July 4th in Bar Harbor or after

I posted before about traveling to BH for the first time with 21 mos old. Now I have another dilema. We can visit BH either during July 4th or the week after. July 4th festivities sound all fun and especially for kids but I wonder if 2yr old is too young to enjoy? I hear it is going to be really crowded druing July 4th - should we avoid the week and visit BH after July 4th? I am having a difficult time picturing how crowded it gets there. Is it bad enough that we can%26#39; t see the parade? If we do visit July 4th, we would like to stay in the town so we do not have to drive, park and walk to the town with our kid. Where do you suggest we stay? Thanks in advance.

July 4th in Bar Harbor or after

I don%26#39;t know two-year-olds, so I can%26#39;t say if they are able to enjoy the festivities. I do know that there is usually face painting which sounds pretty kid-friendly. The parade route is long enough that there would surely be some place to find a spot to see the parade. I%26#39;ve only watched it on Cottage Street and it%26#39;s pretty crowded there but not so much that you can%26#39;t see. The little go-karts are neat. And the bagpipers. It%26#39;s pretty much a small town parade with rescue greyhounds marching and little kids on bikes. It%26#39;s nice.

I%26#39;d recommend staying at the Quality Inn which is on the parade route and right on the edge of town. They have effeciency rooms which are in a wing of the motel, a bit away from the busy corner of route 3, in a white birch tree setting. Or you could stay at the Bar Harbor Grand which is on the end of town where the parade starts and finishes and where the big lobster feed is. Or the Cromwell Harbor Motel which is also on that end of town.

July 4th in Bar Harbor or after

I don%26#39;t know the BH parade and festivities, but from bonniemaev%26#39;s description of a small town parade, I can tell you that it is not like the Macy%26#39;s Parade in NYC or other large city events. You should probably do okay finding aplace to stand, and folks will let you get through toi the curb so your little one can see.

Small town parades are wonderful. They usually begin with the fire engines, not only the local company, but companies from surrounding towns will send over one or more truck. The parade begins with everyone of them sounding their alarms simultanerously and continuously. It is an unbelievable sound/noise, and wil either bring a smile or fear to you and/or your child%26#39;s face. At 21 mos, it can be hit or miss whether this will be exciting or terrifying.

Beyond this, the parades are generally very family oriented. Lots of kids will be in the parade, on floats, on their bikes, marching with the scouts, little league, etc., marching bands, community groups, very homemade/home grown. And everyone is throwing candy to the kids along the parade route. Really a great scene for a little kid. Face painting, as bonniemaev said, and probably other things to delight a little kids. If you are from a big city, and have never experienced a small town parade, you and your child will be in for a personal treat.

Yes! We have the fire engines from surrounding towns. They usually close the parade. Some years the firemen get into a water fight with the bystanders. It%26#39;s all a ritual that%26#39;s looked forward to and prepared for. The first time we witnessed it, a kind acquaintance told us what to expect so that my husband could move to shelter with his camera.

One of the biggest water fights was always in front of The Opera House Internet Cafe on Cottage Street. There would be boys on top of the Rite-Aid roof with big water pistols and, across the street, one of the workers at the cafe was armed with a garden hose. To much laughter, a huge wet scene would ensue.

Then some good citizen decided it was dangerous and the custom was not allowed the next year. I think, though, that sometimes and some places along the route, it still happens. It%26#39;s really quite amazing to see a small town function so well in the midst of all those tourists.

ogunquit

What hotels would you suggest in the Ogunquit area? We prefer to stay on or very near the water if possible. Thanks.

ogunquit

There are many to choose from. We are staying at the Marginal Way House which is right near the water. I have not been there before but I checked out the reviews here and looked at the website. I emailed a lot of questions and got very timely answers so I think I%26#39;ve chosen a good place.

Check out www.ogunquit.org for more.

ogunquit

Check out the Juniper Hill Inn. Its about a 10 minute walk to the beach and a 5 minute walk into town. It has two outdoor pools and an indoor pool. Most of the hotels are not on the water. A few are on the Marginal way and there is a view of the water from them. These include the Marginal way house, the Anchorage and the Beachmere. The Pink Blossoms has family suites and is closer to Perkins Cove

The Beachmere Inn is right on the ocean and Marginal Way. Convenient to everything. It is a Victorian Inn and Hotel. Make a reservation as soon as you can. It fills up quickly.......

