Packing & travel tips

The beaches in Maine are unlike a lot of the beaches around the country. Most of the beaches in Maine have a rocky shoreline, are very dependent on the tide, and can get windy and cold pretty fast. I grew up going to the beaches on Cape Cod and I remember there being a lot of wide open dry, sandy areas for beach chairs and tents. I expected soft, flat sandy beaches when I first started going to the beach in Maine but I quickly learned there are not many of those beaches, and especially not around southern Maine.

In Maine I have also learned how the tides can really impact the day. It is crucial to check the tide schedule before heading out for a day at the beach. A lot of the beaches in Maine, especially the southern coast of Maine, have very little beach at high tide and it is not worth it to pack everything up with kids and not be able to get a spot to sit down! 

Before heading out for a beach day in Maine there’s a few items that I always pack to make things a little easier with 3 kids in tow. Here are my two lists of must haves! I separated it between the summer months and the off season but a lot of things we use year round!