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@Shamrocks2117: Okay, so here are my recommendations!
Boston: Jump on the T (it's $2 per ride, no matter where you go!) and visit Faneuil Hall and Harvard Square. They are super cool areas with tons of great places to eat, shop, and sightsee. The science museum is also awesome!
Maine: I have lived in Maine all of my life, so there are quite a few places you could go without going wrong! Since you will be coming in September, the foliage will be beginning. I highly recommend going to Western Maine around the Bethel area to hike, relax, see some of the natural glacier-carved waterfalls. Bethel is a super cute town, too.
For the ocean, I love love love Reid State Park in Georgetown, Maine. It's about a half hour away from Bath, which has a great old downtown with super cute shops and restaurants. The state park has two amazing beaches where you can either explore tidal pools or just walk the mile-long beach.
Bar Harbor and Boothbay are very picturesque, but also a bit touristy and expensive. Also, you will be in the car for quite a while to get to Bar Harbor (fair warning!). If you go to any coastal town, whale watches are super fun and worth it. Bar Harbor also offers kayaking guided tours, which could be fun. If you do end up going to Bar Harbor, I would recommend eating at the Jordan Pond Cafe. Their popovers with blueberry jam are AMAZING!
If you have any questions about anything else in those two areas, let me know! My husband and I have lived in both areas for years!
Cape Cod in MA is also a great place to stay for a bit. Chatham has amazing whale watching and Province Town has great restaurants.
May I ask a few questions before I answer? Not only am I a New Englander, I do this sort of thing for a living, and I'm always willing to help a Bee!
1. How long will you be honeymooning?
2. What is your preferred budget?
3. What "type" of trip are you looking for? Active, relaxing, adventurous, luxurious?
4. Will you have access to transportation? And how long are you will to spend driving TO and FROM area attractions?
5. Mountains, ocean, or both?
6. Do you belong to any hotel rewards programs? And do you prefer large hotels, B&Bs, or no preference?
7. Please describe your food preferences.
Feel free to PM me your answers if you'd rather.
Don't know if this is your thing but- Lost river caves are cool! In the boonies of NH somewhere... The Davis farm corn maze is AWESOME too. Look for groupon getaways- they have really cool package stuff like country inn getaway with strawberries and champagne.
We will either take the last week of September 2012 Or the first week of October 2012. We hope to see the fall foliage! Tim & I are both camping types. We like to kayak and hike but its our honeymoon so we want to enjoy some comforts that you can't get froma tent ha ha. We like to DO things, so we are active and adventurous. Some of my favorite vacation memories are "exploring" the areas around our destination and liking them better. Old Forge NY is a usual place for us, they have gotten pretty touristy but we don't mind it all too much. We will be driving from Noth of Niagara Falls across NY to the Mass Pike and go to Mass first for a couple days and then on to Maine. I grew up in Madison, CT every summer when I was a kid so I know the sound well enough but up north not as well. We both treat food as an experience when we vacation. Lobster form Maine is a must with a fish market visit. Never been to one. I love seafood and avoid chains when I visit a new place.
We are trying to figure out a time frame...is a week enough? (8 hour drive from home to Mass) One hour from salem to boston. So thats a two day bit with an evening out and day of museums and brewery tour. Then off to Maine which is how long of a drive? With NE I expect an hour and a half to two hours and stay 3 nights there and head home I guess?
We definately do want to stay coastal (I love the ocean but don't particulary like to swim in it ha ha)
Budget savvy tips are welcome. I will be watching Living Social over the next year and see if anything pops up. Some places have honeymoon specials and such. The Visit Maine website is truly spectacular and informative unlike my own State's. We have a year to save and hunt down specials I would love suggestions and of course share how it went after :)
Definately make sure to have some sea food while you're there! My FI and I went last year and the lobster was amazing!!
@Shamrocks2117: The start of October is the perfect time to visit Salem :) The Halloween festivities go on all month, but the closer it gets to Halloween the crazier and busier it gets.
My suggestion for Boston is to look into hotels just slightly outside the city. This will save you some money. Since you have a car you can either drive into the city, or take the T (I recomend the T. Driving in Boston can be a nightmare). I recomend checking out Quincy Market for the shops and bars. If you have some time, walk over to the North End for either lunch or dinner. My favorite is Dolce Vita...SOO good :)
Maine is much bigger than it looks on the map. :-) I'd stay southish. As lovely as Boothbay and Bar Harbor are, they will take many hours to get to. Maybe stay around Brunswick/Wiscasset. You'd be close to lots of places (Portland is adorable, my favorite little city) and still on the coast. If memory serves it's only about 1.5 hours from the border. Camden is cute too, but much farther north.
