andrealb

We are planning a trip to Maine with our 3 daughters ages 12, 9 and 6. We have never been to the east coast. We do not want a touristy town. Has any one been to Owls Head or Tenant Harbor? We want to rent a cottage/house and make that home base. We are going to explore the fish towns and Acadia Nat'l Park. We are looking for suggestions! We need good spots to eat that are kid friendly but parent delicious! Any suggestions on where to find sea glass, cool rocks, comb beaches? Any other suggestions on what to do are greatly appreciated! We want to hit little fishing villages, watch them unload lobster traps, sea kayak...help us plan our trip.
thanks

elberko

I think that you'll be happiest staying somewhere on Mt. Desert Island, to avoid too much time in the car. You'll have plenty of things to do, and places to eat. Yes, there will be people, but mostly on the loop road- it really won't be a problem.

If you insist on non-tourist, I recommend Stonington, at the tip of Deer Isle. Very quiet, fishing village with the plus of a "mail boat" link to Isle Au Haut, the most isolated part of Acadia, BUT very limited food choices.

Perhaps a combination of the 2?

~Liz

andrealb

Thanks Liz,
We have been doing our homework and this area keeps popping up. We have looked at rental homes on Owls Head. I'll have to find out how far it is from Mt. Desert. Any other input you have re: kid frindly stuff/restaurants would be greatly appreciated. I think we are going to do a sea kayak tour and do some whale watching. You know kids...want to be entertained!

elberko

Just checked a map to see where the places you mentioned are. I'm sure they're fine, just be aware that it will take 2-2.5 hours to get to Bar Harbor/Acadia.

I really push for the Acadia area with kids-there is so much fun stuff to do there. There are numerous ranger-led activites daily. One of our favorites was a star watch on sand beach. We have NEVER seen so many stars!

~Liz

pegoode

I love little places like Tenant's Harbor and Stonington (just spent two nights there last week), however there is nothing for children to do. A bigger place like Bar Harbor would be more suitable I would think.

dfrostnh

The Searsport area is a good location because you could make Acadia a day trip but also head north. Camden is touristy but a lot do not go up Mt Battie for the view which is probably only topped by the view from Cadillac. Great place to picnic. We camped at Searsport shores (no swimming pool but they have their own beach). On your way to Acadia, look for Just Barb's on Rt 1 in Stockton Springs. It's a family place with great lobster rolls. The Bar Harbor area has things like mini golf and movie theaters. If you stayed in that area you could do something like go to the top of Cadillac to watch the sunrise. Owls Head Transportation museum may or may not be of interest to your family. We visited last summer when 50s cars were featured plus some people were flying antique airplanes (it was amazing that some really did fly). The nearby Owls Head Light is a great view requiring a short hike. There's also a picnic area and stoney beach.
The area around Popham Beach is popular because it has a sandy beach. You will also see places where they unload lobsters. This is near Brunswick (college town). Look for 5 Islands lobster. But this area is too far south for an easy day trip to Acadia. I think the ranger led program is a great suggestion.

hawksbill

It's true that the food choices in Stonington are few in number, but there's a really, really good one: The Cockatoo, right off Oceanville Road. You can read more about it here:

http://tinyurl.com/27pwjl

Excellent food, and family-friendly. Call before you go, though. They're going to be changing to an even better location in the near future.

Another good choice in the area is the Fisherman's Friend restaurant, right on the water in, well, for lack of a better word, downtown Stonington.

hawksbill

Just a quick update to this thread, in case someone refers back to it at some point: Suzen Carter and her crew from the Cockatoo have announced that they're going to move their operation to the old Goose Cove Lodge as of Tuesday, July 31.

Goose Cove Lodge is in Sunset, Maine, just across the island from Stonington. It went bankrupt recently, but the old operators' website is still up, so you can get a sense of what it looked like here: http://www.goosecovelodge.com/

It's now under new ownership. They're going to reopen the restaurant, but not the guest cottages. They've been working on renovating the restaurant for quite a while now -- I have no idea what it will look like, but it's certainly in a gorgeous waterfront location, and at least the seafood is sure to be as fantastic as it was at the Cockatoo. Apparently they're adding meat dishes to the menu, too, and bringing in a new chef to handle that part of the cuisine.

RetiredVermonter

If you have not yet done so, I suggest that you go to the Maine web site, look around in there, and then request their literature.

You can do this easily and they're quite prompt in sending out material for you to peruse.

RetiredVermonter

FWIW, we have had several stays in and around Spruce Head and Tenant's Harbor. We enjoyed visiting the light house, too. (If you want quiet, they are for you! However, I'm not sure how much there is to amuse or interest children.)

For inexpensive accommodations, by the way, check out "The Off Island Store and Motel", in Spruce Head. They rent by the day or week, and offer reasonable prices, even if surroundings are a bit on the simple side. May be a bit small for that large a family, however.

