Maine Coast & Campobello Island

Sun. September 10

Sunday, September 10, 2023
Welcome to New England! Make your way to Vacationland and check in to the comforts of the Meadowmere Resort in Ogunquit - which means "beautiful place by the sea". The hotel features indoor and outdoor pools, Jacuzzi, on-site pub and lovely gardens. Note: some rooms may be in a building with no elevator, so be sure to let us know if you are unable to do a flight of stairs.
On your way to the hotel, stop to see Maine's southernmost lighthouse, the pretty Nubble Lighthouse that sits on a nub of land - and learn the unique way the lighthouse keeper once sent his children to school!
Meet the Maine Tour Lobsterette at your welcome reception, who will provide walking maps of the villages you'll be visiting and a souvenir lobster hat for each passenger.
5:30 - Don your festive lobster hat and walk next door at Jonathan's Restaurant for a Maine lobster dinner with all the fixin's!

Mon. September 11

Monday, September 11, 2023
A breakfast is included next door at Jonathan's Restaurant.
Meet your local guide for a narrated tour of Kennebunkport and Kennebunk, two shipbuilding villages on Maine's south coast. Hear the history and folklore as you drive past the beaches, hear the legend of the Wedding Cake House and maritime history of sea captains and shipbuilders. You'll travel through the port and along Ocean Avenue, past the Bush summer home at Walker's Point and tour the Franciscan Monastery with its seaside shrines and gardens.
You'll have an hour of free time after the tour to explore charming Dock Square, the heart of Kennebunkport, with many boutiques and photo ops along the waterfront.
Continue north to Freeport Village, home to the LL Bean flagship store with the giant boot out front - and a myriad of outlet shops and casual restaurants for lunch on own.
Then sit back and relax for your travel "downeast" to Bar Harbor. Cross the causeway onto Mt. Desert Island, named for the desert-like mountaintops at the edge of the sea.
Check in to your home for three nights at the Acadia Inn, on the outskirts of Bar Harbor. The newly renovated hotel, just a mile from town, features a heated, outdoor pool and jacuzzi. Welcome reception served on arrival.
Dinner included at a nearby restaurant.

Tues. September 12

Tuesday, September 12, 2023
A breakfast included at the Acadia Inn this morning.
Meet your local guide for a guided morning tour of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Bar Harbor has been celebrated for its breathtaking beauty ever since the island was discovered in 1604 by Samuel de Champlain, who named it "Isle de Monts Desert" (Mt. Desert Island) for its bare, desert-like mountaintops. Here in the first national park founded east of the Mississippi, you'll see 9 mountains over 1000 feet high, stone bridges, lakes, ponds, trails and carriage roads. You will travel the entire Park Loop Road with stops at Cadillac Mountain, Thunder Hole on Ocean Drive and Sieur De Mont Springs Wild Gardens of Acadia, plus learn about the rich and famous visitors who built summer cottages in Bar Harbor.
Enjoy free time in the Village of Bar Harbor to explore the shops, boutiques and numerous restaurants that are centrally located along the waterfront along with parks and a shoreline walking trail.
This afternoon you'll board a comfortable tour boat for a Bar Harbor Nature Cruise. Search for eagles, porpoises, seals and other marine mammals and birds aboard your two-hour excursion on Frenchman's Bay. Pass by Egg Rock lighthouse and the breathtaking scenery of coastal Maine and Acadia National Park from the water.
Cross back over the causeway to attend the 4:00 pm Great Maine Lumberjack Show. See "the Olympics of the Forest" re-enacted as the lumberjacks and loggers used to compete 100 years ago.
6:00 pm Roll up your sleeves for a downeast Lobsterbake dinner with all the trimmings in a waterfront Bar Harbor setting this evening.

Wed. September 13

Wednesday September 13, 2023
After your included breakfast, meet your local guide for a full day downeast tour along the sunrise trail to Campobello Island, Canada! Hear the stories of what it's like to live in this quiet stretch of the Maine coast.
You'll make your way "downeast" to Lubec, Maine - the first US town to see the sunrise. Make a rest stop at the Wreaths Across America Museum, which profiles the wreath laying ceremonies that take place each December at Arlington National Cemetery.
Have your passport or passcard ready for crossing the International FDR bridge to Campobello Island, New Brunswick.
*All passengers, including driver, will need a valid passport or passcard. As of 10/1/2022 the ArriveCan is no longer mandatory. At this time, there aren't any restrictions per say. Please note that thing may change prior to the travel date.
In Campobello National Park, a 15-minute film telling the story of Roosevelt's "beloved island" is shown at the visitor center. A box lunch is included in the park today. Then go back in history as your knowledgeable guide tours the 34-room "cottage" occupied 19051921 byte Franklin D. Roosevelt family. Three other cottages are also located here, along with winding paths through charming flower gardens and scenic vistas overlooking the bay where you might see eagles or whales. **Pending availability, you'll have "Tea With Eleanor" before departing the pristine island - might be instead of the blueberry pie on way home.
On your return to Bar Harbor, you'll stop in Machias, the wild blueberry capital of the world, for some yummy blueberry pie and coffee.
Dinner is included back in Bar Harbor, upon your return.

Thurs. September 14

Thursday, September 14, 2023
After your included breakfast, you'll take the full coastal route south to Portland, Maine's largest city-by-the-sea. Your first stop is Camden Hills State Park - where the mountains meet the sea - for dramatic panoramic views from atop Mt. Battie, overlooking Camden Harbor with its fleet of pretty windjammers.
Then take a guided tour of the Maine Lighthouse Museum, which houses a unique collection of historic artifacts of the US Coast Guard and local lighthouse culture. Have lunch on your own here in the "Lobster Capital of Maine" along the Rockland harbor front and bustling Maine Street lined with beautiful art galleries, casual restaurants and fun shops.
Continue south to Portland, Maine's largest city-by-the-sea for some free time in the Old Port. Free time to explore the historic Old Port waterfront district with its cobblestone streets, charming shops and casual pubs to whet your whistle.
Reconvene for dinner included at DiMillo's Waterfront Restaurant on beautiful Portland harbor.
Check in to the Best Western Merry Manor Inn in South Portland for your final stay in Maine. The hotel features an indoor/outdoor pool and jacuzzi with therapeutic waterfall.

Fri. September 15

Friday, September 15, 2023
Full buffet breakfast included in a private room at the hotel this morning.
Make a photo stop at Portland Head Lighthouse, commissioned by George Washington, in nearby Cape Elizabeth. One of the most photographed lighthouses with crashing surf.
Make your way home with your magical Two-Nation-Vacation memories!

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner