Vacation Ideas

Acadia National Park

Information and advice from real families to help you plan a better family vacation.

Acadia National Park is located on Mount Dessert Island on the coast of Maine. Here you can enjoy the beauty of nature surrounded by mountains, rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, lakes, and lush forests. You can see most of the highlights in 2-3 days. It is best to visit in May – September when the weather is warmer.

View a detailed itinerary used by real families (not AI) for visiting Acadia >

  • Hiking! There are many hiking trails in the area with varying ranges of length and difficulty and many that are easy for kids
  • Bass Harbor head lighthouse
  • Cadillac Mountain
  • Park Loop Road
  • Jordan Pond
  • Biking trails
  • Horse-drawn carriage ride
  • Boat tours
Get more details about what we recommend doing with kids in our full Acadia Itinerary >
We highly recommend staying at the Bar Harbor Motel if you’d like a suite with separate rooms for parents and kids. It has an outdoor pool, a playground, breakfast included, and is 1 mile from the entrance to Acadia. Another good option for families is the Acadia Inn, but there are no 2-room suites that sleep 6.
  • Flights if Needed – The closest major airports to Acadia are Bangor (BGR) which is about 50 miles away and Portland (PWM) which is about 180 miles away. If you only have 3 days, try to get an early morning flight so you can still explore the area on the day you arrive, or arrive in the evening and stay an extra night. OR If you don’t mind that you’ll be on a smaller plane, or you have access to a private plane (lucky you!) you can fly into Bar Harbor Airport. It is a tiny airport that does not have major airlines but you can find public flights or charters. This airport will get to right where you need to be!
  • Car Rental – If you’re flying in and would like the flexibility of having a car to get around, be sure to book a car rental when you’re booking your flight. If you can fly into Bar Harbor Airport, you could try to go without a car and use the National Park buses and rent bikes to get around, but it will limit you a bit.
  • Activities – Acadia entry fee – $35 Boat ride – $35-75/person Carriage ride – $48/adult, $38/child Bike rentals – $25-40/person
West side of the island:
  • Upper Deck – indoor, table-service dinner. This is a kid-friendly spot on the water with good lobster rolls and other delicious options.
  • Beal’s Lobster Pier – stand in line to order and eat outside or on a covered patio on the pier. When you order you can pick out your own live lobster from the tank and watch them take it out to go cook it. Our son thought this was awesome! Our daughter was horrified.
Bar Harbor:
  • Geddy’s – Menu, Reservations
  • Side Street Cafe
  • Paddy’s Irish Pub and Restaurant
  • Galyn’s
  • Reading Room Restaurant (a little fanicer and amazing views!)

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