Midcoast Maine
Lobster Cruise, Camden - Step aboard the Lively Lady Too for a 2-hour lobster tour on the Penobscot Bay. During the tour, the captain pulls up lobster traps, bands the lobsters, and explains about the lobster industry so critical to the Maine economy. In addition, the tour takes you by islands in search of other aquatic life such as seals and dolphins. The boat’s captain also has an affinity for and great deal of knowledge about bald eagles, and there are many large-scale nests spotted on the tour. Tours leave from the Bay View Landing Wharf. http://livelyladytoo.com
Isleboro Island - Maine is all about exploring the islands. What child doesn’t enjoy a boat ride, the beach and a picnic? Located three miles off the Maine coast in Upper Penobscot Bay, Isleboro Island is just a 20-minute ferry ride from Linconville. Once on the island, stop at the Island Market to pick up sandwiches and other goodies for a picnic. Then drive down to the beach at Pendleton Point. This unspoiled area is perfect for picnicking, climbing on rocks and exploring its many coves. And there is actually sand too! www.maine.gov/mdot/msfs/index.htm
Monhegan Island -- Set 12 miles off the Maine shore, Monhegan Island provides for a magical day trip of hiking and building fairy houses. The island, at 1.75 miles long and .75 miles wide, is easily hikeable in a day. The trails crisscrossing the island are dotted with small fairy houses made from found bits of nature - leaves, stones, sticks, shells, etc. Visitors to the island are encouraged to make their own fairy houses as they walk through the woods. The book, Fairy Houses, by Tracey Kidder closely mirrors a trip to Monhegan Island and the experience of building fairy houses. The island also includes breath-taking views of the ocean from rocky cliffs, a light house museum, art galleries, and the Island Inn. The Island Inn is located on a bluff right where the ferry comes into Monhegan, and it is the perfect place to grab a sandwich and some chowder. Children of all ages are welcome. Catch the ferry out of Port Clyde. Kid Comment - It was fun making fairy houses in the woods. www.monheganboat.com/monhegan.html
Drift Inn Beach, Port Clyde - Drift Inn Beach is a gem of a beach nestled into a cove at the end of St. George’s Peninsula. Sandy beaches are few and far between in Midcoast Maine, and Drift Inn Beach seems known mostly to the locals. Because it is in a cove, the water is easily navigable by little ones and low tide leaves enough tide pools to keep any child happy. The surf is gentle enough that kayakers use Drift Inn Beach as a launching site. The views are classic for this area with farm houses in the distance and fields leading down to the water’s edge. Drift Inn beach is located on Drift Inn Road off Port Clyde Road (Route 131). If you get hungry, try having lunch or dinner at either Cod End in Tenant’s Harbor or the Dip Net in Port Clyde. Both have outdoor seating on fishing wharfs and serve fresh seafood.
Owls Head Transportation Museum - Take a step back in time when America moved at a slower pace. The museum's permanent collection includes over 100 antique cars, planes, motorcycles, and carriages. The aircraft collection, which includes both original planes and replicas, spans 130 years and includes everything from early gliders to the 1903 Wright Flyer (replica) to a 1946 Piper Cub. The museum’s collection of antique cars starts in 1885 with a Benz Tri-car. It also includes such fun classics as a 1903 Sears Motor Buggy, a 1923 popcorn wagon, and a 1958 BMW Isetta 300 - nicknamed the rolling egg. The museum hosts many special events on weekends such as antique truck and tractor shows, aerobatic air shows, and the annual New England Auto Auction. Kid Comment - I got to take a ride in a Model-T car! www.ohtm.org
Owls Head State Park - Just down the road from the Owls Head Transportation Museum is Owls Head State Park. There is a light house to explore, a picnic area overlooking Rockland harbor, and a beach (accessed down a very steep cliff). It’s a perfect spot for watching the beautiful yachts coming in and out of Rockland Harbor. A visit to Owls Head State Park is not a day’s adventure in itself, but it’s a pleasant side trip when going to the Owls Head Transportation Museum.
