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Boston/Bar Harbor Vacation

I have family in Boston and we have spent a week or two in Maine each summer for the last several years.

How old are your kids? I would not rate Maine high on the kid-friendly meter. If they're old enough to be into water/hiking/outdoorsy stuff they'll probably be fine. Otherwise they'll be bored out of their skulls till you get back to Boston.
 
inspectah said:
I have family in Boston and we have spent a week or two in Maine each summer for the last several years.

How old are your kids? I would not rate Maine high on the kid-friendly meter. If they're old enough to be into water/hiking/outdoorsy stuff they'll probably be fine. Otherwise they'll be bored out of their skulls till you get back to Boston.
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They're 6 & 8 and should be fine. Especially with the boating and lobster eating. I think they'll like downtown Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor too.
 
6 and 8? they could do the beehive, at least the 8 yo. unless it's windy or something
 
The 8-year old is the more adventurous. I don't think I'd be comfortable with both of them and I don't think my wife is too interested. Is it particularly dangerous or does it just look that way? I can't believe they'd let you walk across an iron grate over an enormous gorge or something. I can't really tell from the pics online though.
 
there are sections where the path is narrow with a drop and you do have to climb a few iron bars a few times. It's definitely more "dangerous" than a regular hike but not perilous. I've seen kids and dogs and guys with toddlers in backpacks. the kid will get a kick out of the ladder parts
 
Just don't go if it's recently rained and everything is slippery.
 
One other thing that the kids might find interesting is Eartha, which is located in Yarmouth (up 295 just north of Portland). It's the world's largest revolving/rotating globe. It's not super awesome or anything, but it's just something else kinda cool. http://www.delorme.com/about/eartha.aspx.
 
So I did The Beehive by myself at 5:30 in the morning (which is about an hour after sunrise) and didn't really enjoy it. And I'm super glad I didn't bring the kids. the rungs were probably too far apart for most kids. A mistake could lead to a 40-foot fall on your head. I usually take warnings with a huge grain of salt because people do a lot of stupid stuff, but that trail has a lot of exposed areas. When I saw people climbing up the side of the mountain later that day from the Shore Trail I was like, "Oh Shit! Why did I do that?" Great views though.

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This was early on and not so bad.

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View.

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Decent seats for the Sox game, which was a near no-hitter for Arrietta.

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wow, surprising. i've never had anyone have negative feelings about that hike. looks like you did it on a day with great weather, at least.
 
I got back to the inn for breakfast and told a couple of locals that I had done it and they acted like they wanted no part of it. I'm probably overreacting though.
 
Wife and I rented a house in Wiscasset and have been exploring villages to the north since Wednesday. Went to pemaquid lighthouse and Rockland on Thursday and to Boothbay today (puffins cruise there on Sunday). We are going to Acadia on Monday so this thread has been helpful! Thanks ITC. Headed south to Portland tomorrow for food, bike rides, beer, and whatever else we can find. What recs on restaurants does the pit have? We'll be in casual dress. Thinking of taking the mail boat to various islands as well.

Ate at Red's Eats the first night we got in. Wow they put a ton of lobster on the roll. We used about a third of it for a lobster fettuccine last night! Treats is another great, local bakery here. Great breakfast this morning if you're ever passing through.
 
We ate at East Ender in Portland which was pretty good, lots of locals. We stayed at the Westin and it's a pretty good walk from there though. Hot Suppa was recommended to us for breakfast, but it was too crowded when we got there.
 
We've spent time in several parts of Maine and the area around Rockland is my favorite. We would have gone back a bunch but it's just too far to drive from Boston unless you can stay for two weeks or more.
 
So I'm landing at Logan at 10:00 on Wednesday for a business trip, staying at the Fairmont Copely Plaza, and dont have to be anywhere until 7am the following morning. What free/inexpensive things could I do that afternoon? I've been to Boston a couple times, but never on my own. I've never done the touristy stuff, but have been to a Sox game. I'm hoping to get together with a college roommate's parents for dinner possibly that night.
 
Great hotel to stay at as it's centrally located at Copley Square. With an entire day you really can do anything. I know you're a beer fan so I would recommend hitting up a brewery if you're interested. Sam Adams is on the Orange line and not too far to get to by cab from Copley while Harpoon is somewhat close to the airport so you could theoretically swing by before heading back into town to the Copley. Your hotel is right across from the Boston Public Library which is pretty cool to stick your head in and glance around for a little bit. I would definitely recommend going to the Faneuil Hall area (historic area) which is a short cab ride or T ride on the green line from your hotel. I would recommend the Bell in Hand which is right around the Faneuil Hall area for a beer and/or lunch. It's a tavern that has been around since pre-1800 and claims to be the oldest bar in America or something.
 
MFA is free on Wednesdays after 4pm, if you're looking for free stuff.
 
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