Acadia National Park: 10 Kid-Friendly Activities

We recently took a trip to Acadia National Park with our son Graham, our great friends and their two little ones. It was an amazing trip and we fell in love with Maine: the lobster, the chowder & the beautiful shore. This trip definitely took some planning because it would be the first major trip where Graham was on the go! In total we had four adults, a four-year old, and two one-year-olds! We learned that traveling with toddlers is a whole new ballgame! We learned so many things about how to make our time enjoyable! Having a flexible plan, lots of snacks and finding activities that will keep the little ones entertained are a must!

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In this post, you’ll find:

Our top 10 kid-friendly Acadia National Park Activities
Access to our full Acadia National Park 3-Day Itinerary!
Easy/Moderate Hikes with Kids
Great places to Eat with Kids in Bar Harbor, Maine
Toddler Travel Tips we learned along the way!

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**Southwest National Parks with Kids**

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10 Kid-Friendly Activities at Acadia National Park

**#1:** **Tidepooling @ Bar Island during Low Tide**

This is a really fun activity if your child is into rocks, the water or the sand! We started our trip with this activity and it was a great introduction to how we would spend the trip-having a lot of fun by the water with great views. This is located right in the main Hub of Bar Harbor, Maine!
When you download our 3-day Acadia Itinerary, you can access our pinned map with all of our favorite locations!

#2: Biking Carriage Roads

We loved our time biking the carriage roads with the kids. They did awesome riding along in the trailers. I will mention that the carriage roads are very hilly, so this is something we’d only recommend if you’re used to biking a lot with the extra weight on the back! Key things you’ll need/want: Lots of Snacks and Beverages.

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Carriage Roads Acadia National Park — **Carriage Roads**

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**#3: Jordan Pond House**
This is such a great place to have lunch with kids. We were seated outside and there was a large open area for the kids to play! There were even some berry bushes right alongside the lawn. You could add a short hike if you end up driving here or taking the shuttle instead of biking like we did. We also really liked the gift shop at this location. The kids enjoyed a great blueberry popsicle after lunch!

Great Head Trail Acadia National Park — **#4: Great Head Trail**

This trail really gets you up close with the ocean and we felt like it offered some great views of “iconic Acadia”. It is a loop, which is always nice with kids because there’s always something new to look at. The four year old did great with all the rock scrambling and we kept the toddlers in our Osprey Carriers. This trail is just under 2 miles and starts/ends at the Sand Beach! We were especially excited about the blueberries we found on the trail!

Favorite Hiking Gear for Kids:

#5: Sand Beach

One of the only sandy beaches in the area, Sand Beach is a great place to relax and lounge. It is located right inside the park entrance. Get there early for a good parking spot & take note that if you park past the beach, the road is only a one-way!

#6: C-Ray’s Lobster Pound

This was probably my favorite lobster roll in Maine! It was a great spot for the kids because of the outdoor seating and of course, they could take a look at the lobsters! We recommend going to a lobster pound outside of Bar Harbor for an authentic experience!

#7: Queen Anne’s Revenge Inn

We Highly Recommend this hotel right in the heart of Bar Harbor! It has the authentic Inn feel and great amenities. We typically stay in a rental home when we travel with kids because it allows us to have a place to hang out once the kids go to bed, but accommodations in Bar Harbor in the summer were hard to find! I was worried about staying in an Inn, but this place turned out great for us! There was a shuffleboard area that the toddlers absolutely loved playing on! The best part? It was right outside of a little bar that had amazing cocktails right on the property. Other things we loved about Queen Anne’s Revenge were: close proximity to town & the National Park, great service-everyone was so friendly!, and the great breakfast! Being able to run down the hall to grab coffee and a freshly baked blueberry muffin was a great way to start the day before exploring Acadia! We typically book accommodations through Expedia due to their great cancellation policies & easy to use booking tools!

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**#8: Cadillac Mountain**

Cadillac Mountain definitely lived up to the hype! We decided against the sunrise reservations because we didn’t think it would be the best idea with the little ones. During the day, it was still extremely beautiful! We actually had a reservation first thing in the morning one day & it was very cloudy, so we rescheduled for just before sunset and it was beautiful! This is a great place with kids because the view comes with very little work-you just have to get out of your car and walk a few yards to see the panoramic views of Maine!

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#9 Lompoc Cafe

This was another restaurant that our group really enjoyed due to an outdoor space! It had a bocce ball court that could have kept the kids busy for hours! We ended up getting just about every appetizer on the menu to share and they were all amazing. This is just off the main road in Bar Harbor!

#10 Southwest Trails-Wonderland Trail & Ship Harbor Trails

These are, unfortunately, trails we didn’t make it to this time around. We will definitely be back! I couldn’t leave this off of the list because in all of my research, these were usually included in the must-dos for kids at Acadia! We, quite frankly, just ran out of time!

Need Toddler Travel Tips?

Check out our “Traveling with a Toddler: Tips, Tricks & Gear!” Post!

We learned so much about traveling with a toddler on this trip! We know that it’s sometimes scary to travel with little ones, but we have learned that it is always worth it! We have created so many amazing memories with Graham already on our travels. Acadia was especially a great kid-friendly destination. We can’t wait for our next adventure!

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