Spring break this year we headed north to the Bangor, Maine area for a few days. The biggest part of our time away was a day trip to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor.
We set our GPS for the entrance gates where we paid the 30.00 dollar fee that allows one car admission for 7 days. We learned it is 50.00 dollars for a yearlong pass to Acadia or 80.00 for a National Parks Pass that gets you in all National Parks, as well as some other places.
The kids also got a copy of the Junior Ranger activity book from the entrance staff.
After paying for admission we drove on to Park Loop Road, and decided our first stop would be Sand Beach. Although it seems like we just missed the official opening season (the beginning of May) we found that for the most part, besides the bathrooms and information centers, everything was pretty open.
We stayed at Sand Beach for a bit. There was so much sunshine and the kids enjoyed running around, playing in the sand and seeing what treasures they could collect. Jake found a star fish!
After our time at the beach we were all ready for lunch so we decided to drive back into Bar Harbor. Lots of shops and restaurants were still closed. Like Acadia, May seems to be when everything opens up in Bar Harbor, but we enjoyed walking around and the emptiness.
We got takeout from The Dog and Pony Tavern and had a picnic in the park.
After lunch we headed back to Acadia where we continued to drive the Park Loop Road. We stopped at Thunder Hole but were just a bit too early, they say the best time to see it is two hours before high tide.
We left Thunder Hole and continued on the Park Loop Road, enjoying the views of the ocean and seeing other things we might want to do in Acadia on future trips. There are so many hiking trails and we will try one of them the next time we go.
