Acadia & Bar Harbor, Maine

I thought I left my heart in Virginia, but Maine came along and stole it for its own. We came to Maine as part of our efforts to see as many national parks as possible, but I was unprepared for how much we were going to love it here. Let’s start with the campground.

When we decided to take this big trip, this campground was one of the very first that I booked. I wanted to be sure we got a waterfront site and it was definitely worth it. There’s nothing quite like having that peaceful, narrows water steps from your front door. The sunsets were amazing and the tide pool opportunities were abundant. (Haddie wrote a kids blog post about the tide pools – check it out!)

Now, let’s talk about Acadia National Park. As I’ve told many friends, Acadia is quite possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. There’s just something about the lush forest mingling with stunning ocean views that is just magical.

You really can have it all in Acadia. Take a hike up a rocky path, smell the fresh pine trees that line your path, take in beautiful view, then walk down to the shore line and wade in the water or search the tide pools. I could go on, but you get it. It’s special.

We did two hikes in Acadia: Flying Mountain and Gorham Mountain. The pictures above are from Flying Mountain and it was our favorite of the two. Gorham Mountain Trail was listed as family friendly but it ended up being more than we bargained for! There was a lot of rock scrambling, tricky footwork, and even a ladder involved in reaching Cadillac Cliffs but we all agreed it was worth it for this amazing view.

In addition to all the natural beauty of Acadia, we were also charmed by the town of Bar Harbor. It is such a cute town for strolling, shopping, and eating – all of which we excel at!

We wanted to get out on the water, but we were not there in the right season for whale watching. We did, however, find a lobster fishing and seal watching cruise that proved to be a great alternative!

We started our cruise by visiting a couple of lobster traps, having them pulled up, and seeing what was inside. (Fun fact: a lobster trap is divided into two sections: the kitchen, where the bait is kept, and the parlor, where the guests hang out.) All the traps pulled had lobsters and even some crabs!

Our guide was wonderful and taught us all the requirements a lobster must meet in order to be a “keepah”. The ones who don’t make the cut are tossed back or sent down the water slide, which the kids got a big kick out of. We all got to hold a lobster too!

We might have missed out on whale watching, but we were there in time for seal pup season! After we were all lobster experts, the boat took us out to an island that is a protected haven for seals and their pups. Seals are curious animals, and they would swim closer for a look at all of us. So much cuteness!

Oh, and did I mention we also got to see bald eagles?!

There was only one thing we still needed to do before leaving Maine, and that was eat some lobster. Colin and Abigail were up to it and each ordered some lobster as part of their dinner, but in the end, Colin was the only kid to actually eat it.

So there you have it. Maine had not been on my radar at all, but now we can’t wait to plan a trip back!