[njbchbum]

hh -
* The drive from the airport to BH is approx 3 to 31/2 hrs travelling along the coastal route - without side trips to towns such as Boothbay. Could take longer with summer traffic. Driving thru towns with only 2 lanes and traffic lights can slow one up considerably!
* Maine's nickname is Vacationland - for a reason! This site might help you understand why - Popular Maine Towns & Destinations - Visit Maine
* We first traveled without reservations, but we travelled in the off-season; you are travelling in-season so I would not recommend it - unless you are up for adventure and are not selective re the kind of accommodations you prefer. [side story - our trip without reservactions to Bar Harbor 40 yrs ago saw us stay out on the edge of town in a facility composed of old train cars that had been converted to "motel rooms" - $7/person/nite! And the lobster down the road was cooked in a roadside cauldron and eaten on a picnic bench - cost $5/lobster/baked potato! Our youth made it "fun" but I sure envied the folks in the hotel on Frenchman's Bay!]
* If you don't have a planning service thru AAA, do you have a friend with AAA membership? I have found their associates to be a wealth of info for lodging as well as must see places.