Romantic Getaway mid April

Hi,

my hubby and i are planning a romantic getaway to Bar Harbor in mid April. We are looking for a oceanfront room with a jacuzzi. I have read great reviews on the Bar Harbor Inn. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Also, are most stores going to be closed in April? And, how%26#39;s the weather at this time?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Romantic Getaway mid April

You might consider Ann%26#39;s Point Inn, outside of Southwest Harbor, about 30 minutes from Bar Harbor. It%26#39;s a waterfront Bed and Breakfast with four rooms. It has a sauna, whirlpool tubs, and an indoor swimming pool. It%26#39;s located on a peninsula with quite a bit of waterfront on three sides. It%26#39;s deep in a bay, with little islands dotting the foreground. There are pictures on their web site.

Most of the stores will be closed in Bar Harbor. But that still leaves five or six of them open, including all the Cadillac Mountain Sports store, Sherman%26#39;s Bookstore, a good coffee shop, and a few others.

Mache Bistro is open for Sunday brunch and dinner Wednesday through Saturday. Geddy%26#39;s and Michelle%26#39;s Brown Bag are open for lunch. McKay%26#39;s is open for dinner along with a few other places. Red Sky and Sips, over in Southwest Harbor, are open.

Acadia National Park is accessible, even if the Park Loop

Road isn%26#39;t open yet. It might be open by mid-April.

Romantic Getaway mid April

You might also consider Saltair Inn in Bar Harbor. They are most certainly on the water and it is a beautiful place. Talk a look at their reviews on Tripadvisor- they are pretty good! They have a good location, you can walk to the stores and restaurants that bonniemae mentioned that are open. The weather in Mid April is unpredictable but can be nice enough to get out and take a nice walk in Acadia. I am sure you will have a great time.

zits

Anniversary in Ogunquit

We%26#39;ll be in Ogunquit this July for our 7th Anniversary. Which restaurant would you recommend for this occasion? It does not have to be overly pricey, but we don%26#39;t want casual either as we will probably eat casual meals the rest of the week.

Anniversary in Ogunquit

Jonathans is always a nice choice.

Anniversary in Ogunquit

Arrows or the White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport. The are 2 of the best restaurants in all New England.

Provence or Poor Richard%26#39;s Tavern are both excellent choices.

Thanks! We are also thinking the Lobster Pound for the anniversary dinner, or is this a more casual and less ';romantic'; location? We will be staying at the Meadomere.

The Lobster Pound has great food and is a lot of fun but it is very casual and not very romantic.

Got it, what about Old Village Inn? Jonathan%26#39;s is at our hotel, but is it ';romantic';?

We spent our honeymoon in Ogunquit and the last few summers we have holidayed there during our anniversaries. Last year for our anniversary, we had a delicious meal at the Grey Gull Inn overlooking the ocean.

http://www.thegreygullinn.com/menu.htm

Thanks! Website looks like it%26#39;s a nice restaurant.

If you check out the Grey Gull by doing a search on this Web site, you will see that a couple of travelers did not give it high ratings. I have not been there and cannot report personally.

We currently have a reservation at Meadomere, but should we consider Terrace by the Sea instead?

My in-laws are going to stay at Beachmere the following week.

Bar Harbor to Quebec -> any scenic routes?

We%26#39;ll be driving from Bar Harbor to Quebec City.

Are the 201 %26amp; 173 regular highways, or is there anything nice to see while on the road?

Or should we take another route, like ie. the 7 %26amp; 15, through Dexter %26amp; Greenville?

Bar Harbor to Quebec -%26gt; any scenic routes?

The only time we drove from here to Quebec, we took 27 from Augusta and crossed the border at Coburn Gore. That, however, would put you about 40 miles (65 km) south of HIghway 173 in Quebec. Rte. 27 would take you through the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine---a very nice drive that according to my road atlas is designated as a scenic route (as is 201 and the highway [161 and 204] from the crossing at Coburn Gore to 173.)

From Bar Harbor, you could take Rtes. 1 and 3 to Belfast, then 3 across to Augusta.

All of the highways that you (and I) have mentioned are two-lane

highways.

Bar Harbor to Quebec -%26gt; any scenic routes?

Route 201 in Maine is officially designated a state scenic highway. Part of the highway runs alongside the Kennebec River with small mountains on either side and it is very scenic. There are mostly very small towns alongside this road. During the falll, the foliage is spectacular (usually about the first week of October.)

There is whitewater rafting in the vicinity of The Forks. Several vendors offer rafting trips and that would take up much of a day. Summertime only.

Jackman is a good area for moose watching. It is a very small town, has a very remote feel to it. THere are hunting camps and a few restaurants.

I have made the trip to Quebec City twice along that route. I don%26#39;t recall anything particularly scenic on route 173.

Have a great time in Quebec City. It%26#39;s a lot of fun and very easy to enjoy on foot. We walked all over.

