RV East Coast Adventure - Massachusetts to Maine
RV East Coast Adventure - Massachusetts to Maine
Written by Nancy Carter, Making My Own Lane
I was now about 10 weeks into my RV trip from Florida to Maine, and finally in New England.
There are so many Thousand Trails/ Encore parks that I have been able to take advantage of staying in on this trip, and it really helped to keep the cost of paying for campgrounds down.
RV Travel Journal
I turned a small notebook into a travel journal to document each campground. Were the sites level? Did they have full hookups? Was there a dog park? Activities? Is it someplace I would go back to? And last, but certainly not least, how was the internet?
This information is great to be able to look back on as I remember this amazing trip through the East Coast and New England. It will also help me in the future by having a list of the campgrounds I liked, and the ones I don't want to go back to again, and save me research time as I continue to plan my RV road trips across the United States.
Sturbridge Massachusetts Thousand Trails Campground
My next stop was in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. On the way, I stopped at Petco in Holyoke Mass where Rufus and Willie both got groomed, and I stopped at Walmart to stock up on supplies. Enough to hold me over for 2 more weeks until I got closer to Bar Harbor. You never know when you’re going to find your next convenient grocery store with enough parking for an RV!
There was another lake to swim in, another dog park (the dogs were loving all the dog parks), but no pool. It was the first Thousand Trails park I stayed in without a pool.
The site I was placed in was level but TINY. Luckily I am able to get into tiny sites, but I watched several larger rigs attempting to get into these sites. Some found success in parking, and some didn’t. And even once they did get in, it was almost impossible to use the provided campfire rings because they were all so close to the rigs.
However, the people that worked here were super nice, and they all worked really hard to make sure that all the “guests” were happy.
The weekend I was there they hosted a Murder Mystery/spaghetti dinner night, that was a lot of fun. It turned out I was the killer.
They also had hay rides around the lake every Saturday.
Just a short drive from the campground was a recreated 1830’s rural New England town. I hadn’t been there since I was a kid, so I decided to go back and check it out. The story about how all of the buildings on the property were acquired is pretty interesting. You can check out my video of the horse and carriage ride going through the covered bridge below.
Click here to see the video. Turn your sound on!
Then, on to Maine … finally! And 11 weeks after I started my East Coast RV trip, I entered the state of Maine.
Moody Beach Thousand Trails in Wells, Maine
My site was a twin parallel parking spot, where I drove into my site like I was parking on the street. Easy!!! No backing in. The site was large and level with full hookups and plenty of room for the picnic table, grill and fire ring. And it was a short walk to LOBSTER!
I ate a lot of lobster in Maine. Lobster rolls with mayo, lobster rolls with butter only, baked stuffed lobster, steamed lobster. It was all delicious, although lobster prices were quite high.
There was a beach shuttle from the campground office for $3 round trip, so you didn’t have to battle the traffic, and a Mini Golf course on the corner before you get to the campground.
There is also a brand new dog park that was opened up between my stop up to Bar Harbor and my stop back.
It was on my way to this campground where I had my first unexpected RV problem on the road, as if any of them are expected. I will be posting an article about RV troubles along the way soon, but for now let’s just say, instead of freaking out they way I normally would have, I walked over and got a lobster roll 🦞. What else could I do at 4:00 in the afternoon?
There are many quaint villages and beaches to visit here, including Ogunquit and Kennebunkport. There is something special about the coast of New England that I haven’t found anywhere else.
Maine is definitely one of the states I plan on going back to for a summer, once I finish exploring the rest of the United States.
Boothbay, Maine
My next stop was a Harvest Host, Boothbay Craft Brewery. You can stay here in their RV park with full hook ups even if you are not part of Harvest Host. The outdoor Beer Garden was a great place to spend an evening and meet new people.
Because it rained that next day, I did not go into Boothbay Harbor. But I have been there before and this picturesque New England seaside town is certainly worth visiting, if you have the time.
Patton Pond Campground, Ellsworth, Maine.
My last stop before officially reaching Bar Harbor, which I will be devoting an entire article to, was Patton Pond Campground in Ellsworth, Maine. This is an Encore campground that I can stay in as part of my Thousand Trails Adventure membership.
No dog park, no pool, but the grounds were beautiful. It was one of my favorite parks I stayed in. There were lots of activities on the weekends, including live music, food trucks, and a Saturday afternoon Back Porch Ice Cream Party, with free ice cream!
This park is only about 45 minutes away from Bar Harbor, so you could certainly stay here and travel into town. There are plenty of grocery stores, restaurants, and waterfront parks with picnic areas.
Jonathan Buck Cursed Tomb
In the nearby town of Bucksport, you can see the cursed Jonathan Buck Monument, which bears the image of a woman’s stocking-clad foot. You can read more about it here.
I wasn’t able to find parking for my RV, Daisy, anywhere nearby, but I drove by and could see the mark was still there. I remember visiting it as a young girl, and there were times the stocking was there, and I can distinctly remember once when it wasn’t.
Penobscot Narrows Bridge & Observatory
You can also visit the tallest public bridge observatory in the world. In 2006, this bridge replaced the Waldo-Hancock Bridge. The observatory is 420-feet tall, and from the top you can see Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park and Baker Mountain, 72 miles away!
Historic Fort Knox
Your ticket to the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory also includes admission to Fort Knox (not the same one with all the gold).
There was plenty of RV parking for both the observatory and the fort, and so many clearly-marked picnic areas.
The construction on the fort started in 1844. Even though Fort Knox never saw a battle, it served as a coastal fortification for the Penobscot valley and Bangor, which were major sources of shipbuilding lumber.
I did explore the fort, and at one point I had a very uncomfortable feeling that I was being followed, and possibly exploring in an area that I didn’t belong. Later that night I googled “haunted fort knox”, and I was surprised to learn about all the paranormal activity. It was featured on the Travel Channel’s Most Terrifying Places in America.
You can read more about it here. If you’re in the area, there are ghost tours available, if you dare.
Have you visited this eerie fort? Send me a message and let me know your experience.
Thanks for joining me as I continue my journey up the East Coast from Florida to Bar Harbor, Maine!
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