So many great day trips to do with a Portland base. Boothbay - do the Boothbay Bontanical Gardens (great gardens, do the walk through the woods there along the coast!) and then stop into town for lunch or dinner. Kennebunkport - rent e-bikes and cruise around the town. Stop for lunch along the water, hit the beach afterwards. Popham Beach - magical. Time it so you are there during low tide and walk out to the rock island. Portland has fantastic restaurants - make reservations now as they fill up. We love Fore Street and Street & Co. I’d probably do Portland for a few nights and then a seaside resort for another few nights. Acadia is lovely and if you think you won’t be back in Maine anytime soon, it might be worth to do this trip for a few nights. I love Maine. We try and go every summer! You could also check out some “family camps.” There are many in Maine.

If you Google "quiet hikes MDI Maine" or "walks quiet side MDI Maine" you will see that there are very beautiful walks to do that are not near Bar Harbor. Some of these have small parking lots that are full by 10am, but not all of them.

Make sure you get a park pass. You can get them here to save time. https://share.google/rqlCmEyOK0w3FwL4Q

Aim to not make left turns in Bar Harbor when town is busy. There are a few spots with a stop sign and right of way for pedestrians that are really annoying for drivers.

But you might be stuck there for 4 minutes. Not 30.

I know the island well and know how many peaceful spots there are. So when I get stuck there it bugs me but it's not the end of the world.

There are also free buses.

If you’re coming from the DC area, the traffic and crowds should be manageable to you. People who aren’t used to walking on sidewalks shoulder to shoulder with strangers in a “crowd” will struggle, same for those who aren’t used to not finding parking for a while and driving around for 30 min before something opens up. The old “go-to” parking lots with easy access to the downtown are inundated now. If you don’t know any better though given it’s your first time and you are used to crowds, you won’t miss the old Bar Harbor.

PS those smaller towns like Northeast harbor do have some hotels

Just to reinforce the PP, Acadia is integrated into the surrounding communities (it was formed by preserving land after those communities developed), so if you find an air bnb in southwest harbor or northeast harbor you may actually be closer to some of your hikes vs staying in Bar Harbor. We stayed in Trenton, just across the bridge to MDI and it was fine.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. You have convinced me to explore the idea of Acadia more. If not staying in Bar Harbor, where does one stay? Are there different entrances to the park and if so are they all good?

Acadia is on Mount Desert Island. The island itself is relatively small. Anywhere you stay is within driving distance to park. The park takes up a good part of the island and the only places you’ll need to get through a gate and present your pass is park loop road approaching sand beach. You should get a park pass though as you’ll need to display it when parked (plus it supports the NPS).

If you’re traveling in summer and staying less than a week, BH may be your only choice as it has hotels. If you’re staying for a week, that opens up much more options. The best being going with a vacation rental through a local agency. It’s old school like that.

I read a lot of people are down on BH. It’s the gateway town to one of our most beautiful NPs. It will be busy, especially if a cruise ship is there, but it’s manageable. Rt3 through town will have traffic but again it’s manageable.

OP here. You have convinced me to explore the idea of Acadia more. If not staying in Bar Harbor, where does one stay? Are there different entrances to the park and if so are they all good?

Acadia is beautiful, but I really love Portland/Cape Elizabeth (though Kennebunkport might be better for teens than Cspe Elizabeth, which is pretty mellow)

I would fly into Portland, do a few days there, drive to Acadia, maybe do one of the glamping spots if your girls would find that fun (also keeps you out of bar harbor), and then either fly out of Bangor or back to Portland

Acadia is a pain to get to because it’s just far but man my kids loved it. One of the only places we’ve gone to twice for vacation because we enjoyed it that much.

Anonymous wrote:I think your girls would like Kennebunkport the most. You could do that and then go up to Camden and check out Camden/Rockport/Rockland. All of that can be done through Portland.

If Acadia would take up too much time and you want cute town vibes, Camden and Rockland are more appealing than Bar Harbor for a lunch and stroll. It’s less obviously touristy and you get the nice small town vibes, plus there are some beaches around Rockland. But Acadia itself is spectacular and worthwhile and the drive there from mid coast Maine is worthwhile.

If you’re going to be on route 1 anyway, stop in Wiscasset and Damariscotta just for vibes. And also go to Moody’s and get pie.

Bar Harbor for just a day or two. Go on a whale cruise. We did it with teen and 6yo, absolutely magical. They were so happy to see a whale.

Acadia is amazing if they are into hiking and seeing the views. The town is delightful with lots to explore and eat. Off of that area is a good chance to go to the cranberry isles and eat some fancy oysters.

Acadia for sure.

Bar Harbor is nice if they like touristic shopping and nice restaurants. Worth a day for sure.

Acadia, hands down, and just avoid Bar Harbor (or if it's raining or superhot and you need an A/C break mid-day, stop by the Abe Museum in Bar Harbor also stop for ice cream). There are short walks (Wonderland and Ships Harbor), hikes up for gorgeous views (Flying Mountain), more rigorous hikes like the Beehive Trail and everything inbetween.

They'll probably get a kick out of Thunder Hole, and if they still have it, the nighttime sky program at Sand Beach is not to be missed.

Highly recommend getting popovers at the Asticou Inn (skip Jordan Pond House, the vendor that took it over isn't good), but be sure to make reservations or you won't get in. After, go up the hill across the street and walk through the Astocou Gardens - simply gorgeous