sumo Loc: Houston suburb

I’ve never been to the northeast USA. This upcoming trip will make my
47th and 48th state to visit. My wife and I, bro in law/wife will be flying into Boston late 4 August, stay there 5 & 6 August. 7 August rent a car and drive north to to Portland Maine for 1 or 2 days day, continue up hwy 1 to Bar Harbor for 4 or 5 days. Maybe rent a VRBO place there

Any suggestions as to what to do, where to stay, any must see photography places, where to eat. I will definitely have lobster and clam chowder somewhere along the way.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Lobster Rolls

https://newengland.com/today/travel/maine/best-lobster-roll-maine/

We stay at the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel & Conference Center in Bar Harbor.

Some of the things they offer are:
Top Amenities

Swimming Pool Amenity
Swimming Pool

Restaurant

Free Internet Access

Free Parking

Fitness Center

Business Center

Accessible Rooms / Facilities

Non Smoking Rooms / Facilities

Staff very friendly and location is superb
Have a great trip and send me a lobster roll.

cbabcock

Be sure to get off of I-95 and on to US 1 at Brunswick so that you can enjoy the coastal towns. I used to live in Newcastle, one of the Twin Villages of Newcastle and Damariscotta. Be sure to take a little time to see those towns. On down the road you'll find Rockland, Rockport, Camden, all great towns with lots to see. You will circle Penobscot Bay, with ocean views.
If you stay on 95, you will be inland, miss the ocean, fishing villages, great lobster shacks.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

You need to be making reservations now. The tourist season is very short, so a lot of places fill up a year ahead of time. Bar Harbor and Acadia NP are spectacular. You might make a day trip "downeast". Take your passport. Head an hour to visit Jonesport, the quintessential lobstering village. Then after Machias swing down through the village of Cutler. Right before you get to Cutler you turn right onto the road that follows the West side of the harbor. When it ends there is a short hike out to the rocky shore. Very nice! Heading East on Rt 1 you turn off (HW 189 I think) to Lubec - an old sardine-packing town. Just 2 miles south of Lubec is the West Quoddy Head lighthouse - a spectacular red-and-white striped beauty. You can drive across the bridge to Campobello Island (Canada) and visit the Roosevelt Cottage, but also, at the far end of the island is another spectacular and often missed lighthouse, the East Quoddy Head Light. If you time your visit with low tide you can walk over to the small island it sits on - a very short walk of a few hundred yards, but do NOT get caught by the incoming tide! This would make a delightful day trip.

And by the way - USA Today listed the Bayview Diner in Jonesport as having the best lobster roll in New England. A bit "dear" (pronounced "deah"), as the locals would say (pricey). Many of the McDonald's in Maine have lobster rolls in the summer as well!

Lens Cap Loc: The Cold North Coast

What is a VRBO?

tomcat

When you get to Freeport, go by the LL Bean flagship store. It's worth the hour or two you'll spend just seeing where they started and what the store merchandizing system does. There's a huge Bean Boot outside for a photo op. Then continue your journey to "Baa Habaa" via US-1, all the way. There are so many little towns and villages to visit. I would get a copy of this book, "The Photographer's Guide to the Maine Coast" by Middleton and Morrison (available from Amazon). I used it extensively to plan a trip in August 2018. The book is full of those quaint and out of the way destination side trips. Eat lobster every chance you get because you'll never find the quality anywhere else like Maine. I have a totally new appreciation for the State since our family vacation.

sumo Loc: Houston suburb

Vacation Rental By Owner. look it up on the web. Sometime they are cheaper sometimes not.

sourdough58 Loc: Maine

Lens Cap Loc: The Cold North Coast

lol...who knew!

cdayton

Frankly, Bar Harbor is a zoo that time of year. Consider staying somewhere between Rockland and Belfast (e.g., Camden). There are great photo ops everywhere and check out the Owl’s Head Transportation Museum for an air show while you’re in the area. Definitely drive on Route 1 out of Portland (not 95) and stop at Red’s for your first lobster roll.

stu352 Loc: MA/RI Border

In Bar Harbor we've stayed at the Acadia Hotel, right on the Village Green. Walk across the street and connect with the bus system to take you into the park, avoiding the traffic and parking woes of the peak season.

In Camden we stay at... my cousin's place... Sorry, they don't rent. But there's lots to do. Get out on the water on a cruise, Mt. Battie, Owls Head museum as mentioned above, etc. Lots of scenics in Rockland and Rockport, just to the south. Since you inquired here, you will appreciate the Ralston Gallery

Stash Loc: South Central Massachusetts

In Boothbay Harbor you can take a two hour cruise aboard a schooner. http://www.schoonereastwind.com
or take a boat ride around the harbor which culminates at Cabbage Island for a New England style clam bake which includes two lobsters, corn, steamed clams and baked potato. https://www.cabbageislandclambake.com/

ltatko

Go behind shops in Camden. A stream runs under all the shops into harbor!! Unique!!

Go to Friendship ,Me. Colorful. Very good photo opp. Home of famous Friendship sloop.

Gotta have a lobster!! Or 2!!

Len

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

It's been a couple of years since we got to Bar Harbor, try The Thirsty Whale for food and drink, to see/photo op sunrise on the top of Cadillac Mountain, , walk across the bar at low tide to Bar Island, if your into old cars the Seal Point Auto Museum is interesting, another sunrise place would be out at Seawall side of the park.
Last year we got to two of the four lighthouses in Portland, favorite eating place in Portland is Miss Portland Diner, in Freeport there is a fish place/ sports bar about a block south of LLBean, furthur north my wife likes Red's for lobster roll, I don't like the wait.
Side trips could be either Bailey Island, great photos at Land End, or Boothbay Harbor, great photos and food, and some nice shops if your into that.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

BTW if you drive north on the Rt1 near Kennebunk is the Maine Diner and the Rachel Carson nature preserve. Quite a few shots of Maine on my Fine Art America page if your interested, this link should get you there:
#http://robert-mcculloch.pixels.com