August Maine Vacation ideas.... (or possibly Vermont)

[5lilfish]

We are dropping our daughter back off at college in Vermont in August (end of August). Our twin 12 year olds will have just over a week before they are back to school. I was thinking of maybe continuing on from Vermont and heading to Maine. I definitely want to be at the ocean. I'm also looking for a real small beach town feel. I'd love to be able to walk around a small town, get ice cream, maybe go out on a lobster boat, have seafood, possibly whale watch. Any suggestions for a town? Resort/Hotel/Inn?

My other thoughts would be Smugglers Notch. Any thoughts on that with tweens? I'm not a sit by the pool all day type of person (I need more to do than that), but at the same time, my husband isn't physically capable of anything extreme (having had both knees replaces last year).

Thanks...
Jess

 

[mtemm]

Kennebunkport or Ogunquit or York would all be nice choices. Very walkable, lots of ice cream and lobster, cute shops, boats, lighthouse, beach and rocky coastline.

 

[disny_luvr]

I second Ogunquit. It’s a quaint beach town with cute shops and restaurants. You can walk along the Marginal Way to Perkins Cove. There you can catch a ride on a lobster boat. It’s also a short drive to York Beach. There’s a great ice cream shop there. I can’t remember the name for sure, maybe Brown’s? In Ogunquit we stayed at the Anchorage by the Sea.

 

[North of Mouse]

We are dropping our daughter back off at college in Vermont in August (end of August). Our twin 12 year olds will have just over a week before they are back to school. I was thinking of maybe continuing on from Vermont and heading to Maine. I definitely want to be at the ocean. I'm also looking for a real small beach town feel. I'd love to be able to walk around a small town, get ice cream, maybe go out on a lobster boat, have seafood, possibly whale watch. Any suggestions for a town? Resort/Hotel/Inn?

My other thoughts would be Smugglers Notch. Any thoughts on that with tweens? I'm not a sit by the pool all day type of person (I need more to do than that), but at the same time, my husband isn't physically capable of anything extreme (having had both knees replaces last year).

Thanks...
Jess

Perfect place is Bar Harbor, Maine. We love it there - right next to Acadia National Park, and right on the ocean. The town is very walkable, and, oh my, the broiled lobsters we consumed!!!

Lots of great quaint little stores and eateries. You also can drive the loop road in the park and there are some great stops to be right on the ocean. There are several sightseeing boat tours also - whale watching, etc.

 

[eco-muse]

^I agree with the Acadia National Park/Bar Harbor suggestion. I've been going there every year since 2014. They have a decent number of hotels and bed & breakfasts to pick from. Lots of places to hike, biking paths, kayaking, carriage rides, etc.

 

[WorldWacky]

We too, are going back to Bar Harbor/Acadia this summer after about a five year hiatus. My kids, 17 and 14 year old twins have actually been requesting it for the past couple of years. The last few times we went we camped in Acadia National Park But this year we are renting a house on a lake. The rates were comparable to a hotel. (Actually, some of the hotels were more expensive.) I just googled “Acadia vacation rentals” and a ton popped up.
There are all sorts of sightseeing boat tours that leave right out of the town of Bar Harbor. We went on a seal watching one the last time. As far as Acadia National Park, as someone said before, you can drive up to the top of Cadillac Mountain rather than hiking the whole thing or go on a horse and buggy ride on the carriage roads through the park. Thunder Hole was a favorite site to visit as well. There are a couple of park beaches (Echo Lake And Sand Beach) that were very nice. We went in July in the past and the water is still very cold, but the kids didn’t care. The Acadia National Park website gives a good description of accessibility for the many areas of interest. That way you can gauge what might be best for your husband regarding his knees. Just typing this is making me even more excited for our upcoming trip!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Perfect place is Bar Harbor, Maine. We love it there - right next to Acadia National Park, and right on the ocean. The town is very walkable, and, oh my, the broiled lobsters we consumed!!!

Lots of great quaint little stores and eateries. You also can drive the loop road in the park and there are some great stops to be right on the ocean. There are several sightseeing boat tours also - whale watching, etc.

Love Bar Harbor, especially the lobstah. And don't forget the blueberry pie made with locally-grown blueberries!

 

[North of Mouse]

Love Bar Harbor, especially the lobstah. And don't forget the blueberry pie made with locally-grown blueberries!

You are so correct!!

