foodie65

I think you mean FDR's Campobello

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

In Maine I'd suggest:( trying to sort south to north)
Nubble, York Beach, Long Sands,
Marginal Way and Perkins Cove at Ogunquit
Kennebunk/Kennebunkport
I like Portland but parking is a B****, couple of lighthouses there

we usually hit Freeport for LLBean then head to Acadia via one of two routes either Rt1 north or 95 to the turnoff for Belfast and Rt1.

Ellsworth is a nice town, worth a stop and walk around, that season there is a great seafood restaurant open, usually closed when we are there as it's run by school teachers.
Bar Harbor, I can easily spend minimum 2 days shooting there, don't forget Bar Island (watch the tides though),
Cadillac Mountain, Sand Beach, Otter cliffs, the Sea Wall area and Bass Harbor Light, Jordan Pond, in Acadia
I'll think of some more, if you have time/ inclination the ferry to Cranberry Islands and ferry to Winter Harbor (also reachable by car) Scoodic Peninsula,
had enough yet

Oh Boothbay Harbor, Bath, both a bit north of Freeport off Rt1

Restaurants can be another whole post, PM me if you want info, Bob.
BTW our June trip got changed to September.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

BTW, again, Lots of Maine photos at:
robert-mcculloch.pixels.com
in the Maine gallery

billpilot Loc: Baltimore County, MD

Last year we went on a tour boat that took us to an island to see the Puffins. It circled the island a number of times and we were able to get some good shots with a decent telephoto lens. You are on a moving vessel so a tripod is out of the question. It was a nice trip and I was also able to get some good pictures coming and going from Boothbay Harbor. Good luck.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I will second both of these, but I respectfully suggest a French Creme Horn instead of a donut (although they are epic...)


My wife and I often drive the two hours to the Portland area for the photos, and to bring back a box of creme horns, which are each about the size of an Ohio class sub.

ruwohe

RE Acadia National Park, go to Winter Harbor, ME, which is relatively unknown, but magnificent views of the coast without many people. While there, eat at Chase's Restaurant. I was stationed there in the Navy in 68-69.

jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

I can't thank Greg enough for starting this post. My wife just told me she would like to go up to Maine (1st time) for about 5 or 6 days in June. Driving from NYC metro area. I'm figuring two places to stay over; and use these as our hubs for a couple of full days each. One must definitely be Acadia National Park area. The other???? Camden?? Looking to stay along the coast. Add to everything I have read here; historical landmarks and great food important. So not to be sacrilegious....photos are to document our trip...not the primary objective.
Thanks to all who have contributed.
Jon

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Since you have only 2 weeks, it is important to plan where to spend the most time. You will not be able to do it all!

I live in Vermont, and drove to Acadia NP several years ago. Just as you are planning, I took the coastal route and got to see quite a few interesting places. I used David Middleton's book "the photographer's guide to the Maine Coast", which breaks the trip down into regions and lists quite a few places to go. He especially likes the fishing villages. [He also wrote "the photographer's guide to Vermont", which is where he lives.] If you like lighthouses, there are some worth visiting, but be aware that there will be plenty of other people there as well.

York, Maine: Nubble Lighthouse - On an island not accessible, but good parking area and views
Portland, Maine: Portland Head Light - You can walk around this one, and several vantage points from which to take pictures.
Pemaquid Point: Pemaquid Lighthouse - I got to go inside and up into the light, but it was in the fall, not sure about how it will be in summer. Narrow rocky point, lots of marbled rocks which if you want you can walk down onto for a different view and photographic angle.

If you like harbors and boats, you might like the South Freeport Harbor. It is not a tourist destination, but there are plenty of boats of all types. If you go early enough you can see the bait barrels being loaded onto the lobster fishermen's boats and chat with some of the guys who do the loading.
I stayed at the Econolodge on Route 1 south of downtown Freeport, and followed Pine Street down to the village and the harbor. If visiting LL Bean, you can get there by following Bow Street [off Main St near the store] to South Street, turn right and follow it to South Freeport Road.

Just about anywhere you go along the Maine Coast, there are fishing villages. Some require a bit of a drive from Route 1, so you should take that into account when deciding where to visit. A lot of people like to visit Boothbay Harbor, but I skipped it because of time constraints. I did travel down to one of the points in the Harpswell area, where I crossed over the cribstone bridge between Orrs Island and Bailey Island. I was going to stop in Rockland, but got a bit turned around and did not see a good place to stay. Instead I continued on to Rockport, where there is a pretty harbor with a "working" side and the "public" side. Of course, I went to the "working"side! Another place I skipped was the Blue Hill Peninsula, which has a nice little town, the Blue Hill, and Blue Hill Falls [a "reversing" falls - changes direction with the tides!]. Farther south is Deere Island and Stonington village and harbor.

