- Ben Thornton
- Sep 8, 2022
- 5 min read
It feels like Maine was meant for family vacations.
The small-town coastal villages bustling with tourists in summer and retreating like the tide in the off season. There is inescapable aroma of pine and sea air.
I first visited Maine back in 2014 and it has held a place in my heart ever since. I remember waiting for a table at a local brunch spot on the Fourth of July, nearby a family of four was playing cards at their table as they waited. No iPads, no phones, just each other's company. That really stuck with me, this simple observation of a family spending time together with no cares in the world. Isn't that what family vacations are supposed to be about?
So when we decided to take a family trip to Maine, I couldn't have been more excited. Not only were Josh and I getting to go, but we were meeting up with my brother and sister-in-law and our niece and nephew. We were going to be that family playing cards at the table.
We met up in Boston, which is such a great city even if you don't have a lot of time to explore. It was great to be able to show the kids around and try to explain (to the best of my ability to a 7 and 4 year old) Boston's significance to American History.
We followed the Freedom Trail for a bit, starting in Boston Commons. The kids loved following the red line across the city to each landmark, in fact, it became a bit of a game.
After exhausting the kids a bit (they had been in a car since NC, so they had quite a bit of energy to expend) we found a great spot in the North End for a true Boston/Italian dinner. Meatballs and red sauce were big fan favorites.
No trip to the North End would be complete without a trip to one of the pastry shops. I spent some time briefly in Boston for a project several years ago, so I was familiar with the rivalry between Mike's Pastry and Modern Pastry. We went with Mike's because the line at Modern was way too long and we were starting to enter the phase with the kids where they were getting a bit too tired.
Totally forgetting that Mike's was a cash-only shop, we pulled all the cash we had together and managed to grab a few cannolis and some other bites. Cannolis FTW.
The next day we picked up our rental car and started the trek north to Maine. We couldn't miss stopping in nearby Salem, MA for a quick detour. More attempts of me trying to explain American history to children, this time the unsettling Salem Witch Trials. I think I got the message across, because they were both very concerned about all of the witch and occult imagery that litters the otherwise charming town. They didn't seem to be too afraid, especially after they were able to pick out their own magic wands from a shop selling Harry Potter swag.
We made one other stop in Freeport, Maine where we got out to stretch our legs and check out the L.L. Bean flagship. I also was able to get my first lobster roll, which was great. After picking up a few deals, we headed to our final destination of Mount Desert Island. We quickly set up camp, which was not too bad of a job considering it was pitch black outside.
The next morning we got ready and hit the road to explore Acadia National Park. This park is one of my favorites and I can say that regardless of the weather conditions it is stunning. The last time I visited here we were welcomed with a hurricane-turned-tropical storm. Crashing waves, gale-force wind, waking up to the roof of my tent bearing down on my face...definitely an experience but very cool nonetheless. Luckily our weather was much more cooperative.
While the kids played on Sand Beach for a bit, I thought it would be nice to do a quick ascent of the Beehive Trail. The trail wraps around the Beehive formation and can be a bit daunting for some people. Lots of exposed edges, ladders to climb, etc., but this is exactly what drew me to it. I overheard someone say they heard that there were more tourists in Maine at this particular moment than ever before. This couldn't have been more visible than on the Beehive Trail. At one point the traffic was stopped for about an hour as hikers attempted to navigate the cliffside. Maybe don't do the trail if you are afraid of heights?
After I met back up with the group we continued along the park loop road and stopped along the way to check out Thunder Hole and found the cutest quintessential "Maine" beach at Little Hunters Beach. The kids loved playing in the tide pools and throwing rocks into the waves.
After looping through the park we had dinner in Bar Harbor and it was finally time for LOBSTER. Or as Zach called it, "lomb-ster". Poor guy wanted to love it so bad, but it wasn't in the cards for him quite yet. But, that was made up for by the novelty of having a blueberry soda in a bottle...just like a grownup!
The next day it rained. A lot. But, there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing! So we pushed along and made the most of it. We started off by having breakfast at the Jordan Pond House, which was a great way to start the day. The popovers were a hit and we even got a small hike in to check out the pond. But then it REALLY started raining. So we decided to drive into Bangor to do a bit of sightseeing. We saw Steven King's house and spent quite a bit of time in the Maine Land Transportation Museum. Definitely a perfect activity for a rainy day. There were firetrucks, sleds, trains, motorcycles, tanks and just about any type of land vehicle you could imagine. We did a scavenger hunt and even got prizes for finishing. We finished out the day by having dinner at Sea Dog brewery where the kids got even more blueberry soda.
The weather was better the next day and we went for a hike up one of the ladder trails at Beech Cliffs. Everyone managed the ladders successfully without incident and we were even able to squeeze in a visit to see the Bass Harbor lighthouse.
The next day we started off with a visit to the summit of Cadillac Mountain where we had a nice lunch picnic. Later we went back to Bar Harbor to take advantage of the low tide and walk across the land bridge to Bar Island. After exploring more of the town we headed back to the park loop road, where we stopped along the way to relax and enjoy the Otter Cliffs.
On our last day, Mitchell and Josh both wanted to try The Beehive, which had much fewer visitors in the middle of the week. Its such a fun trail, I didn't mind going for a second round. Afterwards, we explored the Schoodic Peninsula portion of the park, which had some great, rugged coastline to explore. Also, the kids were able to be sworn in as Junior Park Rangers! They completed a series of tasks in a workbook in order to earn their own badges. It was very cute and such a cool experience for them.
As I mentioned, Maine is a fantastic place to visit with a family. We had such a great time and made countless memories; from the fireside stories at night to the delicious meals we shared together. The worst part of any vacation is the inevitable end. And it's even more difficult when it was such a great trip. But we have started planning our next trip and look forward to the next set of adventures!
