Acadia is twenty times more beautiful and interesting than cape cod.

Anonymous wrote:Agree on Acadia - it is so beautiful and fun. The New Hampshire lake mentioned is probably Lake Winnepasakee - Wallenpaupak is in Pennsylvania.

Thank you. I get those W lakes confused. We actually stayed on a smaller lake near Winnepesakee (still not sure about that spelling), but that whole area was nice.

Camden, Maine was a cute town too.

Agree on Acadia - it is so beautiful and fun. The New Hampshire lake mentioned is probably Lake Winnepasakee - Wallenpaupak is in Pennsylvania.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for these great suggestions! The kids are between 7 and 12 and there are no grandparents. Everyone is very active.

Absolutely Acadia over Cape Cod for these ages. So much to do!

The New Hampshire lakes, like Lake Wallenpaupack (sp?)?

Chatham on Cape Cod. Rent a house.

Thanks for these great suggestions! The kids are between 7 and 12 and there are no grandparents. Everyone is very active.

Also in Cape Cod, Chatham Bars Inn
In Brewster is the Ocean Edge Resort

Block Island. More like the Cape was lots of years ago. Walkable, bikeable, much, much less traffic.

Acadia is awesome.

I second Acadia, it is a wonderful place with plenty to do, including swimming in the ocean (if you're brave) or lakes, biking the carriage roads or park loop road, visiting the top of Cadillac Mountain, taking a harbor cruise and hiking, to name just a few options. Bar Harbor is very cute and has plenty of restaurants and ice cream shops. It's a great spot for a family vacation; your kids will love it if they enjoy the outdoors.

How old are the kids? Are the grandparents fully mobile/active?

We had a fabulous trip to Acadia, renting a house through air bnb. The trails were easy enough for the kids yet interesting enough for the grandparents. And the town had enough restaurants and ice cream to make everyone happy!

Thanks. This is OP. We are also very open to just renting a house without it being part of a resort community, particularly if there is a lot to do nearby. I'm just trying to think of ways to ensure that there is a lot to do for both children and adults.

I'll look at Seabury. That sounds really nice.

I enjoy Cape Cod. If you rent in New Seabury in Mashpee some houses allow access to the New Seabury CC. Its right on the ocean. The Winnetu (not sure the spelling) is a great resort on Marthas Vineyard.

We're looking for a good place to spend a week with our extended family in New England. We're hoping to find a place where we can rent a house or a townhouse near a lake or the ocean, perhaps with access to some resort amenities, but also access to lots of outdoor activities and maybe a nice nearby town. We don't know the area very well, so we are having difficulty figuring out where to go. We would love suggestions from anyone who knows that area and can recommend a fun place to explore and relax. Our kids are between seven and twelve.

Thanks in advance for any good ideas.