We camp in our motorhome in a campground very near Bar Harbor and it has wild blueberries all around and down to the water. Dh laughs at me as I can't stop picking them (which is allowed). I make pancakes, muffins, etc. and put some in our freezer. Love to pick them.
Then we go to a local lobster pound, pick up fresh ones, and prepare them at campground - Yummy!!! Then, we love riding the carriage trails on our bicycles. What a fun place! So much to do, so little time!!

 

[eco-muse]

So much to do, so little time!!

This. I've been there five times and still haven't done everything. (I'm also going again this summer.)
The park rangers also have some decent programs, like stargazing, photography excursions, and just learning about local wildlife and geology (in general). If you are a regular visitor to National Parks, there are plenty of places to get your "passport" stamped, too. And you have to explore the land bridge to bar island, when the tide goes out.

 

[North of Mouse]

This. I've been there five times and still haven't done everything. (I'm also going again this summer.)
The park rangers also have some decent programs, like stargazing, photography excursions, and just learning about local wildlife and geology (in general). If you are a regular visitor to National Parks, there are plenty of places to get your "passport" stamped, too. And you have to explore the land bridge to bar island, when the tide goes out.

Yep, done a lot of those, been to bar island at low tide, thunder hole, Long Pond, ocean tours, etc. but won't do Cadillac Mtn. at sunrise--- We have bicycled all over the island. Would like to go again this year, haven't decided as the roads in NE are horrible on motorhomes.

Sorry, OP, to sort of hijack your thread - can't help it - that's one awesome destination!!

 

[leebee]

I second Ogunquit. It’s a quaint beach town with cute shops and restaurants. You can walk along the Marginal Way to Perkins Cove. There you can catch a ride on a lobster boat. It’s also a short drive to York Beach. There’s a great ice cream shop there. I can’t remember the name for sure, maybe Brown’s? In Ogunquit we stayed at the Anchorage by the Sea.

Yes, it used to be Brown's, out at the Nubble. Ice cream is amazing! They sold a couple of years ago; now it's Dunne's, and the ice cream is still as good. My nieces both work there!

 

[disny_luvr]

Yes, it used to be Brown's, out at the Nubble. Ice cream is amazing! They sold a couple of years ago; now it's Dunne's, and the ice cream is still as good. My nieces both work there!

Yes, Dunne’s is correct. Thank you so much for clearing that up for me because Brown’s just didn’t seem right.

 

[Sandeep1]

I haven't been to Maine yet but I'd like to visit in the next few years.

Best time to go? Summer or Fall?

 

[clutter]

Drive up the coast? Maybe a night in Ogunquit, a night in Portland, a night in Camden/Rockland/Belfast, then a few days in Bar Harbor? I keep going to the coast, but I have yet to do some of the inland lakes as well.

 

[antmaril]

We stopped in Bar Harbor on a cruise to Canada/New England three years ago. I LOVED Bar Harbor. Such a nice town. Lots of cute shops and restaurants. Acadia National Park is beautiful. We had lobster rolls and blueberry pie for lunch. Oh my - DELISH!

 

[Mermaid02]

Bar Harbor- Acadia National Park, Whale Watching, Lobster Pounds...
https://barharborgrand.com/
https://barharborinn.com/
https://www.theharborsidehotel.com/
All of those hotels are within walking distance of the downtown area... it is a beautiful area. When you want an authentic lobster pound experience, drive to the "Quiet side of the island" and go to Thurston's. You will NOT regret it.
https://www.thurstonforlobster.com/

 

[North of Mouse]

I haven't been to Maine yet but I'd like to visit in the next few years.

Best time to go? Summer or Fall?

Our opinion? Summer, for sure! We went first time in June and it was 'cold', so after that it's summer for us as it starts getting cold in fall. Not fond of Pebble beach (crushed rock - not sand) as we prefer sandy beaches and warmer waters, but it is nice and unique!

It does get very hot part of the time in summer, but that's our kind of weather, depends on what you enjoy.

 

[dish rag]

I haven't been to Maine yet but I'd like to visit in the next few years.

Best time to go? Summer or Fall?

We spend several weeks at the end of September beginning of October. The leaves are changing. We rent a house in Bar Harbor end spend much of the time hiking in Acadia.

 

[DopeyDame]

Just to jump on the bandwagon... Bar Harbor. We went two years ago at DH's insistence, and I wasn't at all excited. I looooved it. It was one of our all-time favorite family vacations, and sounds like exactly what you're looking for.
We stayed in the cabins at the KAO Oceanside campground, which was really fun.

 

[lovesmurfs]

We stayed here when I was 10 -- it was a wonderful place, and great food.

https://www.bearspringcamps.com/

There were little cottages, and the main lodge provided 3 meals a day.