Acadia With Kids
Short hikes with big views, tide pools, waterslides, a real lobster boat and pirate mini golf, plus a game room at the house for rainy days.
Seal Harbor Beach, a 15-Minute Walk From the House
Family Favorites
Grouped by the kind of day you’re having.
Easy Hikes for Little Legs
From the house
Day Mountain
The only carriage road in Acadia that climbs all the way to a summit, so kids can walk or ride a bike to the top for ocean views.
Map and directionsPark Loop Road, near Bar Harbor
Jesup Path at Sieur de Monts
A flat boardwalk loop of about 1.5 miles through white birches and the Great Meadow. Easy enough for little legs and strollers, with benches along the way.
Park Service pageSouthwest Harbor
Flying Mountain
One of Acadia’s lowest peaks, with big views over Somes Sound and the islands from the top. A perfect first mountain.
Map and directionsNear Bass Harbor
Ship Harbor and Wonderland
Two short, nearly flat trails that end at pink granite ledges full of tide pools. Go at low tide to find the most creatures.
Map and directionsBar Harbor
Bar Island at Low Tide
Walk across the sandbar to the island, exploring tide pools on the way. The crossing is open about 90 minutes either side of low tide, so check a tide chart first.
Crossing detailsPark Loop Road
Ocean Path
An easy walk along the cliffs from Sand Beach, with waves crashing below.
Park Service pageBar Harbor
Blue Horizons Preserve
About 1.6 miles of quiet trails through an 82-acre preserve, usually without the park crowds.
Map and directionsOutdoor Fun
Trenton, just off the island
Wild Acadia Water Park
Two 300-foot waterslides, a splash pad with a dumping bucket, trampolines, a giant bounce pillow and mini golf. Day passes are sold to visitors in summer.
Wild Acadia day passesSouthwest Harbor
Echo Lake Beach
Warmer, freshwater swimming on the island’s west side.
Park Service pageSieur de Monts
Nature Center and Wild Gardens
Interactive exhibits and rangers at the Nature Center (open mid-June to mid-October), and more than 400 native plants in the Wild Gardens next door. Start the Jesup Path from here.
Park Service pageBar Harbor
Lulu Lobster Boat
Two hours on a real lobster boat: watch the traps come up, hold a lobster and see the seals. Ages 6 and up, May to mid-October.
Lulu Lobster Boat websiteBar Harbor
Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf
Two 18-hole pirate courses with caves, waterfalls and a full-size pirate ship.
Pirate’s Cove websiteSouthwest Harbor
Charlotte Rhoades Butterfly Garden
A garden shaped like butterfly wings and planted to attract them, on the shore of Norwood Cove. Open daily mid-May to mid-October.
Map and directionsRainy Days
Bar Harbor
Reel Pizza Cinerama
Pizza and a movie in a cozy, living-room-style theater by the Village Green, a local rainy-day favorite.
WebsiteBar Harbor
The Oceanarium
A Gulf of Maine aquarium, a museum and a salt marsh trail where kids can explore right at the water’s edge.
Oceanarium websiteNortheast Harbor
Northeast Harbor Library
A cozy children’s room with free storytimes, perfect for a rainy morning: an all-ages read-aloud on Saturdays and songs and stories for babies and toddlers on Thursdays.
Library websiteAt the house
The Game Room and Board Games
Arcade machines, table tennis, foosball, Pop-A-Shot and a PlayStation 5, plus board games, puzzles and movies on the large TV.
Seal Harbor
Ice Cream in the Village
Ice cream at Acadia Outdoor Center, a short walk from the house.
Website“Great location.. walkable to the park and to seal harbor. Nice beds and plenty of space / activities for a large family.”
Questions
Is Mount Desert Island good for kids?
Very. Easy hikes like Day Mountain, Flying Mountain, the Jesup Path boardwalk and the Ship Harbor Trail, tide pools at low tide, a lobster boat ride for ages 6 and up, pirate mini golf in Bar Harbor and, in summer, the waterslides at Wild Acadia. On rainy days, there’s the Oceanarium’s aquarium, pizza and a movie at Reel Pizza Cinerama, and the game room at the house.
What can kids do on a rainy day?
Pizza and a movie at Reel Pizza Cinerama, the Oceanarium’s aquarium, storytime at the Northeast Harbor Library, or the game room at the house with arcade machines, table tennis, board games and a PlayStation 5.
Where can kids swim?
Seal Harbor Beach is a 15-minute walk from the house. For warmer, freshwater swimming, try Echo Lake Beach, and in summer the Wild Acadia water park in Trenton sells day passes.
Plan Your Stay
See live availability and the full price, including fees and taxes, and book online.
Questions? Call or text Jen at 207-801-8661.
More Ways to Stay
SummerBeach days, harbor paddles, popovers at Jordan Pond House and fireworks over Frenchman Bay.
FallFall color on the carriage roads and long evenings at the fire table.
WinterPlowed driveway, a warm house, and carriage roads for skiing and snowshoeing when there’s snow.
SpringWaterfalls running with snowmelt, spring birds, and the Park Loop Road by bike before it opens to cars.