Family Fun and Kids Activities in Maine

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Maine's variety -- from ocean cliffs to western mountains and rivers, make it a treasure for family activities, indoors and outdoors, in all seasons for any vacation. Among them are whale watch cruises, camping, children's museums, paddling, hiking, and much more.

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Airborne Fun - Monkey Trunks - Maine & New Hampshire

Monkey Trunks Zipline Parks

3 Great Locations in New Hampshire and Maine , NH Phone: 603-367-4427

The south coast of Maine has the zip!

There’s more than a breeze in the trees on the south coast of Maine. Get the family into Zip trekking a hybrid of a Zip line Tour and an Aerial Trekking course. Self navigate on a variety of Zip lines and rope-course challenges. After a brief ground school, you’re attached to the course by belays but you’ll be able to find your own way. Try your luck with 48 challenges from swinging beams and tightropes, to rolling logs, hanging tires, and cargo nets. There are 3 zip lines, a dual zip, a 35-foot high giant swing, and a rock climbing wall. Kids will enjoy platforms no more than 6’ off the ground and enough challenges to provide the kick.

York's Wild Kingdom

Route 1 - Animal Park Road York, ME, 03909 Phone: 207-363-4911

The fun is really wild at this Maine kingdom

African lions and Bengal tigers and, oh my, so much more for families to see and do at York’s Wild Kingdom, where kids and parents come to play. Observe animals from A (alligators) to Z (zebras) in beautifully landscaped exhibits, walk into the colorful Butterfly Kingdom, feed the ducks or take a paddle boat ride in the lake, pet African pygmy goats, feed a deer – and that’s just the animals! You can also ride a Ferris wheel, carousel or bumper boat, scream in a haunted house, play a round on the mini-golf course, get your swing down in a batting cage and sharpen your arcade-game skills. Bring a picnic lunch or feast from our snack bars, ice cream and fried dough stands.

Nonantum Resort

95 Ocean Avenue Kennebunkport, ME, 04046 Phone: 207-967-4050 Toll-Free: 800-552-5651

So much to see and even more to do for families at this Maine resort

When Yankee Magazine said the Nonantum Resort was one of the best family resorts in New England, they knew what they were talking about. For more than 130 years, families have been returning to this waterfront resort, not only for its location (a short walk to the beach or to town) but for its full slate of family and kid-centric activities, from campfires with s’mores and sing-alongs to pop-up events featuring water slides and bounce houses (and ask about the princess and pirate night where the kids seek buried treasure!). Water activities include kayaking, paddleboarding, lobster tours, crabbing and sailing; or go biking or hiking or just enjoy the pool. Boat and trolley tours leave right from the resort.

Funtown Splashtown USA

Route 1 Saco, ME, 04072 Phone: 207-284-5139

For family fun, together and one by one

Whether you’re going to do family things all together or the independent little rascals always want to ride and romp by themselves, Funtown Splashtown USA presents plenty of opportunities. There's not one but two roller coasters to zoom around on - the classic wooden Excalibur or modern steel-frame Wild Mouse. The youngsters can enjoy such attractions as the Merry-Go-Round, the Classic Carousel and the Balloon Race, a mini-Ferris Wheel. With parents in the back and kids in the front, the Barney Oldfield Roadsters take you around a track. When it comes to fun on wheels, the action level is up to you - it can be as mild as Bumper Cars or Boats, or as adventuresome as the gas-powered Grand Prix Racers.

Experience True Maine at Sebasco Harbor Resort - on Maine's Mid Coast!

York's Wild Kingdom - New England's Only Zoo AND Amusement Park!

Family Reunion on the Stephen Taber - Maine Windjammers - Camden, ME

Maine Windjammer Association

Sailing from Ports in Rockland and Camden, ME, 04843 Phone: Toll-Free: 800-807-9463

Journey aboard a schooner is treasured time for families

Imagine all the non-electronic-gadget things you can do as a family aboard one of the historic schooners of the Maine Windjammer Association. Go for a swim or fish off the deck, explore a quaint seaside village, learn about navigation from the crew (or take a turn steering the vessel), play board games together by lantern-light, chow down on a lobster feast by a fire on a secluded beach, share stories and songs by starlight. (Or maybe you all will just want to snuggle up with a good book.) And the things you will sail past, from lighthouses and rocky islands to seal pups and the occasional whale! Some cruises are designed especially for grandparents and grandkids with kid-friendly activities.

Shin Pond Village

1489 Shin Pond Road Mt. Chase, ME, 04765 Phone: 207-528-2900

Family fun for four seasons at this multi-activity recreational resort

It’s four seasons of family fun at Shin Pond Village, a 100-acre family owned and operated recreational resort in the heart of Maine’s scenic Katahdin Region. Rent a snowmobile or an ATV and hop on to hundreds of miles of trails from the resort’s doorsteps. The trails’ unique terrain is part of Polaris Adventures, the first-ever national network of ride-and-drive experiences. At the resort, you can also go fishing (or ice fishing), swimming, canoeing, skiing, snowshoeing: Then come back to the resort with its campsites (four on a brook), RV sites, housekeeping cottages, guest suites and pondside homes. The resort also has a general store, laundromat, restaurant and “Loon’s Nest” room with satellite TV.

