Maine
 

My husband and I are planning a 10 day trip to Maine next spring. We will be taking our son who will be two and a half at the time. We havmt decided on where in Maine we are staying at yet. We are leaving from the Philadelphia area and plan to make one or two overnight stops a long the way. We are looking for child friendly attractions for our son.

What part of the spring? Maine is a lot colder than Philly - if you go in early spring it can still be late winter and many hotels/rests will still be closed.

One place to stop is Mystic, which has a cute aquarium as well as a ship museum (many details too old for a 2.5 but some things will probably enjoy seeing/visiting the ships).

Early May (if that's what you mean by spring) can also be buggy depending on where you're headed. If you're looking for a coastal vacation,,,, beaches, water slides, petting zoos etc don't really open until June.

As others have mentioned, spring in Maine can be iffy. The later the better. It's rare to be able to swim in the ocean before July, and even then the water is pretty brisk.
As for a good area for children, York may be close to perfect. It's an old timey feeling beach resort town with miles of beautiful beaches, a scenic lighthouse, dozens of places to eat, candy and ice cream shops, penny arcades, and even a zoo and amusement park right in town. York also has some of the most beautiful hotels and inns anywhere on the coast. A few miles north on rte 1 are mini golf, water parks, etc, as well as the picturesque, artsy town of Ogunquit with it's scenic marginal way walking path.

If you feel very, very lucky you might schedule this trip before Memorial Day. Mid June is better.

Thanks so much on the feedback. We haven't decided on an exact time, but it looks like we may be looking towards June or July.

York used to be a family favorite. dh's family spent many 4th of Julys there. There's a grassy area with playground near the shops and Goldenrod (beach closest to Nubble light - Short Sands?) before you get to the beach part.

I agree, waiting until June is better. Lodging rates will go up July 1 if you want to take that into consideration. We have not been to the children's museum in Portland but there is one our grandchildren like in Dover NH. Not sure which one would be closer if you stayed in York.

If July, your child might like Ogunquit beach on a day when the tide is going out. Older folks start floating down the river about 2 hours after high tide, but when it gets quite shallow, towards low tide, the "ride" is suitable for small children too. Also a large sand flat forms with pools that sit in the sun, warming up for children.

Also, York (the area described above) has nightly music in the bandstand right next to the beach. People bring chairs, some a picnic, and there is grass for kids to run and play and dance.