First Trip to Maine: Suggestions and Stay in Brunswick

Hello!

So, my wife and I are planning our first trip to Maine from San Francisco. We%26#39;ve been eyeing Rockland and Camden, but are now setting our sights on Brunswick.

Details so far: We are looking for a week+ long trip starting with 3-4 days in Brunswick and probably 3-4 days in Bar Harbor. We%26#39;re looking at mid to late August. We%26#39;d also like to stay somewhere that%26#39;s not a chain hotel or ';dainty'; B%26amp;B. Renting a house or apartment for those few days would be ideal.

So, heres a few q%26#39;s:

Anyone have any ideas of a great place to stay close to the center of Brunswick OR close to the water?

Are there other cities worth looking at near Portland that is a nice small town and does not feel like a ';beach town'; or ';tourist trap';, but feels closer to a ';local Maine experience?';

What can we look forward to doing in Brunswick in August? I%26#39;m imagining walking around town, hiking, visiting the coast, and watching some minor league baseball. Are there any local sailing outfits?

Any insights or suggestions? Thanks so much!

First Trip to Maine: Suggestions and Stay in Brunswick

Brunswick is a wonderful town, with a lot to do. Though parts of Brunswick are coastal, they are mostly residential areas. For a place on the water, I would suggest the Grey Havens Inn in Georgetown, which is about 20 minutes from Portland. It%26#39;s right on the rocky coast, less than five minutes from Reid State Park, which has two of the nicest beaches in the state.

There are quite a few chain hotels in Brunswick. I%26#39;m not aware of much that is very appealing right downtown, which is a shame considering what a great walking area downtown Brunswick is. I hope others will post something. I know that the Harriet Beecher Stowe House is just a block off Maine Street (the maine street) and it is an inn, but I don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;s a nice place to stay.

Bath is the next town up the coast from Brunswick and it has quite a few inns right in town, so you might consider Bath. It%26#39;s an old shipbuilding town on the Kennebec River. It has a great old downtown that includes Reny%26#39;s, the Maine department store that must be experienced.

In Brunswick, one great thing is the Maine State Music Theater, a professional summer theater company on the campus of Bowdoin college. They will be announcing their 2007 program soon.

I will write more about things to do in the area later.

First Trip to Maine: Suggestions and Stay in Brunswick

I%26#39;m back with some more info.

You mentioned minor league baseball. Our minor league team is the Sea Dogs. They%26#39;re affiliated with the Red Sox and play in Portland at Hadlock Field. You should really enjoy a game there.

I would suggest perusing the Portland forum for some ideas of what to do in Portland. It%26#39;s well worth an all-day visit.

Now back to the Brunswick area. I already mentioned Reid State Park. Popham Beach is another wonderful sandy beach within 20 minutes or so of Brunswick. Watch your tide tables when deciding which beach to visit. Reid is good anytime, but Popham loses most of its beach at high tide.

Since you%26#39;re coming in summer, you%26#39;ll definitely want to check out what kinds of fairs and other seasonal events are going on. Most of those things are listed in Down East magazine. Many towns, including Brunswick, have farmers%26#39; markets in the summer. Downtown Brunswick has one on the grassy mall every Tuesday and Friday. They also have at least weekly outdoor concerts on the mall.

Bath and Brunswick have quite a few good restaurants. In Brunswick, you might try Back Street Bistro and Henry %26amp; Marty%26#39;s. Also El Camino is an excellent California-style Mexican restaurants opened a couple of years ago by the people who used to own Kate%26#39;s Kitchen in the Haight. The Great Impasta is a good Italian restaurant.

My favorite restaurant in Bath is MaryEllenz. Also not to be missed is Robinhood Meetinghouse, which is in Georgetown on the way to Reid State Park.

Of course, you%26#39;ll want to have lobster and clams while you%26#39;re here. There are so many places near Brunswick. A fun place right on the water is on the wharf at Five Islands. Estes in Harpswell is good. There is also a place whose name escapes me on Route 24 (aka Gurnet Road). The very best lobster roll in the world is at Red%26#39;s Eats in Wiscasset.

