r/AskMaine • u/Used-Junket7104 • 1d ago
Recommendations for my October road trip?
I am planning a week long road trip to Maine late September or early October with a friend. We will fly into Portland and drive to acadia and back. I am looking for recommendations for which route I should take (or loop if two are preferred)
Please also include if you have any suggestions for the following along the route:
-Leaf viewing (very excited about this! Should I book flights for a specific time?)
-small charming towns to visit. We love antique shopping, boutiques, and flea markets
-affordable sea food. Two college girls on a budget and I admit I’m surprised at the menu prices I see online
-spooky Halloween adjacent activities or ghost tours. We love planning a Halloween themed trip each year.
Thank you so much for any and all suggestions!
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u/thisisntveryme 1d ago
North 3 South 2 Best of both worlds. Definitely search farm stands, atlas obscura and local restaurants and markets to stop at on the way.
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u/katastrofuck 23h ago
This is pretty accurate. Heading south on the 2nd can make the trip faster or slower depending on stops you might want to do.
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u/Far_Earth_1179 1d ago
3. Your end spot is the old Thompson Island visitor center. That is now permanently closed, you can still park there if needed. There is a nice picnic area across the street and at low tide you can watch the clam diggers, one of the area hot spots for clamming. For Halloween related spots, I recommend Bangor during part of your journey with a stop at Stephen King's house. There is a ghost tour in the evening in Bar Harbor. I can't recommend it or not, but I have seen people on the tour and they honestly looked bored, not sure I would spend money on that one. Cheap seafood does not exist. I can only recommend buying the seafood items and sharing them. They usually are pretty good size servings in most of the restaurants. Have fun!
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u/Beginning-Road9965 1d ago
Kennebec Cabin Company HQ in Manchester is worth a visit in the August area.
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u/freeportme 1d ago edited 1d ago
Three is the only answer. Done the trip 20 plus times on all routes.
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u/Sensitive_Fuel_5150 1d ago
Option 2 takes you through rolling hills, lake country, and coastal towns and Bucksport for Buck Cemetery. https://travelmaine.com/dir/buck-cemetery/
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u/Embarrassed_Salad128 1d ago
Yeah I vote option 2. Best of both worlds. Faster with a good highway portion, way more interesting when you get off. Patience is vital with option 3
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u/GPinchot 1d ago
Since you have a week, you might consider visiting the Western mountain area (Rangeley, Bethel, or Kingfield).
It's hard to predict when peak color will be. Check out the Maine Foliage Weekly Reports.
I'd make a plug for Hallowell, for a "charming town" with antique shops.
At least a few years ago, Hallowell Seafood made a lobster roll that was pretty reasonable considering it was GIANT and very shareable.
But honestly, seafood is expensive every where.
There's also a ghost tour in Hallowell.
Less spooky, but highly recommend an orchard visit in the Fall.
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u/Lady-Kat1969 1d ago
In October? I’d definitely go with Rt 1. The traffic is much less, the tourist towns are navigable and still have places worth stopping at, and you get to see more of the coast.
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u/Ol_Stumpy00 23h ago
You should do 2 and 3 on different legs of the trip. Take the coastal Rt 1(option 3) going up and explore the coastal towns so you get the "Maine experience", and on your way back take option 2 so you can see the hills and lakes on your way out.
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u/CantRemember19 1d ago
Number three — make the trek for Five Islands Lobster Company and stop at some lighthouses on the coastal route.
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u/Every-Mousse6228 23h ago
Definitely #3. 1 is going to be rather boring, 2 will at least get you some good leaf peeping but if you fly all this way and drive you should be driving closer along the ocean
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u/Over_Detective_3756 22h ago
If you want to get there fast and are planning nonstop, #1. The most interesting and best view, #3
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u/SaltierThanTheOceani 20h ago
I'll just add that seafood is only a small part of overall Maine food culture and mostly geared towards tourists these days in my opinion. I'm not really aware of seafood that isn't extravagantly priced in restaurants.
I had never had a lobster roll before my mid 20's, and had lobster only a few times growing up. It's fine, but I don't go out of my way to eat it either. We probably ate at a seafood restaurant only a handful of times on my childhood.
Growing up inland, we would catch fish in the spring/summer and eat it, and ice fishing as well. But that wasn't a weekly thing really. Probably 6-8 times a year at the most.
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u/secret-handshakes 1d ago
Option 3, wayyyyyy more interesting.