Vacation at the New England Coast (NH, ME, MA)

My 2 favorites are Ogunquit and Kennebunkport. The first is cute and small, the second is larger, classy, has a great brewery cafe and the fanciest inn called The White Barn Inn (very pricy - we stayed there for an anniversary). I would google both and decide what kind of atmosphere you like better. York beach is also very nice, a little bit more touristy (taffy shops and such) but then all 3 of these town make most of their money from tourists. Enjoy!

I live in Maine, so hopefully my opinion isn't too biased lol. The entire Maine coast is beautiful. Ogunquit, Old Orchard Beach, Kennebunk are all great areas. The only problem is during the summer they get very crowded and busy. York's wild animal kingdom (in York, Maine) is amazing for kids, and parents alike. Our kids at 9,8,8,5, almost 2 still enjoy it every time we go. Then there is also Funtown/Splashtown USA in Saco which is great place to spend all day having funif you like amusement parks and water parks. Portland is naturally the hotspot for nightlife, and the Old Port in portland is a historic area (a little history never hurt kids) and very beautiful with great shopping for mom and dad. A little further up the coast is Camden/Rockport/Rockland area which has the schooners, again, with a lot of history, and the Boat show, Blues Festival, and Lobster festival every year if you like small town carnival type things. Bar Harbor is also great, and has plenty to do at all ages.

Finally, there is my personal favorite, North Conway, NH which is where our entire family (us, my in-laws, sisters and their families together) vacation every year. It is an absolutely beautiful area. Fun for all ages is to be had (kids in our family range from 14 to almost 2). The area is complete with a natural spring, tons of shopping for the adults, great restaurants.... I could go on for a while.

The Maine office of tourism could help you with more information on which areas you specifically are interested in, and I'm sure New Hampshire has something similar. Enjoy your vacation, hope this helped.

You might want to see if they are near a lake. We have family friends that have a summer house on a lake and there are things to do nearby. I think there is a water park, possibly in the North Conway area.

You MUST spend a day at Storyland in North Conway, NH. It's the perfect place for kids your age and it just the most family-friendly place I've ever been. Another consideration are the lakes areas, although I suppose if you live in the middle of the country the ocean would be more of an adventure. There are lots of nice lake areas in NH and Maine - Lake Winnipesaukee, which has a beach called Weirs beach which has a nice water park, is in NH and Sebago is in Maine. We've rented a boat for a day on Sebago twice and I have to say that both days rank in the top 10 best days of my life. Lake swimming with young kids is wonderful - the water is warm, clear and salt-free and you can put them in life jackets and go on and off the boat all day. The beaches are a bit cold normally but this year, they'll probably be warmer than usual. Ogunquit in Maine is a great family-friendly beach side village with lots of relaxing things to do, like mini-golf, short walking trails, etc. I have friends who go there year after year and it's the quintessential New England summer experience.

Whatever you do...enjoy your trip. I hope you have great weather because when you do, summer in New England is paradise.

I absolutely agree with the suggestions you've already received. You can't really go wrong anywhere on the NE coast!

One observation about Maine (a favorite of mine): If you're planning on swimming, later in the summer is better. The Atlantic Ocean in Maine is still pretty chilly early on (though, since this winter has been so mile & it seems spring is pretty early, it may be somewhat different this year). Usually kids don't notice too much -- they're having too much fun in the waves! Adults who are used to either more southern coastal areas or lakes tend to be taken a little by surprise.

If you're in NH or southern Maine, save a day or two to explore Boston! Walk along the waterfront, visit the New England Aquarium, stop by Fanueil Hall & see where so much of our national history started. Stroll through the Public Gardens and ride the swanboats The Children's Museum is terrific. There's so much to see & do!

I've not mentioned the Cape or the islands because it doesn't look like you'll be here for long, but if you get a chance to stay for a week or so, consider Nantucket. It's pricey -- but so incredibly worth it! The beaches are phenominal!

Glad to hear you're visiting our neck of the woods. I hope you get to make it an annual event!

BTW -- if you haven't made flight arrangements yet (assuming you're not driving out), check out both Boston's Logan Airport and Manchester Airport. Sometimes, fares differ greatly and one might offer a better deal than the other.

Love love LOVE Cape Cod! Wonderful beaches. Sea-faring museums. P-town is a hoot, but they don't have alot of public bathrooms. Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Island are lovely. There's a great art museum overlooking on the Nantucket side of Cape Cod (can't think of the name of the town, though...).

NH is a beautiful state -- wild dense green wetlands, beautiful mountains, great place to go moose-spooking. ME -- just a great great ocean and wild shoreline. You might also consider Vermont -- lovely and pastoral. The VT state tourism bureau does a triptyche for the Connecticut River Byway. My husband and I thought if we ever got back to VT, we'd definitely take that drive with our son...making sure to stop overnight in Burlington and have ice cream at the original Ben and Jerrys!

You are lucky to have a reason to go to New England all the time now. It's one of my very favorite places to visit! Enjoy!