First time to Downeast Maine & Nova Scotia

My husband %26amp; I are flying into Bangor and then driving first to Nova Scotia for 5 days then back to Lubec (have a rental cottage by the ocean) for a week...this is our firm time in the area and would appreciate any suggestions about the places to visit for day trips from Lubec..restaurants in the area (we will be cooking our meals in the evening)..and in Nova Scotia...smaller coastal towns..B%26amp;B%26#39;s, restaurants, things we should definitely see...we love seafood, easy walks, great views of the water. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

First time to Downeast Maine %26amp; Nova Scotia

Hi Dallasites,

Can%26#39;t say I know a whole lot about Nova Scotia or Lubec. However I%26#39;ve been to Cape Breton Island (which is part of Nova Scotia) a few years back and drove the Cabot Trail. The views were often stunning from high atop mountains and then out to sea. I also remember stopping at the Keltic Inn just to take a peek at it and wow, what a location. The lobby was beautiful and the grounds were gorgeous along with the views. I%26#39;m assuming the rooms have the same high standards, so it might be worth checking out on trip advisor if you haven%26#39;t booked anything yet.

Regarding Lubec. I%26#39;d highly recommend touring Campobello, President Roosevelt%26#39;s summer home. Also think of checking out West Quoddy Light. It%26#39;s a pretty drive out and from what little I could see(it was VERY foggy while I was there)there were probably nice views too!

Wish I had more info to share, but my time in NS and Lubec was very limited, plus it was foggy the whole time! Consequently I hope others who are more familiar with the area will respond and give some great ideas on what to see and do, etc.

Meanwhile, good luck with your trip :).

cozyharbor

First time to Downeast Maine %26amp; Nova Scotia

Not sure of your travel route to Nova Scotia but I assume on the way back you will cross into Maine at Calais. If you have a few hours to spare I would reccommend seeing Hopwell Rocks and Funday National park in New Brunswick on the way to/back from Nova Scotia and or the Funday Trail Parkway also in New Brunswick. Northern Nova Scotia, the aforementioned Cape Breton/Cabot trail, are absolutely beautiful.

As far as Lubec I live only about 1/2hr from there. The best thing to do there is to RELAX.

There are very few restaraunts in the area, there is currently only one small open in Lubec itself, there is normally another one that opens for the summer near the marina. Definately go over to Campobello to Roosevelts cottage this is only a 10-15 min drive at most. Go to West Quoddy light and see the lighthouse and the great view of Grand Mannan island. Not sure how much hiking if any you want to do but both the West Quoddy head state park and the nearby Bold Coast trails in Cutler offer wonderful hikes along the rocky coast I have often seen whales from atop the cliffs there. Machias is the closest town where you will find a couple restaraunts and it is about a 1/2hr drive.

You do not say when you are coming there may be some interesting local events while you are here.

I would strongly recommend taking the St. John - Digby ferry rather than driving all the way around the Bay of Fundy. Nova Scotia is gorgeous. The faster you get there the better. And the ferry is a very pleasant ride across the Bay.

I%26#39;d recommend staying one night in Wolfville while in Nova Scotia. It%26#39;s not all that far from Digby. They have some very nice B%26amp;Bs. It%26#39;s a small, friendly town. You can travel to Cape Split from there. There%26#39;s a nice hike on the Cape -- great views of the Bay of Fundy.

I%26#39;d definitely get to Truro in Nova Scotia to see the tidal bore which is when the river fills from bank to bank with the incoming tide. A standing wave is formed as the tide rushes up the river.

Cape Breton is also stunning. There is a nice drive around the Cape. It%26#39;s like the Smokey Mountains surrounded by the bluest ocean you%26#39;ve ever seen.

You can skip Peggy%26#39;s Cove in Nova Scotia. It%26#39;s nice but it is way too crowded with bus tours and wall to wall tourists.

While in Lubec, definitely get over to Campobello Island. There are quite a few nice hikes over there.

When you go to Campobello, do more than just the Roosevelt cottage. There is also a provincial park with a nice beach, and you might enjoy driving through the other small communities on Campobello. It is really remote/hard scrabble.

One thing that I really liked abot Campobello is the EAST Quoddy Lighthouse. If you haven%26#39;t already gotten your quota of Canadian lighthouses from Nova Scotia, you might enjoy vising this one. It is actually on a small island, but since the tides are so extreme, the isalnd is accessible by foot at low tide. (So plan your visit around the tide charts.) The footing is a bit sketchy in parts--over rockweed, and rusted ladders, but if you are up for the adventure you can walk over to the ';island'; where thelighthouse is and explore it.

Eastport is also interesting. There might be ferry that will take you directly from Lubec. Otherwise, it%26#39;s an hour by car.

Another outting you might enjoy is an Atlantic Puffin Cruise. http://www.boldcoast.com/ I took this, thought it was worth the cost.

You will not save any time by taking the ferry to Digby from Saint John if you are going to the Northern part of Nova Scotia i.e. the Cape Breton area. If you want to see points farther south in NS then it might be a good idea. Maybe take the ferry one way and drive back. Also there is no ferry out of Lubec to anywhere anymore.

Thanks so much to each one of you...great ideas and terrific suggestions. We will be in Nova Scotia from Monday, 8/7 and then returning to Lubec on Friday, 8/11...and will be there until 8/18. We will be getting into Bangor around 7 PM..and plan to drive to Calais...or as far as possible on Highway 9...is this highway a good road to travel on?

The Puffin tour is definitely something we plan to do..not something you would find in Texas!

Looking forward to hearing more great suggestions! Thanks, again.

I%26#39;m not so sure it%26#39;s such a good plan to head out at night on Highway 9 after a day of air travel. It%26#39;s a very rural highway. Once you commit to it, you won%26#39;t find any motels until you get to Calais. It would be a long, dark, twisting drive.

I agree with driving route 9,we left Prospect Harbor last year and had to drive back to Bangor airport. We decided to take the back roads to get to route 9 because we wanted to see Maine. It was during the day and there are lots of twists and turns and because it was daytime, lots of logging trucks!!

In Lubec at the intersection to go to West Quoddy Lighthouse the is a small village restaurant that has good food with locals that are very friendly. Stop at West Quoddy gifts on the lighthouse road. They have some very good Maine made goodies and gifts.

You can find out lots of information if you put in a search for Quoddy Loop,Maine. I%26#39;m not at home or I would be able to give you the exact website.

The more I think about your schedule the more I think it would be wise to take a ferry to Nova Scotia. If you aren%26#39;t getting in to Bangor until 7 p.m. on August 6th, you could just drive the 70 minutes to Bar Harbor that night. You could have a good lobster dinner, walk around town, drive through Acadia, and the next morning hop on the 8 a.m. ferry to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Yarmouth has a wonderful information center. Pick up a few maps, drive through the province, spending a night a Wolfville, a night in Lunenberg, a night in Cape Breton, and a night in New Brunswick near Fundy National Park as you drive around the Bay of Fundy to come back to Lubec.

Then you can collapse for your second week in Lubec and simply rest and relax.

Thanks so much for the heads up about Hwy. 9...and the idea of going to Bar Harbour, having lobster dinner, and then the ferry...definitely sounds like a better plan..

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