Peaks Island, Maine
This was an adventure for myself and 3 kids! But worth every second and totally doable (easier with an extra set of hands- but you should definitely go!). Here’s how to do this day trip with kids!
Where to park
I drove up to Portland and parked in the Casco Bay Parking Garage which was right next to the ticket center for the ferry and where you board the ferry. This is located at 54 Commercial St in Portland. According to the website it is $5 an hour to park and here is the link to the website:
Tickets and the ferry ride
They don’t take reservations but the ferry was pretty big so I can’t imagine there would be any problem with getting on it. The tickets are so reasonably priced, making this an inexpensive trip! An adult ticket is $7.70, kids ages 5-13 is $3.85 and kids under 5 are free! When I took them by myself all 3 of them were under 5 so it was an easy purchase! The ferry departs every hour and it’s only about a 15 minute ride over to Peaks Island! I brought my Veer wagon on the ferry and was able to leave it on the lower level while we rode on the top to sight see.
Arriving at Peaks Island
Once at Peaks Island we walked off the ferry with the crowd and took a right on the main road. We went to lunch at Island Lobster Company- the first place we walked by and it was great! There were plenty of picnic tables with views of the ocean and they brought the food over to us (very necessary on a trip like this). While we were waiting my oldest two got to run around and get some energy out. After lunch we tried to walk a little further into the island but it was time to go because it was nap time. We caught the ferry back pretty quick- we were only on the island an hour. I would’ve loved to explore but it was definitely more difficult with just me and not my husband there. But honestly if we had stayed longer it would’ve been even closer to nap time and there would’ve been a lot of tears.
Things to do at Peaks Island with kids
I can’t possibly speak to all there is to do on Peaks Island… we were only there an hour! I definitely want to take a trip back soon though. A friend recently went and she rented a golf cart to explore the island and I love that! Here is the link to all there is to do on Peaks Island. And here is the link specifically for the golf cart rental.
Ice cream in Portland
So since this was such a quick trip that I did by myself and three kids, I had to bribe them a little to get back on the ferry to go back to Portland. When we arrived back in Portland we took a quick 5 minute walk to get some ice cream before getting back in the car and heading home. We went to Captain Sam’s Ice cream which is closed now but in its place is Coastal Creamery which looks just as good if not better! They have ice cream cookie sandwiches!
Have the best day! If you are from the area or just visiting Portland for the day, this trip is a must! I wrote a blog post for Shrpa on Peaks Island and here it is. It includes addresses and some pictures!
