Maine Nesties
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
My Maine bucket list?
I should probably be posting on the NC board about what I should do before I leave but I am more excited about getting to Maine.
If you had to recommend to someone one thing to do in Maine or the area, what would it be? You can say anything you like but if you want to personalize it to me-my husband and I are on the outdoorsy side (camping, kayaking), love to eat out and enjoy a good beer. We also have a one and a half year old 
Any suggestions?
PS We will be in the Portland area and not until July (what can I say? I am an over preparer
Re: My Maine bucket list?
Ok, not in the Portland area... but you will have to go to Mount Desert Island and go to the Jordan Pond House for tea and popovers... friggen amazing!
Around the Portland area, Portland Headlight, its in Cape Elizabeth and has a huge park around it... so much fun, we like to bring the boys there to fly kites!
only one thing?? lol
You MUST hike in Baxter State Park. It is one of my favorite places in Maine. I'm snotty when it comes to hiking and camping. I DISLIKE campgrounds and want to camp in the middle of nowhere, in a tent, without running water. There are campgrounds in Baxter and I usually stay in the cabins at Kidney, which is fine because it's easier to hike. BSP is free to get in for ME residents, and the cabins can be pricey. You can however, volunteer at BSP and then stay for free. You just have to work a certain amount of hours I think.
My favorite tenting spot is in Rangeley, Oquassoc Campground. They have wilderness sites which are fantastic!
Acadia National Park has some great carriage trails for walking/bike riding/horseback riding.
Margarita's in Orono (although they have other locations) is my go to spot for margaritas and I really like the Sea Dog, for hanging out after work.
I'm sure I'll think of some more tomorrow!
I'm one handed typing at the moment but...
You have to eat a whoopie pie
When I went up to interview in December, the woman who was showing me around tried to take me to a place famous for whoopie pies but they were closed. She then MAILED them to me like a week later! I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, we had left for the holidays so they were like two weeks old when I got them but that's a definite on the list
Have you camped with your DD yet? We tried twice and both were epic fails. The last trip we tried we finally gave up and packed the car at 2:30 AM and drove home down the mountain in a dense fog. It was AWFUL.
Everyone has had great suggestions.
I definitely suggest climbing Mt. Katahdin-- the view is AMAZING. People come from all over the world to climb it.
Tumbledown is a great hike too... There's a beautiful glacial pond and some other fantastic views.
Moosehead Lake is also gorgeous and you might see some Moose and other wildlife.
(My friend has taken his now-college-age son kayaking and camping out in the middle of nowhere since his son was 3 and seemed to make it work somehow. I'll let you know if he has any specific tips to help with a little one.)
I second Whoopie Pies-- but also Needhams! They blew my mind when I tried one, mostly because they have potato in them but taste more like a rich version of a Mounds/Bounty bar.
That's way more than one thing, but oh well-- there's a reason I moved to Maine!
Since you'll be in Portland, it's a foodie paradise! I recommend doing a mead tasting at Maine Mead Works, trying lots of the amazing restaurants, enjoy local beers (you could do the annual Brewers Festival), go to Browne Trading and Sun Oriental Trading to drool over food ingredients, and go to J's. (I hate J's, everyone else loves it though.)
We've been here 6 years (we live in Portland) and are still seeing the sights. I love taking the ferry around Casco Bay and taking people to Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. We have been finding fun places to canoe in the area- we've found a few good ones already, though I have no idea where they are. The Maine Wildlife Reserve (Preserve?) is lots of fun with little ones.
The Portland Art Museum is a really nice place and the Children's Museum and Theater downtown is also fantastic. There is also culture to be had- lots of great music and entertainment. (*cough* There's a great belly dance scene here. *cough* See profile pic *cough*) We went up to Rockland our first year here and loved it- good food, ocean village feel, good art museum, and a really nice drive.
We're trying to get to all the corners of the state. We've made it out to Farmington and Rockland; we still need to hit the mountains, the lakes, "the county" (that's the northern most areas of the state), Acadia, more of southern Maine, and the islands. It's a BIG state!
Portland is a GREAT city. We bought a house and moved here pretty much without spending any time in the area and have never regretted it. We are New Englanders, so that helped with any weather or Yankee culture shock, but it was still a new place that we could have bombed on. We adore it AND I had built in friends (who are also amazing in their own right) through this board. I'm more than happy to answer any questions if I can!
Acadia National Park/Bar Harbor Area- Go bike riding, hiking, go to the beach or just drive around and check out the scenery. There are tons of little shops and restaurants in Bar Harbor. I highly recommend Havanna and Gaylens (get the Lobster Biscuits at Gaylens. I LOVE them!!)
Any of the coastal towns are fun to explore. Ogunquit, Rockland, Belfast, etc. You really can't go wrong visiting places on the coast of Maine! However, Bailey Island near Brunswick is probably one of my favorite spots in Maine. (It's why I got married there.
