Please Help! Where to go on vacation?
 

My husband, myself and my 2 kids ages 6 and 8, would like to take a 6 to 10 days trip.I'm looking for some suggestions. We are from Florida.My husband want to visit Maine or New England. Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor.We love beautiful and dramatic scenery, historic landmarks,good food, easy hikes, scenic roads and interested in some museums.Something to do for kids.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, especially where to fly into, where are the best areas to stay (Bar Harbor sounds wonderful!), what all to do, what not to do, etc...A nice hotel (clean and safe, not too high priced $100-$130) sometime -June 19.

We spent a 10-day family vacation in Bar Harbor and drove daily around Acadia National Park. Our daughter was 7 at the time and still talks about returning there one day. Bar Harbor has some of what you are looking for: scenic roads, hiking trails, and good food for you and the kids. The only downside was that the beach is small and the water never gets warm enough. It is lovely, though, see 'The Cedar House Rules' movie.

I found Bar Harbor to be a bit more expensive than Cape Code (we vacationed twice here and were equally happy) and yes, a bit colder, especially at night. The Cape has a couple of historic homes/museums.

The airport for Bar Harbor is in Bangor, ME, then rent a car.

I, too, am looking for a new spot for the summer, and was researching the Berkshires, MA, a bit more elevated and not on the coast.

We loved Acadia with our then 9 year old. The hotel we stayed in was very, very basic but was right in Bar Harbor - the big plus was that we walked all over Bar Harbor, parking in town was very hard to find.

Another suggestion is Mt Tremblant in Quebec. It is a ski resort with many summer activities for your kids. There are several hotels situated around a "village". You can rent bikes, sail/swim in the lake, many good hikes, indoor/outdoor swimming pools, several different on-site restaurants. The only downside is that you would need passports.

Thank you for reply,we went to Quebec last year,had a lots of fun.
Any suggestions on Cape Code?

Acadia really is gorgeous, and if you want a more rugged, outdoorsy type of trip, it would be hard to beat within New England.

What about Prince Edward Island? You can fly into Charlottetown and drive all over the island with relative ease.

I would suggest Cape Cod .. Not sure where you may have stayed on the Cape .. but there are many options .. Lower Cape offers beautiful beaches .. wonderful restaurants .. National Seashore .. Hiking Trails .. East Dennis or Brewster and anywhere down .. Mid Cape .. Hyannis .. abounds with shops and small lovely towns .. lots and lots going on .. Upper Cape .. Falmouth area .. .. wonderful restaurants .. lots of lovely litte towns with shopping and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute right in Woods Hole .. Also Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard .. a day trip or several days depending on your time frame ... I prefer the lower Cape .. Route 6A .. is a wonderful scenic road .. not to be missed .. I believe you would find lots to do there .. You will find beautiful scenery .. historic landmarks ..hiking trails .. biking trails .. museums .. ! Let us know where you decide !

Thanks to both of you for the input. I hadn't actually tried looking for lodging yet.I heard that height of the tourist season on Cape Cod is July and August. Everything is at its most crowded and most expensive at that time. I can't imagine even attempting to look for any hotel discount rates for August.
The airport for Bar Harbor is in Bangor, ME,Can I fly somewhere else,but close?

Bar Harbor and Acadia NP are far superior to cape Cod. I have been to the Cape a few times and find NOTHING to recommend there.

I love Acadia and Bar Harbor. I don't think you can really compare those areas to Cape Cod. Acadia is much more about the dramatic scenery and great hikes. It's gorgeous and remote feeling. Cape Cod is the opposite. We usually stay at a b and b in Southwest Harbor, but there are great hotels near Bar Harbor, too. It would definitely be my choice! You probably would fly into Bangor and rent a car.