I grew up in a Boston suburb and drove to Acadia when I was 23 with my mom (about 15 years). We spent a night on the way up in freeport (at a bed and breakfast) which is a fun town if you're into shopping. FYI, construction was awful and drive from Boston to Bar harbor (mid week, August) took about 7 hours.

Anonymous wrote:Native Mainer and yes it's a really long car trip to Boaton or Maine, especially in summer when you are sitting in bumper to bumper traffic when it's90 degrees outside (still miserable even with AC) thru NJ, NY, CT. Even MA can be bad depending on timing. Flights to Maine in summer are pricey tho. And you obviously need a car if going to Acadia.

In Maine, Portland has a small children's museum and science center ( no where near as great as Boston) but right now science center offering a dinosaur exhibit - that's the only thing there tho. Children's museum best for 6 and under IMO. Duck Boat tour here is fun too. There is also Lucky Catch lobster boat tours - you go out on working boat and haul up a few traps. Loads of fun for kids and adults (highlight of my summer visit) but does fill up so you may want to book ahead.

NP. This sounds neat! Thanks for the tip.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Consider flying to Boston and renting a car to drive to Maine.

+1 we've done the drive so many times at all hours of the day and night. It can be anywhere from 8-12 hours from DC to Boston.

Oh, I totally disagree. We have done the DC (From DuPont Circ.) to Boston trip at least 3x /yr for the last 15 years and it has never taken us more than 8.5hrs.

In Bar Harbor, do a trip with Diver Ed (search him on Trip Advisor).

Personally, I'd drive the whole thing. yes, it's long but the cost of the flights plus rental car for everyone dissuade me.

I lived in Boston for the last 11 years. We love the beaches in Maine all the way up the coast. York Beach is quaint - a beach, a small town, and a dinky theme park that is super cheap and fun for kids (go-karts, little kid rides). It's about 1.5 hours from Boston, depending where you start. You could break up the drive from Boston to Acadia that way.

Book hotels NOW. You are maybe a little late, actually.

Boston itself - eh, I mean, I love it and my kids love it because we see friends, and my 6 year old is a Hamilton freak so the freedom trail stuff is fun for him when we go back to visit (we get cannolis in the north end and see Old North Church, we check out the graveyard at Park Street Church, we saw the site of the tea party). We go back up to visit every 6 months.

I think you will get more out of Acadia if you camp, but I know you said you don't like roughing it.

Enjoy! We are contemplating a similar trip for our summer trip up to New England.

I think it sounds like a great trip. There is so much to do in both places, but for Boston, I would pick a few key high lights instead of trying to do everything.

Also, it's a great time to integrate story books to reinforce what they see. Make Way for Ducklings is a classic if you see the Public Gardens and of course Paul Revere's Ride: https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Reveres-Henry-Wadsworth-Longfellow/dp/0140556125/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480703803&sr=1-1&keywords=paul+revere%27s+ride

This list has some fun books on Boston:
http://www.onthelooseinboston.com/books.html

I really like You can't Take a Balloon...

Anonymous wrote:If my kiddos were under 6, I would just head for the nearest beach and save Boston/Acadia for later. I love both places, but only now, with a 9 and 11 year old, would I consider them for vacation. Boston will be hot and crowded. The Children's Museum is great, as is Boston Common, but walking the Freedom Trail isn't going to intest a little kid. I love Acadia for the hiking, biking and lobster eating. Is a little kid going to like the freezing water? Probably not. And yes, this is a whole lot of driving. 6-8 hours to Massachusetts and 5-6 to Acadia from there. I'd save it for a few years from now.

eh.. i guess it all depends on the family/kids. I do agree with the idea to fly to Boston and rent a car from there to get to Acadia. We did a similar trip when my kids were 3 and 6, but replace Boston and Acadia with Seattle and Olympic. The drive from Seattle to where we were staying in Olympic included a ferry ride and 4 hr drive. We stayed right on the beach in Olympic and my kids had a blast. The water was freezing but they still loved running along the beach and getting their legs wet. We also did a lot of hiking which the kids also enjoyed.

If my kiddos were under 6, I would just head for the nearest beach and save Boston/Acadia for later. I love both places, but only now, with a 9 and 11 year old, would I consider them for vacation. Boston will be hot and crowded. The Children's Museum is great, as is Boston Common, but walking the Freedom Trail isn't going to intest a little kid. I love Acadia for the hiking, biking and lobster eating. Is a little kid going to like the freezing water? Probably not. And yes, this is a whole lot of driving. 6-8 hours to Massachusetts and 5-6 to Acadia from there. I'd save it for a few years from now.

We are thinking of doing this trip two summers from now, and that ^PP's tip is super helpful. Thanks! Sometimes I really love dcum.. I have a love/hate relationship with it.