When you get to Acadia NP, there are all the usual places to go, following the park loop. But once again if you like lobster fishing and harbors, you should head out to the Southwest Harbor portion of the island. At the southern tip of that area are Bass harbor one one side of the small bay, and Bernard is on the other side. On both sides there are lobster fishing bait houses and docks, with lobster traps, bait barrels, and plenty of boats to see. Plus the Bass Harbor Lighthouse.

Where to go in Vermont depends on what route you take when returning from Maine. If you are far enough north, the "Northeast Kingdom" has a lot of wild countryside. My favorite place in that area is Lake Willoughby, beautiful in itself, with areas at the south end where you can hike in [short hike] to the little coves and get some great pictures of the mountains coming down to the lake. We always stay in a very nice B&B in East Burke. Besides the lake, you can also travel around and see other sights in the area, and don't forget Willoughby Falls in Orleans, VT. From there you can travel south along the Connecticut River or seek out other spots on a different route. Along the river, you can take the local road instead of the interstate. At the town of Windsor, you will get to see the longest 2-span covered bridge in the world crossing the river into New Hampshire to the town of Cornish. This is where you will run into "decision time" - whether to continue south before heading east towards Boston, or to go back a little ways to I-89 and take the fast way back.

Of course, you will want to come back again, so make notes on what you missed that you want to put on your list for next time! I live in the southwestern portion of Vermont, known as the "tri-state area" because this is where Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York come together! Western Massachusetts has some nice spots to visit, and the whole western side of Vermont has a lot to offer.

Hope this helps rather than adding to the burden of information!

Susan

PS Take a look at photos I have taken: 500px.com/susanfromvermont/galleries

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I would recommend a stop in the Portland area, then a second one in the Camden/Belfast/Bah Hahbah stretch. The travel time along the coastal route is already slow, and with summer traffic it gets even longer. Camden is a very scenic walkabout town, but it's nearly three hours drive from Bah Hahbah/Acadia. Travel time from Portland to Camden is about 2 hours (without traffic), so Portland and Acadia are more than five hours drive apart - and that's without summer traffic.

All of coastal Maine is scenic, and there are many places to dine, boat trips to take, and hikes to be made. My personal choice would be to pick a "Must see" destination in southern or mid-coast Maine, and then carry on to Bah Hahbah as your base for a visit to Acadia. Lubec/Machias/Campobello are another three hours down east from there.

Enjoy!

Andy

jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

Thanks Andy.
Jon

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Portland also has a great port to visit and take pictures from the very long wharf. We stay in South Portland near the Maine Mall when we go there.

Camden is just up the road from Rockport, where I stayed in a nice B&B/motel during my trip.

The times I traveled that way were during the off-season, and it still took quite a bit of time because of the side trips. And even then Acadia NP had plenty of people!

RustyM

I highly recommend the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, about two hours north of Portsmouth and two hours south of Acadia NP. Lovely and very photogenic. The adjacent town of Boothbay Harbor is lovely. This is near Wiscasset, mentioned by another responder. A little further north is Camden, which is worth a stop just to see the picturesque harbor from the lawn in front of the library. Just north of town is Mt. Battie, which is worth a drive up for the view from on high of the town and harbor.

srt101fan

Maine is a beautiful state with great photo ops. By now you’ve gotten lots of great inputs, maybe more info than you can digest!

I just want to second and emphasize what some have hinted at about “driving along the coast”. For much of Maine this isn't really practical unless you have all the time in the world. It's not like California. Much of the Maine coastline is in the form of long (and short) peninsulas (some have called them “fingers”). Some of the more interesting towns are along the coasts or at the ends of these peninsulas. So some of the destinations mentioned could mean long drives from and back to the main north-south routes (95 and Route 1).

So take a close look at maps, and driving distances and times, and carefully consider these in your daily driving and lodging plans.

Great state, too much to see in a short time, but if you plan it right and don’t mind the traffic and the other tourists, Maine offers you all the ingredients for a wonderful vacation. Have a great time!

PS – Not sure if Rockland has been mentioned, but if you’re near the town it might be worth a stop.

You might find this link useful: https://www.visitmaine.net/page/5/tour-the-coast

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Excellent advice. Pick out a few "must see" spots from the list of great suggestions others have given you, and structure your trip around them. Route 1 is the way to go, but you'll have to take dives off it in several places to see particular destinations.

Maine has more miles of coastline than any other state except Alaska. And yes, that includes California and Florida!

Once you make one trip to the Maine shore, you'll very likely return. We're very lucky to live so close.

Andy

PS: A few spelling corrections to help your Googling...

Damariscotta
Newburyport
Lubec
Castleton

BudsOwl Loc: Upstate NY and New England

In southeastern Maine there is Nubble Light in York and the Marginal Way and Perkins Cove In Ogunquit. I also visit the Rachel Carson national wildlife refuge in Wells almost every September. Lot of stuff to see and so little time to do it. Good luck on your trip and post some pictures when you finish your trip.
Bud