Planet Toys, Rockland - Located at 318 Main Street in Rockland, right down the street from the Farnsworth Art Museum, this toy store is very hands-on. Go ahead, pick toys up and try them out. It’s a toy store! The store’s motto is “You’re never too young to play.” They have a wide selection of toys that you wouldn’t find at chain stores. Perhaps the most fun thing about this toy store is that they let kids ride plasma cars and other vehicles through the store! There are also plenty of hats and costumes the kids can try on inside a giant play castle. Come, have fun, and you are bound to leave with an interesting new toy. Kid Comment - I would go to Maine just to go to this toy store. http://planettoysblog.blogspot.com
Southern Maine
Perkins Cove, Ogonquit - One of the most charming spots in Maine, there are three must-dos in Perkins Cove. First, take a leisurely walk along the Marginal Way. This 1.5 mile-long paved pathway lined with ocean roses follows rocky outcroppings and provides beautiful ocean views. It winds its way from Perkins Cove into the downtown area overlooking Ogonquit Beach. Have lunch at Barnacle Billy’s. This harborside restaurant has been a Perkins Cove institution for almost 50 years and is well-known for its lobsters, steamers, chowder, and lobster stew. Do a little window shopping. Perkins Cove is known for its quaint storefronts selling jewelry, pottery, clothing, and art work. www.ogunquit.org Parking in Perkins Cove can sometimes be tight, so try taking the local trolley from downtown. www.shorelineexplorer.com
Ogonquit Playhouse - For over 75 years, the Ogonquit Playhouse has been bringing quality theater to Maine. In the summers, the playhouse offers a youth theater series on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Each weekend, the Playhouse puts on a different play or musical. www.ogunquitplayhouse.org/childrens-theatre
Footbridge Beach, Ogonquit - Less busy, but equally as beautiful as Ogonquit Beach is Footbridge Beach. It’s known as Footbridge Beach because beach goers walk over a footbridge under which flows the Ogonquit River. This wide-open beach where a family can easily find their own space was voted New England’s best beach in 2007 by Boston Magazine and voted “Best Southern Maine Beach for Avoiding Crowds” by Yankee Magazine. I just call it the favorite beach from my childhood. The Footbridge Beach is located at the end of Ocean Street off Main Street (Route 1).
Lobster Cruise, Camden - Step aboard the Lively Lady Too for a 2-hour lobster tour on the Penobscot Bay. During the tour, the captain pulls up lobster traps, bands the lobsters, and explains about the lobster industry so critical to the Maine economy. In addition, the tour takes you by islands in search of other aquatic life such as seals and dolphins. The boat’s captain also has an affinity for and great deal of knowledge about bald eagles, and there are many large-scale nests spotted on the tour. Tours leave from the Bay View Landing Wharf. http://livelyladytoo.com
Isleboro Island - Maine is all about exploring the islands. What child doesn’t enjoy a boat ride, the beach and a picnic? Located three miles off the Maine coast in Upper Penobscot Bay, Isleboro Island is just a 20-minute ferry ride from Linconville. Once on the island, stop at the Island Market to pick up sandwiches and other goodies for a picnic. Then drive down to the beach at Pendleton Point. This unspoiled area is perfect for picnicking, climbing on rocks and exploring its many coves. And there is actually sand too! www.maine.gov/mdot/msfs/index.htm
Monhegan Island -- Set 12 miles off the Maine shore, Monhegan Island provides for a magical day trip of hiking and building fairy houses. The island, at 1.75 miles long and .75 miles wide, is easily hikeable in a day. The trails crisscrossing the island are dotted with small fairy houses made from found bits of nature - leaves, stones, sticks, shells, etc. Visitors to the island are encouraged to make their own fairy houses as they walk through the woods. The book, Fairy Houses, by Tracey Kidder closely mirrors a trip to Monhegan Island and the experience of building fairy houses. The island also includes breath-taking views of the ocean from rocky cliffs, a light house museum, art galleries, and the Island Inn. The Island Inn is located on a bluff right where the ferry comes into Monhegan, and it is the perfect place to grab a sandwich and some chowder. Children of all ages are welcome. Catch the ferry out of Port Clyde. Kid Comment - It was fun making fairy houses in the woods. www.monheganboat.com/monhegan.html
Drift Inn Beach, Port Clyde - Drift Inn Beach is a gem of a beach nestled into a cove at the end of St. George’s Peninsula. Sandy beaches are few and far between in Midcoast Maine, and Drift Inn Beach seems known mostly to the locals. Because it is in a cove, the water is easily navigable by little ones and low tide leaves enough tide pools to keep any child happy. The surf is gentle enough that kayakers use Drift Inn Beach as a launching site. The views are classic for this area with farm houses in the distance and fields leading down to the water’s edge. Drift Inn beach is located on Drift Inn Road off Port Clyde Road (Route 131). If you get hungry, try having lunch or dinner at either Cod End in Tenant’s Harbor or the Dip Net in Port Clyde. Both have outdoor seating on fishing wharfs and serve fresh seafood.
