Maine Advice Wanted

[anng3]

Driving from NY to Maine end of 3rd week of Oct for 1 week.
Retired active couple but not hikers.
Priority is to eat as much lobster as possible and if lucky see some fall colors.
Looking at staying in Ogunquit or Rockport timeshare for a week or splitting time in hotels in South and Mid Maine.
If lousy weather or real cold won't head north maybe then turn into NH and Vermont
and work way back to JFK.
Know no one has a crystal ball on weather but based on your experience any advice?
Thank you!

 

[Brett]

I'll vote St. George / Rockland peninsula

Rockland, Thomaston & St. George Peninsula, Maine - Visit Maine - Visit Maine

Visit Rockland, Maine and attend the Maine Lobster Festival and Puffin Project Visitor Center. Visit the Knox Museum in Thomaston. And stop by Owls Head on the St. George Peninsula. Explore the waters via ferry, kayak, or SUP.

visitmaine.com

and Bar Harbor - Acadia National Park

 

[missyrcrews]

Things start closing up around Columbus Day, so it won't be as busy as it would be if you were earlier in the season. But don't worry...contrary to what some southerners think, we don't generally have snow by then. (Just teasing....very often we don't get much snow until around Christmas. And then it STAYS.)

I'd rather stay in Rockland/Rockport (or even up in Ellsworth!) than Ogunquit, but that's me. We don't have a lot of big chain hotels, especially in the smaller coastal towns. However, I'm sure you can find places to eat and things to do...it just may take a little more planning/looking. We spend Christmas week at Samoset quite often, and are staying there for February school break this year. The ocean is gorgeous no matter the time of year! Just bring your jacket, and enjoy the quiet!

 

[mdurette]

That week should get you some fall foiliage in Central/South Maine.
Maine Fall Foliage - When and Where to Visit - Maine DACF

We had done a food tour in Portland once and enjoyed it.
Portland, ME Food Tours | Maine Day Ventures

Finding a TS may be hard at this point for the area.

 

[anng3]

Things start closing up around Columbus Day, so it won't be as busy as it would be if you were earlier in the season. But don't worry...contrary to what some southerners think, we don't generally have snow by then. (Just teasing....very often we don't get much snow until around Christmas. And then it STAYS.)

I'd rather stay in Rockland/Rockport (or even up in Ellsworth!) than Ogunquit, but that's me. We don't have a lot of big chain hotels, especially in the smaller coastal towns. However, I'm sure you can find places to eat and things to do...it just may take a little more planning/looking. We spend Christmas week at Samoset quite often, and are staying there for February school break this year. The ocean is gorgeous no matter the time of year! Just bring your jacket, and enjoy the quiet!

Thanks very much. Samoset is one of the places we were thinking about but it’s a 7 hour drive after taking a long flight. That’s why Ogunquit was an option.
Was reading about scallop season but unfortunately it’s not til December.

 

[anng3]

That week should get you some fall foiliage in Central/South Maine.
Maine Fall Foliage - When and Where to Visit - Maine DACF

We had done a food tour in Portland once and enjoyed it.
Portland, ME Food Tours | Maine Day Ventures

Finding a TS may be hard at this point for the area.

Thank you. I had seen that website and thought odds of seeing colors is pretty good. Am def a foodie. The Lobster Chef of Year event is that week which is enticing tho I really want to fill of straight not fancy lobster.

 

[HikerBiker]

Driving from NY to Maine end of 3rd week of Oct for 1 week.
Retired active couple but not hikers.
Priority is to eat as much lobster as possible and if lucky see some fall colors.
Looking at staying in Ogunquit or Rockport timeshare for a week or splitting time in hotels in South and Mid Maine.
If lousy weather or real cold won't head north maybe then turn into NH and Vermont
and work way back to JFK.
Know no one has a crystal ball on weather but based on your experience any advice?
Thank you!

We live about 20 miles from Ogunquit and go over for the day in the off-season quite often as we like to walk Marginal Way. Do a search for Marginal Way and there are videos of the paved trail along the ocean. We say, “Ogunquit is our mini-vacation!” There are tours out of Perkins Cove (little shops and restaurants); I’ve seen Finestkind recommended but have not done any personally. You are about 20 minutes from outlet malls in Kittery or 30 minutes from quaint Portsmouth with lots of small shops and great restaurants, and more tours. Going north from Ogunquit you have Kennebunk/Kennebunkport and the vibrant city of Portland with ferry rides to islands, Lighthouse tours, Portland Art Museum, Maine Mall, and the Old Port (lots of shops and restaurants). I almost forgot to mention the Scarborough Marsh where you can kayak, bike/walk/birdwatch along the Eastern Trail. We love to travel but always love to get home to this beautiful area! For transparency, we do own (30+ years) a timeshare at the Hillcrest Inn which is an old, quaint inn. There are other timeshares in the area but it is a very popular area, so not sure what you will find for availability. Wherever you choose, enjoy our beautiful state.