I can%26#39;t comment on sailing companies, but I know there are regulars on this site who can help. Maybe they%26#39;ll read your post and give you some info. If they don%26#39;t do it now, post again in a few months and I know you%26#39;ll get feedback.

Downeast: Thanks for your help; I really am grateful. And, the Grey Havens looks just wonderful. I%26#39;ll check for availability first thing. Are there any towns nearby?

Here might be a bigger and more important question: How long should we stay in the area? I don%26#39;t think we%26#39;re going to be in Maine for a while and we want to balance rest with exploring. Should we split our time near Portland and MDI? Or should we stay near Portland and daytrip to MDI?

Hi GBT,

It%26#39;s a long drive to MDI from Portland, so it%26#39;s not a day trip. I think you have the right idea to spend 3-4 days up there. Much as I love Brunswick, I can%26#39;t say I would spend 3-4 days there if this is your first trip to Maine and you don%26#39;t think you%26#39;ll be returning soon. In your shoes, I would spend a day and night in Portland itself, then one or two nights at Grey Havens. At Grey Havens you can just chill out, visit the beaches and spend some time in Bath and Brunswick. Bath and Brunswick are the towns closest to Grey Havens. Downtown Bath would be about a 15-minute drive.

Although August is peak tourist season, which means Route 1 up the coast can be really crowded, it%26#39;s still a drive worth taking. I would drive up and spend one or two nights in Camden. It can be quite touristy, but it%26#39;s such a beautiful place. The films In the Bedroom and Peyton Place were filmed there. On the drive up to Camden you can get your lobster roll at Red%26#39;s Eats, which is right on Route 1 in Wiscasset. If you like fine pottery, you can take a short side trip to Edgecomb Potters in Boothbay. As you go further up Route 1, you%26#39;ll come to Damariscotta and Newcastle, which are beautiful and underappreciated coastal towns.

Shortly after Damariscotta you can take an overland cutover to Camden, which will shorten the drive somewhat. If you stay in Camden, it%26#39;s then a pretty easy drive to MDI for the rest of your visit. On the way back from MDI, you can take I-95 if you want to make time.

As I said, I don%26#39;t know about sailing outfits, but I do know there are plenty available out of Camden, so you might want to check out the Camden forum. If you like sea kayaking, I think the Grey Havens people could hook you up with something really fun.

My husband and I lived in the Marina district from 1985 to 1988 and then in Mill Valley until 2003. It%26#39;s great to see somebody from SF checking out the Great State of Maine. I hope you have a fantastic time. I can%26#39;t figure out why more regulars haven%26#39;t responded to your post. I%26#39;m sure if you post a question about sailing, you%26#39;ll get some answers.

Hi Golden Bear,

I live in Brunswick, and while it%26#39;s crowded in the summer, it%26#39;s not that touristy type of crowding you find in Camden or Bar Harbor. Instead, it%26#39;s more like real Maine people being busy in real lives. :)

Brunswick has it%26#39;s share of chain hotels, all located on major highways on the perimeter. I wouldn%26#39;t recommend any of them if you want a real taste of town.

I%26#39;d say look at the cottage suites at the Middle Bay Farm B%26amp;B (a mile or two from the town center, but directly on the water) where you%26#39;ll have privacy and lots of room but feel like you have your own place. http://www.middlebayfarm.com/ I%26#39;m not sure if they have bikes or kayaks there, but if they do it would be great as the inn has water access and that part of town has nice quite country lanes for biking. Or jogging, or after dinner walks.

And even though you sound not too interested in B%26amp;Bs, you simply can%26#39;t beat the location of the Brunswick B%26amp;B. It%26#39;s looks right out on the huge downtown grassy mall. Everyhting is within walking distance there. http://www.brunswickbnb.com/ There are community concerts at night, farmers markets during the day, a short walk to ice cream, movies, coffee shops, the downtown movie theatre, reasturants and bars, and if it%26#39;s a pretty day, pick up picnic supplies nearby and eat lunch out on the grass. Or, buy hot dogs from the vendors who set up mobile food wagons during the summer.

