One of my friends told me she has been planning a trip to Maine. I opened up my old google doc from my trip to give her tips/recommendations and it inspired me to finally get this post going! I went to Maine and Nova Scotia in 2013! I’ve literally been meaning to write this post for years. What is wrong with me???
Our Maine and Nova Scotia road trip was a very special trip for me because it was mine and Mark’s first big trip together as a couple! We went away for a weekend for our one year anniversary but Maine and Nova Scotia was our first big one! We went to Maine AND Nova Scotia for 8 days but I highly recommend going for longer! Maybe 8 days would be enough for just Maine or just Nova Scotia but it definitely wasn’t long enough for both! Especially with all of the driving.
Also, because this was my first big vacation, I do not have great pictures or videos. This was way before I ever thought of being a travel blogger! The pictures are bad and the videos are even worse!
Okay so, because I went so long ago, take this post with a grain of salt and look into what I am posting because some of things may have changed but keep reading because I still have some good recommendations and tips and some stuff is definitely the same!
We left early in the morning on Saturday, July 6th, 2013. We drove straight to our hotel in Portland. The drive wasn’t too bad. It was only six hours from where I lived!
I was surprised to read that we left early on a Saturday. Nowadays we would never waste half a day driving. We always leave the night before. We leave right after work so we have the whole day the next day to explore. My how things have changed!
In Portland we stayed at The Inn at St. John. We loved it! Mark and I did the value accommodations but they have Traditional and Luxury Accommodations as well. The Value Accommodations was basically smaller rooms and you share the bathroom across the hall. I didn’t mind this so much. The only time it was inconvenient was when I had to use the bathroom very badly but someone was in there or when there was a line to shower. Not ideal but if you are looking to travel cheap, this is the way to go!
The Inn itself is beautiful, in a gorgeous area which is nice to walk around and the continental breakfast is the bomb.com. I highly recommend staying here.
We walked around town for a while and we found a beautiful pond that we sat by for a while.
We also found one of those Before I Die walls! I loved reading everyone’s goals and dreams.
After exploring the area a bit, we got dinner at J oysters. I am completely vegetarian now but back then I was eating fish. Their seafood was amazing.
Our first night in Maine, we had planned to see a comedy show but we literally could not find the comedy hall! We walked all around, up and down the blocks, in alleyways…we could not find it! But we did find this really beautiful lake. We passed by just as the sun was setting. We parked and walked around, enjoying the sunset.
We read online that Great lost Bear is a great place for food, drinks, and late night snack. We went later that night for some nachos. We enjoyed it but I wouldn’t say it’s a must.
Please do not ask me why the only thing I took a picture of in Great Lost Bear was this fan.
The next morning we headed to the Portland Museum of Art. This art museum was so cool! We loved the exhibits. We couldn’t take any pictures inside but it was really cool. I recommend checking it out!
For lunch we ate at Shipyard Brewing Co
Later that day, we did a self guided Lighthouse Tour. The Lighthouse Tour was supposed to include 6 lighthouses but I only have 5 here. I am not sure of what happened there but here are 5 Lighthouses from the tour.
I guess we were hungry because our first stop was to see Cape Elizabeth and for lunch at Lobster Shack Two Lights. It was amazing to eat here! We both got lobster and crab rolls and sat enjoying the view of the water and the two lighthouses.
After lunch we explored the area. It was so cool to walk around. We had so much fun!
It’s so beautiful that people even sit here to paint!
Our 3rd Lighthouse of the day was the Portland Head Lighthouse in Fort Williams Park. This lighthouse is gorgeous from afar. So picturesque!
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse was my favorite lighthouse out of the five because you could walk the jetty to it, which was really cool! It was a little scary hopping from one rock to the another but it was a lot of fun!
I have to be honest, Bug Light Lighthouse was super lame. It was tiny and basically a playground for children. I waited a while to try to get pics without people in them but I gave up.
That night we actually found a sunset cruise to take. For the life of me, I cannot remember what the company was called but there are quite a few to choose from. This was such a fun and beautiful way to spend the night!
The houses we passed were incredible! Imagine living here!
The sunset on the water was gorgeous.
Someone offered to take our picture, which was very nice even though the picture was crappy!
On Monday, July 8th, we ate our final delicious continental breakfast, said our goodbye’s to The Inn at St. John and drove three hours to Acadia Park.
We actually camped in Acadia. We set up our tent, got some lunch and went exploring!
We went to Sand Beach first. It was beautiful but cold! The water doesn’t get above 55 degrees! Mark was brave enough to go in the water but I stayed on the sand. It was a beautiful place to hangout!
After spending some time on the beach we went for a light hike, mostly a walk. We saw the beach from above which was so pretty.
We saw this rock beach which I wanted to climb down to get to. The climb down was very difficult but worth it!
The rocks reminded me of dinosaur eggs! It was very difficult walking on the rocks but it was fun!
We stopped by Thunder Hole, which is supposed to be pretty cool with the waves crashing into the cavern but sadly we weren’t there at the right time. It was still cool to see but we didn’t see the waves crash the impressive way they do sometimes. Still it was cool.
I loved this beach area we stopped in. We walked around here for a long time. It was beautiful and peaceful.
Something that is a must in Acadia is waking up super early and drive up Cadillac Mountain to see the sunrise! It is the very first point the sun touches in the USA (from Oct to March).
Because it is such a cool thing to do, there is a huge line of cars driving up this mountain. So much traffic, so early. We woke up around 4am and actually almost missed the sunrise!
It was funny because everyone was so upset it was so cloudy but I thought it looked beautiful! We did only see the sunrise for a hot second though because of the clouds. It was still worth it and a great memory. And also cool to experience the place the sun hits first in the USA.
