Freshly Made: Summer Guide to Maine with a 2.5-Year-Old

The second long weekend of the year is here! I took 3 extra days off around it, putting together a 6-day, 5-night summer trip to Maine—including 3.5 days at Acadia National Park and 1 day in Portland. Since we were traveling with a 2.5-year-old, we only planned 1-2 highlights per day, and our little one had an absolute blast the whole time! 🌟 Overall Trip Highlights First, I listed out all the attractions we were interested in, and checked off the ones we actually visited. Two of these required advance booking (marked with a red background for emphasis!): ✅ Lobster Fishing & Sea Lion Watching Cruise from Bar Harbor This was our top pick for the kiddo—a 1.75-hour boat tour where we got to watch fishermen catch lobsters 🦞 and spot sea lions 🦭. The duration was perfect for a toddler (not too long to get antsy!). Even though the fishermen only caught a few lobsters (we saw dozens of crabs instead!), our little one was still over the moon—giggling every time a crab scuttled in the trap. It was such a fun, hands-on way for them to learn about coastal life! ✅ Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co. We also booked a whale-watching tour with this company. While we didn’t get lucky enough to see a lot of whales, the boat ride itself was exciting for our toddler—they loved feeling the wind on their face and pointing at seagulls flying alongside the boat. The crew was super kid-friendly too, handing out small stickers and explaining marine life in simple terms. ✅ Scenic Views at Cadillac Mountain Summit Driving up to Cadillac Mountain’s summit was a must! We skipped the early sunrise rush (too tough for a toddler’s sleep schedule) and went mid-morning instead. The wide, open views of the ocean and surrounding forests had our little one saying “wow” nonstop—they even insisted on sitting on a rock to “watch the boats” for a whole 20 minutes. Pro tip: Bring a small snack (like goldfish crackers) to keep them occupied while you soak in the scenery! 🍽️ Foodie Fun (for the Whole Family!) We indulged in 5 lobster meals and 5 ice cream treats during the trip—talk about a summer feast! The lobster was fresh, sweet, and easy to share with our toddler (we picked out the meat for them to eat with their hands). As for ice cream? We tried all kinds of flavors, from classic vanilla to Maine’s famous blueberry 🫐—our little one’s favorite was the chocolate chip, of course! I’ll be writing a separate post all about the food (there’s one lobster spot that was so amazing, it deserves its own highlight!). #AcadiaNationalPark #Maine #FamilyTravelWithToddler #SummerTripWithKids