Hi. The Acadia National Park/Bar Harbor area, including Southwest Harbor/Tremont (acadiachamber.com) will have lots of lodging options within your price range, still on Mount Desert Island and close to the Park. Depending on your dates and length of your stay, a cottage on the water may be an option as well. July rates can be kind and the weather generally cooler. Whale watches will go out of Bar Harbor but Bass Harbor, Southwest and Northeast all have other options - ferries, mail boats, nature cruises.Lobster is everywhere. Have a great trip.

i would definitely not miss boothbay harbor. beautiful, very quaint, but still a lot of things to do. went there twice and bought a house..

My family loves the southern coast of Maine...Damariscotta is a favorite. (Wonderful locally made pottery available in actual studio where made...name is "Damariscotta Pottery"...ask around in town for directions.)
And you must have a lobster roll from "Red's Eats" in downtown Wiscasset.

If you want to check out local potteries, I recommend a stop in Blue Hill. It's a great little town anyway (although it can get crowded in the summer) and there is a little take-out stand called the Fish Net that had fabulous lobster rolls. Made the way they should be with just a little mayonaise and nothing else. Anyway, in Blue Hill there are two local potteries - Rackliffe and Rowentrees. You can actually watch them working on many days. I have an entire set of the "Blue Hill blue" Rackliffe dishes that I use for my everyday dishes. As for the weather, I tend to like August better - it's a little warmer and the boating is better (usually), plus the blueberries are ripe and there is nothing better than Maine blueberries. The past couple of years July has tended to have a bit of fog and the nights have been pretty cool. The other advantage of coming later in the summer is that the black flies have settled down a bit. They are nasty little biting guys that like to get up in your hair line. For whale watching - we like Bar Harbor Whale Watch which goes righ tout of the main dock in Bar Harbor. There is also a wonderful restaurant right on the pier down at the water level. I can't remember the name, but it's the only one down there. I would fly into Bangor, but that's just because I tend to prefer the coast around Bar Harbor over the southern part of the state. It's all personal preference. There are lots of quaint little towns. If you drive up Rt. 1 from Ellsworth (gateway to Bar Harbor and Acadia) you can also go to Schoodic Point which is the "quiet" and undiscovered part of Acadia. There is a great little fishing village that you drive through on the way out called Wonsqueak Harbor! I just love the name! Also on the way out Rt. 1 just out of Ellsworth you should stop and see the Wild Mountain Man. He does carving with a chain saw and has been in the Guiness Book or Records about 9-10 times. You can't miss him - there are huge carvings of eagles and bears on the left side of the road. He is a fascinating guy to watch and/or talk to. Enjoy my second home!

iluvs2travel
Did you plan your Maine trip. I am looking to spend a week in Maine this August with a 14 and a 10 year old. I wanted to go to a coastal town and then explore in Acadia. Did you settle on an itinerary? I would love the help for a typical Maine vacation.