Looking for something to do today in Maine or New Hampshire with your kids??
I’ve been there SO MANY times over the last few years with kids! Quick searches online haven’t always been helpful so I hope that you’ve found this post and I can help you! If you have, please share this with others so they can find some inspiration to get outside as well!
Where do you want to go?
Outdoors or indoors?? I only have a few a places indoors I visit often and love, like the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, NH, mostly every other spot on my page is outdoors! So dress accordingly and let’s get outside!
What type of activity do you want?
There’s a beach, a playground, a walk in the woods/ along the ocean, somewhere that’s easy to park at, somewhere that is inexpensive to enter… so many different options, so I am going to lay out many options for you below!
Maine
I’ll start with some places that kids get the least dirty at. Sometimes taking that stress away also helps because you don’t have to pack things like towels or extra clothes AND extra shoes. By saying this, it eliminates beaches for now! So my favorite activities with kids where they don’t get terribly dirty are walks like Downtown Ogunquit (which includes a playground), or a visit to a lighthouse like Portland Head Light (large grassy area and old fort to run around and explore) or Pemaquid Point Lighthouse (picnic tables and large grassy area with gorgeous views- also more Midcoast Maine). There’s also a beautiful, wagon friendly walk called East Point Sanctuary. But if you are reading this the morning of your adventure then the parking lot is probably already full, it fills up quick! Check out the posts on all, linked below!
If you are up for getting a little dirty and doing a little bit extra laundry then you have to do a beach day. Our favorite places to visit are Fort Foster for easy parking, bathrooms, beaches and a playground. Another favorite for easy parking, walking trails and the beach is Ferry Beach State Park. Reliable parking is HUGE for me when getting outside with kids, so I talk about it A LOT. Check out those two places below.
New Hampshire
Since our thing is the beach and the seacoast, I have just a few places in New Hampshire that I love and recommend for getting outside for the day! If you are looking to stay relatively clean, no towels required, go for a walk downtown Portsmouth or downtown New Castle. I LOVE these walks. Parking is cheap downtown Portsmouth and you can grab a coffee and snacks and walk through Prescott Park or to two different playgrounds. In New Castle, parking is free and there is also an adorable coffee shop right next to the free parking lot. You can enjoy some treats and coffee while slowly walking through the streets (backroads) of New Castle. Make sure you bring your stroller or wagon for both of these walks! Check out the posts below!
If you are feeling a little more brave and want a longer day trip, check out New Castle Commons or Odiorne Point State Park. Both have reliable, large parking lots, playgrounds and a lot of room to run around and play. New Castle has a perfect beach for little kids and Odiorne’s Beach is very rocky but still beautiful. Both playgrounds are close to parking and the bathrooms are right next to them! Odiorne also has the Seacoast Science Center if you wanted to do something indoors and outdoors. In the summer there is a food truck at Odiorne right next to the playground for a quick lunch! Check out all the posts below!
Have fun!
