Maine vacation ideas (not Kittery :) )

[anamika]

I'm thinking of going to Maine for our vacation in June/July. Is this a good tme to visit?
Looking for ideas on relaxing things to do/places to stay and sightsee with a 2.5 y.o. We will be driving up so it has to be within 5-6 hrs from Boston.
I'm not big on shopping (this applies only when I'm on vacation!!) so that's not a factor. Somewhere near beaches and parks and other fun outdoor attractions would be ideal.
I Googled Maine and my head is still swimming and my eyes are watering from all the info I got.
Any recommendations on where I should concentrate my search?
TIA,

[MissyAg94]

When we lived near Boston we went to Acadia Nat'l Park and Bar Harbor and we loved it. Gorgeous.

[anamika]

Thanks. Acadia Natl park looks great. Hmmm, now I'm wondering if we should try camping! Can it done with a 2.5 y.o.?

[DrSally]

Not sure how far this is for you, but we went to Bar Harbor when I was preggo. It was so much fun. There's a cute town with all kids of restaurants and shops (just window shopping is fun), and like 5 ice cream parlors. The Acadia national park is right there, so we stayed at a lovely B&B in town and then went somewhere new in the park every day. Walking all day and the fresh air and scenery was amazing. Plus, in the evening you go back and change and go out for a dinner (fancy or casual) and stroll around. I thought it had a lot to offer.

ETA: When we went it was end of May, I believe, a week before a lot of schools get out and official "peak" season begins. As a result, less crowded, and "off-peak" rates for B&B, which helped a lot (the weather was still lovely). There's also a B&B off the main square that has no breakfast (great place next door), and is really cheap. Sorry, don't have the name :(

[ett]

I agree with PPs that Acadia is a great place to visit. We went last summer when DS1 was 3 and he had a lot of fun. We stayed about at a hotel in Ellsworth, which is about 30 minutes from Bar Harbor. There are a lot of nice Bed and Breakfast places around Acadia. Just make sure they take young kids. The B & B we stayed at when we visited pre-DS did not allow kids under 14.

[MissyAg94]

We actually did camp while we were there but we didn't have kids. I think your 2.5 year old might like it! Try to camp in the park if you can. Maybe you could camp for a couple of nights and stay in a hotel for the rest of the time. I think you'll love Acadia. It was one of my favorite trips when we lived in NE. Lots of fresh air and gorgeous scenery.

[momofjandl]

I grew up in Maine so feel free to email me with any questions on places. Maine is a big state, so I don't know everything though. :)

We actually did Acadia last summer and had a blast. Please keep in mind that it is often cloudy and or foggy out that way b/c of how the land/water is situated. So not every day is cloudless and sunny no matter what time of year.

Be sure to try some sort of boat trip. We did diver ed and it was so much fun. We went on his converted lobster boat and he went under water with a camera then brought up some sea creatures for the kids to look at and handle. The boys loved it!

We also took a day trip to fort knox which again, the boys loved. They were 2 and 3.5 at the time. There was no one there. It wasn't crowded at all.

http://fortknox.maineguide.com/

We've yet to camp with them but plan to this summer. I think camping depends on the temperment of the child. My oldest is a wanderer so that is why we have not tried with him yet. But I think it is doable. Just more work. We rented a house. You can find several out that way.

[barbarhow]

If you decide to go camping, there is a campground right outside the park called Mt. Desert Campground, we went yearly prior to kids and are hoping to start doing it again as our kids grow. It is right on Soames Sound. There are bathrooms and showers :-) . It is very well managed. There is a dock with kayaks available to rent. The sound is a beautiful place to kayak. Sunsets there are breathtaking.
I must admit that a B&B in Bar Harbor or one of the surrounding towns is equally enticing. Have fun planning your trip!
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
and Anna 5/12/05, my little Yankee fan!

[Bean606]

I don't know how far a drive it is from Boston, but Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor are beautiful. We took a cruise last summer that stopped there, and we plan to return for a longer vacation. I also really like Portland, which is a short drive to Cape Elizabeth or Kennebunk, which both have nice beaches.

[kcimato]

Maine is my favorite place in the whole world. I have always been intrigued by it and finally got there 2 years ago. We stayed in Falmouth Foreside right on Town Landing. it was a boat marina and loved all of the activity . the view from our rental was spectacular. I would set the alarm for sunrise b/c it was so beautiful. Sunsets were the same. It was a hub bub of activity with all the fisherman going out early and coming back at all hours. Everyday we went out exploring onto new little islands and jetties. We hit Pompam Beach and Reid State pPark beaches.

Falmouth is 10 min North of Portland, so we toured Portland Cape Elizabeth and several lighthouses.

Last year we went to Acadia National Park. We had our then 14 mos old grandson with us and he had a great time. I highly reccommend Acadia like the rest of the PP. We stayed in Southwest Harbor on what they call the quiet side of the island. Its not as touristy as Bar Harbor, but the maine strett has some great little shops,restaurants food stores you can walk to. It was about a 10 min drive to Bar Harbor. There is also a free bus you can ride all over the island.

If you go you must eat at Jordan Pond. What a setting, and the kids can run around like crazy. The carriage rides are fun for the kids too.

After my DD and grandson left, DH and I spent 4 days in Camden. Great place too. The view from Mt Battie is awsome. We enjoyed walking to the town green and just people watching. There are plenty of little shops there too. We also visited the spot where Andre the seal used to perform.

I just can't say enough good things about Maine. We went both times at the end of Aug. I loved the fact that it was 70 degrees and not humid. Seems like we stayed out all day and never got tired like we do here in DC's humidity.

I suggest that you visit www.tripadvisor.com. Click on North America, then on the left it will have US forums, click and then click on Maine. People write in and ask all kinds of questions about where to stay, eat and places to see. That is where I got all my information. If you register, you can ask questions also. There are several people on there that are what they call local experts. They live in the area and help a lot.

Good luck in your quest.

We booked our stays through www.cyberrentals.com It is rentals directly through the owners themselves.

[anamika]

Thanks for all the suggestions and links. I think Bar Harbor will be perfect for us. I'm wishing I was there already ;)
Like PP said, most B & B's don't take smaller kids (never even thought of this), so I think we will find a nice cottage somewhere.
Will it be too cold to swim in the ocean mid June??
Thanks again,

[momofjandl]

The water in Maine is cold year round and the beaches are mostly rocky. Especially up North..so keep that in mind. But I swam in the ocean growing up. I guess it depends on how cold you can handle. I'm in MA and it's much colder in Maine then here.

I also rec a carriage ride in the National Park. It's a lot of fun.

Ruth