Good luck!

cindyj

IMO, your girls will be bored in some of those towns. Try and find a cottage on Mt. Desert Island. Although it is busy in the hubs, there is plenty of unspoiled island. And, if the weather gets bad or the girls get bored, you can always go into Bar Harbor and watch tourists, shop, etc. You'll have no problem finding kid friendly food in Maine. You can take guided kayak trips there and also rent mountain bikes and ride the beautiful carriage trails. Plenty of hiking and breaking surf on the rocks. In the summer the park has daily free guided hikes and other activities. Is this for next summer?

andrealb

This is for this August! I'm getting worried. It sounds like it might be a boring trip for my girls. We booked a home in Owl's Head Maine. That is done! We figure we will take day trips, have picnics, hopefully find sea glass and cool ocean things. We are going sea kayaking and taking a day trip to Acadia. If you or anyone else has suggestions on kids stuff to do...let me know. I don't want computers with us. Hope to play cards at night, watch sunsets, take walks, visit local villages and reconnect as a family. My kids are wanting to whale watch. Is it the right season for that? Also, what do you think of Monhegan island? Kid friendly? Anyone else with info...I'll take it!
thanks!

elberko

Have a great time!

~Liz

RetiredVermonter

Andrea:

Don't be worried! Relax, stay flexible and enjoy the trip!

You say you want to play cards and reconnect as a family in the evening, so it may NOT be too quiet for you there. Remember, everyone is different!

My wife and I have enjoyed several wonderful, quiet trips to midcoast Maine, even staying in Spruce Head, near Thomaston, Maine. We enjoyed side trips to Owls Head, Tenant's Harbor, Camden, and amany other places there.

Like blueberries? There are a lot of commercial blueberry farms around, especially farther north ("down east"), but you may also have luck finding some low bush little delights on your own at that time of year, too.

Whale watching is doable. Can't recall where we did that, but it seems to me we went out from Vinal Haven somewhere up the coast once.

For some no-nonsense, no frills seafood (lobster and other stuff), check out Shaw's Fish and Lobter House in New Harbor, and look into some of the short cruises you can book for day or night there, too.

We took a very nice cruise one evening last year, for about $15/person, that was called a "Lighthouse Cruise", as I recall. We ate at Shaw's, had our tickets, and climbed aboard about 7:30 for what was about 1-1/2 hours of fun, with narration, as we cruised along the coast and watched various lighthouses light up!

By the way, we're leaving TOMORROW for the Brunswick area and have rented a cottage in a tiny fishing village right on the water near there to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary! (No, no kids -- just us.)

I'll check here early tomorrow morning before we leave just in case I can answer any specific questions!

Enjoy!!!!

cindyj

Don't panic, I didn't mean to worry you. There is a fabulous transportation museum in Owls Head and the trip to the lighthouse is also worthwhile. Rockland has a nice renovated main street with cool shops for the girls too. If you can get them to agree, maybe on a rainy day, head to the Farnsworth museum in Rockland for the Wyeth's. Their paintings are even interesting to kids, at least for a short time. I have lived in Maine for over 30 years and never been to Monhegan. I think its a pretty long ferry ride and may be boring, basically an artist community. Check for other 'tour' type cruises in Rockland, Rockport and Camden. Camden is also a beautiful town close by. Drive or hike up Mt. Battie in Camden Hills State park, look into a day or half day windjammer sail. Have fun!

tbelgian

Have a great time. Family vacations are the best! I can't remember who said to take family vacations because this is where memories are made. You and your daughters will have a fabulous time. If they are bored, tell them they are in Maine, they're supposed to be bored. Only joking. My kids told me once that they were bored at Disney World. After that I booked more exotic vacas. Have a great time!

dfrostnh

Monhegan island is a nice day trip for hiking. Take a picnic lunch and binnoculars. We finally visited Monhegan last summer. I don't recall if there were a lot of families there. There's a small museum. Having a picnic is exactly the kind of activity that helps a family reconnect. You spend time together, look at the ocean and surroundings for interesting things (we saw baby seagulls bathing in puddles among the rocks). You talk to other people you see. Here's a link to the communities in the area you are visiting
http://www.therealmaine.com/communities.html
Jigsaw puzzles are also good. Just leave it out for family to work on during quiet times. Search out famous Steve's Whoopie Pies (usually convenience stores have them) for your picnic. Waterman's Beach near Owls Head is our very favorite lobster shack place - picnic tables next to the water. Unfortunately I don't recall if they serve anything except lobster and pie. On your day trip to Acadia you will pass a huge antique/used bookstore in an old chicken coop. Let your daughters pick out some reading material. You will also pass this crafts cooperative
http://www.homecoop.net/catalog/catalog.html
The potholders and catnip mouse are great. You might want to pick up some jams/jellies for breakfast toast to support the group. It's not a fancy store.
At the used book place and also one in Ellsworth my husband was able to get some out-of-print books about Squire's Farm. Great stories about life and hardships on a farm in Maine after the civil war.
Hopefully you should get some fresh blueberries. There will be trucks along Rt 1 selling them. Bring along a recipe for muffins. Do your daughters know how to cook? Also fresh berries are good with vanilla yogurt. Blueberry upside down cake is pretty easy to make, too.