There isn't much to do, but it's just a really nice drive and so pretty once you get out there. There's a rocky area and also a walking trail called Giant Stairs. I also like Ogunquit for the walking trail there (can't think of the name right now).
For Portland area there is tons to do! If you have bikes or just want to walk there are so many trails and parks. Macworth Island is one of my favorite places to visit. It's just north of Portland. Also there is the Green Belt Walkway. it;s a paved biking/walking path that goes from Portland to I think Kennebunk (not sure how far it goes now). Definitely check out Portland Head Light, Bug Light (in S. Portland) and Spring Point Light. For beaches, my favorite is Scarborough Beach. It's not as touristy as Old Orchard or some of the other beaches. Also the Old Port is fun for shopping, eating and drinking. Brian Boru and $3 Dewey's are my favorites for grabbing a beer.
That's all i can think of for now off the top of my head! Good luck. I am sure you will have fun exploring once you move here! I've been here 9 years and still find new things all the time!
Take the Balmy Days II out of Boothbay Harbor to Monhegan Island and stay at the Trailing Yew (preferably in the "studio"). They do family style breakfast and dinner everyday, have a horseshoe pit, not electricity in the main lodge (oil lamps & indoor plumbing though) and will pack you a lunch if you request it. There are only a few cars- most of which haven't been inspected since '88- and you can hike ALL over the island. In the summer, there are dozens of artists in residence, so there are always incredible pieces on display in the handful of small shops. Best part of all? Cell phones don't work out there for the most part.
When you leave, be sure to throw a small bouquet of "found" flowers over the transom.
The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware; joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. -Henry Miller
http://cookthehumbletable.blogspot.com/
Enjoy a lobster roll at Two Lights!!!!!
Opposite ends, but the trail at Marginal Way in Ogunquit is beautiful or hiking up Mt Battie in Camden will give you the most amazing views of the ocean, mountains etc, and a quintessential New England harbor.
Take a duck boat or trolley tour of Portland. You'll quickly get to see and learn some fun facts about the city.
Take the Casco Bay Ferry out to Peaks Island or just take one of their "cruises" where you take a round trip from Portland without getting off. Be sure to bring jackets, even in July.
I second Meaghan's suggestion of eating a lobster roll at the Lobster Shack at Two Lights. Nearby Two Lights State Park is also a nice place to visit - it's the quintessential Maine rocky coast.
If you're looking for a sandy beach to visit, Scarborough Beach State Park is nice. Just don't expect to go swimming unless you like really cold water!
My favorite place in Portland is the art museum. It is a great museum. Art museums in other cities the size of Portland don't compare!
Outside of Portland, I also agree Acadia and Monhegan Island are musts. But there are really so many places to explore - it'll take you years! :-)
Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
This, I have actually done! My family has been up to Acadia several times and the last time I did this, it was fun!
Thanks so much for all the suggestions. As most of them sound like a foreign language and it will be awhile before I get to them, I am going to have to make a list of all of them! These are making me really excited to get up there. Now all I have to do is defend this pesky dissertation first.
Portland really is such a great city - we've only been here about a year and a half, and we are sooo touristy when we get the chance. I also work in tourism and I try to stay on top of things to do, so I always have suggestions for visitors. Everyone's suggestions are great...the food, art, beer, outdoorsy stuff...there is always something to do, something going on. The city is full of culture. Not to mention how many other places you can visit for a day trip outside the city.
The only thing that would make me happier would be not having to shovel...otherwise, I can definitely see us settling down here for the long haul.
We've been lucky to have tons of family and friends visit us since we've been here and everyone has already planned their next visit.
Have you contacted the Convention & Visitor's Bureau? www.visitportland.com - They have great resources for people moving to the area - don't be afraid to call and actually speak with someone, too, though they will mail you some info by request, through the website.
July is when we moved and it really is beautiful - we had plenty of time to enjoy all the "nice weather" stuff and were able to ease into winter. I don't recall if you said where you were going to be moving in Portland, but the Eastern Promenade is a gorgeous park, with a playground for kids and plenty of sprawling grass for lounging around, playing frisbee, etc. We spent so much time there our first summer, just reveling in the views on the bay...we still can't believe how lucky we are to live so close to someplace so beautiful - and free! Enjoy the planning and definitely let us know if you have any more specific questions
So happy you're excited about moving here! We live in Cape Elizabeth and love it. I grew up in South Portland so know the area well. The other girls gave you great suggestions in terms of touristy and must dos in the Portland area. One thing you'll realize is that this state is HUGE. It takes 8-9 hours (or more!) to get from Kittery to Fort Kent (the tippity top!). I've been up that way and it's a whole different world :-) Are you planning on moving to Portland?
Since you mentioned beer :-) The state is filled with great micro brews. Gritty's (our fave), Atlantic Brewing (great blueberry and ginger beer), Shipyard, Baxter is a new one, Geary's....the annual Brew Fest is always the first Saturday in November and I've gone to the past 11 - one 9 months pregnant. :-) Get tickets early as they sell out!