Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island are terrific places to visit with your family. As the only national park in the New England area, Acadia is the primary attraction on the island, and we highly recommend spending some time there when you visit. The park has over 130 miles of gorgeous hiking trails, about 45 miles of old carriage roads for cycling and horseback riding, and countless opportunities to experience the rugged natural beauty of the Maine coastline. Visitors can also rent kayaks, go fishing, or enjoy a variety of winter activities after the weather gets cold. If you only have enough time to visit one place, make it Acadia National Park.
However, there’s still plenty else to do on the island. The biggest town on Mount Desert Island is Bar Harbor, an idyllic little seaside community with restaurants, museums, and boutiques. Some of the most interesting museums include the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History, the Abbe Museum dedicated to preserving the area’s native Wabanaki heritage, and the Seal Cove Auto Museum, featuring a large collection of antique vehicles dating back to the 1890s.
If you’re looking for something a little more active you can do with your kids, we recommend a trip to Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf, a local minigolf favorite. For a little extra authenticity, make sure the kids know that Blackbeard himself once sailed into Bar Harbor with his ship, the Queen Anne, to hide from English pirate hunters—according to local rumors, anyway.
To make the most of your next trip to Mount Desert Island, check out our Acadia National Park & Bar Harbor Self-Guided Walking and Driving Tour. More prolific travelers might also be interested in Action+, a subscription service that grants access to over 100 tours for a single yearly price.
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