Ogunquit has the best beach in south ME, that's where I got engaged :)
Okay, here we go!
You'll be heading east on the Pike, so be careful -- lots of big-rig trucks. If you're at all historically-inclined, go to Sturbridge Village for a few hours and stop by the Publick House Inn for fabulous bakery foods and/or a cozy autumnal dinner.
When you reach Boston, stay inside the city to maximize your stay: it's worth the cost and will remove some of the hassle and driving. I suggest the LongWharf Marriott for its centralized location -- food, attractions, and waterfront all rolled into one. You'll want to lunch in Quincy Market (cheap) and do dinner and dessert in the North End (splurge here, it's well worth it). I think you'll be happy enough with two nights in the city, considering you'll be heading north next...
Salem is fun, no question. If you're into museums and tired of witches, head over to the Peabody-Essex Museum for an afternoon. I don't have any hotel recs for this area, unfortunately.
Your best bet for a decently authentic but not too expensive Maine experience is a combination if Portland and York/Ogunquit/Wells. Portland is a revamped but still active Port city with great shopping, nice harbor cruises, and seafood galore -- for lobster or fried clams, go to the Portland Lobster Company right on the water. Stay in one of the many B&Bs that are located right in town, and enjoying this walkable city.
In York, you could stay at the York Harbor Inn, or choose from one of many, many hotels in Ogunquit. Go to Nubble Light (ahem, see my avatar!!) for romantic pictures, and go for a walk around the Rachel Carson preserve for foliage, wildlife, and woods. Or, walk the Marginal Way in Ogunquit to stay active seaside -- while down at Perkins Cove (Ogt) grab some penny candy, check out the drawbridge, and eat at the Oarweed. For the most authentic lobster experience in southern Maine, go the the Lobster Pound, choose your own, and order some fall beer. You won't be sorry.
I think a week is enough for this trip. I tried to keep in mind that it's your honeymoon, so the drive times are limited and all are very Kodak-moment worthy. I have oodles of suggestions for spas, hotels that are anywhere from ** to *****, and restaurants for all occasions. But... I hope some of these suggestions help!
If dinner is an experience you're willing to splurge on (it's your honeymoon, yay!) I HIGHLY recommend making a reservation for Craigie on Main in Cambridge. Amazing food, unusual and delicious wines, and the best cocktails I've had anywhere. It's my go-to for really special occasions.
This is going against the grain a bit, but if you love the outdoors and hiking, Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor really cannot be beat. And it's a perfect time of year to be there.
And if it's on your way in Maine, stop at Moody's Diner for a slice of pie.
Oh, and (I'll stop now, I promise), if you like art, the MFA in Boston just opened its Art of the Americas wing, and it's a real showstopper. I just went last weekend and it was fantastic. Really well curated.
I would second BostonBaby's ideas. Adding to them, you could overnight in the North Shore / Salem area - Emerson Inn in Rockport is nice and on the water. You can get world famous fried clams in Ipswich (I prefer Farnums, though Woddman's get more press). There's also great kayaking in Essex. http://www.erba.com/
In the York area for a more affordable lodging option on the water look at the Dockside in York http://www.docksidegq.com/. Also check out hiking on Mt Agamenticus and trails at the Laudholm farm in Wells.
Go to chatham bars inn on the cape - stay there for at least one night and have sunday brunch there. you'll love it. bar harbor is gorgeous. i'd also check out martha's vineyard. grew up summers on the cape, but when we go to mv, it's still like a mini vacay! congrats and enjoy!
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. There is so many too look into! I'm so glad I posted this. I will be printing and researching all of these places. Thank you all!!!
The North End in Boston is a MUST. Mike's Pastry on Hanover St. has the best cannoli and pastries. There is usually a very long line there, so the trick is to walk in, go to the left, and up to the counter there. You will get served much quicker rather than waiting in a huge line. If you don't have enough time to make it down to Cape Cod (Chatham really is beautiful), you could always go to Plymouth for a day. There is lots of sightseeing there (the Plymouth Rock, Mayflower) and great whale watches. Also, great seafood and Cupcake Charlies is famous for...you guessed it, cupcakes! And I am not just biased towards Plymouth because that is where my wedding is :)
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Hi Bees,
So we have picked our honeymoon region. We are definately going to Maine and Mass. Does anyone recommend places to stay/dine/see in either of those States?
We plan on going to the Sam Adams Brewery in Boston, Salem for museums and to meet our quirky desires. (We love Halloween) Then off to Maine!
I have heard Booth Bay and Bar Harbor are awesome places.
Any suggestions?
We are going the last week of September 2012!