I am a huge fan of the Grey Havens, but I think the cottage suites at the MBBB are a much better value; it will be quite expensive if you want a room with as much space and your own bath at GH. Plus, I don%26#39;t think they have TVs at GH if that makes any difference to you.

Besides, if you go all the way out to Georgetown you will be fairly isolated. You could spend one day exploring Georgetown, Five Islands, Reid State Park, etc, but then you%26#39;ll probably want to branch out, and it will be a whole lot more driving to make day trips to Portland, Freeport, etc. And, while I like Reid State Park which is right by Grey Havens, I prefer Popham Beach, which would be quite a haul from Grey Havens.

There are some fun restaurants in the Brunswick, but if you rent the cottage suite at the Middle Bay Farm you will have a kitchen of your own if you want to do a meal in/a fridge to keep your doggie bag fresh if you bring food home.

I second the recommendations of El Camino (don%26#39;t let the exterior scare you away), Great Impasta (call ahead for reservations) and Back Street Bistro (get a reservation), I%26#39;ll also add Wild Oats Bakery for breakfast, lunch and your sweet tooth. Great place to pick up sandwiches you can eat in or carry to the grassy mall for a picnic.

I also recommend exploring Harpswell, which shares a border with Brunswick. If you ride down to the end of Route 123 / Harpswell Neck Road, you%26#39;ll see gorgeous New England architechture: lovely old grange halls, churches, salt water farmhouses. Then on the way back up 123, cut across Mountain Road to Route 24, then catch that down to Bailey%26#39;s Island. It%26#39;s lovely scenery.

Have a great trip.

I would recommend one night in Camden to break up your drive to Bar Harbor. Maybe 3 nights Brunswick /1 night Camden /3 Bar Harbor?

Oops, forgot something. Better than Estey%26#39;s is Cooks Lobster on Bailey Island (Route 24). You%26#39;ll see it off to the right as soon as you cross onto Bailey Island over the famous cribstone bridge.

Good eats in Freeport: Azure Cafe.

The lines are Red%26#39;s Eats are usually ridiculous in August. Unless the lines are short, i%26#39;d pass up that lobster roll and instead save my $$ for the Lobster Salad Sandwich at Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound in Trenton (on your right as you are getting to Acadia.)

My brother lives in Mill Valley and we have a house on Georgetown Island. I totally agree with those who sugest the Fivel Islands Wharf. Also the line at Reds can be an hour - not worth the wait. You should go to Pemaquid Lighthous on Pemaquid Point. The rocks and surf here are really dramatic and the ocean views are superb. You can climb up the tower and visit the Fisherman%26#39;s

Museum located in the former light keepers house. Eat at Shaw%26#39;s

Fish and Lobster Wharf in New Harbor on Rte. 32. It is beautiful setting in a working harbor with lobster boats coming and going.

Two nice boat trips are to Sequin Island and Eagle Island. Sequin Island has a lighthouse you can go up in and lots of trails. It is 3 miles off the coast of Georgetown. You would need a private charter to get there and the climb is not for people with any mobility problems. Eagle Island is easier as many operators run tours there. It is the summer home of Admiral Perry and the boat trip out is beautiful as long as there is no fog.

A favorite place of ours is Sebasco Estates. It is a truly Old Maine resort. It has a wonderful but funky 9-hole golf course. It has a wide variety of accomodations, kayaks, canoes, tennis a salt-water pool etc. You could find more info on the internet at their web site. Since it is close to our house, I have never stayed there but would like to.

Also when you are in or passing through Camden, be sure to drive up to the top of Mt. Battie. The view of the coastline in wonderful.

If you like art or have a really rainy day the Farnsworth Museum specializes in Maine related art. It is located in Rockland.