[stellarae]

hey there... im a momma from vt and this august we are planning our first camping trip to maine... really looking for somewhere with swimmable water! lakes, ocean, whatever! anyone have any suggestions, tips or must-see places to go? ill have a three and a half year old and a 5 month old at that point, so family friendly outings are a must!

thanks

 

[tinasquirrel]

We went to Peaks-Kenny state park in Dover-Foxcroft last year and we liked it so much that we are going back this year, and even reserved the exact same spots. The lake is great. Shallow for a good long way, and the shallow area is roped off, and there's a lifeguard. Next to the swimming area there is a playground, bathrooms, picnicing shelters. Several nice, kid-friendly hikes. There is a mixture of small and large camping sites.

Hermit Island is a private campground on the ocean. It is awesome, but I'm not sure how crowded it gets in the summer. I've only been there on Columbus Day weekend, when it was obviously not very crowded. I have a feeling it's packed in the summer. But, it's absolutely gorgeous.

 

[mooliette]

We live in the Midcoast and try and camp every other weekend. We take a 2 week trip at the end of July in Maine's Public Reserved Lands, every year we pick a different region, that has been a trip.

Our favorite campgrounds for weekend camping are as follows

And not in any particular order.

http://www.meadowbrookme.com/ - has a pool, playground and is 10 minutes away from the ocean.

http://www.lakepemaquid.com/ - we probably hit this campground the most, it's only 20 mintues from our house so we can usually just pick up and go. We never have to reserve a spot, but it has the campground vibe. Has a beautiful lake, heated pool, and 4 hot tubs. It's also really close to Pemaquid beach and my most favorite Maine attraction; Pemaquid Point.

http://www.chewonkicampground.com/ - another favorite for us. Only 5 minutes from home lol They have a nice nature walk, the area is just beautiful, has an awesome salt water pool in addition to the wading pool.

http://www.thomaspointbeach.com/ - is really a beautiful park, has tons of space for kids to run free, awesome fields and a great playground that I still enjoy after all these years!

Have fun, we started exploring Maine more a few years ago when gas prices sky rocketed, we've hit a ton of campgrounds but the above 4 are ones we will continue to go back to summer after summer.

 

[fyrwmn]

there's a really nice family campground in Kennebunkport that we used to go to every year growing up and then dh and i went yearly. haven't been in a couple years, so i'd have to ask dh the name of the campground as i can't remember right now. has nice kid and adult pools for hanging around the campground. it's about a 2 minute drive to the ocean (Gooseneck beach). that beach is really quiet, no touristy stuff. no lifeguard however.

 

[stellarae]

are there any places that are "must see" tourist type attractions that we should go by as well?

i havent been camping in years, im really looking forward to going now

thanks for all the suggestions (and websites! woo!)

 

[AnalogWife]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinasquirrel Hermit Island is a private campground on the ocean. It is awesome, but I'm not sure how crowded it gets in the summer. I've only been there on Columbus Day weekend, when it was obviously not very crowded. I have a feeling it's packed in the summer. But, it's absolutely gorgeous.

This is where my sil and her family from Vermont come to camp. We visited them in August and there weren't many vacancies, but the sites weren't all on top of one another. (We once went to Sebago Lake and it wasn't very private, kind of annoying.) It certainly is beautiful up there! And very family-friendly.

 

[serenekitten]

Depending on where you're heading and if you like animals and/or amusement parks, the following places came to mind: York's Wild Kingdom, the Gray Wildlife Park, Funtown Splashtown, and Aquaboggan.

I don't know if you're up to traveling all the way to Mount Desert Island, but they have some awesome places all over the island. Mom and I camped in Acadia National Park, many years ago.

 

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnalogWife This is where my sil and her family from Vermont come to camp. We visited them in August and there weren't many vacancies, but the sites weren't all on top of one another. (We once went to Sebago Lake and it wasn't very private, kind of annoying.) It certainly is beautiful up there! And very family-friendly.

I am thinking of going camping in Maine with my 2 year old son this summer for a long weekend. What kind of beach access is at this campground? I remember as a child waking up and walking down to the ocean beach to go hunting for sand dollars and sea shells, and would love a great beach to take my son to.

Also, how far away is Hermit Island from Kittery? I would love to go to the outlets at least for one afternoon while we are up in Maine.

 

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_Pie I am thinking of going camping in Maine with my 2 year old son this summer for a long weekend. What kind of beach access is at this campground? I remember as a child waking up and walking down to the ocean beach to go hunting for sand dollars and sea shells, and would love a great beach to take my son to. Also, how far away is Hermit Island from Kittery? I would love to go to the outlets at least for one afternoon while we are up in Maine.

So, I feel like a complete dork quoting myself, but I just checked out the driving directions, and it looks like a stop in Kittery might be a good thing to do on our way to our campsite. The Hermit Island campground doesn't allow checkin until 2pm, and Kittery looks like it is right on the way and we could use it as an excuse to stretch our legs and get out of the car for quite a while.

 

[tinasquirrel]

Hermit Island

When we stayed there, our campsite was practically on the ocean. On a small bluff above the beach. And there are tons of individual beaches, some rocky, some sandy.

I'm heading to Kittery tomorrow for some shopping! Haven't been there in ages.