It's only May, but I'm starting to plan our August vacation. We're going up to Acadia National Park in Maine with stopoffs in Boston and Portsmouth. Half the trip will be in a hot tub hotel, the other half will be in a tent. I've heard that we have to start booking everything now.
Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?
Apt. 11d 
(Well, for starters, it’s Acadia, no ‘r’…)
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You best me to it. ;o)
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Heh, heh, heh. That would be beat, not best.
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my advice, stuff to do in the car, its a hike out there. We always stayed at the lucerne inn. The view, the food, and the price was always very good. Went to UMaine and went to bar harbor several times a year.
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I got a good deal at the Bluenose Inn a couple of years ago – great outdoor pool with nice views, an indoor spa (which I didn’t use because the weather was so perfect to be swimming outdoors). It’s walkable from the downtown area but a bit of a hike. The restaurant has a gorgeous view but is very pricey. Cafe This Way and Morning Glory bakery for breakfast, great dinner at Havana. I went on a sea kayak tour which was also fun. It’s a neat place to visit.
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Sounds like a great trip. Portsmouth is a nice town, really lovely. If you’re into beer, the Portsmouth Pub and Brewery brews really outstanding stuff. Strawberry Bank is a rather cool historic part of Portsmouth. There’s usually something archaeological going on there in the summer. You may find there’s more to do in Portland, Maine. It’s bigger than Portsmouth and only 45 minutes north. I live in the Portland area so I can make more specific recommendations about Portland, but both are lovely places.
We’ve been to Deer Isle more than Acadia, but as far as the ride up goes, the coastal route (Rt. 1) is more scenic, but the traffic crawls in the summer. Even so, I’d do it over the inland route (boring!). Count on getting bogged down in Wiscasset. If you can plan a stop at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay Harbor on your way up, do. It’s absolutely beautiful. Fernald’s Country Store in Damariscotta is a great lunch spot, if you time it that way. Also in Damariscotta, there is a nice natural food store (Rising Tide, I think) Good pit stop for snacks and clean bathrooms. Further up the coast, Searsport is a pretty little town and has a couple of good sandwich shops. Nice for a break along the way.
More as I think of it…
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Nice. We have family friends in Portsmouth who own a blueberry farm; they provide the organic fruits and veggies for the Portsmouth Pub. We’re mostly figuring on doing heavy farm lifting for the afternoon when we’re there.
Writing down all the Maine tips. Haven’t been there in years.
And thanks to my cheeky commenters for finding my many gaffs.
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All these place names are so funny to me. We also plan on being in Maine in August, but are not driving all the way to Acadia National park. I think we’re stopping some where around Portland, but don’t know the geography well enough. Am googling all the places you mentioned to see where they are. Funky looking coastline there, compared to what I’m used to.
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I love stopping in Ogunquit on the way up. The walk along “the marginal way” is beautiful and the coffee at “bread and roses” is the perfect thing to take along on a morning walk.
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Yes, Ogunquit is delightful, and they have one of those big by-the-sea lobster places where you can pick out your own lobster. The Lobster Pound, I think.
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Lots to do in and around Portland. Really, really great restaurant scene, even by larger metropolitan standards. Emilitsa is one of our favorites, as well as Fore Street, Ribollita and so many others, and Novare Res is a world class beer bar. The Portland Museum of Art is really wonderful and a lovely place to spend a rainy afternoon. And if you’re in town on the first Friday of the month, the First Friday Art Walk is a fun time. Galleries are all open late, the museum offers free admission from 5-8 or 9, and there are lots of street vendors and musicians. Casco Bay Ferry Lines offer some fun island cruises, as do lots of other outfits down on the waterfront. And don’t miss a trip to Standard Baking, best baguette this side of Paris.
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I’m sorry. Did you mention the M-word? I try to forget that state existed.
We went to Acadia one month after 9/11. In fact, I remember that day because it was my LMP in my pregnancy with E. But other than that, all I remember is that my husband was so so so excited to go to Acadia, and I was depressed and crampy and we had a 2 year old and my husband made me bike everywhere and hike to the tops of mountains. Oh, and popovers at Jordan Pond.
Man, I hate that state. But most people find it lovely. 🙂
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Don’t just go to the Mt. Desert Island portion of the park. Go north to Schoodic Peninsula/Point (part of the park but less crowded and less high end/touristy than Bah Harbor) and stop in/wander around in Winter Harbor, a true lobstering village (with a few tourist things). See the thunder hole at Schoodic, enjoy climbing on the huge rocks, be prepared for fog in the morning, heat midday, and large mosquitos at night. Hike up to Schoodic Head. Well worth the trip. Once you head out from Ellsworth onto the Gouldsboro peninsula, the entire feel changes/slows down. Truly a magically beautiful place. Chases for a lobster roll and beer in Winter Harbor — classic diner. The Winter Harbor 5 & 10 (hopefully it is still there) for the old-feel small-town experience. Gerrishes was once an ice cream place. Might now be a lunch/coffee place. Worth a stop for the building as much as the food. Even quieter rocky place for kids that is less harrowing for adults (not the huge waves and drop-offs of Schoodic so you can let the boys wander while you lounge) is Grindstone Point at the end of Grindstone Neck in Winter Harbor. Kids can rock hop, explore tidal pools, watch the sailboats and lobster boats go by. Bring a picnic. Parking at the end of the road. No facilities although there may be a portajon. About 2 miles from downtown Winter Harbor.
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If you stop in Portland, don’t forget the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double A baseball team for the Red Sox. Minor league ball is cheap, fun, family-friendly. The park is apparently beautiful.
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If your family likes hiking and biking, you should like Acadia, and probably do not need any more suggestions. If this is not your family’s idea of a good time, you will want to look for other ideas, or risk putting yourself in a position where you are posting Thelma-and-Louisa type comments about the state of Maine for years to come. If you google “family nature camp acardia” (or probably even family nature camp arcardia) you will find a link to the College of the Atlantic’s family nature camp. This link will identify various vendors that the camp hires to entertain its customers. I recall a heavy dosage of bats and bugs, as in bat guy, and bug guy. You’ve got boys, so I would think they would be into stuff like that. My brothers and I all climbed that mountain on the island when we were around the ages of your sons, but I think my mother drove to the top in the Vista Cruiser, so that we did not have to hike down.
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And here I was thinking I’d waltz in with all the Maine info you need! That’s what I get for being away from the computer all day. I’m in the Portland area, too (10 bucks says Got It, Ma! and I can find someone we know in common in three steps or less). As far as MDI goes – definitely check out MDI Ice Cream. Cafe This Way is great for breakfast. Reel Pizza shows great indie movies with good pizza and even better beer. And plan to be reallllly patient if you spend much time in Bar Harbor. It’s tourist central in August- but justifiably so, as August in Maine is insanely gorgeous. And definitely book now — it’s actually a little on the late side to be making summer reservations up here.
I second the Portsmouth Brewery, as well as lots of fun stuff to do (and amazing places to eat) in Portland.
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