We made it…Lamoine, Maine. We are only 20 minutes from the best national park in the New England region. Acadia National Park. This park boasts gorgeous ocean views, sandy beaches, sand dollars and sea glass (if you’re lucky to find some), water holes, winding roads and trails galore! This is by far one of my absolute favorite national parks I’ve visited thus far. My kids and I spent the last 5 days of our 12-day road trip in Acadia National Park. But FIRST…let me show you where we stayed. It’s a must share because the hostess and the home was to die for!
Where We Stayed
Lamoine, Maine. Her name is Laura, our hostess. She was the sweetest hostess anyone could ask for. She greeted us and showed us around our “home” for the next 6 nights. I felt completely safe here and the location was perfect.
The Views in Lamoine
There was a short 10-minute walk to the water for views like this nestled away in her community. My daughter and I took to the road to go explore this body of water before we decided where we were going to eat for the evening.
Bar Harbor
One of the places we visited before checking out the best national park was Bar Harbor. It’s a small town right on the outskirts of the national park and because of this, it gets extremely busy and finding parking can be a challenge. It’s best to visit early if you want to check out the town. There are tons of shops, restaurants and excursions you can book from the harbor if you so choose. The kids and I went primarily to scope out for souvenirs for them, grab some food and milk thai boba drinks. Overall, we didn’t hang out in Bar Harbor for long during our stay in the area. We are the family that loves adventures so shopping isn’t really our thing. 😉 We grabbed some souvenirs and off we went to play some mini-golf and explore Acadia National Park where ALL the FUN began!!
Acadia National Park
I apologize in advance, but get ready to be amazed! Acadia National Park is teeming with stunning views, with blue waves crashing against rocky cliffs and boulders providing an opportunity to get even closer to the ocean. There is an abundance of hiking trails in this national park as well as a beach and some large pond areas to be seen. At least 4 million people visit this national park annually and in fact, it’s one of the top 10 most visited national parks we have here in the United States. Acadia National Park is full of winding roads that take you throughout the park too. It’s a gorgeous drive!
Sand Beach
Sand Beach is located within Acadia National Park and is not very large; however, it is a beautiful beach with frigid waters. You’ve been warned! Hahaha. They have signs when entering the beach to warn you of potential hypothermia because the water does get that cold at Sand Beach. Our first visit to Sand Beach we did not plan to go in the water or stay long as we were still exploring the rest of the park to figure out where we wanted to go the next day. My daughter and I looked for sea glass along the sides of the beach and sand dollars! I found a beautiful piece of sea glass and she found a sand dollar. We were quite lucky during our visit. The beach can get crowded; however, while we were visiting it wasn’t terrible at all.
There are public restrooms located right outside of the beach along with showers to wash off. Those do get pretty busy as there aren’t a lot of restrooms or showers accessible to the public. You can park at Sand Beach; yet, just like Bar Harbor, it’s limited parking and so you may find yourself walking quite a ways from Sand Beach just to visit. We parked a good mile away from the beach alongside the road.
On our next visit to Sand Beach, we enjoyed laying out on the beach and soaking in the beautiful views from every angle.
Jordan Pond
Jordan Pond is the clearest body of water in the park and in all of Maine and is also located within Acadia National Park. The water is so clear that they say you can see at last 45 feet down into the water. You’ll notice a beautiful mirror reflection of the mountains that surround it. The water from Jordan Pond is used to supply water to The Jordan Pond House restaurant right outside of the Jordan Pond, the natural wildlife that inhabits this area, and the community of its surrounding neighbors.
We walked along a trail that circles the Jordan Pond while we waited for our reservation at The Jordan Pond House. The trail is a nice walk, nothing strenuous. Please do not put your hands, feet, or anything else in the water to keep the water’s purity. The views of this pond are incredible. See for yourself!!
Sea Lion Boat Tour
We took a detour from our initial plans to go Whale Watching (it was cancelled on us twice due to heavy fog and tides). Instead, we decided to take a Sea Lion boat tour out of Acadia National Park. It was interesting and fun to see the sea lions and learn about the local lobster “fishing” in Maine. The lobster industry is huge and the fishermen take their jobs very seriously, as it employs many people in the area. The tour guide also talked about the homes along the coast and the history behind them.
Thunder Hole
Within the best national park, you will find an interesting view of what they call Thunder Hole. Thunder Hole is essentially a caved inlet that when the waves come rushing in and crash against the rocks, a thunderous noise comes from here. Hence the name, Thunder Hole. It’s very cool to watch especially when it’s high tide and the waves are crashing together in this caved inlet. It is said the water can spout up to 40 feet in the air from the caved inlet. We didn’t see it get that high; however, if you stand close enough, you will get a little wet from the water that does spout up! It’s so fun to watch and quite honestly, mesmerizing! Below you can see it starting to gather with the waves rolling in.
Detour Here
I honestly could not begin to tell you where we were in Maine at this moment because we decided to just drive around to see what we could find. That’s the spontaneity I love about our road trip to Maine. We were maybe 30 minutes outside of Acadia National Park where we landed upon this gorgeous location. The views and check out the sea glass my daughter found as well! My gosh. I have no words! We stayed here for quite awhile to take in the ocean waves crashing against the boulders. It was an incredible experience.
Where To Eat Lobster
It may come as no surprise if you’ve been following our road trip with us first stopping in Connecticut and eating our first lobster there. My daughter and I continued that throughout the entire 12-day road trip. If we could find lobster, we ate lobster. Haha. But we were sure to spoil ourselves with lobster on the daily!! The lobster is so fresh and delish everywhere we ate. This was our main stop in Maine for lobster. It’s called C-Ray Lobster and it’s a little stop to the right on highway 3 on your way to Acadia National Park.
The Road Trip of a Lifetime
I’d like to finish off this 12-day road trip to Maine with these final words. This was absolutely the most memorable vacation my kids and I have taken to date. We’ve explored the Caribbean and other states; yet, there is something to be said about planning out a 12-day road trip with your lil family and just exploring the beauty around you in nature. Just being in the moments. Embracing whatever comes your way on the trip. Figuring it out as you go. Truly, all three of us are ALWAYS reflecting back on the activities we did, the places we visited and where we stayed, driving through different states…all the things. Stop stopping yourself and just GO!!!!
“Memories are the sweetest souvenirs of life’s journey.”
Author Unknown
Did you miss where we were before visiting Acadia National Park, Maine? Follow us along here from Day 1 of the most EPIC road trip ever!
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Keep Having FUN!
XO, Christine
