Acadia National Park Attractions
Acadia National Park Attractions
 | Acadia National Park Camping Acadia National Park, ME Acadia has two well-appointed campgrounds. The larger one is Blackwoods Campground, located just south of Bar Harbor at the beginning of the Park Loop; it offers more than 300 tent sites, along with hot water shower and evening campfire programs. More secluded and peaceful, Seawell Campground has some 200 sites well off the beaten track on the western side of the island. While its possible to reserve sites here as well, half of the sites are kept open on a first-come, first-served basis. If you arrive there before 10 a.m. in summer, you have a very good chance of securing a spot. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Acadia National Park Loop Route 3 Bar Harbor, ME • 207-288-3338 The best way to spend a day -- or get oriented for a week -- in Acadia National Park is to take this 27-mile scenic route that makes a lazy round-trip tour around the eastern half of Mount Desert Island. Beginning at the Hulls Cove Visitors Center, it takes in many of the parkâs most impressive sites, including the Native American museum at Seiur de Monts spring; the spouting blowhole known as Thunder Hole, where kids can clamber around the ocean-side cliffs (under strict parental supervision); the dramatic views of Otter Cliffs, which have been adopted as a veritable symbol of the park; and the auto route up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, a rocky summit with walking paths and gorgeous views of the park and surrounding islands. Pick up a guide to the park along with an entrance pass good for seven days at the visitors center, located on Route 3 between Bar Harbor and the bridge to the mainland. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Carriages of Acadia Park Loop Road Acadia National Park, ME • 877-276-3622 The legacy of the 19th century millionaires who once summered in Acadia, the parkâs 57 miles of "carriage roads" are paved with crushed stone, making them ideal for an afternoon of strolling or biking among the spruces and maples. But arguably the best way to experience them is the way they were intended to be seen -- by horse-drawn carriage. Leaving from Wildwood Stables on the Park Loop, Carriages of Acadia leads one- and two-hour tours around Day Mountain and Rockefeller's stone bridges. Some include narration of the history of the park; on others there is nothing more than the clip-clop of hooves to break the silent spell of the trees. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Climb Acadia Acadia National Park, ME The dizzying heights of Otter Cliffs are some of the most dramatic scenery of Acadia; but that's nothing compared to the scenery you can spy while hanging off them. A day belaying with the Atlantic Climbing School can be one of the most invigorating and rewarding ways to experience the natural beauty of the park, and the school's experienced instructors are able to accommodate kids as young as 6. For older kids, the school also offers overnight camps of two to three nights, which a gradual increase in the difficulty of climbs to bring whole new meaning to the concept of self-confidence. Best For: Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Diver Ed's Dive-In Theatre 105 Eden Street Bar Harbor, ME • 207-288-3483 You could scuba yourself into the plankton-y depths surrounding Mount Desert Island in search of starfish, lobster and other saltwater denizens, or you could get a guided tour from the most entertaining deep-sea diver in Bar Harbor. Diver Ed is part educator, part adventurer and part clown, taking an underwater camera into the coves and ledges as his wife Edna -- otherwise known as Captain Evil -- narrates topside. The real fun emerges when he surfaces with the very creatures that passengers got a glimpse of onscreen, offering kids the chance to hold, pet and kiss crabs and sea cucumbers on deck. Not for the faint-of-heart or humor-challenged, Ed's narration runs to scatological, particularly favoring close up views of sea cucumber butts -- but he has a unique gift for connecting with kids of all ages over the wonders of the water. (Tours generally leave at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. daily, meeting outside the Dorr Natural History Museum on the campus of the College of the Atlantic, 15 minutes before start of the tour.) Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12) |
 | Lulu Lobster Boat Ride 56 West Street Bar Harbor, ME • 207-963-2341 With 30 years of experience on every kind of watercraft, Captain John Nicolai is uniquely suited to take his guests around the waters of Acadia in search of the most popular main course for mom and dadâs dinner plate: lobster. Kids will gain a whole new appreciation for these armored crustaceans as they help haul up traps and learn about the history of lobstering -- and everything else -- on Mount Desert Island and surrounding areas. Tours are usually capped by a circuit around exposed ledges where harbor seals are known to sun; because Lulu is small and unobtrusive, Captain John is able to get right up close for a sealâs eye view of the playful mammals. (Between three and four tours leave daily; the boat leaves from Harborside Hotel, 55 West Street.) Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Seal Cove Auto Museum 1414 Tremont Road Seal Cove, ME • 207-244-9242 Tucked into a corner of the west side of the island, this paean to antique automobiles never fails to take visitors by surprise. The collection of more than 50 cars, trucks and motorcycles gleams with polished brass and chrome that seems to shine even more brightly for the museumâs secluded out of the way location. A labor of love by late auto-enthusiast Richard Paine, the collection includes everything from steam-driven cars from the 1880s to enormous touring vehicles of the 1920s that put modern-day SUVs to shame. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
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