Rapids Ahead 500x250 - ELC Outdoor Adventure Outpost - Errol, NH

ELC Outdoors

49 Schoolhouse Brook Road Caratunk, ME, 04925 Phone: 603-215-0002

Family fun on the water, in the woods – and high above the trees

Whether your family is up for a wild ride through the white water of Maine’s Rapid River, a more sedate float down New Hampshire’s scenic Androscoggin River, an evening pontoon cruise through the lake Umbagog wildlife preserve (where you might spy a moose, loons, osprey, bald eagles or even a black bear) or some quiet fishing along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, ELC Outdoors has your adventure waiting. Prefer something non-water-related? How about a course where you navigate a series of ropes, wires, platforms and bridges 12 to 40 feet off the ground (yes, that’s Mount Washington in the distance)? Or rent a fat bike and hit the local trails. Available yurt and wall-tent lodging is perfect for families.

Point Lookout

67 Atlantic Highway Northport, ME, 04849 Phone: 207-789-2000

Families love this mid coast vacation destination

There is no end to what families can do at this natural wonderland on Penobscot Bay. Drop your gear in the spacious cabin then strap yourselves in for great indoor/outdoor fun from hiking on the 3.8 miles of bountiful nature trails to swimming at the private beach. Visit the goats and hens on the organic farm year-round. There’s tennis, basketball, kayaking, snowshoeing and nearby ice skating and skiing. The fitness and recreation complex has racquetball and squash courts, billiards, ping pong, basketball, volleyball, an 8-lane bowling center. Have breakfast or lunch at the Copper Pine Café then take off for the day for some sightseeing, shopping, dining and enjoy all the attractions in nearby Camden, Belfast, Rockland and Bar Harbor.

201 Powersports

29 Main Street Bingham, ME, 04920 Phone: 207-672-3773

Excitement awaits when you rent snowmobiles, ATVs and take to the trails

If your family is up for excitement, check out the fleet of top-of-the-line Polaris ATVs and snowmobiles for rent at 201 Powersports in Bingham and Jackman, Maine. Experienced guides will help you plan the perfect adventure, whether it’s an adrenaline-pumping trail through forests on an ATV or a full or half day spent exploring the terrain and wildlife saddled on a snowmobile. Spectacular outdoor scenery awaits once you check in, consult with an experienced guide, pick up your helmet and goggles and set out for family fun. Or, combine your ATV ride with a pontoon boat cruise on lovely Wyman Lake, perfect for swimming or just taking in the sights, like Houston Brook Falls.

Mom & Son 500x250 - Crab Apple Whitewater - The Forks, ME

Crab Apple Whitewater (ME)

3 Lake Moxie Road The Forks, ME, 04985 Phone: 800-553-7238

Family fun from whitewater rafting to paintball and moose safaris

Family fun takes so many forms at Crab Apple Whitewater that you’ll be hard-pressed to know where to start. So let the river be your guide! Head down the Kennebec, zipping through easy rapids or opting for something more challenging. Some trips allow for floating or swimming, and they all feature fabulous Maine scenery. Back at the base camp, there’s overnight lodging, a pub, restaurant, heated showers and a swimming pool. At night, join in some spirited paintball fun, with several custom “fields” of play. Looking for something a little wilder? From May through August you can sign the family up for a starting-at-dusk moose safari, seeking the big beasts out in their native habitat.

Palace Playland

1 Old Orchard St. Old Orchard Beach, ME, 04064 Phone: 207-934 2001

Family amusement park on the beach in Maine with dozens of rides and attractions. The 24,000-square-foot video arcade contains more than 200 games like Skeeball, coupon skill games, and coin-operated video. The park also offers midway games, gift shops, old-fashioned photos, a palm reader, and more family activities that are perfect for your next vacation in Maine. Free admission to the park. Many ticket options for rides and amusements.

The Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad

212 Depot St. Unity, ME, 04988 Phone: 207-948-5500

This 33-mile railroad line is one of the oldest continuously operating railroads in the United States. Scenic excursion trips leave from the historic depot in Unity at noon on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, following a turntable demonstration at 11:30 a.m.

Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine

142 Free Street Portland, ME, 04101 Phone: 207-828-1234

Interactive exhibits at this Museum and theater span four floors, and special programming is offered daily. Features and exhibits include Toddle Park, Tide Pool Touch Tank, a rock climbing wall, the Space Shuttle, and the Music Garden, all great options for family activities on your next vacation or trip to Maine. Programs change frequently. Fun for all ages, but best for children younger than 12. Cost: $6; under age 1, free. Open: Labor Day-Memorial Day, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; Memorial Day-Labor Day, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon–5 p.m.; Closed major holidays

Old Fort Western

16 Cony St. Augusta, ME, 04330 Phone: 207-626-2385

Built in 1754, this National Historic Landmark is America's oldest surviving wooden fort and it a great place to visit during your next family vacation to Maine when you are looking for things to do and family activities. Visitors can tour the fort and its store, which contains hundreds of farming and forestry tools essential to the economic life of the settlement. Hours: Open Memorial Day to Labor Day, 1 to 4 p.m.; Labor Day through January, weekends or Sundays only.

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum

58 Fore St. Portland, ME, 04101 Phone: 207- 828-0814

The whole family will enjoy a trip along Portland, Maine’s waterfront in a historic narrow gauge railway coach, a perfect place to go during your next vacation when you are searching for fun family activities. Magnificent views of Portland's working waterfront aboard antique rail cars pulled by steam and diesel locomotives. Discover the unique two-foot gauge trains that linked rural Maine to the rest of the world. The museum is open daily from May 1 to October 31, and seasonally for special events such as the Christmastime Polar Express trains.

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