 

[anng3]

We live about 20 miles from Ogunquit and go over for the day in the off-season quite often as we like to walk Marginal Way. Do a search for Marginal Way and there are videos of the paved trail along the ocean. We say, “Ogunquit is our mini-vacation!” There are tours out of Perkins Cove (little shops and restaurants); I’ve seen Finestkind recommended but have not done any personally. You are about 20 minutes from outlet malls in Kittery or 30 minutes from quaint Portsmouth with lots of small shops and great restaurants, and more tours. Going north from Ogunquit you have Kennebunk/Kennebunkport and the vibrant city of Portland with ferry rides to islands, Lighthouse tours, Portland Art Museum, Maine Mall, and the Old Port (lots of shops and restaurants). I almost forgot to mention the Scarborough Marsh where you can kayak, bike/walk/birdwatch along the Eastern Trail. We love to travel but always love to get home to this beautiful area! For transparency, we do own (30+ years) a timeshare at the Hillcrest Inn which is an old, quaint inn. There are other timeshares in the area but it is a very popular area, so not sure what you will find for availability. Wherever you choose, enjoy our beautiful state.

Thank you for the info. Ogunquit will be our first stop. Will look at Hillcrest Inn. Any recommendations for breakfast, lunch and dinner are welcome.
Casual and even just cooked lobster, blueberry offerings etc. Since you live there end of Oct down jacket weather or just layers?

 

[jonmaiman]

We spent a couple of days in the Ogunquit area this past summer. The Ogunquit Playhouse was fun. Beautiful - The Carole King Musical will be playing while you are there. We saw the Cher musical and enjoyed it. While not broadway, it was a very good regional production. We also liked walking on the beach and on Marginal Way. We also enjoyed whale watching with First Chance Whale Watch out of Kennebunkport. We saw a few Humpback whales. Unfortunately, you will be there out of season. Enjoy.


--Jon

 

[HikerBiker]

Thank you for the info. Ogunquit will be our first stop. Will look at Hillcrest Inn. Any recommendations for breakfast, lunch and dinner are welcome.
Casual and even just cooked lobster, blueberry offerings etc. Since you live there end of Oct down jacket weather or just layers?

As with many places, lots of changes have occurred in the past few years. Amore in Ogunquit was an absolute favorite restaurant of ours for breakfast/lunch over many, many years. You had to get there early, and even though she changed locations many times, the crowds found her; sadly, COVID shut her down. So these are places we’ve substituted (though we don’t eat out nearly as much as we did) and we aren’t seafood lovers. I will ask friends on Friday (retired teacher group eating at Patio03907 in Ogunquit)what they recommend, especially for lobster. We like breakfast/lunch at the greenery, Merriland Farm Cafe in Wells (a quintessential Maine rural setting and has a new owner/menu and we’re adjusting to changes), and Mornings in Paris. For just lunch, Hobb’s Harborside in Wells and The Fisherman’s Catch (on same road and before Hobb’s Harborside, a hole in the wall, usually packed,and lots of seafood). We seldom eat dinner out but there are so many restaurants in the area, so do a search and read reviews.. You might check out Jackie O’s, Barnacle Billy’s, Oar House, and the Steak House. In Portland, we like Tuscan Table.
Well, it depends whether you want layers or down jacket; my husband would say layers while I would say both, jacket for mornings/evenings and layers for when it warms up later in the day.
I can’t believe I forgot to mention The Ogunquit Playhouse. Any shows we’ve seen are fantastic. Also, forgot to mention Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge(Wells); very flat, walkable path through the marsh. You Won’t run out of things to do and see.

 

[anng3]

Thank you both for the suggestions. Covid has brought a lot of changes and unfortunately closings. I saw the Carole King play in New York. Loved it! Will try the restaurant recommendations. We love food getting dressed up for it not so much. I am looking forward to lobster my husband blueberries. Lunch is our big meal. Will be on lookout for popovers and other Maine specialties.

 

[amycurl]

Blueberry season is over, but you'll find frozen ones and those are used in baked goods, etc. For lobster, the best is the kind you can fix yourself (I would assume the resort has a lobster pot?) so the goal is to find a locals lobster pound, or, even better, if the resort might have a relationship with a local lobsterman, so you can buy one just off the boat and boil it yourself.

 

[theo]

<snip> Was reading about scallop season but unfortunately it’s not til December.

Worry not. Scallops are readily and very consistently available year 'round, even if (state waters) harvest season for scallops in a coastal state may have defined, limited dates. Truth is, most restaurant scallops throughout most of New England are not "local" anyhow, having been harvested offshore in Federal waters (not "seasonally" regulated state waters), most being landed in New Bedford, MA -- the prime sea scallop port in the U.S. These days, scallops are even imported from outside of the U.S., believe it or not.

 

[anng3]

Good to know and not really surprised not being able to tell where things are sourced. Used to sell Alaskan Cod that once arrived in Florida magically appeared on menus as grouper. Also have friends in Nova Scotia who used to ship lobster to Boston restaurants that magically on menus became Maine lobster. I miss the sweet tiny scallops and large ones I used to eat in Boston eons ago. When we get to Maine will just focus on lobster and blueberries.

 

[HikerBiker]

We have owned at the Hillcrest Inn for 33 years (bought resale!) and have used it for exchanging except for a couple of times. After giving you some suggestions for Ogunquit, I decided to check our timeshare out! They have a beautiful website with so much information on the area, so go to hillcrestresort.com and check out “area attractions“: recommendations for lobsters, things to do, and restaurants, etc. We enjoyed the Art Museum a couple of summers ago; I didn’t mention it as I thought it would be closed by the time of your visit, but check it out as the season seems to be extended now for many attractions and businesses.