kbg717

We are looking to go somewhere for the 4th of July week. We will be traveling with our 11 month old son. We love being outside, beaches, mountains, lakes, national parks etc. We would ideally like to be able to fly nonstop on Delta from Atlanta and stay in or near the destination city to make it easy with the baby. Does anyone have any recommendations? We've thought about Portland, Maine, Cape Cod, Jackson Hole, Colorado, Montana, California...basically up for anything. We know it is a busy time of year everywhere so it would be nice to avoid something too overly crowded.

dfrostnh

Bath Maine has a wonderful Bath Heritage Days celebration that includes a 4th of July parade. craft fair,used book sale, etc. The craft fair is held in the city park. If you can find a place to stay (we've been very happy with air b&b and VRBO) Brunswick to the south is a lovely college town with a wonderful farmers market and the Harpswell area to the east is great to explore. You can download a map to conservation areas where you will find very few people but you might have to walk in to some beaches. We have done 4th of July week in Maine a lot and you just have to avoid the busy tourist areas like Boothbay. If restaurants etc are what you are looking for then Portland is a great choice. There is a park to the north and another to the south (Eastern Promenade and Fort Williams Park). Both are very popular for picnics and views looking out onto Casco Bay. You could make a day trip to sandy beaches whereas the Harpswell area tends to be rocky beaches. The mail boat makes a nice cruise of the islands off Portland. We have not explored Peaks Island but a friend visits often and says we would love it. Most people don't seem to picnic in other places. We take bag chairs and simple supplies. You could easily find a spot with a splendid view in Fort Williams park and enjoy lobster
rolls from Bite Into ME food truck. Spread a blanket for your baby. Bring some toys. You can do the same in various lighthouse areas. Pemaquid has a parking fee but a lot don't. If you pay attention you can also find some mini parks with shade and picnic tables. When our son was young we did very simple dinners and I would include take-out as a possibility since at the end of day he would be cranky and overtired. Not a good time to go to busy restaurants. Do popular restaurants at an off time. For example, stroll shady Brunswick farmers market and choose some things for snack time (fresh strawberries should be available). Explore Harpswell area aiming for a lobster place for a late lunch. If you have chosen a good air b&b or at least a residence inn type of place, get in some nap time. Your child might nap very well on a long car ride or sleep on a blanket in a shady spot while parents enjoy the view, read, listen to music.

We never became fans of Cape Cod because of the crowds and traffic getting on and off the Cape. There are other beach places in MA or NH. MHT and Providence are both good airports in addition to Portland and Boston.

kbg717

Thank you so much, this is extremely helpful! We have decided to fly to Portland, Maine. Would you recommend staying close to downtown or should we stay in a smaller area like Bath?

dfrostnh

We're country people so we always head to the mid-coast area but we don't do much beach time although we used to have family gatherings in York which has great beachesl We don't like traffic so generally avoid southern Maine. We did an air b&b in Scarborough that was next to the Rachel Carson refuge. This week we'll stay in downtown Portland. There are tons of restaurants but doesn't seem to be many casual family style places. For the summer we're doing part of a week in the Rockland area and then 4th of July close to Bath (husband really likes the parade and used book sale). The Old Port area of Portland is wonderful. Some people might recommend attending a local baseball game. We like Bath's traditional downtown area which includes a popular Reny's. There's a candy store where you can buy Needhams (mashed potato candy). Just south of Bath, Brunswick is a college town with more upscale restaurants. The turn off east to Harpswell area is between the two. We like farmers markets. The Portland one is pretty good. It also depends on what type of lodging you want. We don't care for large hotels. With a baby, you probably would be best with a residence type of hotel or an air b&b small apartment. If you want to walk city sidewalks with a stroller, Portland or Brunswick might be a great choice. I'm finding better choices of lodging in Brunswick and figure we'll spend the 4th in Bath and go home before the craft fair starts. We'll spend one day getting lobster someplace in the Harpswell area. We tend to do too much driving around. If you stay in Portland you can still do day trips north or south. We would not do shopping in Freeport but that is popular with some people. If you like beer and/or food tours, Portland is a good choice. I think there's a beer bus so you don't have to worry about driving.
If you want to go to a politically incorrect parade, head to Round Pond Maine (near Damariscotta). Get to parade route at least 1/2 hour early to stake out your spot. http://www.whimsicalyearsphotography...d-pond-parade/ Bath is a traditional parade and also home to the Maritime Museum which has some really nice lighthouse cruises. But in Portland you can do cruises, too.
Some people would be bored with our choices of quiet places to explore. It really depends on what you like to do. Perhaps some other people will post. You can do a search on Chowhound to see what Portland restaurants are popular.

gail

I know you decided to fly into Portland but check actual travel time and cost flying into a regional airport (including Manchester, NH). It is only a couple of hours from Boston/Logan and sometimes added connections makes flying closer actually more time consuming.

Bette

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Acadia National Park! Checks ALL your boxes.

https://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm
https://acadiamagic.com/MountDesert.html

We always stay in Bar Harbor but tend to visit in the "shoulder" season. 4th of July week will be crowded. You could check out accommodation in Southwest Harbor or Northeast Harbor.

emalloy

with a baby, i would look for lodging within walking distance of one of the beaches south of Portland. try Biddeford pool, ocean park, old orchard, Higgins beach, cape Elizabeth,etc. easy to get to Portland which has a children's museum for the dreaded rainy day.