Portland Maine About This Page:

[krisk11]

We will be in Portland Maine from July 3rd to July 9th or 10th. I of course plan to eat a lot of lobster while I'm there. We also want to go to Freeport and do the Kayak lesson thru the L.L. Bean stores (saw that on an episode of $40 a day with Rachel Ray). DD also wants to go to Old Orchard Beach (suppose to be 10 min from where we are staying) what is that like? Anyone have any good ideas of things to do and places to go. Would love to see lighthouses. We have 3 free days before dd's hockey tournament starts but will have free time during the tournament also. We are staying at the Sable Oaks Suites.
TIA [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[iamgrumpy]

My family tends to go to southern Maine a lot and we love Perkin's Cove to shop and have seafood, then we will stop in Wells beach and stop at Ogunquit to shop as well, there is a lighthouse in York Me named Nubble Light.

I went to Old Orchard Beach a long time ago as a kid i remember there being rides and games. Its been a while so I really can't say whats there still.

Any questions just let me know

[poohmaine]

Hi Kris! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img]

You will be in Maine at THE BUSIEST TOURIST TIME OF THE YEAR (hereafter known as BTTY). As long as you keep that in mind, and be very patient, you will be fine.

I have taken 2 of the L.L. Bean "Walk On" courses, and they are well worth the money. They keep the classes small, the instructors are very knowledgeable, and they are so much fun! I enjoyed the kayak class very much. Remember, however, they DO NOT TAKE RESERVATIONS and since it is BTTY, you will need to get to the store early in the day to sign up.

Old Orchard Beach is fine, if you like a crazy, crowded beaches and wacky, kitchy tourist shops. It is always crowded but during BTTY it will be INSANE. There are much nicer beaches in Maine. But some people love to people watch and find the crowds exciting.

The nearest light house is Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, a 15-minute drive from Portland. As of today, it is still free to park and explore. (The town of CE has been debating whether or not to charge for parking.) The light house is picturesque, the old fort is fun to explore, and the view is lovely. To avoid the crowds, go in the morning.

If you like baseball, the Portland Seadogs (AA team of the Boston Red Sox) have a game the evening of July 3, and they are having fireworks after the game. General seats are only $6 ($3 for children under 16) but again, it's BTTY and I would order those tickets ahead of time at www.portlandseadogs.com.

If you have any other questions or need more information, you can PM me. I will be glad to help you anyway I can or pick up any brochures you need.

Here are some web sites to help you plan:
www.llbean.com
www.visitmaine.com
www.visitportland.com

[HBA117]

There are some beautiful beaches in Maine and in my opinion Old Orchard is not one of them. It is old, beaten up and very honky tonky. Wells has some beautiful beaches as does York and kennebunkport and Ogunquit is very scenic. Lots of little shops (not junky) and nice restaurants. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Jenny Pooh]

Like everyone else says Old Orchard is a dump. You would do much better to go to Perkins Cove, Oqunquit, Kennebunk, Portland, Freeport areas. And stay away from York's Wild Animal park, I went for the first time last year and will never go back. The animals are behind chain link fences and the rides are OLD and broken down.

[simbarel]

OOB is great if you want to see hairy Quebecois men in speedos in the flesh. We go every year because, well, we live here, and it's on the marginal end of fun. I'm Portland born and raised (sitting here right now, about a .5 mile from the Seadogs) and can't think of a prettier place than Portland's Eastern Promenade. You can ride a bike to Bug Light in So. Portland and get a great view of the city. I'd recommend a Casco Bay boatride, too. The Lobster Shack at Two Lights is the place for fried clams and atmosphere. There's also a great arts community if you're into that sort of thing. Some good restaurants too. Hope you enjoy our state bird--the Black Fly!

PS...you'll be very close to the Mall.

[luv2sail]

We were on a cruise that docked in Portland. We took a bus trip down to Kennebunkport. It was a great quaint little town and really nice shops. I would highly recommend going there. We even got to see the Bush family home. What a great spot they have!

[Colexis Mom]

We usually spend a long weekend in Souther Maine, and did Portland a year ago! LL Bean and Freeport are great, and we love York Beach (but skip the zoo as Jenn said [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] )! Go see Nubble Light House instead, and have an ice cream and some taffy at the Goldenrod (which was under water last week [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img] )!

We ate at the Lobster Shack, as Rachel mentioned [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] and there was a fantastic bakery just next to the Hilton Garden Inn (near the launches for Casco Bay)! I'd highly recommend it!

We drove thru OOB, and didn't like it. Ogunquit is very nice and quaint, as it Kennebunkport [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/luck.gif[/img]

[simbarel]

[ QUOTE ]
there was a fantastic bakery just next to the Hilton Garden Inn (near the launches for Casco Bay)! I'd highly recommend it!

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you talking about Standard Bakery? I'm wracking my head trying to picture what you're referring to. And how did you like the Hilton Garden? It's relatively new. Hope you enjoyed the Old Port, Marnie! I certainly did throughout my 20s. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Which reminds me...Kris...the Old Port is touristy by day, bar-hoppy by night--as opposed to Bar Harbor which remains family friendly at all hours. Just a warning! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Colexis Mom]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
there was a fantastic bakery just next to the Hilton Garden Inn (near the launches for Casco Bay)! I'd highly recommend it!

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you talking about Standard Bakery? I'm wracking my head trying to picture what you're referring to. And how did you like the Hilton Garden? It's relatively new.


[/ QUOTE ]

Rachel, I don't know the name of the bakery. When we stayed at the Hilton, if you're facing Casco Bay, it was to the right. There was a little parking lot next to the Hilton for the guests cars, and then there was a long lot next to that, and at the way back there was a bakery on the ground floor. I think you could take stairs up and around the building, and you'd come out on some other street up behind it [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Anyhoo, it was very good. The best scones I've ever had [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] And the Hilton Garden Inn was great as well. Nice rooms, and a cute little pool for the kids!

[MaryPoppinsFan]

Hi Kris! My mother lives in Kennebunk (about 20 minutes south of where you are staying) and my grandparents owed a B&B in the "Port" for about 40 years. I would take a trip down to Kennebunkport for the day. Your DD will love the shops (especially the candy store!) I'll PM you with directions to one of the quiet beaches, not far from the Bush compound. We also make sure we go to the Brewhouse Pub there for lunch or dinner - it's delicious and a favorite of DS and DDs.

We're actually heading your way for a tournament about the same time frame!

[mickeyfans]

A couple of blocks from LL Bean the Harraseeket (sp?) Inn has a nice casual restaurant with an open kitchen--or at least the last time we were there. The burgers were excellent. I think the hotel itself is usually very high-priced, but the pub-like restaurant is worth eating at. The Portland Head Light is breathtaking--definitely worth the drive. There is an LL Bean outlet in downtown Portland besides the retail store and outlet in Freeport.