A perfect spot for a mother-daughter weekend, girls’ trip, or quiet getaway with your significant other, Maine fits the bill! Mom and I are working our way through the National Park list and we opted for Maine for this year’s trip. While you can fly directly into Bangor, we opted to fly into Boston and make the approximately 4 hour drive. This was a better plan for us because it was significantly cheaper, even with the rental car. 

Bangor is a good home base to visit Acadia National Park because it offers more lodging and restaurant options than you’ll find closer to the park. Bangor is the quintessential New England town and the quirky downtown area offers a variety of restaurants and shops worth an evening stroll to peruse. 

Acadia National Park offers some beautiful scenic driving and a lot of hiking options. The hikes span the full range of difficulty, so plan and prepare accordingly. We stuck to the easy hikes which were enjoyable, though there isn’t a lot of wildlife other than birds. Unless you are planning to do multiple hikes, 1-2 days is more than enough to see this national park. 

Bar Harbor is another city worth a little extra time exploring. There are a ton of restaurants and shops worth wondering through and it makes an excellent stop to stretch your legs after some scenic driving.  There are also options to try a lobster roll, some of them are offered warm! This was a big deal for me because I am not a fan of chilled seafood so the warm lobster roll was a hit. 

Downtown Bangor offers a variety of restaurants and food options. Portland Pie Company is a tasty choice for a steaming hot pizza, a great option after a long day of hikes and scenic driving, and is convenient to stop into the local shops. Surprisingly, Bangor offers a unique melting pot of food options at various price points. Some of the restaurants seemed a little nicer but everyone was dressed pretty casual. 

Horror fans, and bookish nerds, will enjoy a short side trip to the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation which is a short drive from the downtown area. The STK Foundation was created in 1986 because the founders wanted to give back to their communities. While you won’t be taking any tours of the interior, the exterior is absolutely worth a look. The Victorian mansion, once (and allegedly still?) home to the famed horror novelist, stands out due to the wrought-iron bats and spiders on the gate. The wooden sculpture by Josh Landry is also eye catching. The combination of Victorian architecture and the wrought iron bats and spiders are exactly what you would expect from Mr. King and make for a fun photo-op, regardless of your reading preferences. 

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