL Bean and outlet shopping.

Portland area has Two Lights lighthouse, parks, Victoria Mansion, Childrens Museum. The Seadogs are cheap and fun if you like baseball....

There's lots to do and dome good indoor actvities if we get weather.
 

missyrcrews

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Maine Maritime Museum in Bath is interesting, part of the admissions in the summer is a boat ride on the river. Beyond Popham Beach is an old fort which is quite cool. Boothbay Harbor has a railway museum, botanical gardens with a children's learning area. There is a very small research station that has sea cresrures to visit.

Fantastic Gelato in Brunswick at the Gelato Fiasco. There are bike and walking trails along the river. There is a suspension walking bridge over the river in Brunswick. There's also a very basic mini golf course in Brunswick. The Arctic Museum at Bowdoin Collegev is very cool.

There are Farmers Markets in Bath and Brunswick and free concerts on the village green (Brunswick) and the Library Park (Bath)

There is an easy hiking trail called Morse Mountain which is more like a molehill close to Popham Beach. Freeport has Bradbury Mtn. which is an easy climb. Freeport also has LL Bean and outlet shopping.

Portland area has Two Lights lighthouse, parks, Victoria Mansion, Childrens Museum. The Seadogs are cheap and fun if you like baseball....

There's lots to do and dome good indoor actvities if we get weather.

Great ideas! You're reminding me we haven't been to Bradbury Mountain in awhile. I need to get my summer bucket list going....we don't take advantage of all the neat stuff right in our backyard!

Another cool idea is Fort Edgecomb...it's a state park, and is on the way to Boothbay. Bowdoin's Arctic Museum is fantastic, and there is an art museum on campus, too, that is free.
 
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