My wife and I are taking our first trip to Maine Aug. 22-29 with our daughters ages 7&5. We are flying into Portland and renting a car. We have reservations in Freeport for the 22nd and in Wells Beach for the 28th. ( We fly out of Portland the afternoon of the 29th .)We were thinking about driving north all along the coast and then heading inland and coming back south on an inland route. I've read that the Bethel area is nice. Our family loves the outdoors. I'm wondering if we'll have enough time to do this without spending our vacation in our rental or if maybe we're better off setting a less lofty schedule. It's hard to get an idea of actual driving time by looking at an unfamiliar map. Anyone have any ideas? Thank you in advance for any info you could share.

The Bethel area is beautiful but not all that interesting for kids that young, and it is a long drive up there and back to the Coast (if I get your idea correctly). It is mostly 2 lane roads.

Think about going to the Brunswick area on an expressway, then out to Harpswell and Bailey's Island. You can eat at a lobster pound on Bailey's Island, a fun experience for the girls, and it is close to Freeport for the night.

While in the Portland area consider doing a lobster tour of the harbor. When our girls were your daughters' ages we took them and they had a ball. They learned about lobsters - how to tell a male from a female, how to measure, how to bait a trap. It was great. They liked it so much we took their friends a few summers later.

Another great thing is to go to a Portland Sea Dogs baseball game. You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this. There is so much silliness between innings that the kids will have a great time. And the quality of the ball playing is excellent - you'll see a few future stars of the game.

And less is usually more when it comes to kids that age so I would cut down on the driving and spend more time on the beach. Biddeford Pools is known for tidepooling.

luckycatch.com is the website for the tour that we took. They've been around for years.

We're planning on going up to Acadia NP and maybe up further if time allows. I guess I should have mentioned that in my first post. Would we have time to take in the entire coast or is that pushing ourselves too far? On our return south, I was hoping to take somewhat of a different route so as not to be back tracking the entire way back to Wells Beach the 29th.

With kids that age, please consider spending the biggest chunk of your time in Acadia. There is so much to do there, including lots of ranger-led adventures that your kids (and you)would love.

~Liz

I think it is about a 4 hour drive from Portland to Acadia. Acadia is wonderful and worth the drive. I would love to see you stay there for 2 nights at least. Between hiking, biking, kayaking, ocean tours, and carriage rides you'll need the time. Don't miss the popovers at the Jordan Pond House. I swear its against the law to leave Acadia without at least having some lemonade on the lawn there. The hike around the pond is ideal for young kids - long enough that they'll feel it but lots of walking on narrow boards, over rocks and crossing cute bridges and so on.

We live in NH and when we vacation in Maine we usually spend a week in the mid-coast area. It can take half a day to explore a peninsula and have some kind of lobster for lunch. My standard rec is to have a picnic lunch at the top of Mt Battie overlooking Camden harbor (take the auto road). You'll probably be able to buy some blueberries by the side of the road to mix into vanilla yogurt for lunch. A lobster boat trip and Acadia are terrific ideas. The walk/hike we took at Maine Coastal Gardens next to Boothbay was mostly thru woods. I don't think there is enough time to explore inland.

I'm confused. Do you have a rental in Wells? That is great for kids, lots of families and you can take partial day trips to York and the animalfarm/amusement park lighthouse and wonderful playground. You can take in a few hours in Ogunquit, checking out the shops at Perkins Cove and walking the rocky Marginal Way. You can spend a few hours a Rachel Carsons in Kennebunkport and stoll Main Street. That would fill out the week with beach time.

We have rented beach houses in Moody Beach, and our friends rent something every year in Wells. I wouldn't get to caught up in seeing it all, I'd rather take it all in at a slow and easy pace.

Now of course, if I misunderstood about your logding, then Acadia is great, but cold cold water. Boothbay harbour and surroundings are also a great area. It is just that you mentioned Wells.

Hi. Related question -- I have slightly younger children (6 and 3). We love Oqunquit, but wanted to try something new this year. I think they are too young for the best of Acadia (hiking, biking). Any recommendations for a mid-coast town with safe beaches but also access to an arcade, go-carts, etc.? Thanks! (I love Boothbay, but is it good for young kids?)

Try the Ocean Park, Old Orchard Beach area. Beautiful beach, amusement park, pier.

I have driven the entire coast but my favorite areas are mid-coast Maine (about 2 hours from Portland on highway 1) In Camden Hills State Park we love the view from Mt. Battie's and across highway 1 the park has fantastic walking trails along the coast. The lighthouses in Rockland and Port Clyde are fun to visit. My kids could spend hours just looking at the stuff on the beaches by the lighthouses. From Port Clyde you could take a boat ride to Monheagen Island or just one of their shorter nature cruises to save time. We always see seals and tons of shore birds.

I do love Acadia too, but in the 3 times I have been there... it has always been foggy!

Don't drive all the way to Arcadia - it is wonderful - but all of coastal Maine is wonderful and you will be spending way too much time in the car. Route 1 in August is slow going - it can take 45 minutes to get through some of the towns. Wells is great for kids - the beach is beautiful - though the water is cold. Eat at the Maine Diner in Wells.

Camden is great, as is nearby Port Clyde - but our family stays on Pemaquid Point near Damariscotta. It has everything that makes coastal Maine amazing - lobster pounds, lakes and a swimmable beach. It also has Pemaquid Light (which is on the Maine quarter). Your kids will love climbing the rocks below the lighthouse (mine do). Damariscotta is also great - small but has the best book store, a few good restaurants and a beautiful harbor.