Hello, my fiance and are are planning a trip to Maine next week from July 9 until July 13. There were several regions that interested us, but believe we have it narrowed down to the downeast/acadia region.

As for lodging we are looking to camp so we can save a few dollars. However, the blackwoods camp ground at Acadia is booked and the seawall is first come/first serve so we don't want to risk that. Any input on other campgrounds in the area that are nice?

Besides touring the park is there any other must do's? We are making a 10 hour trip, so I want to make it worth our time!

As first time visitors to Maine, is this a good choice for a destination? We are coming from Pennsylvania.

As another Pennsylvanian...YES, Acadia is the perfect choice! We tried other places the first few trips, but the last 6 or 7 we've spent exclusively in Acadia/Bar Harbor, other than an overnight stop in portland on the way up.

Be sure to stop at the visitors center to pick up the newspaper with info about ranger-led programs. We still like to do 1 or 2 on every trip.

Have a great time!
~Liz

Try Mount Desert Campground, they may have an opening. Its a beautiful spot, worth trying. Seawall is nice but not very centrally located. As elberko stated, the destination is perfect. I would drive directly to MDI if you can get a reservation. Then, depending on weather, you could leave a couple of days early and meander down the coast stopping in whatever town/attraction suits you. If the weather is good, you will probably just stay in Acadia. Hiking, biking, kayaking, cute towns, shops, restaurants. Its got everything.

I ended up calling Hadleys Point Campground, they had two sites left so I just took 1 of them! They said its just 4 miles from the entrance to Acadia.

So as of right now, we plan to arrive around 7pm Thursday, set up camp, and maybe head into town or just hang there for the night. Friday is her birthday so I wanna do something nice, just not sure what yet? Saturday we plan to tour acadia for the day. Sunday maybe more of acadia and then down to Bar Harbor? Monday, we are gonna get up and leave early and drive down to Salem Mass. for a few hours then to boston for a few hours and then head home.

Well, if it were MY birthday...I'd get breakfast at Morning Glory Bakery (best croissants I've had outside Paris), and dinner at Cafe this Way:
http://www.cafethisway.com/
With a nice hike in-between!

~Liz

Don't forget popovers at the Jordan Pond House in Acadia Nat'l Park. They were soooo yummy. I believe they do lunch, tea and dinner.

We also took a carraige ride and rented bikes for the trails in the park.

Lobster and chowder in Bar Harbor too!

Have a great trip!

how is the carriage ride? seats have back? padded? how long does it last? thanks

Rent bikes in Bar Harbor and plan your route for popovers at Jordan Pond. Beautiful ride and Jordan Pond House doesn't blink an eye at sweaty riders and hikers. They have a wonderful outdoor eating area on the lawn, too. The carriage ride is pretty slow, I think. Enjoy, you'll be back!

I believe we took one of the 1 hour tours but I don't recall exactly which one. The stables where you pick up the tour are very close to Jordan Pond so you could probably combine the two.

Here is the website for the carriage tours: http://www.carriagesofacadia.com/index.html

in between morning glory and cafe this way drive to schoodic point. http://www.acadiamagic.com/Schoodic.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24762951@N04/3300214722/
it is part of acadia but not on mt. desert island. take a picnic lunch as there are no services. or you can get lunch in nearby winter harbor or in ellsworth.
very dramatic, waves crashing on Huge rocks, water spouts (best when tide is coming in). you can walk/climb on the rocks or hike in some spots along the coast line. once you're on the park road it's 2 lane one way so anytime the view strikes you, you can just stop. there are dozens of spots to park and go look around and numerous official pull outs where the view is especially wonderful.

go to the bar harbor inn. take the historic 'shore path' along the water that starts in front of the hotel. you'll see a few of the older "summer camps".

it has been really rainy & cool here for weeks. i suggest you bring some long sleeve tops and long pants, sweatshirts, rain gear.

now we need to talk about lobster. no trip to maine in complete without lots of it & they're relatively inexpensive this year. a lobster roll a day is a good choice. stewman's is right downtown on the wharf: http://www.stewmanslobsterpound.com/Menu.html to get boiled lobster dinnah.

You will enjoy Acadia if the weather is decent. Yep, lobster dinnah is a must. Bar Harbor though is very touristy. There is much to see along the Maine coast and I'd skip Salem for that (you may find Salem a tad disappointing). But only a few hours in Boston? Oh my!

Ozarksbill [email protected]

Yes definately lookin forward to the lobster!!! MMMMN cannot wait!

As for the cooler temps, love long sleeves and sweatshirts so lookin forward to that!

As for Boston, I would love to spend more time but we can't, however WE WILL BE BACK! I just want to hit a few spots and to say we were there. Die hard sox fan, and just wanna see Fenway!

It's been a few years since we've visited Bar Harbor, but here are my highlights. We traveled with 3 boys ages 10-16 so a lot of things were geared toward them.
Sea Kayaking - very different from regular kayaking and we all enjoyed it
Reel Pizza - www.reelpizza.net - small movie theater that serves great pizza (and beer) where you sit on soafs and recliners and use TV trays
Wonderland was our favorite trail in Acadia - off the beaten path and an easy walk through wooded area. Brings you to the ocean with rocks to climb on and lots of tide pools filled with sea critters.
Atlantic Brewing Co - stumbled across their BBQ - all you can eat from a huge smoker and their own beer www.atlanticbrewing.com. Not lobster, but still wonderful.
We camped at Bar Harbor KOA and would go back there. Best bathrooms at any campground ever (according to my kids).

Have a great trip!

10 hours is a long drive. Find a good place for lunch. If you get an early start and are wine drinkers you should be able to visit Cellar Door Winery for a tasting. It's located in Lincolnville just north of Camden and not far off Rt 1. In Salem MA, a reasonable place to eat in the downtown area is Red's. Very popular with a big menu. Not for lobster, though.