of the region’s best trips! new england trips

• Theme icons make finding the perfect trip simple – no matter what your interest

• Easy-to-use maps for every trip, plus driving times and directions

• Explore the region with trips ranging from two to five days, and day trips from Boston

• Local experts share their favorite trip ideas, including a clam digger’s seafood tour, a sculptor’s art tour and a winery trip from television personality Chef Harry

• Iconic Trips chapter covers must-do trips across the region, from Fall Foliage to Coastal New England

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• Green index lists the region’s most environmentally friendly options

Whether you’re a local looking for a long weekend escape, a visitor looking to explore or you simply need some ideas when family and friends come to visit, Lonely Planet’s Trips series off ers the best itineraries – and makes it easy to plan the perfect trip time and again.

53 of the Region’s Best Trips!

1ST EDITIONPublished March 2009

USA $19.99 UK £14.99

TRAVEL AMERICA WITH LONELY PLANETSince 1984 Lonely Planet USA has published over 100 guides to America, working with over 200 American travel writers. For this Trips series our authors drove more than 100,000 miles, visited 230 diners, stopped at 810 road-side attractions and rediscovered the country they love. Visit Lonely Planet online at www.lonelyplanet.com.

TRIPSNew England

53 THEMED ITINERARIES 1012 LOCAL PLACES TO SEE

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Includes Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut,Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine

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TIME

2 – 3 days

DISTANCE

200 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

Year-round

START

Wells

END

Bar Harbor

ALSO GOOD FOR

WHY GO Maine’s amazingly fresh lobster is so ubiquitous that if you ask 10 Main-ers where to fi nd the best lobster, you’ll probably get 20 different answers. Taste-test your way across the state enjoying the various lobster incarnations: lobster roll, lobster salad and the traditional steamed lobster.

When man ate his first lobster, it was surely an act of desperation. The crops must have failed and the fish stopped biting, so some poor soul was forced to trudge through thick strands of seaweed in search of anything remotely edible. He stuck his hand deep into a dark crevice and pulled out a wretched, googly-eyed creature with pincers wildly waving and furiously snapping shut. Eureka! This ghastly creature is delicious! Who’d have guessed this hideous arachnoid would wind up topping the price lists at fancy restaurants?

As you cross the state line into Maine, signs littered with superlatives crowd the streets attempting to lure those with lobster on the brain. Get some tail at Mike’s Clam Shack in Wells. Mike’s is definitely a tour-ist trap (the menus have detailed instructions about tipping in America), but its midsized lobster rolls, with a helping of unusually tasty fries, are delish. Those looking for a side order of sand and sun should try

Forbes Self Service Restaurant along Wells Beach. The large, bright-blue-and-yellow hut offers a scrumptious lobster–mayo combo to go, so customers can chow down under the shade of their beach umbrella.

Before venturing deep into the heart of Maine’s main lobster territory, make a pit stop in Portland, the state’s largest city. The Downeast Duck Tours, aboard an amphibious bus–boat, is a unique way to learn about the region’s vivid maritime history. The tour ambles around town then plunges into Casco Bay for a whole different perspective.

Maine Lobster Tour

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Hop back on Hwy 1 and continue your northward journey in search of an afternoon snack at Red’s, in little Wiscasset. The throngs of lip-licking tourists make this wobbly lobster stand very hard to miss. The lobster-roll recipe is simple: take a toasted hot-dog bun and cram it with one lobster’s worth of meat. There’s a small plastic bowl of melted butter for dipping, and voilà – no gobs of mayo, just juicy red meat and a plastic fork shoved in the middle like a pioneer’s flag.

A stop in Rockland, further north on Hwy 1, is a must for any true lobster junkie. This little port teems with crustacean-related events throughout the year including lobster-boat racing and the annual Maine Lobster Festival

(www.mainelobsterfestival.com). A trip with Captain Jack Lobster Boat Adventure is a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look at lobster hunting in Maine. Spend an hour cruising the open seas on an au-thentic 30ft lobster boat while Cap-tain Hale hauls his traps. Lunch and dinner cruises are also available for those who want some instant gratifi-cation. Sample some exquisitely pre-pared seafood at Rockland’s favorite

BayPenobscot

OCEANATLANTIC

LakeSebago

Deer IsleBernard

Old Orchard Beach

Cape Elizabeth

SpringPoland

Blue Hill

HarborBoothbay

FalmouthYarmouth

WiscassetThomaston

Bucksport

Searsport

Bangor

AUGUSTA

Lewiston

Portland

Bar HarborBelfast

Ellsworth

Castine

Stonington

Freeport

Brunswick

Ogunquit

WellsCape Porpoise

Kennebunk

Bath

Damariscotta

Port Clyde

RocklandRockport

Lincolnville

CamdenHallowell

State ParkCamden Hills

ParkNationalAcadia

LakeSebago

IslandMt Desert

Isle au Haut

revi

Rni

ggo

csor

dnA

(1234ft)Bald Mtn

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95

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108

26

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179

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274

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27

202

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302

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20 mi

YOU’VE GOT MAIL The times they are a-changin’. Fresh Maine lob-ster used to be a luxury available only to those who made the pilgrimage. These days you can have the critters delivered to your doorstep with a click of your mouse and a quick call to FedEx. If you’re too lazy to get off your keister and taste-test your way up the coast, then get in touch with Browne Trading (www.browne-trading.com) or Maine Lobster Direct (www.mainelobsterdirect.com). 318

MAINE MAINE LOBSTER TOUR TRIP

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restaurant, Primo, if you don’t want your dishes rocking back and forth. Feast on modern twists of Italian faves like fresh vine-ripe antipastos and a heavenly espresso dessert float topped with vanilla and chocolate gelato.

