The Family Weekend Guide to Midcoast Maine
Using the Samoset Resort as a base camp, the coastal towns of Camden, Rockport, and Rockland offer everything from hiking right above the Atlantic to lighthouse excursions and some epic family competitions.
Into the Hills
There are several family-friendly, easy to moderate trails that take you through pine forests and up small mountains with amazing ocean views here. Mount Battie stands as the backdrop behind Camden, featuring an intermittently steep mile-long trail that’ll give your family a workout without exhausting them and has a stone tower and picnic tables at the top to enjoy a lunch and views of the entire Midcoast. Consider exploring Camden Hills, which is full of easy morning and afternoon hikes with equally spectacular views.
Camden Culture
Despite the name, Camden Opera House is home to more than high culture. You can catch family-friendly movies, like Shrek, comedy shows, and concerts, from both local and national acts here year-round, all in a gorgeous, comfortable, historic building located right downtown.
On the Beach
You’re oceanside, so why not let the family run and sun on the beach for a day? Birch Point Beach in Owls Head is just a half-hour drive south, offers a wide, sandy crescent beach to lounge on, and a rocky expanse home to tidal pools full of scuttling crabs and other marine life to explore. For a shorter drive (and easy access to the fresh lobster at Waterman’s Beach Lobster), visit South Thomaston’s small, rocky Waterman Point, a great stop for shell hunting.
A Pool Fit for Their Ages
The zero-entry pool at the Samoset Resort is perfect for anyone who loves an amazing view from the water’s edge, looking directly at the Rockland Breakwater and lighthouse. But it’s especially ideal for those with toddlers and young children. The gentle sloping entrance means you can plop them down at whatever depth they’re comfortable with.
An Epic Backyard Olympics
For families with elementary school and older kids, the “Ultimate Backyard” adjacent to the pool offers up countless opportunities for them to play while you sit poolside – or for an afternoon filled with family competition. Tennis courts, pickleball, a nine-hole disc golf course, shuffleboard, badminton, a basketball court – the options are pretty much endless for family bragging rights.
Museums & Lighthouses
An hour’s drive (and perhaps a ferry ride) north or south from the Samoset Resort will take you to nearly 30 picturesque lighthouses worth exploring inside and out. To get your bearings, you can visit Rockland’s Maine Lighthouse Museum or the Maine Maritime Museum in Camden, with the latter also offering more than 140 boats and ships from every epoch of Maine history to tour.
Winter Highlights
When the snow is falling, hit the Camden Snow Bowl for skiing and sledding closer to the Atlantic than you ever dreamed possible. Or stay indoors while the kids immerse themselves in the Samoset’s many winter vacation week programs, featuring yoga, movie nights, and arts and crafts.
Where to Stay
The Samoset Resort
The ideal resort for children because of the Samoset Kids Club for kids, ages 5 to 12, that sets them out exploring the shoreline, painting buoys, and trekking around the Midcoast on adventures. As an added bonus, the resort offers local babysitters so you can enjoy a couples’ night out on your family vacation.
