My husband and I are planning at trip to the Northeast with our 2 boys next August for 2 weeks. They will be 10 an 12. We want a fun and busy itinerary but not exhausting. Here is what we were thinking - any thoughts about things we should add or change would be super appreciated. Also any hotel advice would be great!

Sat - Tuesday - Boston
Tuesday - Friday - Acadia
Friday - Tuesday - White mountains ***not sure if needed if going to Acadia
Tuesday - Sat - Cape Cod

Budget for hotels?

With boys that age, one of the lakes areas might be nice rather than the White Mtns. Water skiing, fishing, swimming etc. Sebago Lakes in Southwestern Maine or the New Hampshire Lakes Region/Lake Winnepesaukee. Moosehead Lake and Greenville would be convenient from Acadia...and the area is beautiful, but I'm not sure if the cabins in the area only rent by the full-week in August.

The hotel at MIT might be fun for the boys, robots in the lobby etc. I think it's called Le Meridien now.

Hotel budget really hasnt been set but it will be our one big vacation for the year so we can certainly splurge some

It's a long drive from Boston to Acadia with a chance to stop at some interesting places such as Odiorne Point Science Center near Portsmouth NH. The beaches south of Portland Maine are mostly beautiful sand beaches whereas north of Portland tend to be rocky, two completely different beach experiences.

I think that age might be bored with boat trips so it depends on what you think. The fastest route to Acadia bypasses some great parts of Maine's coast. We usually go up I95 but get off in Brunswick. Next town in Bath, home to Bath Iron works. A couple of weeks ago they were still working on two stealth destroyers that looked amazing. The huge crane there is a sight to see. Rt 1 bridge gives you a good view of the shipyard but we have taken a boat trip that includes getting pretty close to the shipbuilding. (Check schedule at Maritime Museum in Bath).

The route from Acadia to NH's White Mountains might be the northern route which is very rural. Nice country but not many places to stop. If interested in cars, there is a classic car museum at Owls Head on the coast but inland, we found the Cole Transportation Museum in Bangor to be fascinating since it's about work vehicles not fancy cars but check Owls Head weekend schedule during your visit. Sometimes they have antique airplanes flying.

There are several White Mountain attractions your family would probably enjoy but you could also stay someplace on Lake Winnipesaukee and not be far from the other attractions. Our gds enjoyed Squam Lakes Science Center in Holderness which features wild NH animals. The demos are great since the place is small. Docents walk around to make sure you are having a good time and will tell you more about things. My favorite was a woman who had a small owl on her arm who came over and talked just to us. We were that close to such a beautiful creature.

Most likely your route to Cape Cod would start out I93 south thru Concord and Manchester NH. Project SEE in Manchester is a great science museum. The old mill yard has been reproduced in Legos.

You could rent 2 two-person kayaks for a half day paddle (take picnic lunch) down the Merrimack River. It's very shallow in August for most of the way. Kayaking is very popular in NH.

We were remiss in not visiting some of the natural water holes in New England when our son was young. A few years ago we found one in VT where older kids were jumping off granite ledges into a deep pool and there was a waterfall. You can google swimming holes for each state to find them. For example, we have not been to Diana's Baths in the White Mountains.

wow thank you for all these gems of info. We are not tied to any of this trip except Boston and Acadia. We want to get some time at the beaches but if southern maine beaches are good we can certainly skip the Cape. Again, any and all info you can provide is SO appreciated. Our kids love animals, science centers, outdoor adventures, biking, swimming, and soccer!