To digest the lifetime’s worth of lobster consumed earlier on in the day, settle for the night at the handsome Pilgrim’s Inn, on the rugged, rock-strewn shores of Deer Isle. Built in 1793, the post-and-beam inn offers refined seaside charm in its 12 rooms and cottages.

Start the new day by continuing north to Bar Harbor, on Mount Desert Island (pronounced “dessert,” for all you New England neophytes), where you can take a morning ride with the affable Captain John on Lulu Lobster Boat. Enjoy the postcard-worthy scenery around Acadia National Park while listening to colorful local legends and the faint claw clicking of re-cently caught creatures. After a tour with Lulu, swing by the Thirsty Whale, a favorite hangout for local lobstermen. Try an amber brew while eavesdropping on the conversations of gruff sailors as they swap exagger-ate stories of whale sightings, rip tides and catching a lobster THIS BIG. For the best lobster on Mount Desert Is-land, locals turn to Thurston’s Lobster Pound out in Bernard, over-looking Bass Harbor. Park yourself on the rickety plastic patio furniture, strap on a bib and savor some of the juiciest crustaceans around while watch-ing fishing boats unload their daily catch. Brandon Presser

YOU’VE GOT MALEShow your skills at the dinner table and wow those surrounding you by identifying the gen-der of your steamed seafood. The secret lies in the swimmerets (the small, leafy limbs dangling on the underside of the tail). If the first pair of swimmerets are hard, then you’ve caught your-self a male – female lobsters’ swimmerets feel more feather-like.

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TRIP INFORMATION

GETTING THEREFrom Boston, take I-95 north, passing the New Hampshire and Maine state lines before arriving in Wells Beach.

DO Captain Jack Lobster Boat AdventureExperience life as a lobsterman aboard an authentic downeaster lobster vessel. %207-542-6852; www.captainjacklobstertours.com; 130 Thomaston St, Rockland; adult/child $25/15; hmid-May–Oct;cDowneast Duck ToursThis 65-minute amphibious bus putters through the Old Port, before plunging into the bay for a waterside tour. %207-774-3825; www.downeastducktours.com; 177 Commercial St, Portland; adult/child $22/17; hmid-May–mid-Oct;c Lulu Lobster Boat A tour aboard a traditional lobster boat in-termixed with local legends, great photo ops and traps full of lobster. %207-963-2341;www.lululobsterboat.com; Harborside Hotel and Marina, Bar Harbor; adult/child $27/15; h8am-8pm May-Oct; c

EAT Forbes Self Service RestaurantA bright-blue-and-yellow bastion of seafood serving beach bums some of the best lobster around.%207-646-7620; Wells Beach; lobster roll $15-18; hbreakfast, lunch & dinner late May-Aug Mike’s Clam ShackAn institution along the highway, Mike’s is a bit touristy but serves up a great lobster roll with a tasty side of French fries. %207-646-

5998; www.mikesclamshack.com; 1150 Post Rd, Wells; lobster roll $13-14; h11:30am-9:30pm;c PrimoSet in a Victorian home and featuring expertly prepared seafood, Primo remains one of the top restaurants in the Northeast. %207-596-0700; 2 S Main St (ME 73), Rockland; meals $21-28; hdinner Thu-Mon mid-May–Oct Red’sA small stand overflowing with hungry tourists yearning for a lobster roll. %207-882-6128; cnr Main & Water Sts, Wiscasset; lobster roll $16-19; h11am-11pm Mon-Thu, 11am-2pm Fri & Sat, noon-6pm Sun Thirsty WhaleHead here to mingle with locals and lobster-men over a pint of ale. %207-288-9335;40 Cottage St, Bar Harbor; drinks from $3; hnoon-midnight Thurston’s Lobster PoundOverlooking Bass Harbor in Bernard, this casual waterside spot with superb views serves amazingly fresh lobster. %207-244-7600; Steamboat Wharf, Bernard; meals $14-22;hnoon-8pm late May-Sep

SLEEP Pilgrim’s InnSitting along the Northwest Harbor, this handsome post-and-beam inn was built in 1793 and offers refined seaside charm in its 12 rooms and cottages.%207-348-6615;www.pilgrimsinn.com; 20 Main St, Deer Isle Village; r with breakfast $99-209

USEFUL WEBSITESwww.meliving.com/lobster/index.shtmlwww.visitmaine.com

LINK YOUR TRIPLINK YOUR TRIPTRIP

1 Coastal New England p35 7 Food Trip: New England p8151 60 Lighthouses in 60 Hours p321

www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner

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of the region’s best trips! new england trips

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