Sorry, I forgot the second half of your post. Don%26#39;t go thru Dexter. Route 7 is not on the way, plus there is nothing to see there. If you decide to go thru Greenville, just take Route 1A from Bar Harbor to 395, to 95N in Bangor, then pick up 15 in Bangor and take it to Greenville, then up to Rockwood and across ';Moose Alley'; to Jackman, which is 201 again.

IF you are on ANY of these roads after dark, be VERY careful. Moose are big and dark and hard to see in the roads. Plus, they aren%26#39;t in a hurry to get out of your way. I would try to be in a motel and off the roads by dark!

If I was deciding which route to take, and not planning any stops along the way, I%26#39;d just take the fastest/most direct route. If I was planning on spending one night along the way, I might pick to spend the night in Greenville. Unless you%26#39;d like to raft one day, and then I%26#39;d go via 201.

Sorry to not get this all in the same post!

I%26#39;m going to disagree with the earlier poster and advise you against going thru Belfast and Augusta. I%26#39;d go to Bangor and then either go to Skowhegan and pick up 201 there, or take Route 15 from Bangor all the way thru Greenville to Jackman. It think you%26#39;ll find either of those ways much faster.

Mapquest.com suggests the Skowhegan route as the shortest time and the Greenville route as the shortest distance.

You could actually shave some time (and perhaps some confusion) off the Greenville Route by picking up 395 on the edge of Brewer and follwoing 95N thru Bangor to Route 15 (Broadway exit) instead of going thru downtown Brewer and downtwon Bangor (the more scenic route).

Hi, thanks for your replies.

I%26#39;m just trying to drive to Quebec in 1 day, but thought that if one rute is nicer than the other, I%26#39;d take the nicer route : )

Is the part from Bangor - Greenville - Moose River -%26gt; 173 ';nicer'; than Bangor -%26gt; 201 -%26gt; 173, or is there hardly any difference?

Note: I read of people who drove through Dexter %26amp; Greenville, so I figured that maybe that was the ';nicer'; route to take, don%26#39;t have any particular thing to do in Greenville, just looking for the most scenic route : )

If you are doing it in one day, follow Mapquest.com%26#39;s suggested route thru Skowhegan. Easy, fast.

Mapquest.com has the thru-Skowhegan route as six hours and 11 minutes, but keep in mind that that includes no time for stops (food, fueling, restrooms and the border crossing at Canada.) The last time I made that trip there was a fatal car/truck accident on the Canadian side of the border that held us up for two hours.

Not that you should expect the worst, but I just thought I%26#39;d note that Mapquest estimate is increidble optomistic; if you plan to make any stops or drive slow at any point if it%26#39;s just to look at the scenery on either side of you, it could easy be an eight hour drive.

So, I%26#39;d set aside a long day to make the trek

The Bar-Harbor-to-Skowhegan part of your trip should go fairly quickly as it involves a lot of four-lane driving, Skowhegan to Jackman should be the most scenic part but a bit slower going as it%26#39;s mostly two lanes. From Jackman until you get to the outskirts of Quebec it%26#39;s mostly two lanes and not particularly scenic.

blond hair

Steakhouse - Wells

Does anyone know if the Steakhouse in Wells will be open next Wednesday the 21st? Their website says they%26#39;re open from late March - December, but they haven%26#39;t specified any dates.

Thanks!

Steakhouse - Wells

They%26#39;re opening the 29th.

Steakhouse - Wells

That is the best steak house. I do recommend arriving when they open otherwise it seems there is always a wait. I can%26#39;t wait for it to open also.

My wife called a couple of days ago and was told that the restaurant would open a week from tomorrow, March 29th.

Memorial Day Weekend Camping in Acadia

A group of us (4) are planning a camping trip to Acadia over Memorial Day weekend. Our plan is to head up to Acadia on Saturday from Gloucester, MA and spend Saturday through Wednesday camping. I%26#39;m from NJ and understand how crazy traffic and crowds are at the shore over Memorial Day Weekend. Is it the same in Acadia? Do you think there will be lots of traffic? Does anyone think we%26#39;ll have a difficult time finding a campsite at Seawall on a Saturday?? If so, are there other campgrounds you would recommend as backup? We%26#39;re pretty ';rough'; tent campers, who like fairly private, wooded sites as far away from RVs and noisy campers as possible.

Memorial Day Weekend Camping in Acadia

Memorial Day weekend is a crapshoot in some aspects. How crowded it will be really depends on the weather forecast (and how really prophetic the forecasters turn out to be). Both Seawall and Blackwoods (Acadia National Park campgrounds) will be open. If you are at all unsure of getting into Seawall, which is first come, first served, then you might want to try getting a reservation at Blackwoods or one of the other campgrounds on MDI.

Quietside Campground and Bass Harbor Campground have received good reviews in the past.

I really doubt that you will find things anywhere nearly as crazy here as on the NJ shore for that period.