Taking the Kids: Exploring Maine
"Go to the pier and see the big ships honk and drive away, and then you can walk the streets and go to all the shops," suggests Sydney, 11, a local middle-schooler.
"My favorite thing to do in summer is to get ice cream and walk around Bar Harbor," agreed Eli, 11, who also lives on Mount Desert Island.
There are plenty of ways to get away from the crowds.
"Every summer my cousins come up from Virginia and we all go on a whale-watching trip. We've seen humpbacks, minkes and once there was an ocean sunfish sunning itself on the surface. It was so bizarre looking with its big eye looking up," said Petra, 13, from Yarmouth.
Take a walk on the Shore Path along the shore of Frenchman Bay. There are great views of the ocean -- and the grand summer cottages.
There's no better place to stargaze. Three towns -- Bar Harbor, Tremont and Mount Desert have passed lighting ordinances to make sure you can best see the night skies. There is an Acadia Night Sky Festival every September.
See how many seals and birds you can spot at the Indian Point Blagden Preserve. There are more than 130 species of birds here! (A tip: at low tide, the seals will be on the rocks.) Bring Binoculars!
Visit the "Bar" of Bar Harbor during low tide -- the large sandbar that connects downtown Bar Harbor to Bar Island. Check out the sea life uncovered at low tide. But make sure to check the tide schedule!
Look for bald eagles on a sailing trip (you can go out on an old-fashioned schooner named Margaret Todd with Downeast Windjammer Cruises, or go kayaking along the coast with Coastal Kayaking Tours.
Learn more about what you are seeing with the big selection of kids' books at the Naturalist’s Notebook, a short drive from Bar Harbor, where you'll find lots of kids' books and "think spaces."
Take a ferry to an offshore island or spend the day biking around the quieter Schoodic Peninsula. Meet local kids and families at Bar Harbor's Park Street Playground and enjoy the weekly free concerts and outdoor family movies.
"You'll have a blast," promises Sydney.
Another lobster roll, please!
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