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Joe Foran Expertise As far is Acadia is concerned, I know a fair amount generally, and am particularly familiar with the carriage paths and mountain biking on them.
Expert:
Joe Foran Date: 3/14/2000 Subject: Acadia visit
Question We are a family of four - children are 10 and 11 -from Ohio. We are thinking of visiting Acadia and some of the more historical cities along our way there in august. What are the must- see`s? Both kids are at the "doing" stage and both are very interested in sea mammals. We thought whale watching and sea kayaking sounded like us, but wondered if you had any other ideas. We could stay as long as 4 days. Also, any lodging suggestions would be great. Since we are stopping at several places along the way, we have decided not to camp. Thanks for all your help.
Answer Y'all come! "Thinking" of visiting? Jeez, get past that stage quickly! WHEN you visit, here are some thoughts (sorry to be so pushy...)
You focused on Acadia, but indicated you wanted to visit some of the historical cities - are you planning four days in the Park, or four days in Maine?
I'll give you a data dump, and you can then decide. I'm always available for other questions.
As you might suspect, Acadia has a wide variety of sights
and attractions. Two kids, eh? I guess it all depends on how
active you like to be. You said they're at the "doing" stage, so here are my thoughts:
Definitely plan on a drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain - its only
about 2,000 feet high, but sitting as it does right on the Gulf of Maine,
the climate is harsh enough so that the summit is bald granite, and offers
incredible views. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Katahdin to the north
and west, Mt. Washington to the west and south, and a big chunk of the
island itself. The kids would get a real sense of being on "a big
mountain" without the time, effort, and hazards of hiking all the way up.
If your kids like to ride bikes, you can rent and ride some
of the carriage roads which crisscross the island. You can also hike
them, for that matter, but in my opinion, biking is best. Built by the
Rockefellers for their horses and buggies, these graded gravel paths are
closed to motorized vehicles. They offer a delightful respite from the
summer traffic elsewhere on the island. You can even ride out from one of the rental shops - they're that accessible. Most all of the main roads on the island proper have a wide paved shoulder. The best of these is the Park perimeter road - wide, well-paved, low speed limit, and very well-patrolled by the Park Police. The locus of the trail and carriage path system is the Jordan Pond House. They tore down the beautiful original, but the new one isn't bad - there's a restaurant and snack bar there, and its not a bad place to park and use as a base for biking the carriage paths. There are a couple of great guidebooks available for the carriage paths. For sources of guidebooks and maps, I recommend:
http://www.delorme.com/ - National map publisher based in Maine, with maps and guides to many Maine attractions.
The rocky shore is something worth seeing. If your kids don't mind the
car, take a ride along the entire Park perimeter road. You get great views and can stop at places like Thunder Hole - a water-worn cave which booms and sprays impressive amounts of spume of the incoming tide. The site has a graded path and extensive handrailings.
If your kids like different foods (mine do), there are a number
of lobster pounds in places like Southwest Harbor and North East Harbor
where you get your lobsters and steamers essentially right off the boat.
They typically have hot dogs and hamburgers for the less-adventurous.
This is a great way to do dinner, though it isn't necessarily cheap.
Bar Harbor is quaint, but CROWDED during the summer. I wouldn't recommend
going there for any length of time unless you really, really like people.
However, Bar Harbor is the best place to rent bikes. There is an excellent bike shop in Bar Harbor; Acadia Bicycle, on the corner of Cottage Street and Route 3 just as you come into Bar Harbor village. They have the best rentals or can take very good care of your bike if something goes wrong.
Another thing to think about, either for a day or for longer, is sea
kayaking. This is a wonderful way to see the coast close-up; tidal pools,
seals, even dolphins and whales. There are a bunch of outfitters catering
to the kayaker. They can set you up with boats and gear or guided tours.
If I were you, I'd do a one-day lesson/tour, just to check it out. The
Gulf of Maine is one of the most ecologically-rich marine ecosystems in
the world, and the coast is positively festooned with a rich variety of
lifeforms. The State of Maine owns rights to several dozen islands in achain called the Maine Coast Heritage Trail. People kayak from island to island, camping in between. You indicated you weren't intending to camp - therefore you could either do a day trip or go with an outfitter who could handle everything but your clothes.
Last thought: While there are whale watches sailing out of Bar Harbor,
I would focus on the island itself and save the whale watch for Camden, Rockport, or even Portland.
As to lodging, gosh, there are probably 200 hotels, motels, and B&Bs on the Island proper. My advice would be to check out some options on the web and/or to resort to a book like "Country Inns and Back Roads", or "America's Great Small Hotels and Inns". I would also advise staying anywhere but Bar Harbor. Again, its quaint, but you have to like people a lot to be comfortable there in the summer. If you're like my family, you'll be much happier at an inn or B&B in Southwest Harbor, Northeast Harbor, or Seal Harbor - all lovely postage stamp-sized towns elsewhere on the island.
Here's the best web site I've found for info on the area - lots of stuff, but not too commercial:
Camden - lovely, lovely harbor, beautiful inns, home of Walter Cronkite, home to much of Maine's windjammer fleet. You know, a windjammer cruise would be an interesting alternative to visiting Acadia. They come in all price ranges, and many cater to families. Here is a site describing that option:
Katahdin - Maine's highest and most majestic mountain, and the main reason I'm here. Unlike any other eastern mountain - very alpine. Katahdin is part of Baxter State Park, about 100 miles north and west of Acadia. You must make reservations for the park's campsites, lean-tos and bunkhouses. A beautiful place, but realistically, only worth going to if you're willing to camp for a night or two. Here's a web site - its limited, but is a place to start:
Bath - Home of the Maine Maritime Museum - if anyone in your family likes boats, particularly sailboats, this is a must-see! Bath is also home to Bath Iron Works - builder of Aegis cruisers and other hulking Navy ships. If your boys like big machines, they'd like this place - I believe its main crane is still the world's largest. Here's a site for the museum: http://www.bathmaine.com/ Here's one for the shipyard: http://www.biw.com/.
Castine - Home of the Maine Maritime Academy, and the kind of town almost anyone would love to retire to - just magnificent! I warn you though, while you and your husband would love it, there's not much for the kids aside from scenery, lovely homes, and antiques. Here's a site: http://www.ezonline.com/aem/castine.html
Portland - Maine's largest city, with a tremendous art museum, children's museum, railroad museum, the Old Port shopping district, and a working harbor. You can take Casco Bay ferries to a number of islands for a day trip (I'd do Peaks Island and have lunch at the restaurant right at the ferry landing), or you could stay at one of the inns out on the islands. If you were to do that, I'd recommend the Chebeague Inn on Chebeague Island in Cumberland, just north of Portland. You can get out there by Casco Bay ferry, or by driving to Yarmouth, Maine and taking the Chebeauge Transportation Company's ferryboat from the Yarmouth Town Landing. Here's a site for this option: http://web.nlis.net/~bjohnson/Chebeag.html
Here are general sites for Portland (lodging, restaurants,etc.):
Final note: Everybody loves Maine. Make your plans soon, and book lodging early to make sure you're not disappointed.
This may seem like a lot, but its only a small sampling - I've left out the White Mountains, Brunswick/Bowdoin, Scarborough Marshes, Biddeford Pool, Kittery Navy Yard, Bigelow Preserve, Blue Hill, etc., plus all of Downeast. Anyway, I hope it helps. Let me know if you have any further questions.
Good luck!
