wally225

Hey there,

My husband and I are planning a trip out to the northeast next fall (2018), just starting to explore options. Started off planning just in Maine, but husband would like to incorporate NY (adirondack/ lake region).. thinking perhaps a split ticket into albany, driving up to lake george, then heading over to through vermont (montpelier) to Maine, fly out of portland... Never been to the area (we're from CA), so looking for any tips. We're planning ~ 1 week trip.

We had also considered flying boston and hanging on the coast between boston and bar harbor (skipping the NY and VT this trip)...

About us: We are 30-somethings, like to be outdoors and don't need anything fancy, but do like to get a taste of the local culture (and good food). Typically opt for VRBO/ rentals over hotels, but a mix is good.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

wally225

we are a bit limited on time, so trying to fit some highlights in without overdoing it. Is there a place closer to Portland, ME that would give us similar feel as acadia? Or should we prioritize around acadia and give up other destinations?

Macross

Yes to the Lake George area. Bolton Landing is very nice. Cross over into Vermont. Middlebury is a beautiful stop.

Macross

Blue Water Manor is ok but trying to find you something closer to town gets more expensive. Blue Water does have a bar and waterside dining. http://www.bluewatermanor.com/
Downtown is nice and great places to eat.
http://www.lakegeorgekayak.com/ or you can even rent boats there.

http://www.thefernlodge.com/ sweet but pricey

https://oscarsadksmokehouse.com/
I stop here on my way back to airport every trip for my Irish, English and Canadian bacon. This place is so good and if you rent a cabin you will love their meat and cheese.

dfrostnh

One of the best farmers markets in VT is the Saturday market in Norwich. There's a couple of prepared food booths, couple of crafts booths, lots of local vegetables, fruit, cheeses, etc. Music and a couple of picnic tables in the middle. Very festive. It is just north of Woodstock on the Vermont/NH. Also very close to King Arthur Flour where you can take a baking class and/or shop for specialty ingredients. Quechee gorge is very scenic. Nearby Simon Pierce has a great restaurant, glass blowers, and interesting building.

It's a 4+ hour drive from Norwich VT to Camden ME. The northern route goes between the White Mountains and Lake Winnipesaukee. From the Conway NH area to Portland ME is about an hour drive.

The slightly faster route surprisingly goes south via I89 to Concord NH and Manchester NH (MHT Airport) and then boring Rt 101 to the coast before going north on I95. Should you decide to fly into MHT, you could make a slight detour in Concord to rent kayaks (Contoocook River Canoe Company). While located on a river, I think the paddle on the Merrimack is far more fun and scenic and they will do drop off/pickup.

I think the long drive from Camden to Acadia is not worth it if you are limited but we like the mid-coast area best. A week is plenty of time so you can easily split between two areas.

Unfortunately for us, we don't like oysters. The Damariscotta River boat trips focusing on local oysters look like fun. There are lots of places that offer guided ocean kayak trips and we were shocked to see paddle boarders quite a distance out in the ocean off Portsmouth NH. Looked like they traveled out by boat and had some smaller boats to keep track of the paddle boarders.

If you like beer, wine or spirits, all three states have a large number of micro and nano breweries, a few distilleries, and quite a few small local vineyards. Recently, Gould Hill Orchard near Concord NH started offering Fri/Sat/Sun tastings for their hard ciders. Hermit Winery in Meredith NH (on Lake Winnipesaukee) organized a wine tour a couple of years ago. The winery makes wines from local fruits so the story behind each wine is interesting.

We tend to pick a destination activity and build from there. If you are interested in organic living you might consider Maine's Common Ground Fair the third weekend in September. You can spend all day attending different workshops, large craft fair, agricultural exhibits and demos. No midway. Only organic food vendors. Only bad thing is very little choices for lodging since it's held in a very rural area inland. We stayed at an air b&b one year, a motel on the coast another time. Both about a 45 minute drive.

emalloy

If you are not planning on doing anything in Boston, look at flying into and or out of Manchester, NH. Southwest as flights there and avoids the congestion in/out of Boston.

Macross

You could fly into Albany and out of another location on Southwest. That is the one good thing about their pricing. I sometimes take Jet Blue to Albany and Southwest home if there is a huge price increase with Jet Blue.

Misha99

There isn't a whole lot in Albany, NY and if you only have a week I'd pick one place you'd like to go and skip the rest. You could easily spend a week in the Adirondacks, and the drive from ADK to Vermont/NH is not special. What time are you going? Peak leaf is mid-end of October and it may snow in November. The Presidential Range is nice hiking, and you can find ones of various skill levels. There are also some very nice waterfall hikes. If you are in Acadia in late summer, the blueberries are amazing. I prefer canoe/kayaking to hikes in ADK, just because there are better mountains elsewhere.

Macross

They aren't staying in Albany, just flying into that airport. The scenery starts changing after Saratoga.