Thanks to all for the advice. I feel like I owe a trip report, so here goes:
1 night in NH, 3 nights in Bar Harbor, then 5 nights in Portland. Would totally do this again, though Sept/Oct for smaller crowds, less traffic, and no high season costs. Coastal Maine is stunning.
On the way up:
- First night in Hampton NH. Cute little town. Stayed at Lamie's Inn, charming small hotel with an adjoining seafood tavern on the main corner downtown. Drove 5 mi to the beach just to see it.
- USS Albacore: decommissioned submarine permanently stationed near Portsmouth NH. Very cool. Worth 60-90 min. Self-guided with audio stations throughout.
- Portsmouth resembles Annapolis (without the Naval Academy or state capitol). We did a quick drive thru for time constraints, but would've enjoyed walking around.
- Lunch in Bath ME, nice waterfront town along Rt 1. Lots of eateries, Irish pub was a good choice.
- Owls Head Transportation Museum: Fantastic museum off Rt 1 near Rockland ME -- a lot of vintage cars, race cars, carriages, a couple small planes. We arrived near closing and had to rush thru it but easily could've spent 2-3 hours.
Bar Harbor area:
- Stayed at Anne's White Columns Inn in town, about 2 blocks from Main Street and within 1/2 mi of just about everything in town. Nice B&B, perfect location, friendly hosts, great breakfasts. Nice to not have to find parking in town.
- Acadia National Park: we got to do most everything around the main loop, though it took 2 days due to tourist volume. Great views from Cadillac Mountain. Hiked around the Bubbles Trail. Hung out at Sand Beach for a few minutes. Thunder Hole was neat, though I suspect the maximum effect is rare even at high tide. Had lunch at Jordan Pond House (waitress was from Schuylkill Valley, what are the odds?), walked around the pond a little, picked some blueberries along the path.
- Food: great dinners at Havana's "Parrilla" outside bar (Latin American) and Mache Bistro (French/Spanish; patio server was very easy on the eyes if that matters). Blaze (upscale pizza) disappointed except for number of beers on tap. Mt Desert Ice Cream, yum.
- Ray Murphy's Chainsaw Show: this is an absolute must, on Rt 1 in Hancock ME. He is (I am NOT making this up) a world famous chainsaw artist who does live performances around 7 pm daily. Bit of a crazy old mountain man, definitely a character, got to talk with him at length and really enjoyed meeting him. And his show is something you'll never see anywhere else.
On the way back to Portland:
- Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory: On Rt 1 across from Bucksport ME. Great views of the area. Admission includes tours of the fort at the foot of the bridge. (Can also this on the way to Bar Harbor if time allows.)
- Bangor: Because my wife wanted her picture taken at the spiderweb gates at Stephen King's house (not open for visitors). Other than that one street, the town is a dump. Don't bother.
- Augusta: Only because I needed a break from I-95. We never got out of the car. Nice state capitol bldg from the outside. Otherwise, town resembles Harrisburg. Don't bother.
Portland and vicinity:
- Stayed with friends in Sebago ME, 45 min of rural roads NW of Portland.
- Desert of Maine: Outside Freeport, 300+ acre farm overtaken by underground sand dunes when the topsoil eroded. While in Freeport, did LL Bean and the outlets.
- Odyssey Whale Watching: 4-hr boat ride, and, yes, we saw a whale several times up close (plus a few seals and porpoises). The on-board marine biologist kept saying the whale was "boat curious," and I'm grateful it didn't become "boat sexual." (Seriously, seeing the whale up close was really neat.)
- Other attractions: Victorian Mansion, Portland Museum of Art, Cryptozoology Museum (Bigfoot museum), and sunset tour of the Portland Observatory Tower (a former signal tower near the waterfront).
- Food and beer: Isa Bistro; Taco Escobarr; Mi Sen (Thai noodles); Corner Room (Italian); Terlingua (Texas BBQ); Duckfat (sandwiches); Shipyard Brewery; Allagash Brewery. All were very good to outstanding.
Great trip, just got back yesterday, which means tomorrow I'm headed to the airport for a business trip to glorious Huntsville AL.
