|
|
Fall Foliage: Where to See It & Save in Maine
A train ride along the coast; a seaside town with the world's most beautiful small museum; end-of-season hotel bargains; and a generous helping of Maine's historic charm, first-rate seafood, and leaves in stunning shades of crimson, saffron, and ochre
Kate Appleton
Thursday, September 29, 2005
It's prime time for leaf peeping and a ride on the newly refurbished, historic Maine Eastern Railroad is one of the best ways to soak up the scenery that we can imagine (maineeasternrailroad.com; round-trip, $40). The train makes two-hour trips along the coast, departing from Brunswick (a half-hour drive north from Portland) and chugging along amid marshes and woods to Rockland on an off-the-beaten path parallel to Route 1. Come evening, the hearty pastas and fresh seafood at James Beard award-winning Primo, housed in a restored Victorian home, make a rewarding splurge (entrees start at $23; primorestaurant.com). You may even be tempted to spend a night or two at the Trade Winds Motor Inn overlooking picture-perfect Penobscot Bay before hopping back on the train (rates start at $75/night for early Oct.; $55/night for the rest of Oct.; tradewindsmaine.com).
Ogunquit, a scenic seaside town known for its antiques and good eats, lies about 45 minutes south of Portland. A former Victorian home converted into a eight-room hotel studded with period and antique furnishings, The Nellie Littlefield House has rates starting at $105/night through Dec. Four choice rooms come with private decks and ocean views (visit-maine.com/nellielittlefieldhouse.html.) Art and life are currently colliding at the Ogunquit Museum of Art, where floor-to-ceiling windows expose the rugged coastline and the walls are adorned with Edward Hopper's paintings of just such vistas--the small cove behind the museum and Ogunquit's beaches circa 1914. No wonder it was dubbed "the most beautiful small museum in the world" by a former director of the Metropolitan Museum, Francis Henry Taylor. Through Oct. 15; $5. (ogunquitmuseum.org)
Portland, in Southern Maine, makes the most convenient jumping-off point for exploring the state. Of course, the city is also a lovely place to stay, particularly if you choose the Percy Inn, a brick row house in the West End, a historic residential neighborhood within walking distance of the quaint Old Port. Percy's last-minute rates (booked within 48 hours or less) start at $89, and regular rates creep up to $169 depending on the day of the week, availability, and type of room. A buffet-style breakfast and parking are included, and ther library stocks 400 movies for cuddling up on those chilly fall evenings (percyinn.com). Don't leave without sampling the crab rolls at Scales Restaurant, a lunch counter at the Public Market (25 Preble St., 207/228-2010).
Getting to Portland:
Car: The Visit Maine tourism site has a handy map of scenic driving routes throughout the state (visitmaine.com). For more road-trip ideas, read our feature on driving Maine's mid-coast seashore. Economy class car rentals picked up at the Portland airport start at $35 daily (Budget).
Train: Amtrak's "Downeaster" runs two-and-a-half-hour trips between Boston and Portland, serving microbrews, clam chowder, and other New England-appropriate fare along the way. Be sure to depart from North Station; you'll have to transfer from South Station if you're arriving in Boston via the Acela. From $22 roundtrip (amtrak.com).
Plane: The cheapest roundtrip flights to Portland for early October travel are currently pricing at $422 (Delta) from New York; $402 (Independence Air) from Washington, D.C.; $477 (Independence Air) from Chicago; $349 (United) from San Francisco.
More Lodgings Discounts:
In the northeastern reaches of Maine, Mt. Desert Island is home to the charming town of Bar Harbor and surrounding Acadia National Park. The Maples Inn, a cozy six-room B&B near Acadia and Cadillac Mountain, has a handful of reservations left at end-of-season rates as low as $75-85/night. (maplesinn.com; barharborinfo.com)
Also on Mt. Desert Island, in the town of Southwest Harbor, where Martha Stewart once had a home, the Claremont Hotel offers Sun.-Thurs. night stays at the jaw-dropping rate of $20/night; Fri. and Sat. night stays will set you back $152/night (theclaremonthotel.com).
The upscale Bethel Inn Resort (70 miles northwest of Portland) has cut rates to $99/night, with the added perks of unlimited golf time, an outdoor heated pool, and full breakfasts and dinners included. Rates drop to $49/night starting Oct. 23, once the leaves are past their prime. (bethelinn.com; bethelmaine.com).
We'll head south over the next two weeks with similar reports on Vermont and Connecticut.