After sunrise we returned to our tent to eat and get ready for a hike. We found a random hike and without googling it or anything we just decided to go… well we should have done some research or something first because this hike was very difficult!
And then it rained and got foggy.
This is me crying.
One of my favorite memories of this hike is that Mark and I were really struggling. I really didn’t think we would make it up. We were panting, sweating, I was crying…and then this elderly lady passes us. She was wearing shorts, sandals, and carrying nothing but a book. No water, no bag, no food…just a damn novel. We were doubled over, hyperventilating, climbing on our hands and knees and this elderly woman passes us like it was nothing!
After blood, sweat, and tears we finally made it to the top. And what do we find at the top? The elderly woman sitting on the ledge, legs dangling, reading her novel…in the rain and fog.
We only spent two full days in Acadia! Mistake! If you can spend longer, do so! It’s somewhere I really want to go back to. It is beautiful and magical and just amazing. I can’t wait to go back someday.
Our trip to Maine was short but very sweet. We only spent 4 days in Maine but I loved every moment. I rarely want to visit places a second time but I’m sure I will go back to Maine one day.
Here is a horrific video I took of the trip. Enjoy.
Next up, our trip to Nova Scotia!
For some reason I barely have any pictures at all of Nova Scotia. Guess that means I have to go back here too.
We read online that one of the best places to see whales is in Digby, Nova Scotia. It’s pretty much all the way South. We decided to drive there first and work our way up.
The drive was about 7 or so hours. It felt like forever but I was so excited to see whales! Whale watching has been on my bucket list forever. We made reservations ahead of time. We were all set to go. We arrived, checked in, sat on the boat…and then sat on the boat some more and then some more….
The boat BROKE DOWN! The captain of the boat was desperately trying to fix it. We sat on the boat over an hour when they finally told us our tour was cancelled. I was so upset. Mark and I desperately tried to book with other tours in the area but it was too late. They were all full or not taking off due to bad weather later in the day. I was so sad. Whale watching would stay on my bucket list for the foreseeable future.
Because I was so sad, Mark found a botanical Garden we could visit because he knows I love them. The Historic Garden. It was no whale watching but it was still beautiful. I enjoyed our time here a lot! It was $14 but totally a worthwhile way to spend the afternoon.
After our tour of the gardens, we drove 2.5 hours to Halifax. Our Airbnb was incredible! It was beautiful and huge and right on the water! In the morning we would eat our breakfast out on the deck, overlooking the water and the boats. Ah, what it would be like to be rich!
Halifax is beautiful!
Our airbnb host was pretty persistent we go to Amos Pewter. So insistent that I almost wondered if he secretly owned it. We felt pretty pressured to go so we did. It was actually very nice though. We bought an angel Christmas Tree Ornament and that is actually how our collection of Christmas Tree Ornaments from our travels started.
Later that day we went to Peggy’s Cove to see Peggy’s Point Lighthouse. When you enter there is a colorful building and all these cool props. The owner or worker had us play around while he took pictures of us goofing off. It was awkward but kind of fun.
We went inside to check out the museum which was full of pictures and little figurines. The man told us about the myths and legends of Peggy’s Cove. It was fascinating though I don’t remember any of it now.
We walked around the area which was super interesting!
What a warning-
Then we saw Peggy’s Point Lighthouse….
It was gorgeous!
Something out of a movie. We loved it.
We spent so much time at Peggy’s Point Lighthouse that the sun was going down. It was incredibly beautiful.
We started getting hungry so ate at the restaurant on the property…do not do that. Maybe the food is great now but back in 2013 it was horrific.
The next day we went Tidal Bore Rafting! I cannot even tell you how much fun this was! It was an amazing tour and worth every penny of the $218 we paid. This was definitely the most expensive thing we did on our trip but again, so wort it!
I didn’t take any pictures or videos during the rafting tour because I was not equipped yet but I can assure you it was a blast! The raft actually goes under water! We were under the water to our waists! It was so much fun! They even let us off halfway through at a mountain of mud and we all slid down!
Definitely wear clothes you don’t mind putting in the trash after. They will get disgusting and muddy and stained. Bring a change of clothes and towels!
I cannot recommend this tour enough! The property has a restaurant so we were able to get lunch afterward. It would be nice if the tour included lunch. Maybe they do now but back in 2013 they did not. I personally love it when tours include lunch. One less thing to plan. But it was nice and convenient that they had a restaurant on the property.
Later that day, after we got all cleaned up and went to the Fairview Lawn Cemetery to see the Titanic Grave Site.
It was strangely emotional to see all of the graves, knowing how these people died.
This is the very grave stone that inspired Leonardo Dicaprio’s character, Jack Dawson in Titanic
If you keep driving through, you will see the gravestones of the unidentified victims of the Halifax Harbour Explosion.
This cemetery is quite historic.
After visiting the cemetery, we went back to the airbnb, packed our stuff, and went to bed.
The next morning we drove a horrific 17 hours home. This was the longest and worst drive of my life. It felt like pure torture. We never did this again! Now we stop at airbnbs or hotels along the way. It was a good way to find out that we both can’t handle a long drive like that.
Well that was our road trip through Maine and Nova Scotia! I hope you enjoyed learning about our trip and gained some tips and wrote down some sights for your bucket list. It was a very memorable and amazing trip. This was my first big vacation and I got hooked! It is my goal to see all 50 states and Maine was one of my first!
Let me know in the comments if you have been to Maine or Nova Scotia and what you recommend!
Also drop your best travel tips!
Thanks for reading!
If you love Canada like I do, you might also like:
https://wpexpertasia.com/dev/the-top-3-things-to-do-in-niagara-falls/