Owls Head Transportation Museum - Take a step back in time when America moved at a slower pace. The museum's permanent collection includes over 100 antique cars, planes, motorcycles, and carriages. The aircraft collection, which includes both original planes and replicas, spans 130 years and includes everything from early gliders to the 1903 Wright Flyer (replica) to a 1946 Piper Cub. The museum’s collection of antique cars starts in 1885 with a Benz Tri-car. It also includes such fun classics as a 1903 Sears Motor Buggy, a 1923 popcorn wagon, and a 1958 BMW Isetta 300 - nicknamed the rolling egg. The museum hosts many special events on weekends such as antique truck and tractor shows, aerobatic air shows, and the annual New England Auto Auction. Kid Comment - I got to take a ride in a Model-T car! www.ohtm.org
Owls Head State Park - Just down the road from the Owls Head Transportation Museum is Owls Head State Park. There is a light house to explore, a picnic area overlooking Rockland harbor, and a beach (accessed down a very steep cliff). It’s a perfect spot for watching the beautiful yachts coming in and out of Rockland Harbor. A visit to Owls Head State Park is not a day’s adventure in itself, but it’s a pleasant side trip when going to the Owls Head Transportation Museum.
Planet Toys, Rockland - Located at 318 Main Street in Rockland, right down the street from the Farnsworth Art Museum, this toy store is very hands-on. Go ahead, pick toys up and try them out. It’s a toy store! The store’s motto is “You’re never too young to play.” They have a wide selection of toys that you wouldn’t find at chain stores. Perhaps the most fun thing about this toy store is that they let kids ride plasma cars and other vehicles through the store! There are also plenty of hats and costumes the kids can try on inside a giant play castle. Come, have fun, and you are bound to leave with an interesting new toy. Kid Comment - I would go to Maine just to go to this toy store. http://planettoysblog.blogspot.com
Southern Maine
Perkins Cove, Ogonquit - One of the most charming spots in Maine, there are three must-dos in Perkins Cove. First, take a leisurely walk along the Marginal Way. This 1.5 mile-long paved pathway lined with ocean roses follows rocky outcroppings and provides beautiful ocean views. It winds its way from Perkins Cove into the downtown area overlooking Ogonquit Beach. Have lunch at Barnacle Billy’s. This harborside restaurant has been a Perkins Cove institution for almost 50 years and is well-known for its lobsters, steamers, chowder, and lobster stew. Do a little window shopping. Perkins Cove is known for its quaint storefronts selling jewelry, pottery, clothing, and art work. www.ogunquit.org Parking in Perkins Cove can sometimes be tight, so try taking the local trolley from downtown. www.shorelineexplorer.com
Ogonquit Playhouse - For over 75 years, the Ogonquit Playhouse has been bringing quality theater to Maine. In the summers, the playhouse offers a youth theater series on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Each weekend, the Playhouse puts on a different play or musical. www.ogunquitplayhouse.org/childrens-theatre
Footbridge Beach, Ogonquit - Less busy, but equally as beautiful as Ogonquit Beach is Footbridge Beach. It’s known as Footbridge Beach because beach goers walk over a footbridge under which flows the Ogonquit River. This wide-open beach where a family can easily find their own space was voted New England’s best beach in 2007 by Boston Magazine and voted “Best Southern Maine Beach for Avoiding Crowds” by Yankee Magazine. I just call it the favorite beach from my childhood. The Footbridge Beach is located at the end of Ocean Street off Main Street (Route 1).
Maine with Kids
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